The oldest love poem in the world is written in a clay tablet from the times of the Sumerians who were the inventors of writing around 3500 BC. Although the author of the poem is unknown, it is believed to have been recited by a bride of Sumerian King Shu-Sin, who ruled between 2037 and 2029 BC during a sacred wedding ritual dedicated to İnanna and Dumuzi. In Sumerian mythology, İnanna was a goddess, known as the Queen of Heaven and Earth, ruling over everything. Dumuzi, on the other hand, was a bull and a king.
Sumerologists came across this love poem only by mere coincidence at the depot of the İstanbul Archeological Museum in the 1950s. It was translated by Sumerologist Noah Kramer and is displayed at the İstanbul Archeological Museum.
Note that the famous Turkish Sumerologist Muazzez İlmiye Çığ was a pupil of Kramer and has worked with him at the İstanbul Archeological Museum.
The poem says:
Bridegroom, dear to my heart,
Goodly is your beauty, honey sweet,
Lion, dear to my heart,
Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet.
You have captivated me, let me stand tremblingly before you.
Bridegroom, I would be taken by you to the bedchamber,
Bridegroom, let me caress you,
My precious caress is more savory than honey,
In the bedchamber, honey-filled,
Let me enjoy your goodly beauty,
Lion, let me caress you,
My precious caress is more savory than honey.
Bridegroom, you have taken your pleasure of me,
Tell my mother, she will give you delicacies,
My father, he will give you gifts.
Your spirit, I know where to cheer your spirit,
Bridegroom, sleep in our house until dawn,
Your heart, I know where to gladden your heart,
Lion, sleep in our house until dawn.
You, because you love me,
Give me pray of your caresses,
My lord god, my lord protector,
My Shu-Sin, who gladdens Enlil’s heart,
Give my pray of your caresses.
One can not fail to notice the strong eroticism in the poem which is 4000 years old reminding us that carnal desires have always been an integral part of romantic love.
When you visit the Archeology Museum in İstanbul, don’t forget to pay a visit to the oldest love poem in the world! Its small scale might surprise you but its historical significance is immense!
