I think the greatest Persian Poetess was Mahasti Ganjavi!

Mahasati was born at the end of XIth century in Ganja in Azerbaijan, received perfect education, closely acquainted with the Eastern literature and music. The most productive period of creation she spent in palace of Sultan Mahmud Seljuq and his uncle Sanjar Seljuq's palace.

She was a famous rubai writer not only in her epoch, but much more later. The love plot holds the main place in her creations. The rubais are marked out by their wordliness, humanism, epicurism and optimism. Mahasati ganjavi describes love as a fragile natural feeling which makes a man's fame higher. The poetess protested against religious prejudices, hypocricy, conservatism and protected a man's moral freedom. Her poems reflected the people's, especially women's, romantic dreams of a free and happy life.

Monument for Mahasati Ganjavi in Ganja

An turk pesar ke man nadidam sirash
That turkish boy who I couldn't see him enough

Bashad ke zebar bashad o basham zirash
I wish he lies on top of me and I find myself under him

Han ey pesareh khatib ta solh konim
O homosexual Boy, Come to make peace with each other

To ba koonash besazo man ba kirash
You can enjoy with his ass and I with his Penis

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Kos chah amighi ast panahi dahadat
Vulva is similar to a deep well which you can take refuge in it

Az balesheh noghreh tekyegahi dahadat
It will give you a silver pillow for leaning on

Noh noghteg simab cho rizi dar vey
If you pour nine mercurial drops on it

Noh mah shavad, Chahardah mahi dahadat
After nine months, it will give you a cute child

Ok - Tough one - there are so many that I would choose. 19th century American woman poet I would have to say Emily Dickinson - very much ahead of her time in thought and often in verse form as well.

Wild Nights - Wild Nights!   Were I with thee Wild Nights should be our luxury!

Futile - the winds - to a Heart in port - Done with the Compass - Done with the Chart!

Rowing in Eden - Ah, the Sea! Might I but moor - Tonight - in Thee!

20th century women poets in America are prolific - and I don't have a favorite yet.

I would agree with Emily Dickenson, also many of Sappo's(not sure of spelling) works

Sappho should be in the list just for being one of the first (at least in the West) poetesses, even without taking into account the beauty of her poems.
That Mahasti Ganjavi woman is actually pretty shocking, btw

Definitely Sappho and Emily Dickenson and I'd like to add Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Maya Angelou.

I am amazed as well by Mahasti Ganjavi and am off to find out more....

I'm always amazed at what I learn from AE.

Shocking? I find her poetry fascinating, the least to say. Shows what the Islamic culture was all about before the Crusades turned them inwards...

  Sor Juana Ines de La Cruz

   sources: http://www.writepage.com/others/sorjuana.htm - http://www.writepage.com/others/sorjuana.htm

http://www.latin-american.cam.ac.uk/SorJuana/ - http://www.latin-american.cam.ac.uk/SorJuana/

http://www.latin-american.cam.ac.uk/SorJuana/XSorJuana.gif"> Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648 - 1695)

KEY DATES (following new research by Octavio Paz):

1648: Juana Inés Ramírez born as illegitimate daughter into a poor family on the farmstead of San Miguel Nepantla;
1656: Sent to live with maternal aunt's family in México (City); learnt Latin;
1664: Enters the Court (aged 16); lionized as prodigy and for her beauty;
1668: Enters Convent of San Jerónimo (aged 20); wrote many poems, plays, studied philosophy, music and science;
1691: Writes famous 'Respuesta a Sor Filotea', defending right of women to study and write; comes under pressure from Ecclesiastical hierarchy to abandon her studies;
1694: Abjures under great pressure; forced to sell her books and musical and scientific instruments;
1695: Plague hits convent; Sor Juana contracts plague and dies 17th April, aged 46.

You may forget but

Let me tell you this:

someone in some future time will think of us.

Sappho