Egyptian Literature: Comprising Egyptian tales, hymns, litanies, invocations, the Book of the Dead, and cuneiform writings
Religion
Egyptian Literature: Comprising Egyptian tales, hymns, litanies, invocations, the Book of the Dead, and cuneiform writings
Egyptian literature -- Translations into English
And the deities went out, having delivered Rud-didet of the three
children. And they said, “Rejoice! O Ra-user, for behold three children
are born unto thee.” And he said unto them, “My ladies, and what shall I
give unto ye? Behold, give this bushel of barley here unto your porter,
that ye may take it as your reward to the brew-house.” And Khnumu loaded
himself with the bushel of barley. And they went away toward the place
from which they came. And Isis spake unto these goddesses, and said,
“Wherefore have we come without doing a marvel for these children, that we
may tell it to their father who has sent us?” Then made they the divine
diadems of the King (life, wealth, and health), and laid them in the
bushel of barley. And they caused the clouds to come with wind and rain;
and they turned back again unto the house. And they said, “Let us put this
barley in a closed chamber, sealed up, until we return northward,
dancing.” And they placed the barley in a close chamber.
And Rud-didet purified herself, with a purification of fourteen days. And
she said to her handmaid, “Is the house made ready?” And she replied, “All
things are made ready, but the brewing barley is not yet brought.” And
Rud-didet said, “Wherefore is the brewing barley not yet brought?” And the
servant answered, “It would all of it long since be ready if the barley
had not been given to the dancing-girls, and lay in the chamber under
their seal.” Rud-didet said, “Go down, and bring of it, and Ra-user shall
give them in its stead when he shall come.” And the handmaid went, and
opened the chamber. And she heard talking and singing, music and dancing,
quavering, and all things which are performed for a king in his chamber.
And she returned and told to Rud-didet all that she had heard. And she
went through the chamber, but she found not the place where the sound was.
And she laid her temple to the sack, and found that the sounds were in it.
She placed it in a chest, and put that in another locker, and tied it fast
with leather, and laid it in the storeroom, where the things were, and
sealed it. And Ra-user came returning from the field; and Rud-didet
repeated unto him these things; and his heart was glad above all things;
and they sat down and made a joyful day.
And after these days it came to pass that Rud-didet was wroth with her
servant, and beat her with stripes. And the servant said unto those that
were in the house: “Shall it be done thus unto me? She has borne three
kings, and I will go and tell this to his Majesty King Khufu the blessed.”
And she went, and found the eldest brother of her mother, who was binding
his flax on the floor. And he said to her, “Whither goest thou, my little
maid?” And she told him of all these things. And her brother said to her:
“Wherefore comest thou thus to me? Shall I agree to treachery?” And he
took a bunch of the flax to her, and laid on her a violent blow. And the
servant went to fetch a handful of water, and a crocodile carried her
away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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