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Ancient Egyptian Love Poetry...     


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First Line and Order of Poems on This Page

    •    The Flower Song:  To hear your voice is pomegranate wine to me.     
    •    
The Crossing:  I’ll go down to the water with you.
    •    Tonight I will hold you my beloved. Finally, I will drink life from your lips
    •    Is there anything sweeter than this hour?
    •    Love, how I’d love to slip down to the pond.
    •    She has no rival, there is no one like her.
    •    She is one girl, there is no one like her.
    •    The earth trembled as you passed by.
    •    Disturbed is the condition of my pool.
    •    Her necklace is made of buds.
    •    Is my heart not softened by your love-longing for me?
    •    The voice of the wild goose cries.
    •    The wild goose flies up and soars.
    •    Oh beautiful one!  My heart’s desire is…
    •    The voice of the dove calls
    •    Sa’am plants are in it.
    •    Ta’-a-ti plants are in it.  I take your garlands away.
    •    I am the lord of fire who lives on truth.

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Written during Egypt's New Kingdom (1539-1075 B.C.) but likely composed much earlier

    The Flower Song (Excerpt)
     To hear your voice is pomegranate wine to me:
     I draw life from hearing it.
     Could I see you with every glance,
     It would be better for me
     Than to eat or to drink.

        (Translated by M.V. Fox)

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Archaeologists have discovered most of Egypt's love poetry in Deir el-Medina, a village of tomb builders during the New Kingdom.  

Findings indicate that these villagers may have been remarkably literate for their time. The local community—not just the scribes and students—may have contributed to the poetry of Deir el-Medina.

The love poems were likely set to music and used events from daily life and the natural world—growing grain, capturing birds, fishing along the Nile—as metaphors to talk about love.

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The Crossing (Excerpt)

I'll go down to the water with you,
and come out to you carrying a red fish,
which is just right in my fingers.

(Translated by M. Fox)

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Kissing is described in the surviving Ancient Egyptian love poetry from the New Kingdom,
found on papyri excavated at Deir el-Medina.



Finally I will drink life from your lips
and wake up from this ever lasting sleep.

The wisdom of the earth in a kiss
and everything else in your eyes.

I kiss her before everyone
that they all may see my love.

And when her lips are pressed to mine
I am made drunk and need not wine.
When we kiss, and her warm lips half open,
I fly cloud-high without beer!

His kisses on my lips, my breast, my hair…
…Come! Come! Come! And kiss me when I die,
For life, compelling life, is in thy breath;
And at that kiss, though in the tomb I lie,
I will arise and break the bands of Death.


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Ancient Egyptian Love Poem

Is there anything sweeter than this hour?
  for I am with you, and you lift up my heart –
for is there not embracing and fondling when you visit me
  and we give ourselves up to delights?

...If you wish to caress my thigh,
  then I will offer you my breast also –  it won't thrust you away!

Would you leave because you are hungry?
  – are you such a man of your belly?

Would you leave because you need something to wear?
  – I have a chestful of fine linen!

Would you leave because you wish something to drink?
  Here, take my breasts! They are full to overflowing, and all for you!

Glorious is the day of our embracings;
  I treasure it a hundred thousand millions!


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Ancient Egyptian Love Poem
       
Love, how I'd love to slip down to the pond,
            bathe with you close by on the bank.

     Just for you I'd wear my new Memphis swimsuit,
            Made of sheer linen, fit for a queen–
...       
     Come see how it looks in the water!
            Couldn't I coax you to wade in with me?
                   Let the cool creep slowly around us?

     Then I'd dive deep down and come up for you dripping,
            Let you fill your eyes with the little red fish that I'd catch.

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Love Poem from Ancient Egypt
Egypt, Deir el-Medina, 1300 B.C

"She has no rival,              
  there is no one like her.
   She is the fairest of all.

She is like a star goddess arising
 ...    at the beginning of a new year;
   brilliantly white, shining skin;

Such beautiful eyes when she stares,
 and sweet lips when she speaks;
   she has not one phrase too many.

With a long neck and shining body
 her hair of genuine lapis lazuli;
   her arm more brilliant than gold;

Her fingers like lotus flowers,
 ample behind, tight waist,
   her thighs extend her beauty,

Shapely in stride 

 when she steps on the earth.

She has stolen my heart with her embrace, 
 She has made the neck of every man 
   turn round at the sight of her.

Whoever embraces her is happy,
 he is like the head of lovers,

And she is seen going outside
  like That Goddess, the One Goddess."  


The Same Extract with a Different Translation

LOVE POEM FROM ANCIENT EGYPT
Extract from a 3,000 year-old papyrus.

She is one girl, there is no one like her.
She is more beautiful than any other.

Look, she is like a star goddess arising
at the beginning of a happy new year;

brilliantly white, bright skinned;

with beautiful eyes for looking,
with sweet lips for speaking;

she has not one phrase too many.

With a long neck and white breast,
her hair of genuine lapis lazuli;
her arm more brilliant than gold;

her fingers like lotus flowers,
with heavy buttocks and girt waist.

Her thighs offer her beauty,
with a brisk step she treads on ground.

She has captured my heart in her embrace.
She makes all men turn their necks to look at her.

One looks at her passing by,
this one, the unique one.

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Love poem from the Middle Kingdom  
             
The earth trembled as you passed by,               
     Turning everything sacred as you walked.               

And you set your blue eyes upon me for the first time,               
     speaking at me with the depth of the night               
          ...like a nightingale who doesn't need its wings to fly.               
What a blessing it is to be worthy of your look.               

I have seen rain on the desert,               
      and all impossible things coming true.               

All of my prayers carry your name.               
      I wish to be pure so that I can desire you.               

Take me as you will.               
Your slave...                

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Ancient Egyptian Love Poem

Disturbed is the condition of my pool.
The mouth of my sister is a rosebud.
Her breast is a perfume.
Her arm is a ''uncertain'' bough
Which offers a delusive seat.
Her forehead is a snare of meryu-wood.

I am a wild goose, a hunted one,
My gaze is at your hair,
At a bait under the trap
That is to catch me.

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20TH DYNASTY, NEW KINGDOM EGYPT

Her necklace is made of buds.     
Her bones are delicate reeds.
She wears a signet ring
               and has a lotus in her hand.
...
I kiss her before everyone
          that they all may see my love.
She enraptures my heart,
      and when she sees me,
             I am refreshed.


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Ancient Egyptian Love Poem

Is my heart not softened by your love-longing for me?
My dogfoot which excites your passions
Not will I allow it
To depart from me.

Although cudgeled even to the "Guard of the overflow,"
To Syria, with shebod-rods and clubs,
To Kush, with palm-rods,
To the highlands, with switches
To the lowlands, with twigs,

Never will I listen to their counsel
To abandon longing.

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Ancient Egyptian Love Poem

The voice of the wild goose cries,
Where she has seized their bait,
But your love holds me back,
I am unable to liberate her.

I must, then, take home my net!
What shall I say to my mother,
To whom formerly I came each day
Loaded down with fowls?

I shall not set the snares today
For your love has caught me.

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Ancient Egyptian Love Poem

The wild goose flies up and soars,
She sinks down upon the net.

The birds cry in flocks,
But I hasten homeward,
Since I care for your love alone.

My heart yearns for your breast,
I cannot sunder myself from your attractions.


Ancient Egyptian Love Poem

Oh beautiful one! My heart's desire is
To procure for you your food as your husband,
My arm resting upon your arm.

You have changed me by your love.
Thus say I in my heart,
In my soul, at my prayers:
"I lack my commander tonight,
I am as one dwelling in a tomb."

Be you but in health and strength,
Then the nearness of your countenance
Sheds delight, by reason of your well-being,
Over a heart, which seeks you with longing.

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Ancient Egyptian Love Poem

The voice of the dove calls,
It says: "The earth is bright."
What have I to do outside?
Stop, thou birdling! You chide me!

I have found my brother in his bed,
My heart is glad beyond all measure.
We each say:
"I will not tear myself away."

My hand is in his hand.
I wander together with him
To every beautiful place.
He makes me the first of maidens,
Nor does he grieve my heart.

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Ancient Egyptian Love Poem

Sa'am plants are in it,
In the presence of which one feels oneself uplifted!

I am your darling sister,
I am to you like a bit of land,
With each shrub of grateful fragrance.

Lovely is the water-conduit in it,
Which your hand has dug,
While the north wind cooled us.
A beautiful place to wander,

Your hand in my hand,
My soul inspired
My heart in bliss,
Because we go together.

New wine it is, to hear your voice;
I live for hearing it.
To see you with each look,
Is better than eating and drinking.



Ancient Egyptian Love Poem

Ta-'a-ti-plants are in it!
I take your garlands away,
When you come home drunk,
And when you are lying in your bed

When I touch your feet,
And children are in your [uncertain]
I rise up rejoicing in the morning
Your nearness means to me health and strength.

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(an ancient Egyptian spell from 'The Coffin Texts')

I am the lord of fire who lives on truth,

The Lord of Eternity, Maker of Joy, Against whom the otherworldly serpents have not rebelled.

I am the God in his shrine, The Lord of Slaughter, who calms the storm,
...
Who drives off the serpents, the many-named one who comes forth from his shrine,

The Lord of the Winds who foretells the Northwind,

Many-named in the Mouth of the Ennead,

Lord of the Horizon, Creator of Light,

Who illumines heaven with his own beauty

I am He! Make way for me . . .

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