- In the Tale of Sinuhe, Sinuhe has just told how he escaped the
guards in the fort which stood at the eastern frontier
of Egypt and continues:
-
- I went on at the time of
evening,
- As the earth brightened, I
arrived at Peten.
- When I had reached the lake
of Kemwer (north gulf of suez)
- I fell down for thirst, fast
came my breath,
- My throat was hot,
- I said: "this is the taste
of death."
-
- I upheld my heart, I drew my
limbs together,
- As I heard the sound of
lowing cattle,
- I beheld the Bedawin.
- That chief among them, who
had been in Egypt, recognized me.
-
- He gave me water, he cooked
for me milk.
- I went with him to his
tribe,
- Good was that which they did
(for me).
- One land sent me on to
another,
- I loosed for Suan,
- I arrived at Kedem;
-
- I spend a year and a half
there.
- Emuienshe, the shiek of
Upper [Ru]tenu, brought me forth
- saying to me: "Happy are
thou with me,
- (for) thou hearest the
speech of Egypt."
- He said this (for) he knew
my character,
- He heard my wisdom;
- The Egyptians, who were
there with him, bare witness of me.
-
- The Amorite chieftain then
questioned Sinuhe concerning his flight. He gave
evasive answers in a hymn in praise to the king. After
this Emuienshe said to himn:
-
- Behold, thou shalt now abide
with me;
- Good is that which I shall
do for thee.
-
- He set me at the head of his
children.
- He married me to his eldest
daughter.
- He let me choose for myself
of his country (tribe),
- of the choicest of that
which was with him
- on his frontier with another
country.
-
- It was a good land, named
Yaa.
- Figs were in it, and grapes.
- It had more wine than
water.
- Plentiful was its honey,
abundant its (oil) olives.
- Every (kind of) fruit was on
its trees.
-
- Barley were there, and
spelt.
- There was no limit to any
(kind of) cattle.
- Moreover, great was that
which accrued to me
- as a result of the love of
me.
-
- He made me ruler of a tribe
of the choicest of his country.
- Bread was made for me as
daily fare,
- wine as daily provision,
cooked meat
- and roast fowl, beside the
wild beasts of the desert, for
- they hunted (go) for me and
laid before me, beside the
- catch of my (own) hounds.
Many . . . were made for me,
- and milk in every (kind of)
cooking.
-
- I spent many years, and my
children grew up to be
- strong men, each man as the
restrainer of his (own)
- tribe. The messenger who
went north or who went south
- to the Residence City
stopped over with me, (for) I
- used to make everybody stop
over. I gave water to the
- thirstv. I put him who had
strayed (back) on the road. I
- rescued him who had been
robbed. When the Asiatics
- became so bold as to oppose
the rulers of foreign
- countries, I counseled their
movements. This ruler of
- (Re)tenu had me spend many
years as commander
- of his army. Every foreign
country against which I went
- forth, when I had made my
attack on it, was driven
- away from its pasturage and
its wells.
-
- I plundered its
- cattle, carried off its
inhabitants, took away their food,
- and slew people in it by my
strong arm, by my
- bow, by my movements, and by
my successful plans. I
- found favol in his heart, he
loved me, he recognized my
- valor, and he placed me at
the head of his children, when
- he saw how my arms
fiourished.
-
- A mighty man of Retenu came,
that he might
- challenge me in my (own)
camp. He was a hero
- without his peer, and he had
repelled all of it.l7 He said
- that he would fight me, he
intended to despoil me, and he
- planned to plunder my
cattle, on the advice of his tribe.
-
- That prince discussed (it)
with me, and I said: "I do not
- know him. Certainly I am no
confederate of his,
- So that I might move freely
in his encampment. Is it the
- case that I have (ever)
opened his door or overthrown his
- fences? (Rather), it is
hostility because he sees me
- carrying out thy
commissions. I am reallv like a stray
- bull in the midst of another
herd, and a bull of (these)
- cattle attacks him....
-
- During the night I
strung my bow
- and shot my arrows, I gave free play to my
dagger, and
- polished my weapons. When
day broke, (Re)tenu was
- come. It had whipped up its
tribes and collected
- the countries of a (good)
half of it. It had thought (only)
- of this fight. Then he came
to me as I was waiting, (for) I
- had placed myself near him.
Every heart burned for me;
- women and men groaned. Every
heart was sick for me.
-
- They said: "Is there another
strong man who could fight
- against him?" Then (he took)
his shield, his battle-axe,
- and his armful of javelins.
Now after I had let his
- weapons issue forth, I made
his arrows pass by
me
- uselessly, one close to
another. He charge me, and I shot
- him, my arrow sticking in
his neck. He cried
out and fell on
- his nose. ) I felled him
with his (own) battle-axe
- and raised my cry of victory
over his back, while every
- Asiatic roared.
-
- I gave praise to Montu,
while his
- adherents were mourning for
him. This rule Ammi- enshi
- took me into his embrace.
Then I carried off his goods
- and plundered his cattle.
What he had planned to do
- to me I did to him. I took
wha was in his tent and
- stripped his encampment. I
became great thereby, I
- became extensive in my
wealth,
- I became abundant in my
cattle.
-
- Various sources of the
Tale of Sinuhe
including
George A.
Barton, Archaeology and
the Bible, 7th Edition, p. 372-373
|