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The Seventh Petition
The Seventh Petition of 13. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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266 𓂻𓅱𓇋𓈖𓂋𓆑𓇏𓏏𓏭𓀀𓊪𓈖𓂋𓄭𓂋𓀁𓈖𓆑𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏌𓊃𓊪𓊗𓆓𓂧𓆑jwi̯.jn r =f sḫ,tj pn r spr n =f 7.nw sp ḏd =f
267 𓅓𓂋𓉐𓀗𓎟𓀀𓀀𓈖𓏏𓎡𓈞𓅓𓅱𓊦𓈖𓇾𓈇𓏤𓂋𓇥𓆑𓋴𓐪𓂧𓂧𓈒𓊛(j)m,(j)-rʾ-pr-wr nb =j ntk ḥmw n tꜣ r-ḏr =f sqdd
268 𓇾𓈇𓏤𓐍𓏏𓆑𓎗𓅱𓏛𓎡𓈖𓏏𓎡𓌢𓈖𓏌𓅱𓀀𓈖𓅝𓅆tꜣ ḫft wḏ =k ntk sn.nw n Ḏḥwtj
269 𓐣𓏛𓂜𓈖𓂋𓂝𓏏𓁷𓏤𓐞𓏤𓎟𓀀𓎛𓎝𓏛𓎡𓈖𓇋𓋴𓀁𓏏𓅱𓊃𓀀𓏤wḏꜥ nn rḏi̯.t ḥr gs nb wꜣḥ =k njs.tw s
270 𓂋𓊃𓊪𓊗𓆑𓈖𓃹𓈖𓌳𓐙𓂝𓆀𓅓𓍲𓈖𓏏𓍢𓂡𓄣𓏤𓎡𓂜𓈖𓎡𓋴𓏏r sp =f n wn-mꜣꜥ m šnt jb =k nn ⟨n⟩ =k st
271 𓆣𓂋𓄫𓅱𓁷𓏤𓀀𓅓𓎛𓅱𓂝𓅪𓄣𓏤𓀀𓅓𓍯𓄿𓀁𓂜𓈖𓏏𓏏𓂜𓇍𓇋𓏏𓂻ḫpr ꜣw-ḥr m ḥwꜥ-jb m wꜣ n n,tt n jyi̯.t
272 𓅓𓎛𓂝𓅱𓀢𓂜𓈖𓏏𓏏𓂜𓆣𓂋𓏏𓇋𓅱𓅱𓐍𓂧𓐗𓏛𓋴𓄫𓅱𓆑𓅓𓐍𓈖𓌰𓅓𓋴𓀙m ḥꜥ.w n n,tt n ḫpr.t jw wḫd sꜣw =f m ḫnms
273 𓋴𓎛𓍃𓅓𓅬𓅪𓊃𓊪𓊗𓆣𓂋𓂜𓂋𓐍𓏛𓈖𓏏𓅱𓃹𓈖𓈖𓏏𓅓𓄣𓏤sḥtm =⟨f⟩ sp ḫpr n rḫ.n.tw wnn.t m jb
274 𓐍𓃀𓅡𓄿𓌸𓂝𓉔𓊪𓏛𓌉𓆓𓏴𓁶𓏤𓐎𓏛𓂜𓈖𓌳𓄿𓇋𓂋𓌗𓅪𓀀ḫbꜣ hp ḥḏi̯ tp-ḥsb nn mꜣjr
275 𓋹𓈖𓐍𓎛𓂝𓍑𓄿𓅱𓂡𓆑𓂜𓅱𓄞𓂧𓀁𓇓𓅱𓌳𓐙𓂝𓏏𓀗𓏛𓇋𓅱𓎼𓂋𓏏ꜥnḫ ḥꜥḏꜣ.w =f n wšd sw mꜣꜥ,t jw gr.t
276 𓄡𓏏𓏤𓀀𓎔𓏏𓏛𓄣𓏤𓀀𓀋𓂡𓉐𓂋𓂻𓇋𓋴𓅓𓄡𓏏𓏤𓀀𓈖𓂝𓏤𓇋𓂋𓏭ẖ,t =j mḥ.t(j) jb =j ꜣṯp pri̯ js m ẖ,t =j n ꜥ jr,j
277 𓈖𓎼𓏏𓏴𓂡𓊪𓅱𓅓[⯑]𓈗𓋴𓄿𓋴𓅱𓍬𓂻𓃹𓈖𓉿𓂝ng.t pw m dn[j],t mw =s ꜣs.w wn
278 𓂋𓏤𓀀𓂋𓌃𓂧𓏏𓀁𓊢𓂝𓂻𓄿𓂚𓂡𓈖𓀀𓌸𓂋𓇋𓆱𓀀𓊪𓈖𓈎𓈗𓂝𓈖𓀀rʾ =j r md(w)i̯.t ꜥḥꜥ ⸢ꜣ⸣ ꜥḥꜣ.n =j mrj =j pnq.n =j
279 𓈗𓇋𓇋𓈗𓀀𓊃𓈖𓆑𓊡𓂡𓈖𓀀𓈖𓏏𓏏𓅓𓄡𓏏𓏤𓀀𓇋𓂝𓈗𓈖𓀀𓆷𓄿𓅓𓅱𓋳𓏤𓏥𓀀mw,y =j snf.n =j n,tt m ẖ,t =j jꜥi̯.n =j šꜣm,w =j
280 𓐍𓈖𓅯𓀁𓀀𓆣𓂋𓌳𓄿𓇋𓂋𓌗𓅪𓏥𓀀𓇥𓂋𓂡𓐍𓏏𓆑𓁷𓏤𓎡𓊪𓏏𓂋𓆴ḫn =j ḫpr mꜣjr =j ḏr ḫft-ḥr =k ptr
281 𓍑𓄿𓂋𓅱𓎣𓀁𓎡𓇋𓅱𓋴𓅱𓆑𓅬𓂻𓎡𓂋𓏏𓉔𓏏𓂾𓂻𓎡𓇋𓅱𓂝𓃹𓈖𓂝𓄣𓏤𓎡ḏꜣr,w =k jw ⟨w⟩s{w}f =k r thi̯.t =k jw ꜥwn-jb =k
282 𓂋𓊃𓅱𓆼𓄿𓅪𓎡𓇋𓅱𓊃𓈖𓌰𓅓𓂉𓀁𓎡𓂋𓋴𓆣𓂋𓐍𓂋𓃭𓅱𓇋𓇋𓅱𓂡𓀀𓏥𓎡r swḫꜣ =k jw snm =k r sḫpr ḫrw,y.w.pl =k
283 𓇋𓈖𓇋𓅱𓎡𓇓𓅱𓏏𓂋𓅠𓅓𓏏𓎡𓇋𓇋𓇏𓏏𓏭𓀀𓏇𓏏𓅱𓏛𓀀jn jw =k swt r gmi̯.t ky sḫ,tj mj,tw =j
284 𓇋𓈖𓇋𓅱𓅱𓋴𓆑𓅱𓅬𓂻𓀀𓄭𓂋𓇋𓇋𓀁𓀀𓂋𓊢𓂝𓂻𓂋𓂋𓏤𓈖𓉐𓏤𓆑jn jw wsf,w spr,y r ꜥḥꜥ r rʾ n pr =f
285 𓂜𓈖𓎼𓂋𓀁𓂋𓂝𓈖𓎡𓌃𓂧𓅱𓀁𓆑𓂜𓈖𓋴𓇥𓂋𓁀𓂋𓂝𓈖𓎡𓂋𓋴𓌘𓁹𓆑nn gr rḏi̯.n =k mdwi̯ =f nn sḏr rḏi̯.n =k rs =f
286 𓂜𓈖𓐍𓃀𓅡𓄿𓌸𓅪𓁷𓏤𓏥𓊃𓋴𓊪𓂧𓇮𓏛𓌒𓈖𓎡𓂜𓈖𓍃𓅓𓀁𓂋𓏤nn ḫbꜣ ḥr.pl sspd.n =k nn tm rʾ
287 𓃹𓈖𓉿𓂝𓈖𓎡𓂜𓈖𓐍𓅓𓂜𓂋𓂧𓈖𓎡𓂋𓐍𓏛𓆑𓂜𓈖𓅱𓆼𓄿𓅪𓋴𓃀𓇼𓂡𓈖𓎡wn.n =k nn ḫm rḏi̯.n =k rḫ =f nn wḫꜣ sbꜣ.n =k
288 𓄡𓊃𓂋𓅱𓎝𓂡𓀀𓏥𓈋𓅱𓏏𓅪𓏥𓊪𓅱𓋴𓂋𓅱𓀔𓀀𓏥𓎟𓅱𓏥𓃀𓅱𓄤𓆑𓂋𓊪𓅱ẖsr.w.pl ḏw,t pw sr.w.pl nb.w.pl bw-nfr pw
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Egyptian, line for line, covering the whole story in its standard composite: Papyrus Ramesseum A (R 1.1–8.3) for the opening, Papyrus Berlin 3023 (B1 1–326) for the robbery and the first eight petitions, and Papyrus Berlin 3025 (B2 91–142) for the ninth petition and the ending, working from the Thesaurus Linguae Aegyptiae transcription (hieroglyphs, transliteration and lemma glosses, with the TLA editors’ German sentence renderings as a comprehension aid; ORAEC release of the TLA corpus, CC BY-SA 4.0).
266 Then this peasant came to petition him a seventh time, saying:
267 "High Steward, my lord: you are the rudder of the whole land; the land sails
268 at your command. You are the second of Thoth, who judges
269 without leaning to either side. O lord, may you endure, that a man be called
270 for his true cause. Do not let your heart be quarrelsome; it does not become you,
271 that the man of long face turn into the man of narrow heart. Do not brood over what has not yet come,
272 nor exult over what has not yet befallen: the forbearing man lengthens out friendship
273 and annuls what has come to pass. No one can know what is in the heart.
274 He who hacks up law and wrecks the standard: no wretched man
275 lives on despoiled by him, unless truth had not called him to it. But now
276 my body is full and my heart is laden, and it must come out of my body because of its state:
277 it is a breach in the dyke, its water running, and it opens
278 as my mouth opens to speak. Then I plied my pole with a will and bailed out my water,
279 emptied out what was in my body, and washed my soiled clothes.
280 My speech is made; my misery is spent before you. What more
281 is your need? Your hesitancy will be your harm; your greed
282 will make a fool of you; your gluttony will breed accusers against you.
283 Will you ever find another peasant like me?
284 Would an idle man petition, and wait at the door of his own house?
285 There is no man silent whom you have brought to speak, none sleeping whom you have waked.
286 There is no face dulled that you have not whetted, no mouth shut
287 that you have not opened, none unknowing whom you have made to know, none foolish whom you have taught.
288 The officials are the banishers of evil; they are the lords of good.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same Egyptian text, line for line, covering the whole story in its standard composite: Papyrus Ramesseum A (R 1.1–8.3) for the opening, Papyrus Berlin 3023 (B1 1–326) for the robbery and the first eight petitions, and Papyrus Berlin 3025 (B2 91–142) for the ninth petition and the ending.
266 Then this peasant came to petition him a seventh time, saying:
267 "High steward, my lord, you are the rudder of the whole land; the land sails at your command.
268 You are the companion of Thoth, the one who judges without taking sides.
269 My lord, may you endure, so that a man may be called
270 for his true cause. Do not quarrel in your heart; it does not become you,
271 a man of long face, to become short of heart over what has not yet come.
272 Do not rejoice over what has not yet happened. A patient man makes friendship last
273 and undoes a wrong that has happened; no one can know what is in a heart.
274 He who hacks up the law and destroys the standard: no wretched man lives through his plundering
275 unless justice calls out to him. And now my body is full and my heart is loaded, and it comes out of my body
276 because of the state I am in: it is the break in the dike whose water pours out
277 the moment my mouth opens to speak. I have struggled hard with my pole,
278 I have bailed out my flood of water; I have emptied what was in my body;
279 I have brought it out into the open air, and I have washed my dirty laundry.
280 My speech is done; my misery is laid out before you. What more do you need?
281 Your laziness will lead you astray; your greed will make a fool of you;
282 your appetite will make enemies for you.
283 Would you ever find another peasant like me?
284 Would an idle man with a petition wait at the door of his own house?
285 There is no man silent whom you have made speak, and none asleep whom you have woken.
286 None dull whom you have sharpened, and none tight-lipped whom you have opened.
287 None ignorant whom you have made wise, and none foolish whom you have taught.
288 The officials are the ones who drive out evil; they are the lords of good."