Love, one of humanity’s oldest emotions, has fueled art, literature, and music throughout history. However, the earliest known written expression of love dates back to the Sumerians. Written around the 3rd millennium BCE, this love poem was crafted by a priestess for Sumerian King Shusin. Recognized as the world’s first love poem, it conveys love and devotion through the language of nature. In this sense, it reflects not only the feelings of an individual but also the emotional heritage of humankind.
The poem offers compelling insights into how Sumerians perceived love. In ancient Sumerian culture, love and nature were deeply intertwined. Myths involving deities like Inanna and Dumuzi celebrated the sanctity and divinity of love. Here, King Shusin is portrayed as representing Dumuzi, while the priestess speaks as Inanna; her love causes nature to thrive and blessings to flow. Through this connection, we can see how Sumerians wove their natural world into their emotional lives.
O beloved, my heart’s desire,
I offer you precious things.
I offer you my love as sweet as honey.
In these lines, the priestess describes her affection as “sweet as honey,” a poetic and tangible metaphor expressing her feelings. Honey, pure and delightful, is one of nature’s most cherished gifts, here symbolizing love. This sincere and humble gift to the beloved deepens the poem’s intimacy. For the Sumerians, love was as natural as nature itself.
The priestess’s words embody nature’s abundance and the desire that springs forth in her lover’s arms. These lines depict love as a growing and branching force, similar to a seed planted in the ground, yielding and expanding. This portrayal of love as a gift of nature reflects the Sumerian view of love as an ever-replenishing and nourishing force.
O my beloved,
I will fill myself with abundance like stalks of grain,
With bounty and fertility
I will overflow.
Like a ripe fruit in the garden,
I will offer myself to you.
Here, metaphors of “grain stalks” and “ripe fruit” symbolize the magnitude and continuity of love. The priestess’s devotion to her lover is described as blossoming like crops and growing like fruit. In the Sumerian worldview, love, like nature, is boundless and ever-giving. The priestess’s offer of herself represents her sense of belonging and her faith in her beloved.
Exploring this ancient love poem reveals how Sumerians perceived love as a natural cycle, lived wholeheartedly. In the poem, love is a way of existence, a state of surrender. For Sumerians, nature and love are a harmonious cycle, a perpetual rhythm of life; love elevates existence with a steady cadence.
The Sumerian Love Poem is also one of the oldest known written literary works. After inventing writing, the Sumerians recorded emotional expressions like this one on clay tablets. Such works help us understand the inner world of people at that time. Love poems reveal that even those in high positions, like kings and priestesses, experienced profound feelings. To the Sumerians, love was part of their bond with nature and the divine.
Joy of my heart,
Hold me close, touch my skin!
These lines express a deep longing and bond with the beloved. The Sumerian view of love extends beyond physical touch to a search for warmth and comfort. In her lover’s arms, the priestess finds solace, showing that love was also seen as a source of spiritual wholeness. Even today, such poetry reveals the timeless essence of love.
The Sumerian Love Poem doesn’t merely recount the love between a king and his priestess; it also mirrors the emotional framework of Sumerian society and their interconnected relationship with nature. This poem, as an ancient expression of love, has carried its meaning across thousands of years. Told in a poetic language, this love story remains a living heritage, embodying the enduring nature of love.
The world’s first written love poem shows us the Sumerians’ reverence for life and emotions. These lines, composed centuries ago, reflect not just the Sumerians’ feelings but those shared by all humanity. As one of literature’s earliest examples, this poem helps us understand our past and connect with our present feelings. Throughout history, love has transcended time and place as one of humanity’s most powerful expressions.
In every love poem we read today, we can still hear the echoes of these first words of love from ancient Sumer.
Leave a Comment