Ancient Egyptian Love Poetry

Romance Along the Nile

All poems may be found here - Egyptian love poetry link

The Golden Goddess

My beloved stirs my heart with his voice,

He causes illness to seize me...

My mother is right in commanding me:

“Avoid seeing him.”

But, my heart is smitten by his memory,

My love for him has seized me.

Look, he is a fool

But I am just like him.

He does not know my desire to embrace him,

He does (not) send word to my mother.

Oh, my beloved! I am destined for you,

By the Golden (Goddess) of Women.

Qenamun and His Wife, Tomb of Qenamun, New Kingdom (ca. 1390-1352 BCE)

A Wife Embracing Her Husband

How knowing is my beloved in tossing the lasso,

(But) she draws no cattle.

Her hair is the lasso she tosses at me.

With her eye(s), she beckons me,

With her finery, she binds me,

Her ring is her brand.

Restoration of Decorated Doorway to North Chapel,

Tomb of Puyemre, New Kingdom (ca. 1479-1458 BCE)

A Decorated Doorway

I pass by his house,

Finding its door open.

My beloved stands beside his mother,

His siblings all around him.

He looks at me as I pass,

(But) I alone rejoice.

Had his mother known my heart,

She would have gone inside for a moment.

O Golden One, put that in her heart,

so I may hurry to my beloved,

and kiss him before his companions!

Menna's Daughter Offering to her Parents, Tomb of Menna,

New Kingdom (ca. 1400-1352 BCE)

A Beautifully Adorned Woman

The love of my beloved is there, on the (other) side,

The river swallows my body.

Nun (flood) is strong in (this) season,

(And) a crocodile is waiting on the sandbank.

(Still) I go down to the water,

Wading through the waves . . .

The crocodile, I find, is like a mouse,

The floodwaters like land under my feet.

It is her love that makes me strong,

So she will cast a water-spell for me.

And I will see the one whom my heart loves,

Standing right before me.

Hunting Scene, Tomb of Ineni, New Kingdom (ca. 1550-1470 BCE)

Antelopes Fleeing a Hunter and his Dog

Would that you come to your beloved,

Swiftly as a gazelle,

Leaping across the desert,

Its legs racing,

Its limbs weary,

Its body riddled with fear.

The hunter is behind it, a dog at his side,

(But) they cannot (even) see its dust...

Offerings of a Chariot and Horse, Tomb of Userhat, New Kingdom (ca. 1427-1400 BCE)

Prancing Horse

Would that you come (to your beloved),

(Swiftly) as the king’s horse,

Thoroughbred among all steeds,

The champion of the stable,

Cosseted in its feed,

Whose sovereign recognizes its pace.

Hearing the crack of a whip,

It cannot be held back.

No warrior can subdue it.

How knowing is the heart of the beloved,

That he is not far from (his) beloved.

Man Before a False Door, Tomb of Nebamun, New Kingdom (ca. 1479-1458 BCE)

Lector Priest Holding a Papyrus Scroll

For seven days I have not seen my beloved,

Illness has overcome me . . .

If the chief physicians came to me,

My heart would not respond to their remedies.

Even the lector priests could not find the way,

My illness is not diagnosed.

The one who tells me, “Look, it is she” is the

one who will revive me,

Her name is what will cure me . . .

My beloved is more beneficial for me than any

remedy . . .

I see her - and I become healthy.

She opens her eyes - my limbs are young.

She speaks - I am strong.

I hug her - she drives away evil from me.

(But) seven days ago, she left me.

Woman Holding a Captured Bird in the Marshes, New Kingdom (ca. 1279-1213 BCE)

The voice of the goose cries out,

Caught by its bait.

Your love holds me,

I cannot release it.

I will collect my nets.

What shall I tell my mother,

To whom I go every day,

Laden with birds?

I set no trap today,

(For) your love has seized me.

The Mother and Wife of Userhat, Tomb of Userhat,

New Kingdom (ca. 1294-1279 BCE)

Two Women Sitting in the Shade of a Sycamore Tree

The little sycamore that she herself planted

Opens its mouth to speak.

The words coming forth from its mouth

Overflow with honey.

It is perfect, its branches beautiful,

Blooming and strong,

Laden with ripe and unripe figs

That are redder than jasper.

Its leaves like turquoise,

With the gleam of glass.

It attracts those who have yet come:

“Come spend a day of beauty,

Morning after morning, up to three days, While

seated in (my) shade...

I am discreet and do not say what I see.

I will not breathe a word.”

Winemaking, Tomb of Ipuy, New Kingdom (ca. 1279-1213 BCE)

Wine Making

I sail north on the river,

In the manner of a captain.

My bundle of reeds on my shoulder,

I am headed to Memphis.

I will say to Ptah, Lord of Maat,

“Give me my beloved tonight!”

The river - it is wine,

Ptah is its reed.

Sakhmet - its lotus leaf.

Iadet - its lotus flower.

Nefertem is its blooming blossom.

The land lights up with her beauty.

Memphis is a bowl of mandrakes,

Set before the Beautiful-of-Face (Ptah).

Female Musicians, New Kingdom (ca. 1400-1390 BCE)

Troop of Female Musicians

Seeing you, my beloved, is a festive day.

Regarding you is a great favor.

May you come to me with beer,

Musicians equipped with instruments,

Their mouths with songs of love,

For joy and jubilation.

Your excellent beloved is in adoration before you,

Kissing the ground at seeing you.

Receive her with beer and incense,

Like offerings to a god.

Facade of a House, Tomb of Djehutynefer,
New Kingdom (ca. 1458-1410 BCE)

Facade of a House

I pass by her house at night,

I knock, (but) no one opens.

A good night for our doorkeeper!

Bolt, I will open (you),

Latch, my fate is yours,

(Latch), my very soul is yours

Restoration of the Hathor-Head Frieze in the Tomb of Senenmut, New Kingdom (1479-1458 BCE)

Ancient Egyptian love poems, often found on papyri and ostraca, express passionate and relatable emotions through vivid imagery of nature, longing, and physical affection. These poems, which originated from an oral tradition, describe feelings of desire, jealousy, and the joy of being with a loved one, with some famous examples including the "Cairo Ostracon 25218" and texts from the Chester Beatty papyri.

Themes and imagery

Longing and separation

Poems often depict the pain of separation, comparing the lover's absence to loneliness and death. A common theme is the difficulty of reaching the beloved who lives across the river, separated by a flood and crocodiles.

Praise and physical beauty

Many poems praise the beloved's appearance using metaphors from nature, comparing their beauty to stars, lotuses, and the rising sun. One poem describes a woman with hair like "lapis lazuli" and fingers like "lotus flowers".

Intimacy and desire

The poems are also known for their frankness and focus on physical intimacy. They describe the joy of being together, caressing, and embracing, and the delights found in a shared moment.

Jealousy and secrecy

Some poems touch on the anxieties of love, such as a lover passing by their beloved's house and hoping their mother won't notice their affection. Others deal with the desire to be together in secret, away from the prying eyes of others.

Examples from famous poems

"Whenever I leave you, I go out of breath":

This poem from Papyrus Harris 500 expresses the feeling of dread and stillness when the loved one is away.

"My beloved has come, my heart exults":

This poem, found on Medium, describes the overwhelming joy of the beloved's arrival.

"I am to you like a bit of land, With each shrub of grateful fragrance":

This poem, found on Wikisource, uses agricultural metaphors to describe love and connection, saying that the beloved's presence makes the poet feel like a fruitful garden.

"Come, my Soul, swim to me! The water is deep in my love Which carries me to you.":

This poem, found on Facebook, describes a love so powerful it is like a deep, life-giving body of water.

"I pass by his house, Finding its door open.":

This poem from The Metropolitan Museum of Art portrays the bittersweet experience of seeing a loved one in public while needing to hide one's feelings.