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
“Now behold what the god has done for me who trusted in him. Having once
fled away, yet now there is a witness of me in the palace. Once having
fled away, as a fugitive—now all in the palace give unto me a good name.
After that I had been dying of hunger, now I give bread to those around. I
had left my land naked, and now I am clothed in fine linen. After having
been a wanderer without followers, now I possess many serfs. My house is
fine, my land wide, my memory is established in the temple of all the
gods. And let this flight obtain thy forgiveness; that I may be appointed
in the palace; that I may see the place where my heart dwells. How great a
thing is it that my body should be embalmed in the land where I was born!
To return there is happiness. I have made offering to God to grant me this
thing. His heart suffers who has run away unto a strange land. Let him
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 that I may live of his favor. And
I render my homage to the mistress of the land, who is in his palace; may
I hear the news of her children. Thus will my limbs grow young again. Now
old age comes, feebleness seizes me, my eyes are heavy, my arms are
feeble, my legs will not move, my heart is slow. Death draws nigh to me,
soon shall they lead me to the city of eternity. Let me follow the
mistress of all (the queen, his former mistress); lo! let her tell me the
excellencies of her children; may she bring eternity to me.”
Then the majesty of King Kheper-ka-ra, the blessed, spake upon this my
desire that I had made to him. His Majesty sent unto me with presents from
the King, that he might enlarge the heart of his servant, like unto the
province of any strange land; and the royal sons who are in the palace
addressed themselves unto me.
Copy of the Decree Which Was Brought, To Me Who Speak To You, To Lead Me
Back Into Egypt
“The Horus, life of births, lord of the crowns, life of births, King of
Upper and Lower Egypt, Kheper-ka-ra, son of the Sun, Amen-em-hat, ever
living unto eternity. Order for the follower Sanehat. Behold this order of
the King is sent to thee to instruct thee of his will.
“Now, although thou hast gone through strange lands from Adim to Tenu, and
passed from one country to another at the wish of thy heart—behold, what
hast thou done, or what has been done against thee, that is amiss?
Moreover, thou reviledst not; but if thy word was denied, thou didst not
speak again in the assembly of the nobles, even if thou wast desired. Now,
therefore, that thou hast thought on this matter which has come to thy
mind, let thy heart not change again; for this thy Heaven (queen), who is
in the palace is fixed, she is flourishing, she is enjoying the best in
the kingdom of the land, and her children are in the chambers of the
palace.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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