FAIRY TALES
One of the most interesting tales that have come down to us in Egyptian
dress is the tale commonly called the "Tale of the Two Brothers." It is
found written in the hieratic character upon a papyrus preserved in the
British Museum (D'Orbiney, No. 10,183), and the form which the story has
there is that which was current under the nineteenth dynasty, about 1300
B.C. The two principal male characters in the story, Anpu and Bata, were
originally gods, but in the hands of the Egyptian story-teller they
became men, and their deeds were treated in such a way as to form an
interesting fairy story. It is beyond the scope of this little book to
treat of the mythological ideas that underlie certain parts of the
narrative, and we therefore proceed to give a rendering of this very
curious and important "fairy tale."
[Illustration: A Page of the Hieratic Text of the Tale of Two Brothers.]
It is said that there were two brothers, [the children] of one mother
and of one father; the name of the elder was Anpu, and Bata was the name
of the younger. Anpu had a house and a wife, and Bata lived with him
like a younger brother. It was Bata who made the clothes; he tended and
herded his cattle in the fields, he ploughed the land, he did the hard
work during the time of harvest, and he kept the account of everything
that related to the fields. And Bata was a most excellent farmer, and
his like there was not in the whole country-side; and behold, the power
of the God was in him. And very many days passed during which Anpu's
young brother tended his flocks and herds daily, and he returned to his
house each evening loaded with field produce of every kind. And when he
had returned from the fields, he set [food] before his elder brother,
who sat with his wife drinking and eating, and then Bata went out to the
byre and [slept] with the cattle. On the following morning as soon as it
was day, Bata took bread-cakes newly baked, and set them before Anpu,
who gave him food to take with him to the fields. Then Bata drove out
his cattle into the fields to feed, and [as] he walked behind them they
said unto him, "The pasturage is good in such and such a place," and he
listened to their voices, and took them where they wished to go. Thus
the cattle in Bata's charge became exceedingly fine, and their calves
doubled in number, and they multiplied exceedingly. And when it was the
season for ploughing Anpu said unto Bata, "Come, let us get our teams
ready for ploughing the fields, and our implements, for the ground hath
appeared,[1] and it is in the proper condition for the plough. Go to the
fields and take the seed-corn with thee to-day, and at daybreak
to-morrow we will do the ploughing"; this is what he said to him. And
Bata did everything which Anpu had told him to do. The next morning, as
soon as it was daylight, the two brothers went into the fields with
their teams and their ploughs, and they ploughed the land, and they were
exceedingly happy as they ploughed, from the beginning of their work to
the very end thereof.
[Footnote 1: _i.e._ the waters of the Inundation had subsided, leaving
the ground visible.]
Now when the two brothers had been living in this way for a considerable
time, they were in the fields one day [ploughing], and Anpu said to
Bata, "Run back to the farm and fetch some [more] seed corn." And Bata
did so, and when he arrived there he found his brother's wife seated
dressing her hair. And he said to her, "Get up and give me some seed
corn that I may hurry back to the fields, for Anpu ordered me not to
loiter on the way." Anpu's wife said to him, "Go thyself to the grain
shed, and open the bin, and take out from it as much corn as thou
wishest; I could fetch it for thee myself, only I am afraid that my hair
would fall down on the way." Then the young man went to the bin, and
filled a very large jar full of grain, for it was his desire to carry
off a large quantity of seed corn, and he lifted up on his shoulders the
pot, which was filled full of wheat and barley, and came out of the shed
with it. And Anpu's wife said to him, "How much grain hast thou on thy
shoulders?" And Bata said to her, "Three measures of barley and two
measures of wheat, in all five measures of grain; that is what I have on
my shoulders." These were the words which he spake to her. And she said
to him, "How strong thou art! I have been observing thy vigorousness day
by day." And her heart inclined to him, and she entreated him to stay
with her, promising to give him beautiful apparel if he would do so.
Then the young man became filled with fury like a panther of the south
because of her words, and when she saw how angry he was she became
terribly afraid. And he said to her, "Verily thou art to me as my
mother, and thy husband is as my father, and being my elder brother he
hath provided me with the means of living. Thou hast said unto me what
ought not to have been said, and I pray thee not to repeat it. On my
part I shall tell no man of it, and on thine thou must never declare the
matter to man or woman." Then Bata took up his load on his shoulders,
and departed to the fields. And when he arrived at the place where his
elder brother was they continued their ploughing and laboured diligently
at their work.
And when the evening was come the elder brother returned to his house.
And having loaded himself with the products of the fields, Bata drove
his flocks and herds back to the farm and put them in their enclosures.
And behold, Anpu's wife was smitten with fear, because of the words
which she had spoken to Bata, and she took some grease and a piece of
linen, and she made herself to appear like a woman who had been
assaulted, and who had been violently beaten by her assailant, for she
wished to say to her husband, "Thy young brother hath beaten me sorely."
And when Anpu returned in the evening according to his daily custom, and
arrived at his house, he found his wife lying on the ground in the
condition of one who had been assaulted with violence. She did not
[appear to] pour water over his hands according to custom, she did not
light a light before him; his house was in darkness, and she was lying
prostrate and sick. And her husband said unto her, "Who hath been
talking to thee?" And she said unto him, "No one hath been talking to me
except thy young brother. When he came to fetch the seed corn he found
me sitting alone, and he spake words of love to me, and he told me to
tie up my hair. But I would not listen to him, and I said to him, 'Am I
not like thy mother? Is not thy elder brother like thy father?' Then he
was greatly afraid, and he beat me to prevent me from telling thee about
this matter. Now, if thou dost not kill him I shall kill myself, for
since I have complained to thee about his words, when he cometh back in
the evening what he will do [to me] is manifest."
Then the elder brother became like a panther of the southern desert with
wrath. And he seized his dagger, and sharpened it, and went and stood
behind the stable door, so that he might slay Bata when he returned in
the evening and came to the byre to bring in his cattle. And when the
sun was about to set Bata loaded himself with products of the field of
every kind, according to his custom, [and returned to the farm]. And as
he was coming back the cow that led the herd said to Bata as she was
entering the byre, "Verily thy elder brother is waiting with his dagger
to slay thee; flee thou from before him"; and Bata hearkened to the
words of the leading cow. And when the second cow as she was about to
enter into the byre spake unto him even as did the first cow, Bata
looked under the door of the byre, and saw the feet of his elder brother
as he stood behind the door with his dagger in his hand. Then he set
down his load upon the ground, and he ran away as fast as he could run,
and Anpu followed him grasping his dagger. And Bata cried out to
Rā-Harmakhis (the Sun-god) and said, "O my fair Lord, thou art he who
judgeth between the wrong and the right." And the god Rā hearkened unto
all his words, and he caused a great stream to come into being, and to
separate the two brothers, and the water was filled with crocodiles. Now
Anpu was on one side of the stream and Bata on the other, and Anpu
wrung his hands together in bitter wrath because he could not kill his
brother. Then Bata cried out to Anpu on the other bank, saying, "Stay
where thou art until daylight, and until the Disk (_i.e._ the Sun-god)
riseth. I will enter into judgment with thee in his presence, for it is
he who setteth right what is wrong. I shall never more live with thee,
and I shall never again dwell in the place where thou art. I am going to
the Valley of the Acacia."
And when the day dawned, and there was light on the earth, and
Rā-Harmakhis was shining, the two brothers looked at each other. And
Bata spake unto Anpu, saying, "Why hast thou pursued me in this
treacherous way, wishing to slay me without first hearing what I had to
say? I am thy brother, younger than thou art, and thou art as a father
and thy wife is as a mother to me. Is it not so? When thou didst send me
to fetch seed corn for our work, it was thy wife who said, 'I pray thee
to stay with me,' but behold, the facts have been misrepresented to
thee, and the reverse of what happened hath been put before thee." Then
Bata explained everything to Anpu, and made him to understand exactly
what had taken place between him and his brother's wife. And Bata swore
an oath by Rā-Harmakhis, saying, "By Rā-Harmakhis, to lie in wait for me
and to pursue me, with thy knife in thy hand ready to slay me, was a
wicked and abominable thing to do." And Bata took [from his side] the
knife which he used in cutting reeds, and drove it into his body, and he
sank down fainting upon the ground. Then Anpu cursed himself with bitter
curses, and he lifted up his voice and wept; and he did not know how to
cross over the stream to the bank where Bata was because of the
crocodiles. And Bata cried out to him, saying, "Behold, thou art ready
to remember against me one bad deed of mine, but thou dost not remember
my good deeds, or even one of the many things that have been done for
thee by me. Shame on thee! Get thee back to thy house and tend thine own
cattle, for I will no longer stay with thee. I will depart to the Valley
of the Acacia. But thou shalt come to minister to me, therefore take
heed to what I say. Now know that certain things are about to happen to
me. I am going to cast a spell on my heart, so that I may be able to
place it on a flower of the Acacia tree. When this Acacia is cut down my
heart shall fall to the ground, and thou shalt come to seek for it. Thou
shalt pass seven years in seeking for it, but let not thy heart be sick
with disappointment, for thou shalt find it. When thou findest it, place
it in a vessel of cold water, and verily my heart shall live again, and
shall make answer to him that attacketh me. And thou shalt know what
hath happened to me [by the following sign]. A vessel of beer shall be
placed in thy hand, and it shall froth and run over; and another vessel
with wine in it shall be placed [in thy hand], and it shall become sour.
Then make no tarrying, for indeed these things shall happen to thee." So
the younger brother departed to the Valley of the Acacia, and the elder
brother departed to his house. And Anpu's hand was laid upon his head,
and he cast dust upon himself [in grief for Bata], and when he arrived
at his house he slew his wife, and threw her to the dogs, and he sat
down and mourned for his young brother.
And when many days had passed, Bata was living alone in the Valley of
the Acacia, and he spent his days in hunting the wild animals of the
desert; and at night he slept under the Acacia, on the top of the
flowers of which rested his heart. And after many days he built himself,
with his own hand, a large house in the Valley of the Acacia, and it was
filled with beautiful things of every kind, for he delighted in the
possession of a house. And as he came forth [one day] from his house, he
met the Company of the Gods, and they were on their way to work out
their plans in their realm. And one of them said unto him, "Hail, Bata,
thou Bull of the gods, hast thou not been living here alone since the
time when thou didst forsake thy town through the wife of thy elder
brother Anpu? Behold, his wife hath been slain [by him], and moreover
thou hast made an adequate answer to the attack which he made upon
thee"; and their hearts were very sore indeed for Bata. Then
Rā-Harmakhis said unto Khnemu,[1] "Fashion a wife for Bata, so that
thou, O Bata, mayest not dwell alone." And Khnemu made a wife to live
with Bata, and her body was more beautiful than the body of any other
woman in the whole country, and the essence of every god was in her; and
the Seven Hathor Goddesses came to her, and they said, "She shall die by
the sword." And Bata loved her most dearly, and she lived in his house,
and he passed all his days in hunting the wild animals of the desert so
that he might bring them and lay them before her. And he said to her,
"Go not out of the house lest the River carry thee off, for I know not
how to deliver thee from it. My heart is set upon the flower of the
Acacia, and if any man find it I must do battle with him for it"; and he
told her everything that had happened concerning his heart.
[Footnote 1: The god who fashioned the bodies of men.]
And many days afterwards, when Bata had gone out hunting as usual, the
young woman went out of the house and walked under the Acacia tree,
which was close by, and the River saw her, and sent its waters rolling
after her; and she fled before them and ran away into her house. And the
River said, "I love her," and the Acacia took to the River a lock of her
hair, and the River carried it to Egypt, and cast it up on the bank at
the place where the washermen washed the clothes of Pharaoh, life,
strength, health [be to him]! And the odour of the lock of hair passed
into the clothing of Pharaoh. Then the washermen of Pharaoh quarrelled
among themselves, saying, "There is an odour [as of] perfumed oil in the
clothes of Pharaoh." And quarrels among them went on daily, and at
length they did not know what they were doing. And the overseer of the
washermen of Pharaoh walked to the river bank, being exceedingly angry
because of the quarrels that came before him daily, and he stood still
on the spot that was exactly opposite to the lock of hair as it lay in
the water. Then he sent a certain man into the water to fetch it, and
when he brought it back, the overseer, finding that it had an
exceedingly sweet odour, took it to Pharaoh. And the scribes and the
magicians were summoned into the presence of Pharaoh, and they said to
him, "This lock of hair belongeth to a maiden of Rā-Harmakhis, and the
essence of every god is in her. It cometh to thee from a strange land
as a salutation of praise to thee. We therefore pray thee send
ambassadors into every land to seek her out. And as concerning the
ambassador to the Valley of the Acacia, we beg thee to send a strong
escort with him to fetch her." And His Majesty said unto them, "What we
have decided is very good," and he despatched the ambassadors.
And when many days had passed by, the ambassadors who had been
despatched to foreign lands returned to make a report to His Majesty,
but those who had gone to the Valley of the Acacia did not come back,
for Bata had slain them, with the exception of one who returned to tell
the matter to His Majesty. Then His Majesty despatched foot-soldiers and
horsemen and charioteers to bring back the young woman, and there was
also with them a woman who had in her hands beautiful trinkets of all
kinds, such as are suitable for maidens, to give to the young woman. And
this woman returned to Egypt with the young woman, and everyone in all
parts of the country rejoiced at her arrival. And His Majesty loved her
exceedingly, and he paid her homage as the Great August One, the Chief
Wife. And he spake to her and made her tell him what had become of her
husband, and she said to His Majesty, "I pray thee to cut down the
Acacia Tree and then to destroy it." Then the King caused men and bowmen
to set out with axes to cut down the Acacia, and when they arrived in
the Valley of the Acacia, they cut down the flower on which was the
heart of Bata, and he fell down dead at that very moment of evil.
And on the following morning when the light had come upon the earth, and
the Acacia had been cut down, Anpu, Bata's elder brother, went into his
house and sat down, and he washed his hands; and one gave him a vessel
of beer, and it frothed up, and the froth ran over, and one gave him
another vessel containing wine, and it was sour. Then he grasped his
staff, and [taking] his sandals, and his apparel, and his weapons which
he used in fighting and hunting, he set out to march to the Valley of
the Acacia. And when he arrived there he went into Bata's house, and he
found his young brother there lying dead on his bed; and when he looked
upon his young brother he wept on seeing that he was dead. Then he set
out to seek for the heart of Bata, under the Acacia where he was wont to
sleep at night, and he passed three years in seeking for it but found it
not. And when the fourth year of his search had begun, his heart craved
to return to Egypt, and he said, "I will depart thither to-morrow
morning"; that was what he said to himself. And on the following day he
walked about under the Acacia all day long looking for Bata's heart, and
as he was returning [to the house] in the evening, and was looking about
him still searching for it, he found a seed, which he took back with
him, and behold, it was Bata's heart. Then he fetched a vessel of cold
water, and having placed the seed in it, he sat down according to his
custom. And when the night came, the heart had absorbed all the water;
and Bata [on his bed] trembled in all his members, and he looked at
Anpu, whilst his heart remained in the vessel of water. And Anpu took up
the vessel wherein was his brother's heart, which had absorbed the
water. And Bata's heart ascended its throne [in his body], and Bata
became as he had been aforetime, and the two brothers embraced each
other, and each spake to the other.
And Bata said to Anpu, "Behold, I am about to take the form of a great
bull, with beautiful hair, and a disposition (?) which is unknown. When
the sun riseth, do thou mount on my back, and we will go to the place
where my wife is, and I will make answer [for myself]. Then shalt thou
take me to the place where the King is, for he will bestow great favours
upon thee, and he will heap gold and silver upon thee because thou wilt
have brought me to him. For I am going to become a great and wonderful
thing, and men and women shall rejoice because of me throughout the
country." And on the following day Bata changed himself into the form of
which he had spoken to his brother. Then Anpu seated himself on his back
early in the morning, and when he had come to the place where the King
was, and His Majesty had been informed concerning him, he looked at him,
and he had very great joy in him. And he made a great festival, saying,
"This is a very great wonder which hath happened"; and the people
rejoiced everywhere throughout the whole country. And Pharaoh loaded
Anpu with silver and gold, and he dwelt in his native town, and the King
gave him large numbers of slaves, and very many possessions, for Pharaoh
loved him very much, far more than any other person in the whole land.
And when many days had passed by the bull went into the house of
purification, and he stood up in the place where the August Lady was,
and said unto her, "Look upon me, I am alive in very truth." And she
said unto him, "Who art thou?" And he said unto her, "I am Bata. When
thou didst cause the Acacia which held my heart to be destroyed by
Pharaoh, well didst thou know that thou wouldst kill me. Nevertheless, I
am alive indeed, in the form of a bull. Look at me!" And the August Lady
was greatly afraid because of what she had said concerning her husband
[to the King]; and the bull departed from the place of purification. And
His Majesty went to tarry in her house and to rejoice with her, and she
ate and drank with him; and the King was exceedingly happy. And the
August Lady said to His Majesty, "Say these words: 'Whatsoever she saith
I will hearken unto for her sake,' and swear an oath by God that thou
wilt do them." And the King hearkened unto everything which she spake,
saying, "I beseech thee to give me the liver of this bull to eat, for he
is wholly useless for any kind of work." And the King cursed many, many
times the request which she had uttered, and Pharaoh's heart was
exceedingly sore thereat.
On the following morning, when it was day, the King proclaimed a great
feast, and he ordered the bull to be offered up as an offering, and one
of the chief royal slaughterers of His Majesty was brought to slay the
bull. And after the knife had been driven into him, and whilst he was
still on the shoulders of the men, the bull shook his neck, and two
drops of blood from it fell by the jambs of the doorway of His Majesty,
one by one jamb of Pharaoh's door, and the other by the other, and they
became immediately two mighty acacia trees, and each was of the greatest
magnificence. Then one went and reported to His Majesty, saying, "Two
mighty acacia trees, whereat His Majesty will marvel exceedingly, have
sprung up during the night by the Great Door of His Majesty." And men
and women rejoiced in them everywhere in the country, and the King made
offerings unto them. And many days after this His Majesty put on his
tiara of lapis-lazuli, and hung a wreath of flowers of every kind about
his neck, and he mounted his chariot of silver-gold, and went forth from
the Palace to see the two acacia trees. And the August Lady came
following after Pharaoh [in a chariot drawn by] horses, and His Majesty
sat down under one acacia, and the August Lady sat under the other. And
when she had seated herself the Acacia spake unto his wife, saying, "O
woman, who art full of guile, I am Bata, and I am alive even though thou
hast entreated me evilly. Well didst thou know when thou didst make
Pharaoh to cut down the Acacia that held my heart that thou wouldst kill
me, and when I transformed myself into a bull thou didst cause me to be
slain."
And several days after this the August Lady was eating and drinking at
the table of His Majesty, and the King was enjoying her society greatly,
and she said unto His Majesty, "Swear to me an oath by God, saying, I
will hearken unto whatsoever the August Lady shall say unto me for her
sake; let her say on." And he hearkened unto everything which she said,
and she said, "I entreat thee to cut down these two acacia trees, and to
let them be made into great beams"; and the King hearkened unto
everything which she said. And several days after this His Majesty made
cunning wood-men to go and cut down the acacia trees of Pharaoh, and
whilst the August Lady was standing and watching their being cut down, a
splinter flew from one of them into her mouth, and she knew that she had
conceived, and the King did for her everything which her heart desired.
And many days after this happened she brought forth a man child, and one
said to His Majesty, "A man child hath been born unto thee"; and a nurse
was found for him and women to watch over him and tend him, and the
people rejoiced throughout the whole land. And the King sat down to
enjoy a feast, and he began to call the child by his name, and he loved
him very dearly, and at that same time the King gave him the title of
"Royal son of Kash."[1] Some time after this His Majesty appointed him
"Erpā"[2] of the whole country. And when he had served the office of
Erpā for many years, His Majesty flew up to heaven (_i.e._ he died). And
the King (_i.e._ Bata) said, "Let all the chief princes be summoned
before me, so that I may inform them about everything which hath
happened unto me." And they brought his wife, and he entered into
judgment with her, and the sentence which he passed upon her was carried
out. And Anpu, the brother of the King, was brought unto His Majesty,
and the King made him Erpā of the whole country. When His Majesty had
reigned over Egypt for twenty years, he departed to life (_i.e._ he
died), and his brother Anpu took his place on the day in which he was
buried.
Here endeth the book happily [in] peace.[3]
[Footnote 1: _i.e._ Prince of Kash, or Viceroy of the Sūdān.]
[Footnote 2: _i.e._ hereditary chief, or heir.]
[Footnote 3: According to the colophon, the papyrus was written for an
officer of Pharaoh's treasury, called Qakabu, and the scribes Herua and
Meremaptu by Annana, the scribe, the lord of books. The man who shall
speak [against] this book shall have Thoth for a foe!]
Under the heading of this chapter may well be included the Story of the
Shipwrecked Traveller. The text of this remarkable story is written in
the hieratic character upon a roll of papyrus, which is preserved in the
Imperial Library at St. Petersburg. It is probable that a layer of facts
underlies the story, but the form in which we have it justifies us in
assigning to it a place among the fairy stories of Ancient Egypt.
Prefixed to the narrative of the shipwrecked traveller is the following:
"A certain servant of wise understanding hath said, Let thy heart be of
good cheer, O prince. Verily we have arrived at [our] homes. The mallet
hath been grasped, and the anchor-post hath been driven into the ground,
and the bow of the boat hath grounded on the bank. Thanksgivings have
been offered up to God, and every man hath embraced his neighbour. Our
sailors have returned in peace and safety, and our fighting men have
lost none of their comrades, even though we travelled to the uttermost
parts of Uauat (Nubia), and through the country of Senmut (Northern
Nubia). Verily we have arrived in peace, and we have reached our own
land [again]. Hearken, O prince, unto me, even though I be a poor man.
Wash thyself, and let water run over thy fingers. I would that thou
shouldst be ready to return an answer to the man who addresseth thee,
and to speak to the King [from] thy heart, and assuredly thou must give
thine answer promptly and without hesitation. The mouth of a man
delivereth him, and his words provide a covering for [his] face. Act
thou according to the promptings of thine heart, and when thou hast
spoken [thou wilt have made him] to be at rest." The shipwrecked
traveller then narrates his experiences in the following words: I will
now speak and give thee a description of the things that [once] happened
to me myself [when] I was journeying to the copper mines of the king. I
went down into the sea[1] in a ship that was one hundred and fifty
cubits (225 feet) in length, and forty cubits (60 feet) in breadth, and
it was manned by one hundred and fifty sailors who were chosen from
among the best sailors of Egypt. They had looked upon the sky, they had
looked upon the land, and their hearts were more understanding than the
hearts of lions. Now although they were able to say beforehand when a
tempest was coming, and could tell when a squall was going to rise
before it broke upon them, a storm actually overtook us when we were
still on the sea. Before we could make the land the wind blew with
redoubled violence, and it drove before it upon us a wave that was eight
cubits (12 feet) [high]. A plank was driven towards me by it, and I
seized it; and as for the ship, those who were therein perished, and not
one of them escaped.
[Footnote 1: The sea was the Red Sea, and the narrator must have been on
his way to Wādī Maghārah or Sarābīt al-Khādim in the Peninsula of
Sinai.]
Then a wave of the sea bore me along and cast me up upon an island, and
I passed three days there by myself, with none but mine own heart for a
companion; I laid me down and slept in a hollow in a thicket, and I
hugged the shade. And I lifted up my legs (_i.e._ I walked about), so
that I might find out what to put in my mouth, and I found there figs
and grapes, and all kinds of fine large berries; and there were there
gourds, and melons, and pumpkins as large as barrels (?), and there were
also there fish and water-fowl. There was no [food] of any sort or kind
that did not grow in this island. And when I had eaten all I could eat,
I laid the remainder of the food upon the ground, for it was too much
for me [to carry] in my arms. I then dug a hole in the ground and made a
fire, and I prepared pieces of wood and a burnt-offering for the gods.
And I heard a sound [as of] thunder, which I thought to be [caused by] a
wave of the sea, and the trees rocked and the earth quaked, and I
covered my face. And I found [that the sound was caused by] a serpent
that was coming towards me. It was thirty cubits (45 feet) in length,
and its beard was more than two cubits in length, and its body was
covered with [scales of] gold, and the two ridges over its eyes were of
pure lapis-lazuli (_i.e._ they were blue); and it coiled its whole
length up before me. And it opened its mouth to me, now I was lying flat
on my stomach in front of it, and it said unto me, "Who hath brought
thee hither? Who hath brought thee hither, O miserable one? Who hath
brought thee hither? If thou dost not immediately declare unto me who
hath brought thee to this island, I will make thee to know what it is to
be burnt with fire, and thou wilt become a thing that is invisible. Thou
speakest to me, but I cannot hear what thou sayest; I am before thee,
dost thou not know me?" Then the serpent took me in its mouth, and
carried me off to the place where it was wont to rest, and it set me
down there, having done me no harm whatsoever; I was sound and whole,
and it had not carried away any portion of my body. And it opened its
mouth to me whilst I was lying flat on my stomach, and it said unto me,
"Who hath brought thee thither? Who hath brought thee hither, O
miserable one? Who hath brought thee to this island of the sea, the two
sides of which are in the waves?"
Then I made answer to the serpent, my two hands being folded humbly
before it, and I said unto it, "I am one who was travelling to the mines
on a mission of the king in a ship that was one hundred and fifty cubits
long, and fifty cubits in breadth, and it was manned by a crew of one
hundred and fifty men, who were chosen from among the best sailors of
Egypt. They had looked upon the sky, they had looked upon the earth, and
their hearts were more understanding than the hearts of lions. They were
able to say beforehand when a tempest was coming, and to tell when a
squall was about to rise before it broke. The heart of every man among
them was wiser than that of his neighbour, and the arm of each was
stronger than that of his neighbour; there was not one weak man among
them. Nevertheless it blew a gale of wind whilst we were still on the
sea and before we could make the land. A gale rose, which continued to
increase in violence, and with it there came upon [us] a wave eight
cubits [high]. A plank of wood was driven towards me by this wave, and I
seized it; and as for the ship, those who were therein perished and not
one of them escaped alive [except] myself. And now behold me by thy
side! It was a wave of the sea that brought me to this island."
And the serpent said unto me, "Have no fear, have no fear, O little one,
and let not thy face be sad, now that thou hast arrived at the place
where I am. Verily, God hath spared thy life, and thou hast been brought
to this island where there is food. There is no kind of food that is not
here, and it is filled with good things of every kind. Verily, thou
shalt pass month after month on this island, until thou hast come to the
end of four months, and then a ship shall come, and there shall be
therein sailors who are acquaintances of thine, and thou shalt go with
them to thy country, and thou shalt die in thy native town." [And the
serpent continued,] "What a joyful thing it is for the man who hath
experienced evil fortunes, and hath passed safely through them, to
declare them! I will now describe unto thee some of the things that have
happened unto me on this island. I used to live here with my brethren,
and with my children who dwelt among them; now my children and my
brethren together numbered seventy-five. I do not make mention of a
little maiden who had been brought to me by fate. And a star fell [from
heaven], and these (_i.e._ his children, and his brethren, and the
maiden) came into the fire which fell with it. I myself was not with
those who were burnt in the fire, and I was not in their midst, but I
[well-nigh] died [of grief] for them. And I found a place wherein I
buried them all together. Now, if thou art strong, and thy heart
flourisheth, thou shalt fill both thy arms (_i.e._ embrace) with thy
children, and thou shalt kiss thy wife, and thou shalt see thine own
house, which is the most beautiful thing of all, and thou shalt reach
thy country, and thou shalt live therein again together with thy
brethren, and dwell therein."
Then I cast myself down flat upon my stomach, and I pressed the ground
before the serpent with my forehead, saying, "I will describe thy power
to the King, and I will make him to understand thy greatness. I will
cause to be brought unto thee the unguent and spices called _aba_, and
_hekenu_, and _inteneb_, and _khasait_, and the incense that is offered
up in the temples, whereby every god is propitiated. I will relate [unto
him] the things that have happened unto me, and declare the things that
have been seen by me through thy power, and praise and thanksgiving
shall be made unto thee in my city in the presence of all the nobles of
the country. I will slaughter bulls for thee, and will offer them up as
burnt-offerings, and I will pluck feathered fowl in thine [honour]. And
I will cause to come to thee boats laden with all the most costly
products of the land of Egypt, even according to what is done for a god
who is beloved by men and women in a land far away, whom they know not."
Then the serpent smiled at me, and the things which I had said to it
were regarded by it in its heart as nonsense, for it said unto me, "Thou
hast not a very great store of myrrh [in Egypt], and all that thou hast
is incense. Behold, I am the Prince of Punt, and the myrrh which is
therein belongeth to me. And as for the _heken_ which thou hast said
thou wilt cause to be brought to me, is it not one of the chief
[products] of this island? And behold, it shall come to pass that when
thou hast once departed from this place, thou shalt never more see this
island, for it shall disappear into the waves."
And in due course, even as the serpent had predicted, a ship arrived,
and I climbed up to the top of a high tree, and I recognised those who
were in it. Then I went to announce the matter to the serpent, but I
found that it had knowledge thereof already. And the serpent said unto
me, "A safe [journey], a safe [journey], O little one, to thy house.
Thou shalt see thy children [again]. I beseech thee that my name may be
held in fair repute in thy city, for verily this is the thing which I
desire of thee." Then I threw myself flat upon my stomach, and my two
hands were folded humbly before the serpent. And the serpent gave me a
[ship-] load of things, namely, myrrh, _heken, inteneb, khasait,
thsheps_ and _shaas_ spices, eye-paint (antimony), skins of panthers,
great balls of incense, tusks of elephants, greyhounds, apes, monkeys,
and beautiful and costly products of all sorts and kinds. And when I had
loaded these things into the ship, and had thrown myself flat upon my
stomach in order to give thanks unto it for the same, it spake unto me,
saying, "Verily thou shalt travel to [thy] country in two months, and
thou shalt fill both thy arms with thy children, and thou shalt renew
thy youth in thy coffin." Then I went down to the place on the sea-shore
where the ship was, and I hailed the bowmen who were in the ship, and I
spake words of thanksgiving to the lord of this island, and those who
were in the ship did the same. Then we set sail, and we journeyed on and
returned to the country of the King, and we arrived there at the end of
two months, according to all that the serpent had said. And I entered
into the presence of the King, and I took with me for him the offerings
which I had brought out of the island. And the King praised me and
thanked me in the presence of the nobles of all his country, and he
appointed me to be one of his bodyguard, and I received my wages along
with those who were his [regular] servants.
Cast thou thy glance then upon me [O Prince], now that I have set my
feet on my native land once more, having seen and experienced what I
have seen and experienced. Hearken thou unto me, for verily it is a
good thing to hearken unto men. And the Prince said unto me, "Make not
thyself out to be perfect, my friend! Doth a man give water to a fowl at
daybreak which he is going to kill during the day?"
Here endeth [The Story of the Shipwrecked Traveller], which hath been
written from the beginning to the end thereof according to the text that
hath been found written in an [ancient] book. It hath been written
(_i.e._ copied) by Ameni-Amen-āa, a scribe with skilful fingers. Life,
strength, and health be to him!