Anonymous · Complete work
The Ninth Petition
The Ninth Petition of 13. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Egyptian
91 𓂻𓅱𓇋𓈖𓂋𓆑𓇏𓏏𓏭𓀀𓊪𓈖𓂋𓄭𓂋𓂻𓈖𓆑𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏌𓊃𓊪𓊗jwi̯.jn r =f sḫ,tj pn r spr n =f 9.nw sp
92 𓆓𓂧𓆑𓅓𓂋𓉐𓀗𓀀𓎟𓀀𓀀𓅓𓆼𓄿𓏏𓍸𓆱𓊪𓅱𓈖𓏏ḏd =f (j)m,(j)-rʾ-pr-wr nb =j mḫꜣ,t pw n.t
93 𓂋𓍿𓀀𓁐𓏥𓈖𓄓𓋴𓄹𓋴𓈖𓏥𓇋𓈖𓃛𓅱𓇓𓅱𓆱𓆓𓂝𓂋𓌙𓏛r(m)t.pl ns =sn jn jws,w ḏꜥr
94 𓍑𓏏𓏥𓁹𓂋𓍙𓆑𓏏𓂡𓂋𓍙𓆑𓅱𓂡𓈖𓆑𓋴𓈖𓏒𓏛𓏏𓅱𓁶𓐎𓏛𓂋𓎡ḏꜣ,t jrr ḫsf.t r ḫsf.w n =f sn.tw tp-ḥsb r =k
95 𓊃𓅭𓄿𓅱𓊃𓄡𓅓𓂻𓎼𓂋𓍅𓀁𓆣𓂋𓌨𓂋𓏏𓏛𓏥𓆑⸮sꜣu̯? ⸮sẖm? grg ḫpr ẖr,t =f
96 𓂝𓈖𓈖𓂽𓋴𓌳𓐙𓂝𓏏𓀗𓏛𓂋𓂝𓈎𓄿𓂭𓂭𓏛𓆑𓐍𓏏𓏛𓏥𓊪𓅱𓈖𓏏ꜥnn s(j) mꜣꜥ,t r-ꜥqꜣ =f ḫ,t pw n.t
97 𓎼𓂋𓍅𓀁𓌳𓐙𓂝𓏏𓀗𓏛𓋴𓇅𓆓𓆑𓊪𓅱𓂜𓈖𓍇𓏌𓅱𓎛𓅱𓏏𓅱𓆑grg mꜣꜥ,t swꜣḏ =f pw n ⸮nwḥ.tw? =f
98 𓇋𓂋𓈝𓅓𓂻𓎼𓂋𓍅𓀁𓇋𓅱𓆑𓏏𓈖𓌰𓅓𓂻𓆑𓂜jr šmi̯ grg jw =f tnm =f n
99 𓍑𓄿𓏴𓊛𓈖𓆑𓅓𓅓𓂝𓄚𓈖𓏏𓊛𓂜[⯑]ḏꜣi̯.n =f m mẖn,t n sšꜣ.[⸮n?] =[f]
100 𓇋𓂋𓐍𓂝𓅱𓂧𓍔𓏛𓌨𓆑𓂜𓈖𓄟𓋴𓅱𓀔𓀀𓁐𓏥𓆑jr ḫwd ((ẖr)) =f nn ms.w.[pl] =f
101 𓂜𓈖𓃛𓅱𓂝𓅱𓀀𓁐𓏥𓆑𓁶𓇾𓈇𓏤𓇋𓂋𓋴𓐪𓂧𓂧𓈒𓊛nn jwꜥ.w.pl =f tp tꜣ jr sqdd
102 𓌨𓂋𓆑𓂜𓋴𓐟𓄿𓎛𓃃𓂻𓈖𓆑𓇾𓈇𓏤𓂜𓏠𓈖𓇋𓌙𓊛𓈖ẖr =f n sꜣḥ.n =f tꜣ n mnj.n
103 𓂧𓊪𓅱𓏏𓊛𓆑𓂋𓂧𓏇𓇋𓈇𓋴𓅓𓂧𓈖𓋴𓍖𓏛𓂜𓇋𓇩𓊃𓆰𓎡dp,wt =f r dmj =s m dns n js =k
104 𓅓𓇋𓉔𓅓𓂻𓂜𓆼𓄿𓐍𓂻𓎡𓅓𓈖𓌰𓅓𓂝𓀁𓅓𓄔𓅓𓈖m jhm n ḫꜣḫ =k m nmꜥ m sḏm n
105 𓄣𓏤𓅓𓎛𓃀𓋴𓋳𓁷𓏤𓎡𓂋𓂋𓐍𓏛𓈖𓎡𓅓𓈙𓊪𓁹𓁷𓏤𓎡𓂋jb m ḥbs ḥr =k r rḫ.n =k m šp ḥr =k r
106 𓂧𓎼𓁹𓈖𓎡𓅓𓈖𓇋𓂢𓏏𓍯𓄿𓀢𓀀𓏏𓅱𓉔𓄿𓂻𓎡dgi̯ n =k m nj twꜣ tw hꜣi̯ =k
107 𓅓𓅯𓄿𓅱𓊃𓆑𓅯𓂻𓋴𓏇𓇋𓏏𓀁𓋭𓊃𓏛𓎡m pꜣ wsf smj.t(w) ṯs =k
108 𓁹𓈖𓁹𓂋𓈖𓎡𓅓𓄔𓅓𓈖𓃀𓅱𓎟𓀀𓁐𓏥𓂋𓆑𓈖𓇋𓋴𓀁𓊃𓀀𓏤jri̯ n jrr n =k m sḏm n bw-nb r =f njs s
109 𓂋𓊃𓊪𓊗𓆑𓈖𓃹𓈖𓌳𓐙𓂝𓏛𓂜𓈖𓋴𓆑𓇳𓈖[⯑]r sp =f n wn-mꜣꜥ nn sf n wsf,w
110 𓂜𓈖𓐍𓈖𓌰𓅓𓋴𓀙𓀀𓈖𓊃𓄡𓄔𓌳𓐙𓂝𓏏𓀗𓏛𓂜𓈖𓉔𓂋𓅱𓇳nn ḫnms n sẖi̯ mꜣꜥ,t nn hrw
111 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓈖𓂝𓃹𓈖𓂡𓄣𓏤𓀀𓆣𓂋𓅱𓍿𓊃𓅱𓍞𓀁𓀀𓅓nfr n ꜥwn-jb ḫpr wṯs,w m
112 𓌳𓄿𓇋𓂋𓌗𓇋𓇋𓅪𓀀𓌳𓄿𓇋𓂋𓌗𓇋𓇋𓅪𓀀𓂋𓄭𓂋𓅱𓀁𓀀mꜣjr,y mꜣjr,y r spr,w
113 𓆣𓂋𓐍𓏏𓆑𓀀𓅓𓋴𓌳𓄿𓅓𓅱𓌪𓅓𓂝𓎡𓅱𓀀𓁷𓏤𓄭𓂋𓀁ḫpr ḫft,(j) m smꜣm,w m =k wj ḥr spr
114 𓈖𓎡𓂜𓄔𓅓𓈖𓎡𓋴𓏏𓇋𓅱𓀀𓂋𓈝𓅓𓏏𓂻𓄭𓂋𓀁𓀀n =k n sḏm.n =k st jw =j r šmi̯.t spr =j
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).
91 Then this peasant came to petition him a ninth time, saying:
92 "High Steward, my lord: this scale is the scale
93 of people — their tongue; and the hand-scale is what examines the shortfall.
94 It is the shortfall that brings punishment on him who should be punished; may the standard be squared with you.
95 Guard yourself: falsehood must not stride out boldly,
96 its need arising and what is right turning away before it — that is the possession
97 of falsehood: it flourishes the while it is not bound.
98 When falsehood goes out, it goes astray; it does not
99 cross by the ferry, it makes no headway.
100 He who grows rich by it has no children,
101 no heirs upon earth. He who sails with it
102 does not reach land, does not come to moor:
103 his boat does not reach its landing. Do not be weighty before you have been light!
104 Do not be slow before you have made haste! Do not take sides! Do not listen
105 to the heart. Do not cover your face from the man you know; do not be blind of face
106 toward the man who must see you. Look to yourself: refuse not the man who pleads to you; come down
107 out of this hesitating, so that your verdict may be proclaimed.
108 Act for him who acts for you; do not hear every man against him when a man is called
109 for his true cause. There is no yesterday for the hesitating man;
110 no friend for the man deaf to what is right; no day is fair
111 for the greedy. The accuser turns
112 wretched, and the wretched turn pleaders;
113 the opponent turns killer. See, I stand pleading to you,
114 and you do not hear it; I shall go and plead about you to Anubis
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.
91 Then this peasant came to petition him a ninth time, saying:
92 "High steward, my lord: the people's scale
93 is their tongue, a hand scale that examines
94 the shortfall. He hands out punishment to the man who must be punished; may the standard be level with you.
95 Take care that falsehood does not arise and lay in its supplies,
96 while justice turns away before it; that is falsehood's property.
97 Falsehood thrives over justice when it is left unbound.
98 When falsehood sets out, it goes astray:
99 it cannot cross by ferry, and it cannot get on.
100 The man grown rich through it has no children
101 and no heirs on earth; and the man who travels by it
102 never reaches the land; his boat cannot make its landing.
103 Do not be weighty, having never been light.
104 Do not be slow, having never hurried; do not take sides; do not listen
105 to the heart. Do not hide your face from the man you know, or be blind of face
106 to the man who must be seen by you. Do not turn away the man who appeals to you; come down
107 out of this laziness, and let your ruling be reported.
108 Act for the man who acts for you; do not listen to the people against him
109 once a man has been called for his true cause. There is no yesterday for the idle man,
110 and no friend for the man deaf to justice, and no feast day for the greedy.
111 It goes well for the greedy man: the accuser becomes the sufferer,
112 the sufferer becomes the petitioner.
113 The enemy becomes the killer. Look, I keep bringing my petition to you,
114 and you do not hear it. I am going to carry my petition to Anubis."