Love poetry was a new genre in Egyptian literature, which started spreading especially from the New Kingdom onward. It was sung or recited to musical accompaniment. This papyrus contains some strophes of the so-called “Songs from the Grove”. A pomegranate tree, a fig tree and a sycamore tree take the floor in turn to praise their qualities or complain about being neglected. The pomegranate tree begins, telling about how useful he is as a hiding place for lovers “intoxicated by wine and must”. The sycamore invites a lady to a party to be held in its shade with other young people and servants. Finally, the fig, a war spoil from Syria, complains of being neglected by the lady, who is not watering him.
