The “Love Song for Shu-Sin” a Sumerian king is the world’s oldest known love poetry (2000 BCE), it was written most probably by a bride chosen for the king. According to the Sumerian belief, it was a sacred duty for the king to marry every year a priestess instead of Inanna, the goddess of fertility and sexual love, in order to make the soil and women fertile. This poem was written to be sung at banquets and festivals accompanied by music and dance. Shu-Sin reigned as king in the city of Ur from 1972-1964 BCE. The poem, therefore it is most often assigned a date of composition at around 2000 BCE.

The sociological role of poetry : According to Jack Goody early writing shows clear traces of older oral traditions, including the use of repeated phrases as building blocks in larger poetic units. A rhythmic and repetitious form would make a long story easier to remember and retell, before writing was available as an aide-memoire. Thus many ancient works, from the Vedas (1700 – 1200 BC) to the Odyssey (800 – 675 BC), appear to have been composed in poetic form to aid memorization and oral transmission, in prehistoric and ancient societies.

Translation :

Bridegroom, dear to my heart,

Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet,
Lion, dear to my heart,
Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet.

…………………

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.

…………………

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

sources:

• http://www.istanbularkeoloji.gov.tr/web/30-127-1-1/muze_-_en/collections/ancient_orient_museum_artifacts/the_oldest_love_poem
• Jack Goody, The Interface Between the Written and the Oral (1987)