Symbolism and allusion in ancient Egyptian erotic poetry

¶ … God, My Lotus

The poem "My God, My Lotus" is a piece of ancient Egyptian erotic poetry that uses subtle elements such as symbolism and allusion to give the work its romantic flavor. Specifically, these elements include allusion, symbol, imagery and diction to promote its theme of romantic, erotic love.

There are several allusions in the poem. Since the poem is written for an ancient Egyptian audience, allusions are made to everyday objects that affected their lives or that they considered important. The first of these is the lotus flower. The speaker in the poem, who is the girl in the relationship, calls her lover her "god" and her "lotus." The fact that the lotus is used in the same breath as "god" shows its importance. In ancient Egypt, the flower was considered the most important, with an aroma that excited the senses.

The north wind is another important allusion. It acted as relief from the heat and was also considered to be a giver of life. The young girl in the poem is deeply in love. Erotic love, like the north wind, also gives life in the form of energizing those who are in love and more directly by creating life in the form of offspring.

A third allusion is the "red fish," which is a reference to the tilapia. This fish was an erotic symbol often used as an amulet made of red stone. This is the first directly erotic symbol used in the poem. The girl says that the fish "feels just right in my fingers." With this, she excites the sense of touch and eroticism by combining the fish symbol with "fingers."

The senses are also involved with the images the poet uses. The sense of sight, for example, is awoken by the tunic of royal linen and the hair plaited in reeds. Clearly, these are ways in which a woman displayed her beauty in ancient Egypt. The sense of smell is stimulated by the "fragrant oils" that drenches the tunic. These awoken senses are then positioned as a prediction to the final and most important sense, which is touch. When the lovers finally touch, their desires are fulfilled and they no longer need to dream of finally connecting in a physical sense.

In addition to the physical senses, the intellectual and erotic senses are awoken by symbolism. The first symbol is the speaker's reference to her lover as "my god." In terms of the theme, this title is a reference not only to the leadership qualities of a god, but more specifically to his perfect nature, both physically and emotionally. The speaker considers her lover to be perfect, and also as a giver of life. As mentioned above, life can be seen as both energy and fertility, which was a highly important element of Egyptian life.

There are several references to water as a symbol in the poem. This is a highly important symbol in an arid land such as Egypt. The Nile was the sole giver of life and fertility. Hence, water can be seen as a symbol of fertility for the young lovers. When she long to bathe with him, it can be a reference to her wish to share her fertility with him. This is associated with the symbol of "heart," which represents the erotic love the girl feels for her lover.