Something New About Ancient Egyptians

When I hear people mention about ancient Egyptians, the pyramids, mummies, pharaohs, and their hieroglyphic words in the tombs are the primary things that popping into my mind. However, after I read these ancient Egyptian poems, I have a better understanding about the Egyptians’ perspectives towards to their religion, belief, and maybe their romanticism.
The poem “Akhenaten’s ‘Hymn to the Sun’” is a twelve sectional open form poem. This poem contains many poetic elements such as imagery, simile, and symbolism. For example, in the first section of the poem, it describes the sun (they think that actually is the God) rises by using many words such as “majestic,” “awesome,” “bedazzling,” “exalted” and “overlord” to emphasize the overwhelming power the sun(God) has. Moreover, it also uses simile and symbolism to show people’s fear about the darkness, which after the sun (God) goes away during the night. For example, in the second section, it describes “darkness like death (use of simile),” and “he who created all things lies low in his tomb” symbolize that without the sunlight, the land is very much like a tomb. In this poem, I also understand that how respectful and devotional the people to their gods. In section nine and ten, it mentions about the flood god Hapy, but there is no word to blame Hapy or Akhenaten. Instead, they think that it is “to preserve and nourish the People.” I assume they think that it was god’s plan after all.
The poem “Love Songs” is very interesting to me not because it contains much adult information, but I am so amazed that the openness and the romanticism it gets thousands years ago. The imagery uses are very dramatic and effective. For example, “her eyebrows, gleaming darkly, marking eyes which dance and wander,” and “to young breasts firm in the bouncing light which shimmers that blueshadowed sidefall of hair.” When I read these lines, I cannot stop myself to graph her image in my head, it is such an outstanding description of it.

I really like these ancient poems written by the Egyptians, it is very unique and well-written, and most importantly, it give me a better understanding about their beliefs, religion, and their romanticism.