Egyptian Tales, Translated from the Papyri: First series, IVth to XIIth dynasty — John Shaqi
Egyptian Tales, Translated from the Papyri: First series, IVth to XIIth dynastyPetrie, W. M. Flinders (William Matthew Flinders)
General
Egyptian Tales, Translated from the Papyri: First series, IVth to XIIth dynasty
Petrie, W. M. Flinders (William Matthew Flinders)
Egyptian literature -- Translations into English
"And Uba-aner said unto his majesty, 'Will your majesty come and see
this wonder that has come to pass in your days unto a page?' And the
king went with Uba-aner. And Uba-aner called unto the crocodile and
said, 'Bring forth the page.' And the crocodile came forth from the lake
with the page. Uba-aner said unto the king, 'Behold, whatever I command
this crocodile he will do it.' And his majesty said, 'I pray you send back
this crocodile." And Uba-aner stooped and took up the crocodile, and it
became in his hand a crocodile of wax. And then Uba-aner told the king
that which had passed in his house with the page and his wife. And his
majesty said unto the crocodile, 'Take to thee thy prey.' And the
crocodile plunged into the lake with his prey, and no man knew whither
he went.
"And his majesty the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nebka, the blessed,
commanded, and they brought forth the wife of Uba-aner to the north side
of the harem, and burnt her with fire, and cast her ashes in the
river.
"This is a wonder that came to pass in the days of thy forefather the
king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nebka, of the acts of the chief reciter
Uba-aner."
His majesty the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Khufu, then said, "Let
there be presented to the king Nebka, the blessed, a thousand loaves, a
hundred draughts of beer, an ox, two jars of incense; and let there be
presented a loaf, a jar of beer, a jar of incense, and a piece of meat
to the chief reciter Uba-aner; for I have seen the token of his
learning." And they did all things as his majesty commanded.
BAUFRA'S TALE
The royal sou Bau-f-ra then stood forth and spake. He said, "I will tell
thy majesty of a wonder which came to pass in the days of thy father
Seneferu, the blessed, of the deeds of the chief reciter Zazamankh. One
day King Seneferu, being weary, went throughout his palace seeking for a
pleasure to lighten his heart, but he found none. And he said,
'Haste, and bring before me the chief reciter and scribe of the rolls
Zazamankh'; and they straightway brought him. And the king said, 'I have
sought in my palace for some delight, but I have found none.' Then said
Zazamankh to him, 'Let thy majesty go upon the lake of the palace, and
let there be made ready a boat, with all the fair maidens of the harem
of thy palace; and the heart of thy majesty shall be refreshed with
the sight, in seeing their rowing up and down the water, and seeing
the goodly pools of the birds upon the lake, and beholding its sweet
fields and grassy shores; thus will thy heart be lightened. And I also
will go with thee. Bring me twenty oars of ebony, inlayed with gold,
with blades of light wood, inlayed with electrum; and bring me twenty
maidens, fair in their limbs, their bosoms and their hair, all
virgins; and bring me twenty nets, and give these nets unto the
maidens for their garments.' And they did according to all the
commands of his majesty.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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