Poetry in verse form is predominantly attested for religious literature and, above all, hymns. The majority of hymns are preserved in monumental Hieroglyphic inscriptions (Knigge 2006; Quack 2007d). In several cases there is direct evidence of a long tradition, e. g. a hymn to Osiris to be recited at the festivals at Abydos and attested since the Middle Kingdom (Assmann 1999: no. 204) or a hymn to Amun in the Hibis temple already attested in a papyrus of Ramesside date (Quack 1998: 88-9).
Hymns preserved in manuscript form are scarcer (cf. Depauw 1997: 95, Quack 2005a: 81-93 for Demotic material). A few ostraca are inscribed with hymns that are well known from temple inscriptions. A Demotic ostracon contains the Hymn to the Ten Bas of Amun (early Roman; Smith 1977; 1999), the oldest version of which is found in the Kiosk of Taharqa in Karnak; another Demotic one (late Ptolemaic; Quack 2001b) contains a standard hymn related to sistrum-playing before goddesses; and a Hieratic example (second century ad; Quack 2001a) is inscribed with the Menu-song related to the offering of a cocktail to the goddess Hathor. Such ostraca were perhaps used for reference during the actual ritual. The same point may apply to a hymn to Amun of Tanis preserved on a Hieratic tablet (Roman; Vernus 1979).
Three early hymns in the Demotic script were added as an appendix to the Petition of Petese from the late sixth century bc, all addressed to Amun (Vittmann 1998a: 198-203, 593-643; Hoffmann and Quack 2007: 52-4). A number of substantial hymns of Roman date derive from the Fayum, none of which has so far been fully published. The Tebtunis temple library includes a particularly interesting Demotic hymn, at least thirteen columns long, which is also attested in two other papyri of uncertain origin (all second century ad; Hoffmann and Quack 2007: 305-11). The text explicitly relates to the Feast of Drunkenness which was briefly described by Herodotos (2. 60). The festival celebrated the return of the Sun’s Eye from her exile to Nubia - which is recounted in the Myth of the Sun’s Eye, cf. above - and involved an orgiastic atmosphere where the participants get drunk, engage in sexual activities, and shout insults and obscenities at an opposing party. Closely related to this text and apparently also associated with the Feast of Drunkenness are a pair of Demotic ostraca (Ptolemaic; Depauw and Smith 2004), whose texts similarly encourage drunkenness and erotic pleasure before the god Ai/Nehemanit, another manifestation of the eye of the sun.
Another Demotic hymn from the temple library is likely also to have been of some importance since it is preserved in three copies. It repeats the refrain ‘‘May Vine-Horus (or Grape-Horus?) be great for me!’’ over and over and seems to cite incidents from the myth of Horus. A morning hymn spans at least columns 15 and 17 of a Hieratic manuscript but was perhaps incorporated into a larger text. From Soknopaiou Nesos is a collection of hymns addressed to Sobek and Horus that span at least eleven columns (Hoffmann 1999). The hymn to Horus, preserved in two copies, is also attested in yet another contemporary papyrus of Fayumic origin (Spiegelberg 1902: 24-6; Widmer 1998).
A notable exception to the religious poetry is provided by two harsh invectives, both written in Demotic. The so-called Poeme Satyrique is directed against a seedy harpist and the text of the papyrus is laid out in verse-lines and, unusually, provided with red verse points (first-second century ad; Hoffmann/Quack 2007: 311-16). The other is directed against a woman and is written on an ostracon (Zauzich 1991). Despite the different media, the two texts are related in several respects and may share a common origin. The harpist is strongly criticized for his lack of musical qualities and his poor behavior; he cannot sing or play but merely makes noise, and he is coarse and greedy. At one point the text explicitly cited the Petese Stories, more specifically those concerned with the vices of women (cf. above). The woman is scolded in no less uncertain terms. Statements such as ‘‘You should bathe [in...] and purify yourself with urine’’ and ‘‘One would not find enough water in the ocean, you swine, to wash your face’’ give an illustration of the general tenor of the text.
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