It seems to me that the first lyric poems, which can be called lyric poems by a modern measurement of the lyric, originated in Egypt. I wanted to re-inaugurate the Egyptian hymn as the original lyric: a compressed, insightful song. The “Hymn to Ra” appeared on the Pharaoh’s sarcophagus as a plea and prayer to Ra to guide them into the afterlife. I took the original as a frame and took many liberties in the recreation.
Read the poem this note is about, “A Hymn to Ra.”
Samson Allal’s work has appeared in Black Renaissance Noire, Rip Rap, Oxford Magazine, Gulf Coast, and Girl Blood Info.