Dear Readers: No effective political agitator can work alone. I wanted to take a few minutes today to send a love note to my beloved spouse, who I have nicknamed Horemheb (for Mutnodjmet’s royal husband). I am going to start this tribute by sharing with everyone my admiration for this masterpiece of Egyptian art: Maya and Merit.
Maya was the Overseer of the Treasury during the reign of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, Ay and Horemheb of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt. He was also an important official under Horemheb and was noted for restoring the burials of several earlier Pharaohs in the Royal Necropolis in the years following the deaths of Tutankhamun and Ay. The statues of Maya and his wife Merit have been put on display in the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, the Netherlands since 1823. My husband and I were privileged to see the statue during the Los Angeles run of the Pharaohs of the Sun exhibition.
I adore this piece for a variety of reasons, but mainly it reminds me of Horemheb and myself. I like to think we look similar to this couple, if we were to don traditional Egyptian dress of the 18th dynasty. I love the way Merit wraps her arm lovingly around her husband’s waist, as a sign of support, respect and affection. They seem happy to be shown together for eternity as a loving couple, and I often keep this statue in my mind during the up-and-downs of coordinating my life with my husband’s.
More information on Maya, Merit (a songstress of Amun), and their tomb can be located by clicking HERE.
Here is an ancient Egyptian Love Poem I wanted to share, as it is very touching:
My heart flutters hastily,
When I think of my love of you;
It lets me not act sensibly,
It leaps from its place.It lets me not put on a dress,
Nor wrap my scarf around me;
I put no paint upon my eyes,
I’m even not anointed.“Don’t wait, go there,” says it to me,
As often as I think of him;
My heart, don’t act so stupidly,
Why do you play the fool?Sit still, the brother comes to you,
And many eyes as well.
Let not the people say of me:“A woman fallen through love!”
Be steady when you think of him,
My heart, do not flutter!
So cool Mut. So true too. Those blessed with life partners who stick through it are much more powerfully equipped. Singles and forms of the separated can contribute but its a great thing to have a strong supporting partner in life’s endeavors.
Bless you both
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Beautiful poem and beautiful post.
Rosita! Thanks so much for your kind words. Once in a while, the poet in me slips out! It must be your inspiration. 🙂
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