Ancient love poems like Song of Songs
One of the fascinating things that helps to date the Song of Songs is the strong parallel with other Middle Eastern love poems of the period. There are examples of Akkadian ("Nebo and Teshmetu") and Sumerian poems ("Bridal Sheets", "Ishtar and Tammuz") all with several parallels but the most similar are the Egyptian examples.
Egyptian examples
"The Oldest Love Poem" (L.2461) on display at the Istanbul Museum of the Ancient Orient is an erotic poem addressed to king Shu-Sin (c.2027-2029) in ancient Sumerian cuneiform. It opens with the words "Bridegroom, dearest of my heart, your beauty is sweet, sweeter than honey. You are a Lion, dearest of my heart..." (Image: Public domain).
The Egyptian love songs containing the closest parallels with Song of Songs are from the nineteenth and twentieth Dynasties (c.1300-1150) which corresponds with the date of Solomon's reign. Solomon himself had an Egyptian wife, the daughter of Pharaoh (1 Kings 3:1), so his familiarity with this style of literature is assured. This gives us an even greater indication that it was the king who composed the Song of Songs to fit with that contemporary genre of literature.
Similarities can be seen in the overall structure of the poem, as the male and female lovers each take turns to sing and also when the lovers break off into a soliloquy, speaking their thoughts aloud whilst they are alone. In addition both use the words "brother" or "sister" as an affectionate term for their loved one. (In the translation below I replaced these words to aid understanding but they are underlined).
In both the Song of Songs and these poems the singers describe their passion and aspects of their lovers with metaphors from the world of plants (lotus lilies, trees, etc) and animals (gazelle, horses, etc) and in both the man's love is said to be better than beer or wine.
Examples of Egyptian love poems include the Cairo Loves Songs, The Turin Love Songs and the Papyrus Harris 500. Below are examples from the Chester Beatty Papyrus I: Love Songs. These examples below have been created as modern language equivalents to A.H. Gardner's translations from 1931.
Recto C.41-47 (extract)
Third Stanza, from The Nakht-Sobek Cycle of Papyrus Chester Beatty I
The wind may bring her fragrance to you,
Perfume spreading all around
So that all those present are intoxicated.
The goddess of love has destined her
For you as a reward.
So she will to restore you to life.
How clever is this woman in casting a noose,
She defies comparison.
She casts a noose upon me with her hair,
She will catch me with her eyes.
She will subjugate me with her thighs,
And then may brand me with her seal.
Poem 2, from IIC, The Third Collection,
Papyrus Harris 500
You summon me like a flower summons a bee.
I am your woman, the best one;
I belong to you like a plot of ground
That you plant with flowers
And sweet-smelling herbs.
Sweet is its stream,
Dug by my own hand.
A beautiful place to wander in,
Refreshing in the north wind.
Your hand is in my hand.
My body thrives, my heart rejoices
As we walk together;
Your voice is as sweet as pomegranate wine,
I live to hear it.
Every glance of your eye,
Strengthens me more than food or drink.
Menna's Daughter Offering to her Parents, Tomb of Menna (c.1350) (Image: Public Domain)
Verso C from the Papyrus Chester Beatty I
First Stanza : The Boy
She stands alone, my lady is without peer, the most beautiful of all mankind.
She is like the star-goddess rising at the beginning of a happy year.
Shining, pale-skinned, exquisite, her lovely eyes are constantly gazing.
Her sweet are her lips with which she speaks but not a word too much.
Her neck is long, her breasts are white, her hair is like lapis lazuli.
Her arms surpass gold, with fingers like lotus petals,
Full buttocks, narrow waist, and legs bring forth her splendour.
Her stride is a like a magic-spell; my heart is spellbound in her embrace.
She’ll turn the head of any man and they will be dazzled at the sight of her.
Joyous would be the any man who embraces her, he would be the chief of lovers.
When one sees her going forth, it is like the arrival of the goddess.
Second Stanza: The Girl
My man's voice unsettles me and leaves me feeling lovesick.
He is a neighbour to my mother's house but I cannot go to him.
My mother may be right to charge me, "Stop staring at him!"
My heart is in turmoil when I think of him; My love for him has captured me.
He may be reckless, but I am reckless too.
He must not know how I long to embrace him or he would contact my mother.
Oh my love, I was destined for you by the goddess of love.
Come to me and let me gaze on your beauty, surely my parents will approve.
All men will rejoice at you with one accord, they will honor you, my love.
Third Stanza: The Boy
My heart decided to search out her beauty while I was sitting in at home.
But on the road, there was Mehy in his chariot, together with his lusty men.
I didn't know how to remove myself from his path. Should I just walk boldly by?
But no! The road is like a raging river - I don't know where to put my feet?
Oh, my heart is so stupid, why are you so afraid of Mehy?
Look, if I pass him by he'll see where I am going!
“Hey, I am yours” I might as well say, and he will boast of my name,
And put me in first place in the harem of one of his cronies.
Fourth Stanza: The Girl
My hearts races quickly when I think of you, my love.
It will not suffer prudence and bursts out of its place.
It won't allow me to get dressed or attire myself with a fan,
To put on my eye-shadow or even anoint myself in oil.
“Don't stay here, go to him” it says to me when I think of him.
Don’t be a fool, my heart, why are you being so crazy?
Be calm, be still, your lover will come. My eyes will see him soon.
I don’t want people saying about me, “She is a woman hysterical with love”
Stay calm when he comes to mind. Oh heart, stop pounding!
Fifth Stanza: The Boy
I adore the goddess of love, I extol her majesty,
I exalt the mistress of heaven, I give worship to Hathor,
And praise to my lover. I prayed to her and she heard my petition.
She decreed for me my lady. She came of her own accord to me.
How great is this, which has happened to me!
I rejoice, exult and am proud ever since it was said “Look, there she is!”.
When she came the young men bowed in reverence
for the greatness of their admiration of her.
I prayed to my goddess, that she may give me this lady as a gift.
It was already three days yesterday since I first made my petition in her name,
but she has gone for five days.
Sixth Stanza: The Girl
I walked through the neighbourhood of his house and I found his door open.
My love was standing beside his mother, all his brothers and sisters with him.
Love of him must capture the heart of everyone who walks past.
An excellent youth, there is no one like him; a man outstanding in virtue.
He saw me as I passed by, and I was in heaven.
My heart rejoiced with jubilation,
My love, when you looked at me.
If only your mother had known my heart,
she might have gone indoors for a time.
Oh goddess of love, put that idea into her mind;
Then I will run up to my man and will kiss him before all his siblings;
I would not be embarrassed. I'd be glad that they saw and see that you bless me.
I will make a festival for my goddess. My heart is all aflutter,
Seventh Stanza: The Boy
It has been seven days since I have seen my girl,
a sickness has crept up upon me.
My limbs have become heavy and I can barely move.
The master physicians come to me,
but my heart has no comfort in their remedies.
The magicians are useless;
they don't understand my ailment.
I have told them what will revive me,
her name is what will raise me up.
The coming and going of her messengers revives my heart.
More beneficial to me is my girl than any remedy.
She’s more vital to me than an entire
compendium of medicine!
My salvation is her coming to me.
When I see her I will be well;
One look from her eyes and my limbs will
become young again;
Hearing her voice will make me strong.
And when I embrace her, she will banish all
darkness from me.
But she has been gone for seven days.
Hieroglyphics transcribed by A.H. Gardiner (1931) of this poem, Verso C from the Papyrus Chester Beatty I (Image: Public Domain. )
Verso G and H from the Chester Beatty Papyri I
The lady sings:
Oh, I wish that you would come to your lady quickly.
Like a royal envoy whose lord is impatient for his message,
And his heart is set upon hearing it;
An envoy for whom all the stables have been requisitioned,
And there is a horse at every way-station
And chariot already harnessed.
There's no time to rest the road.
When you reach the house of your lady
Your heart will rejoice.
Oh, I wish that you would come to your lady quickly.
Like a horse belonging to the king,
Selected from a thousand steeds,
The best in all the stable,
Distinguished above all others in its diet.
Its master knows its paces.
If it hears the sound of the whip, there's not holding it back.
There is not master charioteer who can match its speed.
Your lady knows well that you are not far away.
Oh, I wish that you would come to your lady quickly.
Like a gazelle bounding over the plain,
Its feet stumbling and its legs faint.
Panic having entered into its bones;
For the huntsman is after it,
And the hounds are with him!
But they don't even see its dust,
For it sees a resting place like a snare,
It has taken the river like a road.
You will reach my cave,
And your hand will be kissed four times.
You are in pursuit of your lady's love,
And the goddess of love has destined her for you, my dear.
An image of this exact poem “Verso G and H from the Chester Beatty Papyri I” so named as they are housed in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland. (Image: Public domain.).
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