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 I heard the message you sent about her to me. Thus it was, ‘Now you
ask my daughter as your wife, but my sister whom my father gave thee,
being good to you, has any seen her whether she has lived or whether she
has died?’ This is the message that you send in your letter. But did you
ever send as your envoy, one who has known your sister, and who has spoken
with her, and understood her? And let one speak with her. The chiefs you
send are useless, your envoy _Zakara_ is one who is a chief(?). There is
not one among them related to your father, and ... concerning this my
envoy is with thee, and has spoken to her ... her heart ... concerning
this, and she has given ... to her mother. And lo! you send this, ‘You
spoke to my envoys, and they gathered your wives: a lady appeared before
you (saying) thus, Behold your queen who is brought out before you all.
But my envoys knew her not (to be) my sister.’ Now satisfy yourself as to
what you thus send, ‘My envoys knew her not,’ and you say, ‘Who was it
that was recognized by her?’ Why do not you send as your envoy one who
shall tell you a true message as to the salutation from your sister, I
pray you? And you said that they disputed as to her appearance. But you
can see her with the King. And lo! you send thus, ‘Who was the princess—a
daughter of one who was a native, or was she one of the land of (my
neighbors?), or was she the daughter of the Land of _Khani Rabbatu_, or
the princess of the Land of _Ugarit_, that my envoys so saw, and who was
it that spoke to them to satisfy that nothing wrong was done?’ And does
not your message say all this? But if she has died—your sister, and I am
concealing, as you pretend, her ... in former times, which we ... the God
_Amanu_ ... (I rejoice that the wife I love?) ... she has been made queen
... I deny that ... beyond all the wives ... that the Kings of _Egypt_ ...
in the land of _Egypt_. And lo! you send thus ‘Both my daughters ... as
wives of the Kings of the land of _Carandunias_.’ But if the ... of my
envoys is friendly, and they have said ‘With these things our Lord has
sent us, as a present, to satisfy thee concerning thy message: the
princess salutes the Kings, and all her friends your daughters.’ Take thou
possession from him of whatever is with them, and send me a letter, and
arrange with thy sister who is with me, and make sure of everything; and I
have sent to thee an overseer, so to make known to your daughters, in
order to perceive the evil that they teach you. And lo! you send ‘The
messages that my father has left, do not these messages of his say
concerning this, that he established alliance between us?’ This is the
message you send. Now you and I have fulfilled the alliance, and the
portion is before your envoys as they will say in your presence. Is not
all to be given by us to her who (is) to come to the land of Egypt (whom)
they shall bring before me? And (choose?) one of them. (Now) I have sent
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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