Familiar Quotations

The voice of the turtledove speaks out. It says:
Day breaks, which way are you going?
Lay off, little bird,
must you so scold me?

I found my lover on his bed,
and my heart was sweet to excess.

Now must I depart from the brother…
and as I long for your love,
my heart stands still inside me…

Sweet pomegranate wine in my mouth
is bitter as the gall of birds.

But your embraces
alone give life to my heart;
my Amun give me what I have found
for all eternity.

The voice of the wild goose,
caught by the bait, cries out.
Love of you holds me back,
and I can’t loosen it at all…

I did not set my traps today;
love of you has thus entrapped me.

My love for you is mixed throughout my body…
So hurry to see your lady,
like a stallion on the track,
or like a falcon swooping down to its papyrus marsh.

Heaven sends down the love of her
as a flame falls in the hay.