The Literature of the Ancient EgyptiansBudge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis), Sir
History
The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians
Budge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis), Sir
Egyptian literature -- History and criticism; Egyptian literature -- Translations into English
"Then the soldiers set out on their journey, and they sailed down the
river and arrived at Thebes, and they did everything according to His
Majesty's commands. And again they set out, and they sailed down the
river, and they met many large boats sailing up the river, and they were
full of soldiers and sailors, and mighty captains from the North land,
every one fully armed to fight, and the soldiers of His Majesty
inflicted a great defeat on them; they killed a very large but unknown
number, they captured the boats, made the soldiers prisoners, whom they
brought alive to the place where His Majesty was." This done they
proceeded on their way to the region opposite Herakleopolis, to continue
the battle. Again the soldiers of Piānkhi attacked the troops of the
allies, and defeated and routed them utterly, and captured their boats
on the river. A large number of the enemy succeeded in escaping, and
landed on the west bank of the river at Per-pek. At dawn these were
attacked by Piānkhi's troops, who slew large numbers of them, and
[captured] many horses; the remainder, utterly terror-stricken, fled
northwards, carrying with them the news of the worst defeat which they
had ever experienced.
Nemart, one of the rebel princes, fled up the river in a boat, and
landed near the town of Un (Hermopolis), wherein he took refuge. The
Nubians promptly beleaguered the town with such rigour that no one could
go out of it or come in. Then they reported their action to Piānkhi, and
when he had read their report, he growled like a panther, and said, "Is
it possible that they have permitted any of the Northmen to live and
escape to tell the tale of his flight, and have not killed them to the
very last man? I swear by my life, and by my love for Rā, and by the
grace which Father Amen hath bestowed upon me, that I will myself sail
down the river, and destroy what the enemy hath done, and I will make
him to retreat from the fight for ever." Piānkhi also declared his
intention of stopping at Thebes on his way down the river, so that he
might assist at the Festival of the New Year, and might look upon the
face of the god Amen in his shrine at Karnak and, said he, "After that I
will make the Lands of the North to taste my fingers." When the soldiers
in Egypt heard of their lord's wrath, they attacked Per-Metchet
(Oxyrrhynchus), and they "overran it like a water-flood"; a report of
the success was sent to Piānkhi, but he was not satisfied. Then they
attacked Ta-tehen (Tehnah?), which was filled with northern soldiers.
The Nubians built a tower with a battering ram and breached the walls,
and they poured into the town and slew every one they found. Among the
dead was the son of the rebel prince Tafnekht. This success was also
reported to Piānkhi, but still he was not satisfied. Het-Benu was also
captured, and still he was not satisfied.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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