3
« Leave the riches that thou hast, and in the abundance of
which thou livest.
« Leave the riches that thou hast, and in the abundance of
which thou livest.
Warner - World's Best Literature - v09 - Dra to Eme
, the western edge of Lower Egypt.
## p. 5238 (#410) ###########################################
5238
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
Chamber. ' The messenger found him on the road; he reached
him at the time of evening. “It was a time for him to hasten
greatly (was the message]: Let the Hawk' fly [hither with his
attendants, without allowing the army to know of it. ” And when
the royal sons who commanded in that army sent messages, not
one of them was summoned to audience. Behold, I was standing
(near]; I heard his voice while he was speaking. ' I fled far away,
my heart beating, my arms outspread; trembling had fallen on
all my limbs. I ran hither and thither to seek a place to hide
me, I threw myself amongst the bushes: and when I found a
road that went forward, I set out southward, not indeed thinking
to come to this Residence. I expected that there would be dis-
turbance. I spake not of life after it. ® I wandered across my
estate' [? ] in the neighborhood of Nehat; I reached the island [or
lake] of Seneferu, and spent the day [resting ? ] on the open field.
I started again while it was yet day,* and came to a man stand-
ing at the side of the road. He asked of me mercy, for he
feared me. By supper-time I drew near to the town of Negau.
I crossed the river on a raft without a rudder, by the aid of a
west wind, and landed at the quay [? ] of the quarrymen of the
Mistress at the Red Mountain. ' Then I fled on foot northward,
1
Perhaps this refers to the death of the king, or to the deliberations of
the royal councilors.
? Apparently a term for the king.
8 Sanehat, accidentally hearing the news of the old king's death, which
was kept secret even from the members of the royal family, was overcome
with agitation and fled.
* It was of course night-time.
5 The Royal Residence called Athet-taui lay on the boundary of Upper and
Lower Egypt, between Memphis and the entrance to the Faiyûm, and so in the
direction which Sanehat at first took in his flight from the western edge of the
Delta. One might prefer the word Capital to Residence, but it can hardly be
doubted that Thebes and Memphis were then the real capitals of Egypt.
6 Perhaps the meaning is that Sanehat did not imagine life possible after
the king's death, or it may be “outside the Residence. ” The pronoun for
“it is masculine, and may refer either to the palace or to the king.
? Or possibly «I turned my course,” turning now northward.
8 Or possibly «the next day. ”
. Here the MS. is injured, and some of the words are doubtful. The
quarries are those still worked for hard quartzite at Jebel Ahmar (Red Mount-
ain), northeast of Cairo. The positions of most of the places mentioned in
the narrative are uncertain. Doubtless Sanehat crossed the Nile just above
the fork of the Delta and landed in the neighborhood of the quarries. The
«Mistress) (Heryt), must be a goddess, or the queen.
## p. 5239 (#411) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5239
and reached the Walls of the Ruler, built to repel the Sati. ' I
crouched in a bush for fear, seeing the day-patrol at its duty on
the top of the fortress. At nightfall I set forth, and at dawn
reached Peten, and skirted the lake of Kemur. ? Then thirst
hasted me on; I was parched, my throat was stopped, and I said,
« This is the taste of death. ” When I lifted up my heart and
gathered strength, I heard a voice and the lowing of cattle. I
saw men of the Sati; and an alien amongst them — he who is
[now? ] in Egypt —— recognized me. Behold, he gave me water,
and boiled me milk, and I went with him to his camp, — may a
blessing be their portion! One tribe passed me on to another: I
departed to Sun ], and came to Kedem. "
There I spent a year and a month [? ]. But Ammui-nen-sha,
Ruler of the Upper Tenu, took me and said to me:-“Comfort
thyself with me, that thou mayest hear the speech of Egypt. ”
He said thus, for that he knew my character, and had heard of
my worth; for men of Egypt who were there with him bore
witness of me. Then he said to me:-“For what hast thou come
hither ? what is it ? Hath a matter come to pass in the Resi-
dence? The King of the Two Lands, Sehetepabra, hath gone to
heaven, and one knoweth not what may have happened thereon. ”
But I answered with concealment and said:-“I returned with
an expedition from the land of the Temehu; my desire was
redoubled, my heart leaped, there was no satisfaction within me.
This drove me to the ways of a fugitive. I have not failed in
my duty, my mouth hath not uttered any bitter words, I have
not hearkened to any evil plot, my name hath not been heard in
the mouth of the informer. I know not what hath brought me
into this country. ” [And the Ruler Ammui-nen-sha said:]ø «This
1 Asiatics and Bedawîn.
Kemur was one of the Bitter Lakes in the line of the present Suez Canal.
* Possibly one of the three persons proposed as hostages to Egypt below,
p. 5246. The word translated «alien” is uncertain. It may mean a kind of
consul or mediator between the tribes for the purposes of trade, etc. , or sim-
ply a «sheikh. ” Sanebat himself, returned from Egypt in his old age, is
called by the same title, p. 5248.
*Or possibly Adim, i. e. , Edom; and so throughout.
6 Later called Upper Retenu: they were the inhabitants of the high lands
of Palestine. Ammi was a divine name in Ancient Arabia, and the name
Ammi-anshi, found in South-Arabian inscriptions, perhaps of 1000 B. C. , is
almost identical with that of the king who befriended Sanehat.
6 These words appear to have been omitted by the scribe.
## p. 5240 (#412) ###########################################
5240
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
is like the disposition of God. And now what is that land like if
it know not that excellent god,' of whom the dread was over the
nations like Sekhemt? in a year of pestilence? ” I spake [thus]
to him, and replied to him:—“Nay, but his son hath entered the
palace, and taken the heritage of his father, and he is a god
without an equal, nor was there any other before him [like unto
him]. He is a master of wisdom, prudent in his designs, excel-
lent in his decrees; coming out and going in is at his command.
It was he that curbed the nations while his father remained within
the palace, and he reported the execution of that which was laid
upon him [to perform]. He is a mighty man also, working with
his strong arm; a valiant one, who hath not his equal. See him
when he springeth upon the barbarians, and throweth himself on
the spoilers; he breaketh the horns and weakeneth the hands; his
enemies cannot wield their weapons. He is fearless and dasheth
heads to pieces; none can stand before him. He is swift of going,
to destroy him who fleeth; and none turning his back to him
reacheth his home. He is sturdy of heart in the moment [of
stress); he is a lion that striketh with the claw; never hath he
turned his back. He is stout of heart when he seeth multitudes,
he letteth none repose beyond what his desire would spare. He
is bold of face when he seeth hesitation: his joy is to fall on the
barbarians. He seizeth the buckler, and leapeth forward; he re-
peateth not his stroke, he slayeth, and none can turn his lance;
without his bow being drawn the barbarians flee from his arms
like dogs; for the great goddess hath granted him to war against
those who know not his name; he is thorough, he spareth not
and leaveth naught behind. He is full of grace and sweetness, a
love-winner; his city loveth him more than itself, it rejoiceth in
him more than in its own god; men and women go their ways,
calling their children by his name. For he is a king that took
the kingdom while he was in the egg, and ruled from his birth.
He is a multiplier of offspring. And he is One Alone, the essence
of God; this land rejoiceth in his government. He is one that
enlargeth his borders; he will take the lands of the South, but he
will not design to hold the countries of the North: yet he pre-
pareth to smite the Sati, to crush the Wanderers of the Sand.
When he cometh here, let him know thy name; dispute not, but
11. e. , What does Egypt do without the king ?
2 The goddess of destruction.
## p. 5241 (#413) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5241
go over to his command? : for he will not fail to treat well the
country that floateth with his stream. ”
Said he, agreeing to me:- “Verily, Egypt is excellent in its
stream? beyond anything, and it flourisheth; behold, as long as
thou art with me I will do good unto thee. ” He placed me at
the head of his children, he married me with his eldest daughter.
He allowed me to choose for myself from his land, and from the
choicest of what he possessed on the border of the next land. It
was a goodly land; IaaS is its name. Therein were figs and
grapes; its wine was more plentiful than water; abundant was
its honey, many were its oil-trees, and all fruits were upon its
trees; there too was barley and spelt, and cattle of all kinds with-
out end. Great honors also were granted to me, flowing from
his love to me; he set me as sheikh of a tribe in a choice portion
of his country. There were made for me rations of bread, wine
from day to day, cooked meat and roasted fowl, besides wild game
snared for me or brought to me, as well as what my hunting
dogs caught. They made me many dainties, and milk food
cooked in all manner of ways. Thus I passed many years; my
children became valiant men, each one the conqueror of a tribe.
When a messenger came north or went south to the Residence,
he tarried with me; for I gave all men gifts; I gave water to
the thirsty, I set the strayed wanderer on his road, and I
rescued those who were carried off captive. The Sati who went
to war or to repel the kings of the nations, I commanded their
expeditions; for this Ruler of the Tenu made me to spend
many years as captain of his army. Every land to which I
turned I overcame. I destroyed its green fields and its wells, I
captured its cattle, I took captive its inhabitants, I deprived
them of their provisions, and I slew much people of them by
my sword, my bow, my marchings, and my good devices. Thus
my excellence was in his heart; he loved me and he knew my
valor; until he set me at the head of his sons, when he saw the
success of my handiwork.
There came a champion of the Tenu to defy me in my tent;
a bold man without equal, for he had vanquished all his rivals.
He said, “Let Sanehat fight with me. ” He thought to overcome
1 Lit. , «stick. )
? A metaphor for the policy,» «will,” of a king or god.
3 Meaning «reeds » (? ).
4 1. e. , of Pharaoh; see above, p. 5238.
## p. 5242 (#414) ###########################################
5242
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
1
me; he designed to take my cattle, being thus counseled by his
tribe. This ruler [Ammui-nen-sha) conferred with me.
I said: -
“I know him not. I assuredly am no associate of his; I hold me
far from his place. Have I ever opened his door, or leaped over
his fence? It is perverseness of heart from seeing me doing his
work. Forsooth, I am as it were a stranger bull among the cows,
which the bull of the herd charges, and the strong bull catches!
But shall a wretched beggar desire to attain to my fortune ? A
common soldier cannot take part as a counselor. Then what
pray shall establish the assembly ? ! But is there a bull that
loveth battle, a courageous bull that loveth to repeat the charge
in terrifying him whose strength he hath measured ? If he hath
stomach to fight, let him speak what he pleaseth. Will God for-
get what is ordained for him ? How shall fate be known ? ” The
night long I strung my bow, I made ready my arrows; I made
keen my dagger, I furbished my arms. At daybreak the Tenu
came together; it had gathered its tribes and collected the neigh-
boring peoples. Its thoughts were on this combat; every bosom
burned for me, men and women crying out; every heart was
troubled for me; they said, "Is there yet another champion
to fight with him ? » Then [he took] his buckler, his battle-axe,
and an armful of javelins. But thereon I avoided his weapons,
and turned aside his arrows to the ground, useless. One drew
near to the other and he rushed upon me. I shot at him and my
arrow stuck in his neck; he cried out, and fell upon his nose: I
brought down upon him his own battle-axe, and raised my shout
of victory on his back. All the Asiatics roared, and I and his
vassals whom he had oppressed gave thanks unto Mentu; this
Ruler, Ammui-nen-sha, took me to his embrace. Then I took
his goods, I seized his cattle. What he had thought to do to
me, I did it unto him; I seized that which was in his tent, I
spoiled his dwelling. I grew great thereby, I increased in my
possessions. I abounded in cattle.
May’ the god be disposed to pardon him in whom he had
trusted, and who deserted to a foreign country. Now is his
1 A difficult passage.
? Without any pause or introduction Sanehat begins to quote from his peti-
tion to the King of Egypt. It is difficult to say whether this arrangement is
due to an oversight of the scribe, or is intended to heighten the picturesque-
ness of the narrative by sudden contrast. The formal introduction might well
be omitted as uninteresting. The end of the document with the salutations
is preserved.
## p. 5243 (#415) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5243
anger quenched. I who at one time fled away a fugitive, my
guarantee is now in the Residence. Having wandered a starved
wanderer, now I give bread to those around. Having left my
land in rags, now I shine in fine linen. Having been a fugi-
tive without followers, now I possess many serfs. My house is
fair, my dwelling large, I am spoken of in the palace. All the
gods destined me this flight. Mayest thou be gracious; may I be
restored to the Residence; favor me that I may see the place in
which my heart dwelleth. Behold how great a thing is it that
my body should be embalmed in the land where I was born!
Come; if afterwards there be good fortune, I will give an offer-
ing to God that he may work to make good the end of his sup-
pliant, whose heart is heavy at long absence in a strange land.
May he be gracious; may he hear the prayer of him who is afar
off, that he may revisit the place of his birth, and the place
from which he removed.
"May the King of Egypt be gracious to me, by whose favor
men live. I salute the mistress of the land, who is in his palace;
may I hear the news of her children, and may my body renew
its vigor thereby. But old age cometh, weakness hasteneth me
on, the eyes are heavy, my arms are failing, my feet have
ceased to follow the heart. Weariness of going on approacheth
me; may they convey me to the cities of eternity. May I serve
the mistress of all. i Oh that she may tell me the beauties of her
children; may she bring eternity to me. ”
Now the Majesty of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
Kheper-ka-ra, justified, spake concerning this condition in which
His Majesty sent unto me with presents from before the
king, that he might make glad the heart of your servant,' as he
would unto the Ruler of any country; and the royal sons who
were in his palace caused me to hear their news.
I was.
Copy of the command which was brought to the humble servant
to bring him back to Egypt.
« THE HORUS, LIFE OF Births, LORD OF THE CROWNS, LIFE OF
Births, KING OF UPPER AND LOWER EGYPT, KHEPER-KA-RA, SON
The Sun, USERTESENS Ever Living UNTO ETERNITY. Royal
Command for the attendant, Sanehat.
OF
A phrase for the queen.
2 The narrator.
3 The scribe has written Amenemhat by mistake for Usertesen.
## p. 5244 (#416) ###########################################
5244
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
"Behold, this command of the king is sent to thee to give thee
information: Whereas thou didst go round strange lands from
Kedem' to Tenu, one country passed thee on to another as thy
heart devised for thee. Behold, what thou hast done hath been
done unto thee: Thou hast not blasphemed, so also the accusa-
tion against thee hath been repelled. So also thy sayings have
been respected; thou hast not spoken against the Council of the
Nobles. But this matter carried away thy heart; it was not
[devised] in thy heart.
« This thy Heaven? who is in the palace is stablished and
flourishing even now: she herself shareth in the rule of the
land, and her children are in the Audience Chamber.
3
« Leave the riches that thou hast, and in the abundance of
which thou livest. When thou comest to Egypt thou shalt
visit the Residence in which thou wast, thou shalt kiss the
ground before the Great Portals, thou shalt assume authority
amongst the Companions. But day by day, behold, thou growest
old; thy vigor is lost; thou thinkest on thy day of burial. Thou
shalt be conducted to the blessed state; there shall be assigned
to thee a night of sacred oils and wrappings from the hands of
the goddess Tayt. There shall be held for thee a procession [be-
hind thy statues] and a visit [to the temple) on the day of burial,
the mummy case gilded, the head blue, the canopy above thee;
the putting in the skin-frame, oxen to draw thee, singers going
before thee, the answering chant, and mourners crouching at the
door of thy tomb-chapel. Prayers for offerings shall be recited
for thee, victims shall be slaughtered at the door portrayed upon
thy tablet"; and thy mastaba shall be built of white stone, in the
company of the royal children. Thou shalt not die in a strange
land, nor be buried by the Amu; thou shalt not be put in a
sheepskin, thou shalt be well regarded. It is vain [? ] to beat
the ground and think on troubles.
« Thou hast reached the end. 5))
3
1 Or Adim; see above, p. 5239, note.
2 The queen, his exalted mistress.
Taking part in the councils of the king and in the administration of the
kingdom.
* This seems to refer to the so-called false door, representing the entrance
to the underworld. All that precedes refers to burial with great ceremony.
5 1. e. , of the king's command. The absence of any concluding salutation
is noticeable.
## p. 5245 (#417) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5245
When this order came to me, I stood in the midst of my
tribe, and when it was read unto me, I threw me on my belly; I
bowed to the ground and let the dust spread upon my breast. I
strode around my tent rejoicing and saying: -"How is this done
to the servant, whose heart had transgressed to a strange country
of babbling tongue? But verily good is compassion, that I should
be saved from death. Thy Kai it is that will cause me to pass
the end of my days in the Residence. ”
Copy of the acknowledgment of this command.
« The servant of the royal house [? ], Sanehat, says:-
«In most excellent peace! Known is it to thy Ka that this
flight of thy servant was made in innocence. Thou the Good
God, Lord of both Lands, Beloved of Ra, Favored of Mentu,
lord of Uast, and of Amen, lord of the Thrones of the Two
Lands, of Sebek, Ra, Horus, Hathor, Atmu and his Ennead, of
Sepdu, Neferbiu, Semsetu, Horus of the east, and of the Mistress
of the Cave? who resteth on thy head, of the chief circle of the
gods of the waters, Min, Horus of the desert, Urert mistress of
Punt, Nut, Harur-Ra, all the gods of the land of Egypt and of
the isles of the sea. 3 May they put life and strength to thy
nostril, may they present thee with their gifts, may they give to
thee eternity without end, everlastingness without bound. May
the fear of thee be doubled in the lands and in the foreign coun-
tries, mayest thou subdue the circuit of the sun. This is the
prayer of the servant for his master, who hath delivered him
from Amenti.
« The possessor of understanding understandeth the higher
order of men, and the servant recognizeth the majesty of
Pharaoh. But thy servant feareth to speak it: it is a weighty
matter to tell of. The great God, like unto Ra, knoweth well
the work which he himself hath wrought. Who is thy servant
1 The Ka or double » was one of the spiritual constituents of man; but
«thy Ka” is merely a mode of address to the exalted Pharaoh.
21. e. , the uræus or cobra.
3 In this long array of gods, Mentu and Amen rank next to Ra. They
were both worshiped at Thebes, which was then probably capital of the whole
country. It certainly was so in the next dynasty, during which this tale was
presumably written down. It is curious that Ptah the god of Memphis does
not appear.
* The place of the dead.
## p. 5246 (#418) ###########################################
5246
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
that he should be considered, that words should be spent upon
him? Thy majesty is as Horus, and the strength of thy arms
extendeth to all lands.
« Then let his Majesty command that there be brought to
him Meki of Kedem, Khentiu-aaush of Khent-keshu, and Menus
of the Two Lands of the Fenkhu; these are chiefs as hostages
that the Tenu act according to the desire of thy Ka, and that
Tenu will not covet what belongeth to thee in it, like thy
dogs. 1 Behold this flight that thy servant made: I did not desire
it, it was not in my heart; I do not boast of it; I know not what
took me away from my place; it was like the leading of a
dream, as a man of Adhu sees himself in Abu,' as a man of the
Corn-land sees himself in the Land of Gardens. There was no
fear, none was hastening in pursuit of me; I did not listen to an
evil plot, my name was not heard in the mouth of the informer;
but my limbs went, my feet wandered, my heart drew me; a
god ordained this flight, and led me on. But I am not stiff-
necked; a man feareth if he knoweth [? ], for Ra hath spread thy
fear over the land, thy terrors in every foreign country. Behold
me in thy palace or behold me in this place,* still thou art he
who doth clothe this horizon. The sun riseth at thy pleasure,
the water in the rivers is drunk at thy will, the wind in heaven
is breathed at thy saying.
“Thy servant will leave to a successor the viziership which thy
servant hath held in this land. And when thy servant shall ar-
rives let thy Majesty do as pleaseth him, for one liveth by the
breath that thou givest. O thou who art beloved of Ra, of
Horus, and of Hathor! It is thy august rostril that Mentu, lord
of Uast, desireth should live for ever. ”
.
1
It was granted that I should spend a day in Iaa, to pass over
my goods to my children, my eldest son leading my tribe, and
1 As dogs do the bidding of their master and spare his property.
2 As a man of Natho (the marshes in the north of the Delta) dreams that
he is at Elephantine (the rocky southern frontier).
3 The second is the name of the southernmost nome of Egypt, that of
Elephantine, which has practically no corn-land. It was probably made fruit-
ful by artificial irrigation, with culture of plants, trees, and vines.
* So the MS. , and it conveys a fair meaning; but perhaps the original ran,
“Behold, thou art in the palace and I am in this place yet, etc.
5 Or, "Now thy servant hath finished. ”
6 Sanebat's own territory; see p. 5241.
## p. 5247 (#419) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5247
all my goods in his hand, my people and all my cattle, my fruit,
and all my pleasant trees. When thy humble servant' journeyed
to the south, and arrived at the Roads of Horus, the officer who
was over the frontier-patrol sent a report to the Residence to
give notice. His Majesty sent the good overseer of the peasants
of the king's domains, and ships with him laden with presents
from the king for the Sati who had come with me to convey me
to the Roads of Horus. I spoke to each one by his name, each
officer according to his rank. I received and I returned the salu-
tation, and I continued thus? until I reached Athtu. "
When the land was lightened, and the second day came,
there came some to summon me, four men in coining, four
men in going to carry [? ] me to the palace. I alighted on the
ground between the gates of reception [? ]; the royal children
stood at the platform to greet [? ] me; the Companions and those
who ushered to the hall brought me on the way to the royal
chamber.
I found his Majesty on the great throne on a platform of pale
gold. Then I threw myself on my belly; this god, in whose
presence I was, knew me not while he questioned me graciously;
but I was as one caught in the night; my spirit fainted, my
limbs shook, my heart was no longer in my bosom, and I knew
the difference between life and death. His Majesty said to one
of the Companions, “Lift him up; let him speak to me. ” And
his Majesty said:-“Behold, thou hast come; thou hast trodden the
deserts; thou hast played the wanderer. Decay falleth on thee,
old age hath reached thee; it is no small thing that thy body
should be embalmed, that thou shalt not be buried by foreign
soldiers. Do not, do not, be silent and speechless; tell thy
name; is it fear that preventeth thee ? » I answered with the
answer of one terrified, “What is it that my lord hath said ? 0
that I might answer it! It was not my act: it was the hand of
God; it was a terror that was in my body, as it were causing a
1A frequent phrase for the writer or narrator, especially common in letters.
2 «Nodding and touching my forehead” is perhaps the real translation of
some difficult words here paraphrased.
3 Probably the Residence; more commonly called Athet-taui, but here ab-
breviated in name.
* Or perhaps
very early. ”
5 This probably means “four men behind me and the same number in
front, either conducting Sanehat or more probably carrying him in a litter.
6 Instead of Egyptian priests.
## p. 5248 (#420) ###########################################
5248
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
the queen,
flight that had been foreordained. Behold I am before thee; thou
art life; let thy Majesty do what pleaseth him. ”
The royal children were brought in, and his Majesty said to
“Behold thou, Sanehat hath come as an Amu, whom
the Sati have produced. ”
She shrieked aloud, and the royal children joined in one cry,
and said before his Majesty, “Verily it is not he, o king, my
lord. ” Said his Majesty, “It is verily he. ” Then they brought
their tinkling bead-strings, their wands, and their sistra in their
hands, and waved them before his Majesty [and they sang]:-
"May thy hands prosper, O King;
May the graces of the Lady of Heaven continue.
May the goddess Nub? give life to thy nostril;
May the mistress of the stars favor thee, that which is north
of her going south and that which is south of her going
north.
A11 wisdom is in the mouth of thy Majesty;
The staff [? ] is put upon thy forehead, driving away from
thee the beggarly [? ]
Thou art pacified, O Ra, lord of the lands;
They call on thee as on the Mistress of all.
Strong is thy horn; let fall thine arrow.
Grant the breath of life to him who is without it;
Grant thy favor to this alien Samehit,” the foreign soldier
born in the land of Egypt,
Who fled away from fear of thee,
And left the land from thy terrors.
The face shall not grow pale, of him who beholdeth thy
countenance;
The eye shall not fear which looketh upon thee. ”
Said his Majesty:—“He shall not fear; let him be freed from
terror. He shall be a Companion amongst the nobles; he shall
be put within the circle of the courtiers. Go ye to the chamber
of praise to seek wealth for him. ”
When I went out from the Audience Chamber, the royal
children offered their hands to me; and we walked afterwards to
i These instruments rattled or clattered as they were waved or beaten
together.
2 A form of Hathor.
3 Samehit, “son of the north,” is a play on the name Sanebat, (son of the
Sycamore. »
## p. 5249 (#421) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5249
the Great Portals. I was placed in a house of a king's son, in
which were fine things; there was a cool bower therein, fruits of
the granary, treasures of the White House,' clothes of the king's
guard-robe, frankincense, the finest perfumes of the king and the
nobles whom he loves, in every chamber; and every kind of
servitor in his proper office. Years were removed from my
limbs: I was shaved, and my locks of hair were combed; the
foulness was cast to the desert, with the garments of the Nemau-
sha. I clothed me in fine linen, and anointed myself with the
best oil; I laid me on a bed. I gave up the sand to those who
lie on it; the oil of wood to him who would anoint himself
therewith.
There was given to me the house of Neb-mer [? ], which had
belonged to a Companion. There were many craftsmen build-
ing it; all its woodwork was strengthened anew. Portions were
brought to me from the palace thrice and four times a day,
besides the gifts of the royal children; there was not a moment's
ceasing from them. There was built for me a pyramid of stone
amongst the pyramids. The overseer of the architects measured
its ground; the chief treasurer drew it; the sacred masons did
the sculpture; the chief of the laborers in the necropolis brought
the bricks; and all the instruments applied to a tomb were there
employed. There were given to me fields; there was made for
me a necropolis garden, the land in it better than a farm estate;
even as is done for the chief Companion. My statue was over-
laid with gold, its girdle with pale gold; his Majesty caused it to
be made. Such is not done to a man of low degree.
Thus am I in the favor of the king until the day of death
shall come.
This is finished from beginning to end, as was found in the
writing
Translation of F. LI. Griffith.
1 The treasury containing silver, gold, clothing, wine, and valuables of all
kinds.
2 Meaning “wanderers on the Sand,) Bedawîn.
IX-329
## p. 5250 (#422) ###########################################
5250
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
THE DOOMED PRINCE
['The Story of the Doomed Prince) was written at some time during the
XVIIIth Dynasty (about 1450 B. C. ). The papyrus on which it has been pre-
served to us, and which is in the British Museum, is much mutilated, and the
end is entirely lost. ]
T"
HERE was once a king to whom no male child was born; he
prayed for himself unto the gods whom he worshiped for
a son. They decreed to cause that there should be born
to him one. And his wife, after her time was fulfilled, gave
birth to a male child. Came the Hathors' to decree for him a
destiny; they said, “He dies by the crocodile, or by the serpent,
or by the dog. " Then the people who stood by the child heard
this; they went to tell it to his Majesty. Then his Majesty's
heart was exceeding sad. His Majesty caused a house to be
built upon the desert, furnished with people and with all good
things of the royal house, out of which the child should not go.
Now when the child was grown he went up upon its roof and
saw a greyhound; it was following a man walking on the road.
He said to his page who was with him, "What is this that goeth
behind the man coming along the road? He said to him, "It
is a greyhound. ” The child said to him, "Let there be brought
to me
one like it. » The page went and reported it to his
Majesty. His Majesty said, “Let there be brought to him a little
trotter, lest his heart be sad. ” Then they brought to him the
greyhound.
Now when the days were multiplied after these things, the
child grew up in all his limbs, he sent a message to his father
saying, “Wherefore should I remain here? Behold, I am destined
to three dooms, and if I do according to my desire God will still
do what is in his heart. ” They hearkened to all he said, and
gave him all kinds of weapons, and also his greyhound to follow
him, and they conveyed him over to the east side and said
to him, “Go thou whither thou wilt. ” His greyhound was
with him; he traveled northward following his heart in the desert:
he lived on the best of all the game of the desert. He came to
the chief of Naharaina.
1 The Hathors were seven goddesses who attended the birth of a child in
order to tell its fate. They somewhat correspond to the fairy godmothers of
later fairy tales.
## p. 5251 (#423) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5251
Behold, there was no child born to the prince of Naharaina
except one daughter. Behold, he built for her a house; its win-
dow was seventy cubits from the ground, and he caused to be
brought all the sons of all the chiefs of the land of Kharu,1 and
said to them, “He who shall reach the window of my daughter,
she shall be to him for a wife. ”
Now when the days had multiplied after these things, as they
were in their daily task, the youth came by them. They took
the youth to their house, they bathed him, they gave provender
to his horse, they did every kind of thing for the youth; they
anointed him, they bound up his feet, they gave him portions of
their own food; they spake to him in the manner of conversa-
tion, “Whence comest thou, good youth? ” He said to them:-“I
am the son of an officer of the land of Egypt; my mother is
dead, my father has taken another wife. When she bore children,
she began to hate me, and I have come as a fugitive from
before her. ” They embraced him and kissed him.
Now when the days were multiplied after these things, he said
to the youths, “What is it that ye do here? ” And they said to
him, “We spend our time in this: we climb up, and he who
shall reach the window of the daughter of the prince of Naha-
raina, to him she will be given to wife. ” He said to them, "Lo!
I desire to try, I shall go to climb with you. " They went to
climb, as was their daily wont: the youth stood afar off to
behold; and the face of the daughter of the prince of Naharaina
was turned to him. Now when the days were multiplied after
these things, the youth came to climb with the sons of the chiefs.
He climbed, he reached the window of the daughter of the
prince of Naharaina. She kissed him, she embraced him.
One went to rejoice the heart of her father, and said to him,
A man has reached the window of thy daughter. ” The prince
spake of it, saying, “The son of which of the princes is it ? »
He said to him, “It is the son of an officer, who has come as a
fugitive from the land of Egypt, fleeing from before his step-
mother when she had children. ” Then the prince of Naharaina
was exceeding angry; he said, “Shall I indeed give my daughter
to the Egyptian fugitive ? Let him go back. ” One came to tell
the youth, “Go back to the place from which thou hast come. ”
But the maiden took hold of him; she swore an oath by God,
saying, "By the life of Ra Harakhti, if one taketh him from me,
1 Syria.
## p. 5252 (#424) ###########################################
5252
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
.
I will not eat, I will not drink, I shall die in that same hour. ”
The messenger went to tell unto her father all that she said.
Then the prince sent men to slay him, while he was in his
house. But the maiden said, "By the life of Ra, if one slay him
I shall be dead ere the sun goeth down. I will not pass an
hour of life if I am parted from him. ” One went to tell her
father. Then
the prince came; he embraced him, he
kissed him all over, and said, “Tell me who thou art; behold,
thou art to me as a son. ” He said to him:-“I am a son of an
officer of the land of Egypt; my mother died, my father took to
him a second wife; she came to hate me, and I fled from before
her. ” He gave to him his daughter to wife; he gave also to
him people and fields, also cattle and all manner of good things.
Now when time had passed over these things, the youth said
to his wife, "I am destined to three dooms. a crocodile, a
serpent, and a dog. ” She said to him, “Let one kill the dog
that runs before thee.
## p. 5238 (#410) ###########################################
5238
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
Chamber. ' The messenger found him on the road; he reached
him at the time of evening. “It was a time for him to hasten
greatly (was the message]: Let the Hawk' fly [hither with his
attendants, without allowing the army to know of it. ” And when
the royal sons who commanded in that army sent messages, not
one of them was summoned to audience. Behold, I was standing
(near]; I heard his voice while he was speaking. ' I fled far away,
my heart beating, my arms outspread; trembling had fallen on
all my limbs. I ran hither and thither to seek a place to hide
me, I threw myself amongst the bushes: and when I found a
road that went forward, I set out southward, not indeed thinking
to come to this Residence. I expected that there would be dis-
turbance. I spake not of life after it. ® I wandered across my
estate' [? ] in the neighborhood of Nehat; I reached the island [or
lake] of Seneferu, and spent the day [resting ? ] on the open field.
I started again while it was yet day,* and came to a man stand-
ing at the side of the road. He asked of me mercy, for he
feared me. By supper-time I drew near to the town of Negau.
I crossed the river on a raft without a rudder, by the aid of a
west wind, and landed at the quay [? ] of the quarrymen of the
Mistress at the Red Mountain. ' Then I fled on foot northward,
1
Perhaps this refers to the death of the king, or to the deliberations of
the royal councilors.
? Apparently a term for the king.
8 Sanehat, accidentally hearing the news of the old king's death, which
was kept secret even from the members of the royal family, was overcome
with agitation and fled.
* It was of course night-time.
5 The Royal Residence called Athet-taui lay on the boundary of Upper and
Lower Egypt, between Memphis and the entrance to the Faiyûm, and so in the
direction which Sanehat at first took in his flight from the western edge of the
Delta. One might prefer the word Capital to Residence, but it can hardly be
doubted that Thebes and Memphis were then the real capitals of Egypt.
6 Perhaps the meaning is that Sanehat did not imagine life possible after
the king's death, or it may be “outside the Residence. ” The pronoun for
“it is masculine, and may refer either to the palace or to the king.
? Or possibly «I turned my course,” turning now northward.
8 Or possibly «the next day. ”
. Here the MS. is injured, and some of the words are doubtful. The
quarries are those still worked for hard quartzite at Jebel Ahmar (Red Mount-
ain), northeast of Cairo. The positions of most of the places mentioned in
the narrative are uncertain. Doubtless Sanehat crossed the Nile just above
the fork of the Delta and landed in the neighborhood of the quarries. The
«Mistress) (Heryt), must be a goddess, or the queen.
## p. 5239 (#411) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5239
and reached the Walls of the Ruler, built to repel the Sati. ' I
crouched in a bush for fear, seeing the day-patrol at its duty on
the top of the fortress. At nightfall I set forth, and at dawn
reached Peten, and skirted the lake of Kemur. ? Then thirst
hasted me on; I was parched, my throat was stopped, and I said,
« This is the taste of death. ” When I lifted up my heart and
gathered strength, I heard a voice and the lowing of cattle. I
saw men of the Sati; and an alien amongst them — he who is
[now? ] in Egypt —— recognized me. Behold, he gave me water,
and boiled me milk, and I went with him to his camp, — may a
blessing be their portion! One tribe passed me on to another: I
departed to Sun ], and came to Kedem. "
There I spent a year and a month [? ]. But Ammui-nen-sha,
Ruler of the Upper Tenu, took me and said to me:-“Comfort
thyself with me, that thou mayest hear the speech of Egypt. ”
He said thus, for that he knew my character, and had heard of
my worth; for men of Egypt who were there with him bore
witness of me. Then he said to me:-“For what hast thou come
hither ? what is it ? Hath a matter come to pass in the Resi-
dence? The King of the Two Lands, Sehetepabra, hath gone to
heaven, and one knoweth not what may have happened thereon. ”
But I answered with concealment and said:-“I returned with
an expedition from the land of the Temehu; my desire was
redoubled, my heart leaped, there was no satisfaction within me.
This drove me to the ways of a fugitive. I have not failed in
my duty, my mouth hath not uttered any bitter words, I have
not hearkened to any evil plot, my name hath not been heard in
the mouth of the informer. I know not what hath brought me
into this country. ” [And the Ruler Ammui-nen-sha said:]ø «This
1 Asiatics and Bedawîn.
Kemur was one of the Bitter Lakes in the line of the present Suez Canal.
* Possibly one of the three persons proposed as hostages to Egypt below,
p. 5246. The word translated «alien” is uncertain. It may mean a kind of
consul or mediator between the tribes for the purposes of trade, etc. , or sim-
ply a «sheikh. ” Sanebat himself, returned from Egypt in his old age, is
called by the same title, p. 5248.
*Or possibly Adim, i. e. , Edom; and so throughout.
6 Later called Upper Retenu: they were the inhabitants of the high lands
of Palestine. Ammi was a divine name in Ancient Arabia, and the name
Ammi-anshi, found in South-Arabian inscriptions, perhaps of 1000 B. C. , is
almost identical with that of the king who befriended Sanehat.
6 These words appear to have been omitted by the scribe.
## p. 5240 (#412) ###########################################
5240
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
is like the disposition of God. And now what is that land like if
it know not that excellent god,' of whom the dread was over the
nations like Sekhemt? in a year of pestilence? ” I spake [thus]
to him, and replied to him:—“Nay, but his son hath entered the
palace, and taken the heritage of his father, and he is a god
without an equal, nor was there any other before him [like unto
him]. He is a master of wisdom, prudent in his designs, excel-
lent in his decrees; coming out and going in is at his command.
It was he that curbed the nations while his father remained within
the palace, and he reported the execution of that which was laid
upon him [to perform]. He is a mighty man also, working with
his strong arm; a valiant one, who hath not his equal. See him
when he springeth upon the barbarians, and throweth himself on
the spoilers; he breaketh the horns and weakeneth the hands; his
enemies cannot wield their weapons. He is fearless and dasheth
heads to pieces; none can stand before him. He is swift of going,
to destroy him who fleeth; and none turning his back to him
reacheth his home. He is sturdy of heart in the moment [of
stress); he is a lion that striketh with the claw; never hath he
turned his back. He is stout of heart when he seeth multitudes,
he letteth none repose beyond what his desire would spare. He
is bold of face when he seeth hesitation: his joy is to fall on the
barbarians. He seizeth the buckler, and leapeth forward; he re-
peateth not his stroke, he slayeth, and none can turn his lance;
without his bow being drawn the barbarians flee from his arms
like dogs; for the great goddess hath granted him to war against
those who know not his name; he is thorough, he spareth not
and leaveth naught behind. He is full of grace and sweetness, a
love-winner; his city loveth him more than itself, it rejoiceth in
him more than in its own god; men and women go their ways,
calling their children by his name. For he is a king that took
the kingdom while he was in the egg, and ruled from his birth.
He is a multiplier of offspring. And he is One Alone, the essence
of God; this land rejoiceth in his government. He is one that
enlargeth his borders; he will take the lands of the South, but he
will not design to hold the countries of the North: yet he pre-
pareth to smite the Sati, to crush the Wanderers of the Sand.
When he cometh here, let him know thy name; dispute not, but
11. e. , What does Egypt do without the king ?
2 The goddess of destruction.
## p. 5241 (#413) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5241
go over to his command? : for he will not fail to treat well the
country that floateth with his stream. ”
Said he, agreeing to me:- “Verily, Egypt is excellent in its
stream? beyond anything, and it flourisheth; behold, as long as
thou art with me I will do good unto thee. ” He placed me at
the head of his children, he married me with his eldest daughter.
He allowed me to choose for myself from his land, and from the
choicest of what he possessed on the border of the next land. It
was a goodly land; IaaS is its name. Therein were figs and
grapes; its wine was more plentiful than water; abundant was
its honey, many were its oil-trees, and all fruits were upon its
trees; there too was barley and spelt, and cattle of all kinds with-
out end. Great honors also were granted to me, flowing from
his love to me; he set me as sheikh of a tribe in a choice portion
of his country. There were made for me rations of bread, wine
from day to day, cooked meat and roasted fowl, besides wild game
snared for me or brought to me, as well as what my hunting
dogs caught. They made me many dainties, and milk food
cooked in all manner of ways. Thus I passed many years; my
children became valiant men, each one the conqueror of a tribe.
When a messenger came north or went south to the Residence,
he tarried with me; for I gave all men gifts; I gave water to
the thirsty, I set the strayed wanderer on his road, and I
rescued those who were carried off captive. The Sati who went
to war or to repel the kings of the nations, I commanded their
expeditions; for this Ruler of the Tenu made me to spend
many years as captain of his army. Every land to which I
turned I overcame. I destroyed its green fields and its wells, I
captured its cattle, I took captive its inhabitants, I deprived
them of their provisions, and I slew much people of them by
my sword, my bow, my marchings, and my good devices. Thus
my excellence was in his heart; he loved me and he knew my
valor; until he set me at the head of his sons, when he saw the
success of my handiwork.
There came a champion of the Tenu to defy me in my tent;
a bold man without equal, for he had vanquished all his rivals.
He said, “Let Sanehat fight with me. ” He thought to overcome
1 Lit. , «stick. )
? A metaphor for the policy,» «will,” of a king or god.
3 Meaning «reeds » (? ).
4 1. e. , of Pharaoh; see above, p. 5238.
## p. 5242 (#414) ###########################################
5242
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
1
me; he designed to take my cattle, being thus counseled by his
tribe. This ruler [Ammui-nen-sha) conferred with me.
I said: -
“I know him not. I assuredly am no associate of his; I hold me
far from his place. Have I ever opened his door, or leaped over
his fence? It is perverseness of heart from seeing me doing his
work. Forsooth, I am as it were a stranger bull among the cows,
which the bull of the herd charges, and the strong bull catches!
But shall a wretched beggar desire to attain to my fortune ? A
common soldier cannot take part as a counselor. Then what
pray shall establish the assembly ? ! But is there a bull that
loveth battle, a courageous bull that loveth to repeat the charge
in terrifying him whose strength he hath measured ? If he hath
stomach to fight, let him speak what he pleaseth. Will God for-
get what is ordained for him ? How shall fate be known ? ” The
night long I strung my bow, I made ready my arrows; I made
keen my dagger, I furbished my arms. At daybreak the Tenu
came together; it had gathered its tribes and collected the neigh-
boring peoples. Its thoughts were on this combat; every bosom
burned for me, men and women crying out; every heart was
troubled for me; they said, "Is there yet another champion
to fight with him ? » Then [he took] his buckler, his battle-axe,
and an armful of javelins. But thereon I avoided his weapons,
and turned aside his arrows to the ground, useless. One drew
near to the other and he rushed upon me. I shot at him and my
arrow stuck in his neck; he cried out, and fell upon his nose: I
brought down upon him his own battle-axe, and raised my shout
of victory on his back. All the Asiatics roared, and I and his
vassals whom he had oppressed gave thanks unto Mentu; this
Ruler, Ammui-nen-sha, took me to his embrace. Then I took
his goods, I seized his cattle. What he had thought to do to
me, I did it unto him; I seized that which was in his tent, I
spoiled his dwelling. I grew great thereby, I increased in my
possessions. I abounded in cattle.
May’ the god be disposed to pardon him in whom he had
trusted, and who deserted to a foreign country. Now is his
1 A difficult passage.
? Without any pause or introduction Sanehat begins to quote from his peti-
tion to the King of Egypt. It is difficult to say whether this arrangement is
due to an oversight of the scribe, or is intended to heighten the picturesque-
ness of the narrative by sudden contrast. The formal introduction might well
be omitted as uninteresting. The end of the document with the salutations
is preserved.
## p. 5243 (#415) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5243
anger quenched. I who at one time fled away a fugitive, my
guarantee is now in the Residence. Having wandered a starved
wanderer, now I give bread to those around. Having left my
land in rags, now I shine in fine linen. Having been a fugi-
tive without followers, now I possess many serfs. My house is
fair, my dwelling large, I am spoken of in the palace. All the
gods destined me this flight. Mayest thou be gracious; may I be
restored to the Residence; favor me that I may see the place in
which my heart dwelleth. Behold how great a thing is it that
my body should be embalmed in the land where I was born!
Come; if afterwards there be good fortune, I will give an offer-
ing to God that he may work to make good the end of his sup-
pliant, whose heart is heavy at long absence in a strange land.
May he be gracious; may he hear the prayer of him who is afar
off, that he may revisit the place of his birth, and the place
from which he removed.
"May the King of Egypt be gracious to me, by whose favor
men live. I salute the mistress of the land, who is in his palace;
may I hear the news of her children, and may my body renew
its vigor thereby. But old age cometh, weakness hasteneth me
on, the eyes are heavy, my arms are failing, my feet have
ceased to follow the heart. Weariness of going on approacheth
me; may they convey me to the cities of eternity. May I serve
the mistress of all. i Oh that she may tell me the beauties of her
children; may she bring eternity to me. ”
Now the Majesty of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
Kheper-ka-ra, justified, spake concerning this condition in which
His Majesty sent unto me with presents from before the
king, that he might make glad the heart of your servant,' as he
would unto the Ruler of any country; and the royal sons who
were in his palace caused me to hear their news.
I was.
Copy of the command which was brought to the humble servant
to bring him back to Egypt.
« THE HORUS, LIFE OF Births, LORD OF THE CROWNS, LIFE OF
Births, KING OF UPPER AND LOWER EGYPT, KHEPER-KA-RA, SON
The Sun, USERTESENS Ever Living UNTO ETERNITY. Royal
Command for the attendant, Sanehat.
OF
A phrase for the queen.
2 The narrator.
3 The scribe has written Amenemhat by mistake for Usertesen.
## p. 5244 (#416) ###########################################
5244
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
"Behold, this command of the king is sent to thee to give thee
information: Whereas thou didst go round strange lands from
Kedem' to Tenu, one country passed thee on to another as thy
heart devised for thee. Behold, what thou hast done hath been
done unto thee: Thou hast not blasphemed, so also the accusa-
tion against thee hath been repelled. So also thy sayings have
been respected; thou hast not spoken against the Council of the
Nobles. But this matter carried away thy heart; it was not
[devised] in thy heart.
« This thy Heaven? who is in the palace is stablished and
flourishing even now: she herself shareth in the rule of the
land, and her children are in the Audience Chamber.
3
« Leave the riches that thou hast, and in the abundance of
which thou livest. When thou comest to Egypt thou shalt
visit the Residence in which thou wast, thou shalt kiss the
ground before the Great Portals, thou shalt assume authority
amongst the Companions. But day by day, behold, thou growest
old; thy vigor is lost; thou thinkest on thy day of burial. Thou
shalt be conducted to the blessed state; there shall be assigned
to thee a night of sacred oils and wrappings from the hands of
the goddess Tayt. There shall be held for thee a procession [be-
hind thy statues] and a visit [to the temple) on the day of burial,
the mummy case gilded, the head blue, the canopy above thee;
the putting in the skin-frame, oxen to draw thee, singers going
before thee, the answering chant, and mourners crouching at the
door of thy tomb-chapel. Prayers for offerings shall be recited
for thee, victims shall be slaughtered at the door portrayed upon
thy tablet"; and thy mastaba shall be built of white stone, in the
company of the royal children. Thou shalt not die in a strange
land, nor be buried by the Amu; thou shalt not be put in a
sheepskin, thou shalt be well regarded. It is vain [? ] to beat
the ground and think on troubles.
« Thou hast reached the end. 5))
3
1 Or Adim; see above, p. 5239, note.
2 The queen, his exalted mistress.
Taking part in the councils of the king and in the administration of the
kingdom.
* This seems to refer to the so-called false door, representing the entrance
to the underworld. All that precedes refers to burial with great ceremony.
5 1. e. , of the king's command. The absence of any concluding salutation
is noticeable.
## p. 5245 (#417) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5245
When this order came to me, I stood in the midst of my
tribe, and when it was read unto me, I threw me on my belly; I
bowed to the ground and let the dust spread upon my breast. I
strode around my tent rejoicing and saying: -"How is this done
to the servant, whose heart had transgressed to a strange country
of babbling tongue? But verily good is compassion, that I should
be saved from death. Thy Kai it is that will cause me to pass
the end of my days in the Residence. ”
Copy of the acknowledgment of this command.
« The servant of the royal house [? ], Sanehat, says:-
«In most excellent peace! Known is it to thy Ka that this
flight of thy servant was made in innocence. Thou the Good
God, Lord of both Lands, Beloved of Ra, Favored of Mentu,
lord of Uast, and of Amen, lord of the Thrones of the Two
Lands, of Sebek, Ra, Horus, Hathor, Atmu and his Ennead, of
Sepdu, Neferbiu, Semsetu, Horus of the east, and of the Mistress
of the Cave? who resteth on thy head, of the chief circle of the
gods of the waters, Min, Horus of the desert, Urert mistress of
Punt, Nut, Harur-Ra, all the gods of the land of Egypt and of
the isles of the sea. 3 May they put life and strength to thy
nostril, may they present thee with their gifts, may they give to
thee eternity without end, everlastingness without bound. May
the fear of thee be doubled in the lands and in the foreign coun-
tries, mayest thou subdue the circuit of the sun. This is the
prayer of the servant for his master, who hath delivered him
from Amenti.
« The possessor of understanding understandeth the higher
order of men, and the servant recognizeth the majesty of
Pharaoh. But thy servant feareth to speak it: it is a weighty
matter to tell of. The great God, like unto Ra, knoweth well
the work which he himself hath wrought. Who is thy servant
1 The Ka or double » was one of the spiritual constituents of man; but
«thy Ka” is merely a mode of address to the exalted Pharaoh.
21. e. , the uræus or cobra.
3 In this long array of gods, Mentu and Amen rank next to Ra. They
were both worshiped at Thebes, which was then probably capital of the whole
country. It certainly was so in the next dynasty, during which this tale was
presumably written down. It is curious that Ptah the god of Memphis does
not appear.
* The place of the dead.
## p. 5246 (#418) ###########################################
5246
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
that he should be considered, that words should be spent upon
him? Thy majesty is as Horus, and the strength of thy arms
extendeth to all lands.
« Then let his Majesty command that there be brought to
him Meki of Kedem, Khentiu-aaush of Khent-keshu, and Menus
of the Two Lands of the Fenkhu; these are chiefs as hostages
that the Tenu act according to the desire of thy Ka, and that
Tenu will not covet what belongeth to thee in it, like thy
dogs. 1 Behold this flight that thy servant made: I did not desire
it, it was not in my heart; I do not boast of it; I know not what
took me away from my place; it was like the leading of a
dream, as a man of Adhu sees himself in Abu,' as a man of the
Corn-land sees himself in the Land of Gardens. There was no
fear, none was hastening in pursuit of me; I did not listen to an
evil plot, my name was not heard in the mouth of the informer;
but my limbs went, my feet wandered, my heart drew me; a
god ordained this flight, and led me on. But I am not stiff-
necked; a man feareth if he knoweth [? ], for Ra hath spread thy
fear over the land, thy terrors in every foreign country. Behold
me in thy palace or behold me in this place,* still thou art he
who doth clothe this horizon. The sun riseth at thy pleasure,
the water in the rivers is drunk at thy will, the wind in heaven
is breathed at thy saying.
“Thy servant will leave to a successor the viziership which thy
servant hath held in this land. And when thy servant shall ar-
rives let thy Majesty do as pleaseth him, for one liveth by the
breath that thou givest. O thou who art beloved of Ra, of
Horus, and of Hathor! It is thy august rostril that Mentu, lord
of Uast, desireth should live for ever. ”
.
1
It was granted that I should spend a day in Iaa, to pass over
my goods to my children, my eldest son leading my tribe, and
1 As dogs do the bidding of their master and spare his property.
2 As a man of Natho (the marshes in the north of the Delta) dreams that
he is at Elephantine (the rocky southern frontier).
3 The second is the name of the southernmost nome of Egypt, that of
Elephantine, which has practically no corn-land. It was probably made fruit-
ful by artificial irrigation, with culture of plants, trees, and vines.
* So the MS. , and it conveys a fair meaning; but perhaps the original ran,
“Behold, thou art in the palace and I am in this place yet, etc.
5 Or, "Now thy servant hath finished. ”
6 Sanebat's own territory; see p. 5241.
## p. 5247 (#419) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5247
all my goods in his hand, my people and all my cattle, my fruit,
and all my pleasant trees. When thy humble servant' journeyed
to the south, and arrived at the Roads of Horus, the officer who
was over the frontier-patrol sent a report to the Residence to
give notice. His Majesty sent the good overseer of the peasants
of the king's domains, and ships with him laden with presents
from the king for the Sati who had come with me to convey me
to the Roads of Horus. I spoke to each one by his name, each
officer according to his rank. I received and I returned the salu-
tation, and I continued thus? until I reached Athtu. "
When the land was lightened, and the second day came,
there came some to summon me, four men in coining, four
men in going to carry [? ] me to the palace. I alighted on the
ground between the gates of reception [? ]; the royal children
stood at the platform to greet [? ] me; the Companions and those
who ushered to the hall brought me on the way to the royal
chamber.
I found his Majesty on the great throne on a platform of pale
gold. Then I threw myself on my belly; this god, in whose
presence I was, knew me not while he questioned me graciously;
but I was as one caught in the night; my spirit fainted, my
limbs shook, my heart was no longer in my bosom, and I knew
the difference between life and death. His Majesty said to one
of the Companions, “Lift him up; let him speak to me. ” And
his Majesty said:-“Behold, thou hast come; thou hast trodden the
deserts; thou hast played the wanderer. Decay falleth on thee,
old age hath reached thee; it is no small thing that thy body
should be embalmed, that thou shalt not be buried by foreign
soldiers. Do not, do not, be silent and speechless; tell thy
name; is it fear that preventeth thee ? » I answered with the
answer of one terrified, “What is it that my lord hath said ? 0
that I might answer it! It was not my act: it was the hand of
God; it was a terror that was in my body, as it were causing a
1A frequent phrase for the writer or narrator, especially common in letters.
2 «Nodding and touching my forehead” is perhaps the real translation of
some difficult words here paraphrased.
3 Probably the Residence; more commonly called Athet-taui, but here ab-
breviated in name.
* Or perhaps
very early. ”
5 This probably means “four men behind me and the same number in
front, either conducting Sanehat or more probably carrying him in a litter.
6 Instead of Egyptian priests.
## p. 5248 (#420) ###########################################
5248
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
the queen,
flight that had been foreordained. Behold I am before thee; thou
art life; let thy Majesty do what pleaseth him. ”
The royal children were brought in, and his Majesty said to
“Behold thou, Sanehat hath come as an Amu, whom
the Sati have produced. ”
She shrieked aloud, and the royal children joined in one cry,
and said before his Majesty, “Verily it is not he, o king, my
lord. ” Said his Majesty, “It is verily he. ” Then they brought
their tinkling bead-strings, their wands, and their sistra in their
hands, and waved them before his Majesty [and they sang]:-
"May thy hands prosper, O King;
May the graces of the Lady of Heaven continue.
May the goddess Nub? give life to thy nostril;
May the mistress of the stars favor thee, that which is north
of her going south and that which is south of her going
north.
A11 wisdom is in the mouth of thy Majesty;
The staff [? ] is put upon thy forehead, driving away from
thee the beggarly [? ]
Thou art pacified, O Ra, lord of the lands;
They call on thee as on the Mistress of all.
Strong is thy horn; let fall thine arrow.
Grant the breath of life to him who is without it;
Grant thy favor to this alien Samehit,” the foreign soldier
born in the land of Egypt,
Who fled away from fear of thee,
And left the land from thy terrors.
The face shall not grow pale, of him who beholdeth thy
countenance;
The eye shall not fear which looketh upon thee. ”
Said his Majesty:—“He shall not fear; let him be freed from
terror. He shall be a Companion amongst the nobles; he shall
be put within the circle of the courtiers. Go ye to the chamber
of praise to seek wealth for him. ”
When I went out from the Audience Chamber, the royal
children offered their hands to me; and we walked afterwards to
i These instruments rattled or clattered as they were waved or beaten
together.
2 A form of Hathor.
3 Samehit, “son of the north,” is a play on the name Sanebat, (son of the
Sycamore. »
## p. 5249 (#421) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5249
the Great Portals. I was placed in a house of a king's son, in
which were fine things; there was a cool bower therein, fruits of
the granary, treasures of the White House,' clothes of the king's
guard-robe, frankincense, the finest perfumes of the king and the
nobles whom he loves, in every chamber; and every kind of
servitor in his proper office. Years were removed from my
limbs: I was shaved, and my locks of hair were combed; the
foulness was cast to the desert, with the garments of the Nemau-
sha. I clothed me in fine linen, and anointed myself with the
best oil; I laid me on a bed. I gave up the sand to those who
lie on it; the oil of wood to him who would anoint himself
therewith.
There was given to me the house of Neb-mer [? ], which had
belonged to a Companion. There were many craftsmen build-
ing it; all its woodwork was strengthened anew. Portions were
brought to me from the palace thrice and four times a day,
besides the gifts of the royal children; there was not a moment's
ceasing from them. There was built for me a pyramid of stone
amongst the pyramids. The overseer of the architects measured
its ground; the chief treasurer drew it; the sacred masons did
the sculpture; the chief of the laborers in the necropolis brought
the bricks; and all the instruments applied to a tomb were there
employed. There were given to me fields; there was made for
me a necropolis garden, the land in it better than a farm estate;
even as is done for the chief Companion. My statue was over-
laid with gold, its girdle with pale gold; his Majesty caused it to
be made. Such is not done to a man of low degree.
Thus am I in the favor of the king until the day of death
shall come.
This is finished from beginning to end, as was found in the
writing
Translation of F. LI. Griffith.
1 The treasury containing silver, gold, clothing, wine, and valuables of all
kinds.
2 Meaning “wanderers on the Sand,) Bedawîn.
IX-329
## p. 5250 (#422) ###########################################
5250
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
THE DOOMED PRINCE
['The Story of the Doomed Prince) was written at some time during the
XVIIIth Dynasty (about 1450 B. C. ). The papyrus on which it has been pre-
served to us, and which is in the British Museum, is much mutilated, and the
end is entirely lost. ]
T"
HERE was once a king to whom no male child was born; he
prayed for himself unto the gods whom he worshiped for
a son. They decreed to cause that there should be born
to him one. And his wife, after her time was fulfilled, gave
birth to a male child. Came the Hathors' to decree for him a
destiny; they said, “He dies by the crocodile, or by the serpent,
or by the dog. " Then the people who stood by the child heard
this; they went to tell it to his Majesty. Then his Majesty's
heart was exceeding sad. His Majesty caused a house to be
built upon the desert, furnished with people and with all good
things of the royal house, out of which the child should not go.
Now when the child was grown he went up upon its roof and
saw a greyhound; it was following a man walking on the road.
He said to his page who was with him, "What is this that goeth
behind the man coming along the road? He said to him, "It
is a greyhound. ” The child said to him, "Let there be brought
to me
one like it. » The page went and reported it to his
Majesty. His Majesty said, “Let there be brought to him a little
trotter, lest his heart be sad. ” Then they brought to him the
greyhound.
Now when the days were multiplied after these things, the
child grew up in all his limbs, he sent a message to his father
saying, “Wherefore should I remain here? Behold, I am destined
to three dooms, and if I do according to my desire God will still
do what is in his heart. ” They hearkened to all he said, and
gave him all kinds of weapons, and also his greyhound to follow
him, and they conveyed him over to the east side and said
to him, “Go thou whither thou wilt. ” His greyhound was
with him; he traveled northward following his heart in the desert:
he lived on the best of all the game of the desert. He came to
the chief of Naharaina.
1 The Hathors were seven goddesses who attended the birth of a child in
order to tell its fate. They somewhat correspond to the fairy godmothers of
later fairy tales.
## p. 5251 (#423) ###########################################
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
5251
Behold, there was no child born to the prince of Naharaina
except one daughter. Behold, he built for her a house; its win-
dow was seventy cubits from the ground, and he caused to be
brought all the sons of all the chiefs of the land of Kharu,1 and
said to them, “He who shall reach the window of my daughter,
she shall be to him for a wife. ”
Now when the days had multiplied after these things, as they
were in their daily task, the youth came by them. They took
the youth to their house, they bathed him, they gave provender
to his horse, they did every kind of thing for the youth; they
anointed him, they bound up his feet, they gave him portions of
their own food; they spake to him in the manner of conversa-
tion, “Whence comest thou, good youth? ” He said to them:-“I
am the son of an officer of the land of Egypt; my mother is
dead, my father has taken another wife. When she bore children,
she began to hate me, and I have come as a fugitive from
before her. ” They embraced him and kissed him.
Now when the days were multiplied after these things, he said
to the youths, “What is it that ye do here? ” And they said to
him, “We spend our time in this: we climb up, and he who
shall reach the window of the daughter of the prince of Naha-
raina, to him she will be given to wife. ” He said to them, "Lo!
I desire to try, I shall go to climb with you. " They went to
climb, as was their daily wont: the youth stood afar off to
behold; and the face of the daughter of the prince of Naharaina
was turned to him. Now when the days were multiplied after
these things, the youth came to climb with the sons of the chiefs.
He climbed, he reached the window of the daughter of the
prince of Naharaina. She kissed him, she embraced him.
One went to rejoice the heart of her father, and said to him,
A man has reached the window of thy daughter. ” The prince
spake of it, saying, “The son of which of the princes is it ? »
He said to him, “It is the son of an officer, who has come as a
fugitive from the land of Egypt, fleeing from before his step-
mother when she had children. ” Then the prince of Naharaina
was exceeding angry; he said, “Shall I indeed give my daughter
to the Egyptian fugitive ? Let him go back. ” One came to tell
the youth, “Go back to the place from which thou hast come. ”
But the maiden took hold of him; she swore an oath by God,
saying, "By the life of Ra Harakhti, if one taketh him from me,
1 Syria.
## p. 5252 (#424) ###########################################
5252
EGYPTIAN LITERATURE
.
I will not eat, I will not drink, I shall die in that same hour. ”
The messenger went to tell unto her father all that she said.
Then the prince sent men to slay him, while he was in his
house. But the maiden said, "By the life of Ra, if one slay him
I shall be dead ere the sun goeth down. I will not pass an
hour of life if I am parted from him. ” One went to tell her
father. Then
the prince came; he embraced him, he
kissed him all over, and said, “Tell me who thou art; behold,
thou art to me as a son. ” He said to him:-“I am a son of an
officer of the land of Egypt; my mother died, my father took to
him a second wife; she came to hate me, and I fled from before
her. ” He gave to him his daughter to wife; he gave also to
him people and fields, also cattle and all manner of good things.
Now when time had passed over these things, the youth said
to his wife, "I am destined to three dooms. a crocodile, a
serpent, and a dog. ” She said to him, “Let one kill the dog
that runs before thee.
