Egyptian Love Poetry

The Chester Beatty Texts

Anthony Alcock
This note is based extensively on B. Mathieu La posie amoureuse de l'gypte ancienne: recherches sur
un genre littraire au Nouvel Empire (Cairo !""#$ originally %ritten as a Ph.&. thesis. My article is not
'eant to be a %ork o( scholarship 'erely an atte'pt to bring so'e o( the results o( a %ork intended (or
specialists to a %ider non)specialist interested readership.
*Poetry* (or's part o( that a'orphous body o( textual production (re+uently kno%n by the
,rench ter' *belles lettres* %hich bear an uncanny rese'blance to the Egyptian
expression mdt nfr, and usually kno%n in English as *literature*. The +uestion o( %hat
constitutes *literature* has sti'ulated 'uch %riting 'ostly on the part o( pro(essional
acade'ics. -o'an .akobson is said to have characteri/ed poetry as *organi/ed violence
co''itted on ordinary speech*. The -ussian ,or'alist %as concerned to distinguish one
type o( language production (ro' another and this o( course assu'es a co''on
understanding o( %hat constitutes *ordinary speech*.
Egyptian poetry is (irst attested in the 0ld 1ingdo' in ban+ueting songs (non)royal
burials$ and pyra'id texts (royal burials$. The kind o( literary production kno%n *love
poetry* is attested in the period kno%n as the 2e% 1ingdo' (c. !344)!454 BC$. The *rules*
observed by those %riting poetry %ere the ob6ect o( en+uiry over 'any years by 7erhardt
,echt in nu'erous publications.
!
Egyptian verse unlike 7reek and Latin poetry has
nothing that obviously corresponds to a *(oot* based on vo%el +uantity but see's to be
based on the principle o( stress %ithin a unit o( 'eaning like 0ld English poetry. There is
no obvious rhy'e in Egyptian poetry.
1 What appears to be a summary statement of his thinking can be found in his article 'The structural principle of
Ancient Egyptian elevated language' in Verse in Ancient Near Eastern Prose, ed. J. oor and W. Watson !1""#$%
&"'"(. )echt clearly *rote the te+t in English *ithout assistance, and this sometimes make it difficult to understand.
)or e+ample, the term 'elevated' in the title is clearly a direct translation of the ,erman 'gehoben', a relatively old'
fashioned term used to indicate language than can be distinguished from the language of everyday speech. The
discomfort felt by some ,erman speakers *ith respect to this concept of 'gehoben' can be discerned, for e+ample, in
te+ts such as http%--***.stupidedia.org-stupi-,ehobene.deutsche./prache.
1
The distich is the basic (or'at o( love poetry.
8
Mathieu uses the ter' *seven)'etre distich*
the (irst line %ith 9 *'etres* and the second %ith :. The *'etre* is a stress unit %hich is
de(ined as any part o( speech able to (unction as the sub6ect or predicate o( an utterance.
Mathieu has a nu'ber o( exa'ples and ; %ill give one here <
twt jwt<=s> nd=s r t3
toot yootes khenedes hi to
noble her going she %alks on the ground
jt=s jb=j m pt=s
yetches yebi em hepetes
she sei/es 'y heart %ith her 'ove'ents
=The top line is a standardi/ed transliteration o( the hieroglyphic %hich is itsel( a transliteration o( the
cursive %riting (or' kno%n as hieratic. The 'iddle line is a pri'itive atte'pt at reproducting the sound o(
the %ords and the botto' line is a unit)by)unit translation. The > signals a pronoun (ollo%ing a verb or
noun and the ?@ brackets indicate that so'ething has been supplied by the editorA
2ot surprisingly liberal use is 'ade o( repeating %ords at the beginning (anaphora$ and
end (epiphora$ o( lines alliteration and %ord play.
Bo'e o( the Egyptian ter's used o( this kind o( %riting include< sxmx-jb (entertain'ent$
Tsw nDmw (s%eet utterances$ rAw (%ords$. The ter' associated %ith singing is Hs %hich is
o(ten (ollo%ed by the preposition m-sA (*a(ter*$ plus a type o( 'usical instru'ent (harp lyre
etc.$. Cocali/ing is either Hs (singing$ and sddw (rhyth'ic speaking$. There %as certainly
dancing and clapping but %hether the songs %ere also per(or'ed %ith gestures o( the sort
that beca'e popular %ith !"#4s DB vocalists such as Little Anthony and the ;'perials is
not kno%n. The protagonists are re(erred to as *brother* and *sister*. The house o( the
*sister* see's to (eature +uite a lot including the door and its lock as i( they %ere a
'etaphor (or sexual penetration. As one 'ight expect nature in its various (or's plays a
0 1n 2lassical poetry the couplet, a distich of & feet and 3 feet, *as first used by the 4th cent. 52 ,reek poet
imnermus, of *hom 6ropertius *rites in 5k 1 poem # line 11 plus in amore valet Mimnermi versus omero !the
verse of imnermus is stronger in love than 7omer$. The &'foot metre alone *as used for epic poetry, and at the
beginning of the Amores 8vid makes fun of this by claiming that he had intended to *rite of *ars in a serious metre
!!ravi numero$, but then 2upid is said to have laughed at this and taken a foot a*ay !unum surripuisse pedem$.
0
considerable role in the poe's e.g. gardens. The language used o( the e'otions and
activities o( the protagonists involve ter's such as *desire* (wxA), *pursuit* and the *heart*
((or %hich there are t%o %ords< jb and HAty$ is *sei/ed* (TAj$ by *love* ((or %hich there is one
%ord mrwt$. The ter's used o( the protagonists *brother* and *sister* are not constructed
%ith the possessive *'y*. Bo'e o( the poe's see' to present situations that alternate
bet%een static (brother and sister at ho'e$ and dyna'ic (brother goes to sister$ and so
on. ;n this connection an interesting (igure called Mehy appears in the the (irst poe'
apparenty bent on altering the course o( true love by halting the 6ourney o( the *brother* to
his *sister* so that she has to go to hi'. The relatively ne% (or' o( transport the horse and
chariot also plays a role in these poe's. As an ite' o( 'ilitary e+uip'ent associated %ith
royalty it is highly visible in te'ple iconography. 0n a 'ore personal royal note it (igures
in the 7reat Btela o( A'enophis ;; +uoted by Mathieu in (n. !45 on p.93 %here the king is
described as one %ho *loves horses ... kno%s their nature.*
The %ritten language began to incorporate ele'ents that had probably already been used
in speech (or so'e ti'e %ith the result that these texts present a 'ixture o( older and
'ore recent lexical ite's and syntactic (or's. The earlier stage o( the %ritten language
called Middle Egyptian gradually beca'e a sort o( ossi(ied canonical (or' suitable (or
(or'al texts to provide decoration (or public buildings such as te'ples.
Mathieu exa'ines love poetry in the context o( other types o( literary production
(narrative didactic 'agic etc.$ %hich he calls *paragenres*. A(ter a care(ul exa'ination o(
various types o( %riting the conclusion is reached that love poetry has co'e into being
a(ter having dra%n on other existing types o( literary production. Ee is keen to 'ake this
point because he %ishes to e'phasi/e that these poe's are not 'erely a spontaneous
outburst o( poetic energy (lan potique$. The production o( this type o( %riting is probably
to be linked to the co''unity o( literate %orkers in the village kno%n in Ancient Egyptian
as Set Maat (Place o( Truth$ and in Arabic as &eir el Medina
:
%ho %ere e'ployed to
construct and decorate the graves o( royalty and 'e'bers o( the aristocracy on the %est
bank o( the 2ile opposite the 2e% 1ingdo' capital Thebes. 0ne has the i'pression that
the Chester Beatty poe's have a certain unity< courtship (group !$ assault (group 8$ and
con+uest (group :$
# The 'to*n monastery', *hich formed part of the urban comple+ that gre* up around the mortuary temple of
9amesses 111 to the south and kno*n in "#me$ to distinguish it from the 'northern monastery' !:eir el 5ahri$, built on
the site of the mortuary temple of 7atshepsut.
#
Most i( not all co'e (ro' the region o( Thebes the capital o( Egypt in the 2e% 1ingdo' (c.
!344)!453 BC$ except (or the brie( *interlude* usually kno%n as the A'arna period %hen
A'ehotep ;C brie(ly 'oved the royal residence to the ne% city he called Akhetaten
(A'arna$. The third group in this note speci(ies that the *s%eet verses* %ere %ritten by a
to'b scribe called 2akht)Bobek
9
and %ere (ound in a docu'ent box. Chronology is al'ost
i'possible to %ork out so the order in %hich Mathieu presents the texts is based on the
'aterial on %hich the %orks have co'e do%n to us. Essentially the large papyrus texts are
co'plete %hile ostraca are 'ore (rag'entary. Mathieu uses the ter's *receuil* and *cycle*
to characteri/e the grouping o( the texts< *receuil* is a succession o( poe's %ith no link
other than that their physical presence in a group< *cycle* consists o( several stan/as linked
to each other the'atically and (or'ally to produce *une construction d* ense'ble*. The
*receuils* and cycles* are o(ten pre(aced by a title (e.g. *Beginning o( ...*$. The divsions
bet%een the units %ithin a group are indicated either by the %ord (or *stan/a* ( Hwt$ at the
beginning o( the unit or the sign (or *end* ( grH$at the end o( each unit.
Mathieu provides detailed notes on the translation o( every couplet in these poe's as is
(itting in a %ork o( scholarship and so'e o( these indicate the di((iculties involved in
obtaining a satis(actory understanding o( parts o( the poe's.
( These *ords are *ritten over another te+t, *hich suggests that the o*ner of the papyrus has appropriated this
literary *ork. ;akht'/obek is kno*n to have lived in the 0<th dynasty, some time after 9amesses 111.
(
First Group (cycle) C 1 - 5,2
The (irst group (cycle$. ;t consists o( seven stan/as
3
each o( %hich is arranged in t%o)line
units (distichs$ o( %hich there are bet%een seven and t%elve in a stan/a. ;t is a *dialogue*
bet%een the t%o lovers %ho address each other as *brother* and *sister* so'eti'es (irst)
second person but 'ostly (irst)third person. the 'an declai'ing (our stan/as and the
%o'an three. The (inal %ord in each stan/a is a pun on the nu'ber o( that stan/a so (or
exa'ple stan/a ! ends %ith a %ord related to the nu'eral *!* and is usually translated as
*uni+ue alone*. ;t %ould be pointless to try to replicate this in another language. Mathieu
has not atte'pted it and neither %ill ;. The end o( each line is indicated by a dot at the top
o( the line to the le(t o( the (inal letter. Titles and stan/a nu'bers are %ritten in red ink
(rubrics$.
; have not tried to replicate the rhyth'ic structure o( the Egyptian.
The beginning of the ords of the gre!t he!rt"s delight#
$%t!n&! 'ne(
The sister is uni+ue %ithout e+ual
More beauti(ul than any %o'an.
Bhe looks like the star that rises
At the start o( the beauti(ul year.
Eer per(ection is blinding her co'plexion is %hite
The look in her eyes is char'ing.
Eer lips are s%eet %hen she speaks
And she says no 'ore than she needs.
Eer neck is high her breast is %hite
Eer hair is genuine lapis la/uli.
Eer ar's are golden
Eer (ingers like lotuses.
Eer rear is rounded her %aist is narro%
Eer hips extend her beauty.
Eer gait is noble %hen she %alks
3 The Egyptian *ord means 'house', not so very far from the 1talian 'stan=a'. 1t is not inconceivable that the Egyptian
*ord reflects a fundamental structure in these poems% the house of the brother and the house of the sister.
3
Bhe captivates 'y heart %ith her %alk.
Bhe causes all 'en
To keep their heads turned to look at her.
Eappy is the one %ho e'braces her
,or he is like a prince a'ong lovers.
Bhe is seen co'ing (orth as in a procession
Like that Dni+ue 0ne.
%t!n&! To
The brother beguiles 'y heart %ith his voice.
#
Ee causes 'e to succu'b to sickness.
Ee is near the house o( 'y 'other
But ; a' not able to go to hi'.
;t %as
F
good o( 'y 'other to order 'e<
*&on*t even think about it.*
Look 'y heart is oppressed by the 'e'ory o( hi'
; a' the prisoner o( his love.
Ee is like one %ho has no 'ind
5
But ; too a' like hi'.
Ee does not kno% 'y desire to e'brace hi'
That he %rite to 'y 'other.
Brother
"
yes ; have been sent to you
!4
By the 7olden Mistress.
!!
Co'e to 'e that ; 'ay see your beauty
And the re6oicing o( 'y (ather and 'other.
& athieu speculates that this may refer to both the voice of the brother and the singer.
4 athieu understands this as a 'contrafactual' utterance. 1t is impossible to kno* ho* to understand the Egyptian
synta+, *hich consists simply of an ad>ective !good$ follo*ed directly by the noun !?my@ mother$ *ith preposition
and verb, lit. 'my mother *as good in ordering me'. 1 think it can be understood as a factual utterance *ith an ellipse
'it *as good of her !but of no use$'.
A The *ord jb means the ability to think and the ability to feel. T*o lines earlier it clearly means 'heart'.
" The first direct address in the poem.
1< Egyptian uses a form of the verb kno*n, among other things, as the 8ld 6erfective, *hich corresponds precisely in
this to the English 6resent 6erfect
11 A *ay of referring to 7athor, goddess of love and music.There is *ord-sign play in Egyptian on nbt !mistress$ and
nwbt !golden$ The *ord at the end of the line is '*oman', and 1 think that /arah ,roll !Buoted by athieu in fn. (A
on p. #A$ is probably right to see it as a determinative form indicating '*oman' rather than as the le+ical item
meaning '*oman'.
&
All o( 'y (a'ily %ill re6oice (or you %ith one voice
They %ill re6oice (or you the brother.
%t!n&! Three
My 'ind thinks o( seeing her beauty
Ghile sitting in her house.
; (ind Mehy in his chariot
!8
on the road
Gith his lusty co'panions.
; do not kno% %hether to stop in (ront o( hi'
0r to pass hi' by in a care(ree
!:
'anner.
Buddenly
!9
the canal is like the road
; do not kno% %here to put 'y (eet.
My 'ind you are co'pletely blank
Ghy are you so cavalier %ith hi' H
Look i( ; pass in (ront o( hi'
; %ill say to hi' %hat ; (eel.
!3
*Look ; a' yours* ; %ill say to hi'
And he %ill praise 'y na'e.
Ee %ill add 'e to the top ap
!#
0( %hich he is the director.
%t!n&! Four
My heart beats +uickly
Ghen ; have think o( your love.
;t does not let 'e behave like other people
And is not in its place.
;t does not let 'e %ear 'y tunic
0r put 'y cloak on.
10 This form of transport, imported into Egypt, is kno*n from various sources !ohysical remains, temple inscriptions
etc.$ and is usually associated *ith royalty. :etails of chariot construction can be found in the tomb f Aba at :eir el
,ebra*i. The te+t kno*n as the %atirical &etter !chrononlogically not far from these poems$ has a *ry account of an
accident in one of these vehicles, *hich must have been difficult to drive on the poor roads in Egypt, a country
*here the main artery of transport *as the river.
1# The *ord used means '*ide, broad', and it is difficult not to be reminded of the C/ phrase 'high, *ide and handsome'
to indicate stylishly confident behaviour.
1( The verb ptr means 'look', and 1 understand this to be an imperative here.
13 This meaning does not come easily from the Egyptian *ord, *hich has to do *ith 'turn'
1& /eems to mean 'nursery, *ith a possible royal association.' The entire episode is fairly enigmatic% ehy seems to
represent a socially elevated group to *hich the male protagonist of this poem may *ish to belong.
4
; do not %ear eye 'akeup
And no longer put on lotions.
&o not stand that ; 'ay 6oin hi' inside
!F
My heart says to 'e %henever ; think o( hi'.
&o not be stupid to 'e 'y heart
Ghy do you play the (ool H
Be cal' your brother %ill co'e to you
Many people
!5
like%ise.
&o not let these people say o( 'e<
*Bhe is a %o'an in the thrall o( love.
Control yoursel( %henever you think o( hi'.
My heart do not abandon 'e.*
%t!n&! Fi)e
; adore the 7olden Mistress and %orship Eis Ma6esty.
; elevate the Mistress o( Eeaven.
; o((er praise to Eathor
And praise to 'y Mistress.
; tell her that she 'ay hear 'y supplications
Ghich she has co''anded 'e.
Bhe has co'e by hersel( to see 'e.
;t is a great thing that has happened to 'e.
; re6oice exult and a' 'agni(ied
Bince ; hear< *Co'e no% here she is.
Look the lovers co'e to her in obeisance*
Through the strength o( their love (or her.
; 'ake 'y vo%s to 'y goddess
That she 'ay give 'e the sister as a gi(t.
;t has been three days since ; supplicated in her na'e
And (ive days since she %ent (orth (ro' 'e.
14 /everely elliptical *ith change of pronoun in the 'subordinate clause', *here the *hole might mean something like%
':on't stand about, go inside !his house$'
1A Dit. 'eyes'
A
%t!n&! %i*
; passed by his house
And (ound the door open.
The brother %as standing beside his 'other
Eis brothers %ith hi'.
Everyone %alking by
,ell in love %ith hi'.
Per(ect and peerless boy
Brother 'y chosen one
Gho looks at 'e %hen he %alks past
; alone re6oicing.
Eo% 'y heart is (illed %ith happiness
Ghen ; see hi'.
;(
!"
'y 'other kne% 'y heart
And it occurred to her at so'e point I
My Mistress put it into her heart
And ; %ill hasten to the brother
; %ill e'brace hi' be(ore his (a'ily
And not cry because o( the'.
; %ill re6oice because they understand
Because you
84
kno% 'e.
; %ill celebrate 'y goddess
My heart being driven (ro' its seat
To cause 'e to see the brother tonight.
8!
Eo% good it %ill be in the passing.
%t!n&! %e)en
;t is seven days yesterday since ; sa% the sister
And the sickness (ro' this has entered 'e.
My li'bs have beco'e heavy and ; do not kno% 'ysel(.
Ghen the best doctors co'e to 'e
1" 1ndicated by the con>unction (hAnA) signalling 'contrafactual' $, *hich first appears in Egyptian of this period !Date
Egyptian$
0< :irect speech to the brother, as earlier *here a transition is made from the #rd person !absence$ to 1st-0nd person
!presence$.
01 The end of the line is marked by the dot after the *ord 'good', but it makes no sense.
"
My heart is not paci(ied by their 'edicines.
The priests it is not their business.
88
My illness cannot be diagnosed.
Tell 'e so'ething to 'ake 'e live.
Eer na'e is so'ething to get 'e up.
The co'ing and going o( the 'essengers
;s %hat %ill 'ake heart live.
The sister is 'ore bene(icial to 'e than any 'edicine.
Bhe is greater to 'e than all o( the'.
My soundness
8:
is %hat co'es (ro' outside
Beeing it ; %ill then recover.
Ghen she opens her eyes 'y li'bs %ill be re6uvenated.
Ghen she speaks ; %ill beco'e strong.
E'bracing her %ill re'ove unhappiness (ro' 'e.
;t has been seven days since she %ent a%ay (ro' 'e.
%econd Group (cycle) G 1, 1-2,5
The (irst three stan/as spoken by the sister. The opening line o( each stan/a is the sa'e.
Dnlike the previous %ork there are no red in dots 'arking the end o( a line or *stan/a*
nu'bers but only here as else%here 'arking the end o( the stan/a. Bpeed see's to
play an i'portant role in %hat she says.
(%t!n&! 'ne$
May you co'e to the sister in haste
Like a royal 'essenger in haste.
Eis 'aster is concerned about his 'essage.
Eis heart %ishes to hear it.
89
00 The priests are called 'lector priests', *ho are are associated closely *ith matters pertaining to religious ritual as
found in books. The illness is plainly beyond the purvie* of doctors and priests.
0# wd3t% reference to the '*hole eye' of 7orus that *as cut into pieces by /eth and reassembled by Thoth.
0( This couplet has the t*o *ords for 'heart' !jb and HAty$. The former is more common than the latter in earlier stages
of the language, a situation that probably started to change in the ;e* Eingdom, but this is only a guess. 1t does not
survive in 2optic, unlike the latter% xht. athieu has a section on this topic p.1"1, in *hich he points out that jb as
the *ord that is falling out of use is probably used for deliberate effect.
1<
The stables are co'pletely e+uipped (or hi'
There are horses (or hi' at rest
83
The chariot is e+uipped in its place
,or hi' there is no stopping on the %ay.
Eaving arrived at the house o( the sister
Eis heart %ill be 'ade 6oy(ul.
To
May you co'e ?to the sister in haste@
Like a royal horse.
The choicest steed o( all
The pri'e one o( the stables.
Gho has enough to eat
Ghose stride is kno%n to his 'aster.
;( he hears the sound o( the %hip
Ee cannot be restrained.
A top charioteer
;s not able to control hi'.
Eo% he kno%s the heart o( his sister
Ee not being (ar (ro' her.
Three
May you co'e to the sister in haste
Like an oryx in the desert.
Eis (eet are racing
8#
his body is tired
Because (ear has entered his li'bs.
A hunter is a(ter hi' %ith a dog.
2o trace o( hi' can be (ound.
Ee sees a resting place such as a reed bed
And uses the river as a guide.
03 The horse appears in Egypt in the ;e* Eingdom. 1t seems to have been used largely by the elite and the military.
/ome of the *ords associated *ith the use of horses, '*hip' and 'charioteer', are /emitic loan *ords
This line seems to point to the use of despatch riders, *ho *ould presumably have been able to use fresh horses over
long distances.
0& The verb is used else*here of nomadic *arriors making their *ay through other countries.
11
Jou arrive at her door
Bo that your hand is kissed (our ti'es.
8F
Jou are a(ter
85
the love o( the sister.
;t is the 7olden Mistress %ho has allotted itKher
8"
to you.
Third Group (receuil) r+ 1,,- - 1.,1/
A collection o( seven poe's on the recto o( the papyrus. Line divisions are indicated as
earlier by 'eans o( red dots and and
0eginning of the seet )erses found in ! document bo*, ritten by the scribe
1!kht-%obek of the tomb#
'ne
Jou %ill bring it to the house o( the sister
And attach it to her door.
Eer hall%ay %ill be enlarged
Eer arbour %ill over(lo%.
Bhe %ill be provided %ith dancing songs
Gines and d!oser
"#
)beer in her shade.
Jou %ill con(use her senses
:!
And 'ake her co'plete in the night.
And she %ill say to you< *Take 'e in your ar's
And in the 'orning %e %ill still be thus.*
To
Jou %ill bring it to the house o( the sister
Ghen she is alone.
04 Dike English Egyptian has t*o sets of tenses, albeit *ith different meanings% the one used here*ith 'arrive'
indicates that the 'door' is being emphasi=ed, in the sense 'it is at her door that you arrive'.
0A 1n the sense of 'pursuit'. The English 'be after' has the same meaning of being in pursuit.
0" The pronoun can refer to 'love' or 'sister', a neat combination.
#< 6ossibly related to the *ord 'holy', but probably meaning 'strong' here.
#1 Cnkno*n *ord. The *riting suggest a *ord of /emitic origin. 1n vie* of the sentiment e+pressed in the follo*ing
line !perhaps orgasm or loss of virginity$, 'confusion of the senses' seems to make sense.
10
Jou %ill do as you like %ith her lock
The doors %ill shake.
:8
The sky %ill co'e do%n %ith the breath o( its %ind
And %ill bring its (ragrance.
::
The per(u'e %ashes over and causes
Those present to beco'e drunk.
;t is the 7olden Mistress %ho has assigned her to you as a re%ard
Bo that you 'ight spend the rest o( your li(e %ith her.
Three
Eo% clever she is at thro%ing the noose the sister
Though not the child o( a co%herd.
Bhe pulls 'e in %ith her hair
And captures 'e %ith her eyes.
Bhe con+uers 'e %ith her necklace
:9
Eer brand
:3
is her ring
Four
Ghile you %ere speaking %ith your heart<
*A(ter her I Mine is her e'brace I*
By A'un ; a' the one %ho co'es to you.
My dress on 'y shoulder.
:#

Fi)e
; (ind the brother at the entrance to the canal
:F
Eis (eet in the %ater
#0 Also used in connection *ith *inno*ing.
## )ragrance and movement of air play an important role in the /tory of the :ivine 5irth, first recorded in the mortuary
temple of 7atshepsut on the West 5ank of Thebes !mod. :eir el 5ahri$, in *hich it e+presses the act of physical
union bet*een Ahmose and Amun'9e !Thutmose 1$. A similar concept is found in atthe* 1, 1A%

#( 8ne of the many cases in *hich the understanding is not certain% some have read the possible 'hips', athieu prefers
'necklace' ,iven the term in follo*ing line, 'necklace' is perhaps to be preferred, completing the symmetry of t*o
parts of the body !hair and eyes$ and t*o ob>ects of allurement !necklace and ring$.
#3 The metaphor is in keeping *ith animal husbandry.
#& 6robably signalling a hasty attire
#4 )or the opening of irrigation canal
1#
Celebrating the day
Made special by the 6ugs o( beer.
:5
Baring the beauty o( his chest in its entirety
Tall but not broad.
%i*
As (or %hat she does to 'e the sister
A' ;
:"
to be silent (or her
Ghile ; stand
94
at the entrance to her house
And she takes hersel( o(( inside H
Bhe does not say to 'e< *Gell done*.
9!
Bhe keeps
98
'e (ro' 'y night.
%e)en
; pass by her house in a state o( 'ental desperation
9:
; knock but the door is not opened to 'e.
*7ood night* to our
99
porter.
Lock ; %ill open you.
&oor
93
'y (ate is %ith you
To you 'y belongs my spirit.
9#
#A 6assage is not clear. 1 take this to refer to the consumption of perhaps a special type of beer at this ceremony. '5eer'
is plural, so 1 understand '>ugs'. 5ut 1 kno* of no evidence that a special beer *as bre*ed for this activity. :eut.
11,1< makes a reference to '*atering *ith the feet' in Egypt. athieu Buotes a passage from :iodorus /iculus
#" The interrogative particle jswt used alone seems to e+pect a negative reply.
(< 1 have taken the liberty of understanding this as a nominali=ed form of the verb !similar the English gerund$ minus
the initial preposition% 'at my standing ...', *hich for the sake of intelligibility 1 have made into a temporal
subordinate clause. The follo*ing 'she takes herself off' is an attempt to convey the refle+ive phrase after the verb
'go'.
(1 8ne of the several meanings of the verb is 'to finish a >ob'.
(0 The verb is follo*ed by *hat looks like a noun that has a similar sound to the verb but appears to have little sense.
athieu does not comment on it.
(# The verb, in a form that corresponds roughly to an English participle, means both 'desire, seek' and, in a medical
sense, 'be mentally deranged'. 1 think both meanings are combined here.
(( athieu thinks the porter in Buestion belongs to the boy's house.
(3 The *ord refers to part of the door *ithout lock or frame.
(& An important concept in the meaning of this *ord is 'useful', and something 'useful spirit' might capture the sense.
7o* much this means to somebody outside the religious-psychological frame*ork *ithin *hich it had this meaning
is, ho*ever, another matter. 6henomena of this sort simply do not translated and can be grasped only appro+imately,
*hich is clearly the reason *hy 2hristians in Egypt largely abandoned such terms and adopted the ne* terminology
of the 2hristian discourse !such as 'pneuma' and 'psychF$. The term used here in fact survived in 2optic as a *ord
indicating a 'demon' or 'idol' and, in one te+t, is clearly eBuated *ith the Arabic jinn !$.The *ord my' is
1(
0ur co% is sacri(iced inside.
Latch
9F
do not let your po%er %ork.
A co% %ill be sacri(iced (or the lock
A shorthorn (or the doorstep
A (ir' goose (or the doorposts
,at (or the bolt.
All the choice bits o( our sacri(ice
,or the Chie( Cra(ts'an.
95
Let hi' 'ake a lock o( reed
A latch o( stra%.
Bo %henever the brother co'es
Ee (inds her house open
Ee (inds a bed and (ine linen
And a beauti(ul girl %ith the'
And she says to 'e< *This house
;s (or the son o( the 'ayor.*
emphasi=ed.
(4 6robably part of the locking system of the door
(A 6tah. The patron deity of emphis has no obvious affiliation *ith the affairs of the heart but is mentioned here
perhaps because of the list of ob>ects >ust mentioned% skill in being able to successfully manipulate these mechanical
devices might help the petitioner to achieve his desires.
13