click photo to enlarge (incredible detail) Nefertiti
Beneath the skies of goddess Nuit
There lies my passion's sole pursuit ...
It's her- whose flesh is beauty's claim-
A Nubian of Pharaoh's name:
Beauteous Nefertiti- hail ...
Arise, dear love, leave crook and flail,
And let us from this palace flee
So we in silent love can be.
The moon has known our hidden plight,
And we her sacred silver light-
And all in company as one
Our secret keep from Aten's sun.
How joyful though this hidden pledge
That loving wades the water's edge,
That hand in hand reflects the bliss
Of lovers raptured in a kiss.
But now that crimson light and hue
Disperses all our midnight blue,
And soon that sacred god will rise
And cast his cope upon our skies.
So know, before alas we part,
That you, dear queen, are all my heart;
That even now I pine to see
Tomorrow's moon and you with me.
-jwm
Of the Poem (Parameters and Notes):
Stanza: Quatrain (6 total)
Meter: Tetrameter (i.e. eight syllables per line)
Rhyme Scheme: aabb (per stanza)
Side Notes:
In Egyptian mythology Nuit is the goddess who resides over the evening and the night skies.
Aten, who in Nefertiti's time was worshipped monotheistically, was represented by the sun disc.
A crook and flail were symbols of divine royalty, and the symbolism behind these tools are exceedingly deep and ancient. The digital picture of Nefertiti above has her holding these symbolic items.
And yes, for the record, there's no doubt in my mind that Nefertiti was terribly gorgeous.
Here's a link to a site that did a spectacular digital representation of Nefertiti based on the bust of the queen. Enjoy.
