Her husband said to her: "Who has had words with you?" She said to him: "No one has had words with me except your young brother. When he came to take seed to you, he found me sitting alone. He said to me: ' Come, let us spend an hour lying together, loosen your braids.' So he said to me. But I would not listen to him. ' Am I not your mother? Is your elder brother not like a father to you?' So I said to him. He became frightened and he beat me, so as to prevent me from telling you. Now if you let him live, I shall die! Look, when he returns, do not let him live! For I am ill from this evil design which he was about to carry out in the morning."
Then his elder brother became like a leopard. He sharpened his spear and took it in his hand. then his elder brother stood behind the door of his stable, in order to kill his young brother when he came in the evening to let his cattle enter the stable. Now when the Sun had set he loaded himself with all the plants of the field according to his daily custom. He returned, and as the lead cow was about to enter the stable she said to her herdsman: "Here is your elder brother waiting for you with his spear in order to kill you. Run away from him." He heard what his lead cow said, and when another went in she said the same. He looked under the door of his stable and saw the feet of his elder brother as he stood behind the door with his spear in his hand. And his elder brother went after him with his spear.
Then his young brother prayed to Pre-Harakhti, saying: "My good lord! It is you who judge between the wicked and the just!" And Pre heard all his plea; and Pre made a great body of water appear between him and his elder brother, and it was full of crocodiles. Thus one came to be on the one side, and the other on the other side. And his elder brother struck his own hand twice, because he had failed to kill him. Then his young brother called to him on this side, saying: "Wait here until dawn! When the Aten has risen, I shall contend with you before him; and he will hand over the wicked to the just! For I shall not be with you any more. I shall not be in the place in which you are. I shall go to the valley of the pine."
Wednesday 31 October 2007
Sunday 28 October 2007
The two brothers (part2)
Then the youth entered his stable and fetched a large vessel, for he wished to take a great quantity of seed. He loaded himself with barley and emmer and came out with it. Thereupon she said to him: " How much is what you have on your shoulder?" He said to her: "Three sacks of emmer and two sacks of barley, five in all, are on my shoulder." So he said to her. Then she spoke to him saying: "There is great strength in you. I see your vigor daily." And she desired to know him as a man. She got up, took hold of him, and said to him: "Come, let us spend an hour lying together. It will be good for you. And I will make fine clothes for you."
Then the youth became like a leopard in his anger over the wicked speech she had made to him; and she became very frightened. He rebuked her, saying: "Look, you are like a mother to me; and your husband is like a father to me. He who is older than I has raised me. What is this great wrong you said to me? Do not say it to me again! But I will not tell it to anyone. I will not let it come from my mouth to any man." He picked up his load; he went off to the field. He reached his elder brother,and they began to work at their task. When evening had come, his elder brother returned to his house. And his young brother tended his cattle, loaded himself with all things of the field, and drove his cattle before him to let them sleep in their stable in the village.
Now the wife of his elder brother was afraid on account of the speech she had made. So she took fat and grease and made herself appear as if she had been beaten, in order to tell her husband, "It was your young brother who beat me." Her husband returned in the evening according to his daily custom. He reached his house and found his wife lying down and seeming ill. She did not pour water over his hands in the usual manner; nor had she lit a fire for him. His house was in darkness, and she lay vomiting.
Then the youth became like a leopard in his anger over the wicked speech she had made to him; and she became very frightened. He rebuked her, saying: "Look, you are like a mother to me; and your husband is like a father to me. He who is older than I has raised me. What is this great wrong you said to me? Do not say it to me again! But I will not tell it to anyone. I will not let it come from my mouth to any man." He picked up his load; he went off to the field. He reached his elder brother,and they began to work at their task. When evening had come, his elder brother returned to his house. And his young brother tended his cattle, loaded himself with all things of the field, and drove his cattle before him to let them sleep in their stable in the village.
Now the wife of his elder brother was afraid on account of the speech she had made. So she took fat and grease and made herself appear as if she had been beaten, in order to tell her husband, "It was your young brother who beat me." Her husband returned in the evening according to his daily custom. He reached his house and found his wife lying down and seeming ill. She did not pour water over his hands in the usual manner; nor had she lit a fire for him. His house was in darkness, and she lay vomiting.
Saturday 27 October 2007
The two brothers (part 1)
It is said, there were to brothers, of the same mother and the same father. Anubis was the name of the elder, and Bata the name of the younger. As for Anubis, he had a house and a wife; and his young brother was with him as if he were a son. He was the one who made clothes for him, and he went behind his cattle to the fields. He was the one who did the plowing, and he harvested for him. He was the one who did for him all kinds of labor in the fields. Indeed, his young brother was an excellent man. There was none like him in the whole land, for a god's strength was in him.
Now when many days had passed, his young brother was tending his cattle according to his daily custom. And he returned to his house in the evening, laden with all kinds of field plants, and with milk, with wood, and with every good thing of the field. He placed them before his elder brother, as he was sitting with his wife. Then he drank and ate and went to sleep in his stable among his cattle. Now when it had dawned and another day had come, he took foods that were cooked and placed them before his elder brother. Then he took bread for himself for the fields, and he drove his cattle to let them eat in the fields. He walked behind his cattle, and they would say to him: "The grass is good in such-and-such a place." And he heard all they said and took them to the place of good grass that they desired. Thus the cattle he tended became exceedingly fine, and they increased their offspring very much.
Now at plowing time his elder brother said to him: "Have a team of oxen made ready for us for plowing, for the soil has emerged and is right for plowing. Also, come to the field with seed, for we shall start plowing tomorrow. "So he said to him. Then the young brother made all the preparations that his elder brother had told him to make. Now when it had dawned and another day had come, they went to the field with their seed and began to plow. And their hearts were very pleased with this work they had undertaken. And many days later, when they were in the field, they had need of seed. Then he sent his young brother, saying: "Hurry, fetch us seed from the village." His young brother found the wife of his elder brother seated braiding her hair. He said to her: "Get up, give me seed, so that I may hurry to the field, for my brother is waiting for me. Don't delay. "She said to him: "Go, open the storeroom and fetch what you want. Don't make me leave my hairdo unfinished."
Now when many days had passed, his young brother was tending his cattle according to his daily custom. And he returned to his house in the evening, laden with all kinds of field plants, and with milk, with wood, and with every good thing of the field. He placed them before his elder brother, as he was sitting with his wife. Then he drank and ate and went to sleep in his stable among his cattle. Now when it had dawned and another day had come, he took foods that were cooked and placed them before his elder brother. Then he took bread for himself for the fields, and he drove his cattle to let them eat in the fields. He walked behind his cattle, and they would say to him: "The grass is good in such-and-such a place." And he heard all they said and took them to the place of good grass that they desired. Thus the cattle he tended became exceedingly fine, and they increased their offspring very much.
Now at plowing time his elder brother said to him: "Have a team of oxen made ready for us for plowing, for the soil has emerged and is right for plowing. Also, come to the field with seed, for we shall start plowing tomorrow. "So he said to him. Then the young brother made all the preparations that his elder brother had told him to make. Now when it had dawned and another day had come, they went to the field with their seed and began to plow. And their hearts were very pleased with this work they had undertaken. And many days later, when they were in the field, they had need of seed. Then he sent his young brother, saying: "Hurry, fetch us seed from the village." His young brother found the wife of his elder brother seated braiding her hair. He said to her: "Get up, give me seed, so that I may hurry to the field, for my brother is waiting for me. Don't delay. "She said to him: "Go, open the storeroom and fetch what you want. Don't make me leave my hairdo unfinished."
Thursday 25 October 2007
From the instruction of ptahhotep
Don't be proud of your knowledge,
Consult the ignorant and the wise;
The limits of art are not reached,
No artist's skills are perfect;
Good speech is more hidden then greenstone,
Yet may be found among maids at the grindstones.
If you are a man who leads,
who controls the affairs of the many,
Seek out every beneficent deed,
That your conduct may be blameless,
Great is justice, lasting in effect,
Unchallenged since the time of Osiris.
One punishes the transgressor of laws,
Though the greedy overlooks this;
Baseness may seize riches,
Yet crime never lands its wares;
In the end it is justice that lasts,
Man says: "It is my father's ground."
If you are a man who leads,
Whose authority reaches wide,
You should do outstanding things,
Remember the day that comes after.
No strife will occur in the midst of honors,
But where the crocodile enters hatred arises.
If you want friendship to endure
In the house you enter
As master, brother, or friend,
In whatever place you enter,
Beware of approaching the women!
Unhappy is the place where it is done,
Unwelcome is he who intrudes on them.
A thousand men are turned away from their good:
A short moment like a dream,
Then death comes for having known them.
Poor advice is "shoot the opponent,"
When one goes to do it the heart rejects it.
He who fails through lust of them,
No affair of his can prosper.
Sustain your friends with what you have,
You have it by the grace of god;
Of him who fails to sustain his friends
One says, " a selfish Ka."
One plans the morrow but knows not what will be,
The right Ka is the KA by which one is sustained.
If praiseworthy deeds are done,
Friends will say, "welcome!"
One does not bring supplies to town,
One brings friends when there is need.
If you are mighty, gain respect through knowledge
And through gentleness of speech.
Don't command except as is fitting,
He who provokes gets into trouble,
Don't be haughty, lest you be humbled,
Don't be mute, lest you be chided.
When you answer one who is fuming,
Avert your face, control yourself.
The flame of the hot-heart sweeps across,
He who steps gently, his path is paved.
He who frets all day has no happy moment,
He who's gay all day can't keep house.
If you are great after having been humble,
Have gained wealth after having been poor
In the past, in a town which you know,
Knowing your former condition,
Do not put trust in your wealth,
Which came to you as gift of god;
So that you will not fall behind one like you,
To whom the same has happened.
Know your helpers, then you prosper,
Don't be mean towards your friends,
They are one's watered field,
And greater than one's riches,
For what belongs to one belongs to another.
The character of a son-of-man is profit to him;
Good nature is a memorial.
Consult the ignorant and the wise;
The limits of art are not reached,
No artist's skills are perfect;
Good speech is more hidden then greenstone,
Yet may be found among maids at the grindstones.
If you are a man who leads,
who controls the affairs of the many,
Seek out every beneficent deed,
That your conduct may be blameless,
Great is justice, lasting in effect,
Unchallenged since the time of Osiris.
One punishes the transgressor of laws,
Though the greedy overlooks this;
Baseness may seize riches,
Yet crime never lands its wares;
In the end it is justice that lasts,
Man says: "It is my father's ground."
If you are a man who leads,
Whose authority reaches wide,
You should do outstanding things,
Remember the day that comes after.
No strife will occur in the midst of honors,
But where the crocodile enters hatred arises.
If you want friendship to endure
In the house you enter
As master, brother, or friend,
In whatever place you enter,
Beware of approaching the women!
Unhappy is the place where it is done,
Unwelcome is he who intrudes on them.
A thousand men are turned away from their good:
A short moment like a dream,
Then death comes for having known them.
Poor advice is "shoot the opponent,"
When one goes to do it the heart rejects it.
He who fails through lust of them,
No affair of his can prosper.
Sustain your friends with what you have,
You have it by the grace of god;
Of him who fails to sustain his friends
One says, " a selfish Ka."
One plans the morrow but knows not what will be,
The right Ka is the KA by which one is sustained.
If praiseworthy deeds are done,
Friends will say, "welcome!"
One does not bring supplies to town,
One brings friends when there is need.
If you are mighty, gain respect through knowledge
And through gentleness of speech.
Don't command except as is fitting,
He who provokes gets into trouble,
Don't be haughty, lest you be humbled,
Don't be mute, lest you be chided.
When you answer one who is fuming,
Avert your face, control yourself.
The flame of the hot-heart sweeps across,
He who steps gently, his path is paved.
He who frets all day has no happy moment,
He who's gay all day can't keep house.
If you are great after having been humble,
Have gained wealth after having been poor
In the past, in a town which you know,
Knowing your former condition,
Do not put trust in your wealth,
Which came to you as gift of god;
So that you will not fall behind one like you,
To whom the same has happened.
Know your helpers, then you prosper,
Don't be mean towards your friends,
They are one's watered field,
And greater than one's riches,
For what belongs to one belongs to another.
The character of a son-of-man is profit to him;
Good nature is a memorial.
Sunday 21 October 2007
The boating party
This blog has boobs in it and was also inspired by the very funny conversation on Mayo's page.
It is part of a papyrus called Westcar, three tales of wonder.
The term justified indicates that the individual has passed on.
Baufre stood up to speak, he said: " I shall let your majesty hear a wonder that happened in the time of your father Snefru, the justified, a deed of the chief lector-priest Djadja-em-ankh, a thing that illuminates the past....... which had never happened before........
"One day king Snefru wandered through all the rooms of the palace in search of relaxation and found none. Then he said: 'Go, bring me the chief lector-priest, the scribe of books, Djadja-em-ankh!' He was brought to him straightaway. His majesty said to him: 'I have gone through all the rooms of the palace in search of relaxation and found none'. Djadja-em-ankh said to him: 'May your majesty proceed to the lake of the palace. Fill a boat with all the beautiful girls of your palace. Your majesty's heart will be refreshed by seeing them row, a rowing up and down. As you observe the fine nesting places of your lake, as you observe its beautiful fields and shores, your heart will be refreshed by it'.
"Said his majesty: 'Indeed,I shall go boating! Let there be brought to me twenty oars of ebony plated with gold, their handles of sandal-wood plated with electrum. Let there be brought to me twenty women with the shapeliest bodies, breasts, and braids, who have not yet given birth. Also let there be brought to me twenty nets and give these nets to these women in place of their clothes!' All was done as his majesty commanded.
"They rowed up and down, and his majesty's heart was happy seeing them row.Then the one who was at the stroke oar fingered her braids, and a pendant of new turquoise fell into the water. Then she stopped rowing, and her side of women stopped rowing. Said his majesty: 'Why don't you row?' Said they: 'Our leader has stopped rowing.' Said his majesty to her: ' Why have you stopped rowing?' Said she: ' Because the pendant of new turquoise fell into the water.' Then his majesty said to her: 'Row! I shall replace it for you!' Said she: 'I prefer my thing to one like it.' Said his majesty: 'Go, bring me the chief lector-priest Djadja-em-ankh!' He was brought to him straightaway.
"Said his majesty: 'Djadja-em-ankh, my brother, I did as you had said. My majesty's heart was refreshed seeing them row. Then a pendant of new turquoise of one of the leaders fell into the water. She stopped rowing and thereby spoiled her side. I said to her: " Why have you stopped rowing?" She said to me: "Because the pendant of new turquoise fell into the water." I said to her: "Row! I shall replace it for you!" She said to me: "I prefer my thing to one like it."'
"Then the chief lector-priest Djadja-em-ankh said his say of magic. he placed one side of the lake's water upon the other; and he found the pendant lying on a shard. He brought it and gave it to its owner. Now the water that had been twelve cubits deep across had become twenty four cubits when it was turned back. Then he said his say of magic and returned the waters of the lake to their place. His majesty spent the day feasting with the entire palace. Then he rewarded the chief lector-priest Djadja-em-ankh with all good things.
"This is the wonder that happened in the time of your Father, king Snefru, the justified, the deed of the chief lector-priest and scribe of books, Djadja-em-ankh."
Said the majesty of king Khufu: "Let there be given an offering of a thousand loaves, a hundred jars of beer, an ox, and two measures of incense to the majesty of king Snefru, the justified. And let there be given one loaf, one jug of beer, and one measure of incense to the chief lector-priest and scribe of books, Djadja-em-ankh, for I have seen his display of skill." One did according to his majesty's command.
It is part of a papyrus called Westcar, three tales of wonder.
The term justified indicates that the individual has passed on.
Baufre stood up to speak, he said: " I shall let your majesty hear a wonder that happened in the time of your father Snefru, the justified, a deed of the chief lector-priest Djadja-em-ankh, a thing that illuminates the past....... which had never happened before........
"One day king Snefru wandered through all the rooms of the palace in search of relaxation and found none. Then he said: 'Go, bring me the chief lector-priest, the scribe of books, Djadja-em-ankh!' He was brought to him straightaway. His majesty said to him: 'I have gone through all the rooms of the palace in search of relaxation and found none'. Djadja-em-ankh said to him: 'May your majesty proceed to the lake of the palace. Fill a boat with all the beautiful girls of your palace. Your majesty's heart will be refreshed by seeing them row, a rowing up and down. As you observe the fine nesting places of your lake, as you observe its beautiful fields and shores, your heart will be refreshed by it'.
"Said his majesty: 'Indeed,I shall go boating! Let there be brought to me twenty oars of ebony plated with gold, their handles of sandal-wood plated with electrum. Let there be brought to me twenty women with the shapeliest bodies, breasts, and braids, who have not yet given birth. Also let there be brought to me twenty nets and give these nets to these women in place of their clothes!' All was done as his majesty commanded.
"They rowed up and down, and his majesty's heart was happy seeing them row.Then the one who was at the stroke oar fingered her braids, and a pendant of new turquoise fell into the water. Then she stopped rowing, and her side of women stopped rowing. Said his majesty: 'Why don't you row?' Said they: 'Our leader has stopped rowing.' Said his majesty to her: ' Why have you stopped rowing?' Said she: ' Because the pendant of new turquoise fell into the water.' Then his majesty said to her: 'Row! I shall replace it for you!' Said she: 'I prefer my thing to one like it.' Said his majesty: 'Go, bring me the chief lector-priest Djadja-em-ankh!' He was brought to him straightaway.
"Said his majesty: 'Djadja-em-ankh, my brother, I did as you had said. My majesty's heart was refreshed seeing them row. Then a pendant of new turquoise of one of the leaders fell into the water. She stopped rowing and thereby spoiled her side. I said to her: " Why have you stopped rowing?" She said to me: "Because the pendant of new turquoise fell into the water." I said to her: "Row! I shall replace it for you!" She said to me: "I prefer my thing to one like it."'
"Then the chief lector-priest Djadja-em-ankh said his say of magic. he placed one side of the lake's water upon the other; and he found the pendant lying on a shard. He brought it and gave it to its owner. Now the water that had been twelve cubits deep across had become twenty four cubits when it was turned back. Then he said his say of magic and returned the waters of the lake to their place. His majesty spent the day feasting with the entire palace. Then he rewarded the chief lector-priest Djadja-em-ankh with all good things.
"This is the wonder that happened in the time of your Father, king Snefru, the justified, the deed of the chief lector-priest and scribe of books, Djadja-em-ankh."
Said the majesty of king Khufu: "Let there be given an offering of a thousand loaves, a hundred jars of beer, an ox, and two measures of incense to the majesty of king Snefru, the justified. And let there be given one loaf, one jug of beer, and one measure of incense to the chief lector-priest and scribe of books, Djadja-em-ankh, for I have seen his display of skill." One did according to his majesty's command.
Paperheart
Paperheart in heiroglyphs is pronunced eeb shefdu.
This mean heart made of papyrus, beacuse they didn't have paper.
This mean heart made of papyrus, beacuse they didn't have paper.
Saturday 20 October 2007
The voice within
Last night on Mayo's blog a conversation ensued about the voice within and listening to ourselves. It was a conversation with the mysterious m.
It inspired me to share with you this text entitled "The dispute between a man and his ba".
The ba is one of the parts of your soul. The souls is made up of numerous parts. This is an ancient Egyptian text and one of my favourites. I hope you enjoy. As you can imagine with such an old text, parts are missing.
I opened my mouth to my ba, to answer what it had said:
This is too great for me today,
My ba will not converse with me!
It is too great for exaggeration.
It is like deserting me!
My ba shall not go,
It shall attend to me in this!
------- in my body with a net of cord.
It shall not be able to flee on the day of pain!
look, my ba misleads me - I do not listen to it -
Drags me toward death before I come to it,
Casts me on fire so as to burn me!
It shall be near me on the day of pain!
It shall stand on that side as does a .....
It is he who comes forth,
He has brought himself,
My ba, too ignorant to still pain in life,
Leads me toward death before I come to it!
Sweeten the West for me!
Is that difficult?
Life is a passage; trees fall.
Tread on the evil, put down my misery!
May Thoth judge me, he who appeases the gods!
May Khons defend me, he who writes truly!
May Re hear my speech, he who calms the sun-bark!
May Isdes defend me in the sacred hall!
For my suffering is too heavy a burden to be borne by me. May it please that the gods repel my body's secrets!
What my ba said to me: "Are you not a man? Are you not alive? What do you gain by complaining about life like a man of wealth?" I said: "I will not go as long as this is neglected. Surely, if you run away, you will not be cared for. Every criminal says: "I shall seize you. "Though you are dead, your name lives. Yonder is the place of rest, the heart's goal. The West is a dwelling place, a voyage ........
If my ba listens to me without malice, its heart in accord with me, it shall be happy. I shall make it reach the West like one who is in his tomb, whose burial a survivor tends. I shall make a shelter over your corpse, so that you will make envious another ba in weariness. I shall make a shelter - it shall not be freezing - so that you will make envious another ba which is hot. I shall drink water at the pond over which I made shade, so that you will make envious another ba that hungers.
But if you lead me toward death in this manner, you will not find a place on which to rest in the West. Be patient, my ba, my brother, until my heir comes, one who will make offerings, who will stand at the tomb on the day of burial, having prepared the bier of the graveyard.
My ba opened its mouth to me, to answer what I had said: If you think of burial, it is heartbreak. It is the gift of tears by aggrieving a man. It is taking a man from his house, casting him on high ground. You will not go up to see the sun. Those who built in granite, who erected halls in excellent tombs of excellent construction - when the builders have become gods, their offering-stones are desolate, as if they were the dead who died on the riverbank for lack of a survivor. The flood takes its toll, the sun also. The fishes at the water's edge talk to them. Listen to me! It is good for people to listen. Follow the feast day, forget worry!
A man plowed his plot. He loaded his harvest into a boat. He towed the freight. As his feast day approached, he saw rising the darkness of a north wind. Watching in the boat, as the sun went down, he came out with his wife and children and foundered on the lake infested at night with crocodiles. When at last he sat down, he broke out saying :"I do not weep for that mother, for whom there is no coming from the West for another being-on-earth. I grieve for her children broken in the egg, who have seen the face of the crocodile before they have lived."
A man asked for an early meal. His wife said: "It is for supper." He went outdoors to ..... a while. When he came back to the house he was like another person. His wife beseeches him and he does not listen to her. He ...... heedless of the household.
I opened my mouth to my ba, to answer what it had sid:
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than carrion smell
On summer days of burning sky.
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than a catch of fish
On fishing days of burning sky.
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than ducks smell,
More than reed-coverts full of waterfowl.
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than fishermen smell,
More than the marsh-pools where they fish.
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than crocodiles smell,
More than a shore-site full of crocodiles.
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than that of a wife
About whom lies are told to the husband.
Lo,my name reeks
Lo, more than that of a sturdy child
Who is said to belong to one who rejects him.
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than a king's town
That utters sedition behind his back.
To whom shall I speak today?
Brothers are mean,
The friends of today do not love.
To whom shall I speak today?
Hearts are greedy,
Everyone robs his comrade's goods.
To whom shall I speak today?
Kindness has perished.
Insolence assaults everyone.
To whom shall I speak today?
One is content with evil,
Goodness is cast to the ground everywhere.
To whom shall I speak today?
He who should enrage men by his crimes-
He makes everyone laugh at his evildoing.
To whom shall I speak today?
Men plunder,
Everyone robs his comrade.
To whom shall I speak today?
The criminal is one's intimate,
The brother with whom one dealt is a foe.
To whom shall I speak today?
The past is not remembered,
Now one does not help him who helped.
To whom shall I speak today?
Brothers are mean,
One goes to strangers for affection.
To whom shall I speak today?
Faces are blank,
Everyone turns his face from his brothers.
To whom shall I speak today?
Hearts are greedy,
No man's heart can be relied on.
To whom shall I speak today?
None are righteous,
The land is left to evildoers.
To whom shall I speak today?
One lacks an intimate,
One resorts to an unknown to complain.
To whom shall I speak today?
No one is cheerful,
He with whom one walked is no more.
To whom shall I speak today?
I am burdened with grief
For lack of an intimate.
To whom shall I speak today?
Wrong roams the earth,
And ends not.
Death is before me today
Like a sick man's recovery,
Like going outdoors after confinement.
Death is before me today
Like the fragrance of myrrh,
Like sitting under sail on a breeze day.
Death is before me today
Like the fragrance of lotus,
Like sitting on the shore of drunkenness.
Death is before me today
Like a well-trodden way,
Like a man's coming home from warfare.
Death is before me today
Like the clearing of the sky,
As when a man discovers what he ignored.
Death is before me today
Like a man's longing to see his home
When he has spent many years in captivity.
Truly, he who is yonder will be a living god,
Punishing the evildoer's crime.
Truly, he who is yonder will stand in the sun-bark,
Making its bounty flow to the temples.
Truly, he who is yonder will be a wise man,
Not barred from appealing to Re when he speaks.
What my ba said to me: "Now throw complaint on the wood-pile, you my comrade, my brother! Whether you offer on the brazier, whether you bear down on life, as you say, love me here when you have set aside the West! But when it is wished that you attain the West, that your body joins the earth, I shall alight after you have become weary, and then we shall dwell together!"
It inspired me to share with you this text entitled "The dispute between a man and his ba".
The ba is one of the parts of your soul. The souls is made up of numerous parts. This is an ancient Egyptian text and one of my favourites. I hope you enjoy. As you can imagine with such an old text, parts are missing.
I opened my mouth to my ba, to answer what it had said:
This is too great for me today,
My ba will not converse with me!
It is too great for exaggeration.
It is like deserting me!
My ba shall not go,
It shall attend to me in this!
------- in my body with a net of cord.
It shall not be able to flee on the day of pain!
look, my ba misleads me - I do not listen to it -
Drags me toward death before I come to it,
Casts me on fire so as to burn me!
It shall be near me on the day of pain!
It shall stand on that side as does a .....
It is he who comes forth,
He has brought himself,
My ba, too ignorant to still pain in life,
Leads me toward death before I come to it!
Sweeten the West for me!
Is that difficult?
Life is a passage; trees fall.
Tread on the evil, put down my misery!
May Thoth judge me, he who appeases the gods!
May Khons defend me, he who writes truly!
May Re hear my speech, he who calms the sun-bark!
May Isdes defend me in the sacred hall!
For my suffering is too heavy a burden to be borne by me. May it please that the gods repel my body's secrets!
What my ba said to me: "Are you not a man? Are you not alive? What do you gain by complaining about life like a man of wealth?" I said: "I will not go as long as this is neglected. Surely, if you run away, you will not be cared for. Every criminal says: "I shall seize you. "Though you are dead, your name lives. Yonder is the place of rest, the heart's goal. The West is a dwelling place, a voyage ........
If my ba listens to me without malice, its heart in accord with me, it shall be happy. I shall make it reach the West like one who is in his tomb, whose burial a survivor tends. I shall make a shelter over your corpse, so that you will make envious another ba in weariness. I shall make a shelter - it shall not be freezing - so that you will make envious another ba which is hot. I shall drink water at the pond over which I made shade, so that you will make envious another ba that hungers.
But if you lead me toward death in this manner, you will not find a place on which to rest in the West. Be patient, my ba, my brother, until my heir comes, one who will make offerings, who will stand at the tomb on the day of burial, having prepared the bier of the graveyard.
My ba opened its mouth to me, to answer what I had said: If you think of burial, it is heartbreak. It is the gift of tears by aggrieving a man. It is taking a man from his house, casting him on high ground. You will not go up to see the sun. Those who built in granite, who erected halls in excellent tombs of excellent construction - when the builders have become gods, their offering-stones are desolate, as if they were the dead who died on the riverbank for lack of a survivor. The flood takes its toll, the sun also. The fishes at the water's edge talk to them. Listen to me! It is good for people to listen. Follow the feast day, forget worry!
A man plowed his plot. He loaded his harvest into a boat. He towed the freight. As his feast day approached, he saw rising the darkness of a north wind. Watching in the boat, as the sun went down, he came out with his wife and children and foundered on the lake infested at night with crocodiles. When at last he sat down, he broke out saying :"I do not weep for that mother, for whom there is no coming from the West for another being-on-earth. I grieve for her children broken in the egg, who have seen the face of the crocodile before they have lived."
A man asked for an early meal. His wife said: "It is for supper." He went outdoors to ..... a while. When he came back to the house he was like another person. His wife beseeches him and he does not listen to her. He ...... heedless of the household.
I opened my mouth to my ba, to answer what it had sid:
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than carrion smell
On summer days of burning sky.
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than a catch of fish
On fishing days of burning sky.
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than ducks smell,
More than reed-coverts full of waterfowl.
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than fishermen smell,
More than the marsh-pools where they fish.
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than crocodiles smell,
More than a shore-site full of crocodiles.
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than that of a wife
About whom lies are told to the husband.
Lo,my name reeks
Lo, more than that of a sturdy child
Who is said to belong to one who rejects him.
Lo, my name reeks
Lo, more than a king's town
That utters sedition behind his back.
To whom shall I speak today?
Brothers are mean,
The friends of today do not love.
To whom shall I speak today?
Hearts are greedy,
Everyone robs his comrade's goods.
To whom shall I speak today?
Kindness has perished.
Insolence assaults everyone.
To whom shall I speak today?
One is content with evil,
Goodness is cast to the ground everywhere.
To whom shall I speak today?
He who should enrage men by his crimes-
He makes everyone laugh at his evildoing.
To whom shall I speak today?
Men plunder,
Everyone robs his comrade.
To whom shall I speak today?
The criminal is one's intimate,
The brother with whom one dealt is a foe.
To whom shall I speak today?
The past is not remembered,
Now one does not help him who helped.
To whom shall I speak today?
Brothers are mean,
One goes to strangers for affection.
To whom shall I speak today?
Faces are blank,
Everyone turns his face from his brothers.
To whom shall I speak today?
Hearts are greedy,
No man's heart can be relied on.
To whom shall I speak today?
None are righteous,
The land is left to evildoers.
To whom shall I speak today?
One lacks an intimate,
One resorts to an unknown to complain.
To whom shall I speak today?
No one is cheerful,
He with whom one walked is no more.
To whom shall I speak today?
I am burdened with grief
For lack of an intimate.
To whom shall I speak today?
Wrong roams the earth,
And ends not.
Death is before me today
Like a sick man's recovery,
Like going outdoors after confinement.
Death is before me today
Like the fragrance of myrrh,
Like sitting under sail on a breeze day.
Death is before me today
Like the fragrance of lotus,
Like sitting on the shore of drunkenness.
Death is before me today
Like a well-trodden way,
Like a man's coming home from warfare.
Death is before me today
Like the clearing of the sky,
As when a man discovers what he ignored.
Death is before me today
Like a man's longing to see his home
When he has spent many years in captivity.
Truly, he who is yonder will be a living god,
Punishing the evildoer's crime.
Truly, he who is yonder will stand in the sun-bark,
Making its bounty flow to the temples.
Truly, he who is yonder will be a wise man,
Not barred from appealing to Re when he speaks.
What my ba said to me: "Now throw complaint on the wood-pile, you my comrade, my brother! Whether you offer on the brazier, whether you bear down on life, as you say, love me here when you have set aside the West! But when it is wished that you attain the West, that your body joins the earth, I shall alight after you have become weary, and then we shall dwell together!"
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