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The Complaint
The Complaint of 13. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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32 𓅇𓏏𓏭𓂡𓀀𓊪𓈖𓂜𓂋𓂝𓈖𓆑𓌳𓐙𓂝𓆀𓆑𓂋𓋴𓈝𓅓𓏏𓂻𓊪𓅱Nm,tj-nḫt pn n rḏi̯.n =f mꜣꜥ =f r =s šmi̯.t pw
33 𓁹𓈖𓇏𓏏𓏭𓀀𓊪𓈖𓂋𓇓𓏏𓈖𓀔𓈖𓈖𓊖𓂋𓄭𓂋𓀁𓈖𓅓𓂋𓉐𓀗jri̯.n sḫ,tj pn r Nn-nswt r spr n (j)m,(j)-rʾ-pr-wr
34 𓌸𓂋𓅱𓆇𓂋𓈖𓋴𓏭𓀀𓅠𓅓𓈖𓆑𓇓𓅱𓁷𓏤𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓋴𓃀𓇼𓄿𓉐Mr,w zꜣ Rnsj gmi̯.n =f sw ḥr pri̯.t m sbꜣ
35 𓈖𓉐𓆑𓂋𓉔𓄿𓏏𓂻𓂋𓈎𓄿𓈎𓄿𓅱𓊛𓆑𓈖𓂝𓂋𓂋𓇋𓇋𓏏𓉐n pr =f r hꜣi̯.t r qꜣqꜣ,w≡f-n-ꜥrr,yt
36 𓆓𓂧𓇋𓈖𓇏𓏏𓏭𓀀𓊪𓈖𓇉𓄿𓀁𓂋𓂝𓏏𓋴𓍑𓄿𓏛𓀀ḏd.jn sḫ,tj pn ḥꜣ rḏi̯.t(w) swḏꜣ =j
37 𓄣𓏤𓎡𓁷𓏤𓅯𓄿𓐍𓈖𓅯𓀁𓈖𓌃𓂧𓏏𓀁𓊃𓊪𓊗𓊪𓅱jb =k ḥr pꜣ ḫn n md,t sp pw
38 𓂋𓂝𓏏𓂻𓅱𓏏𓈖𓀀𓌞𓅱𓂻𓀀𓎡𓈖𓐍𓂋𓏏𓏛𓄣𓏤𓎡𓉔𓄿𓃀𓂻𓀀rḏi̯.t(w) jwi̯.t n =j šms,w =k n ḫr,t-jb =k hꜣb =j
39 𓈖𓎡𓇓𓅱𓁷𓂋𓋴𓂋𓂝𓇋𓈖𓅓𓂋𓉐𓀗𓌸𓂋𓅱𓆇𓂋𓈖𓋴𓏭𓀀n =k sw ḥr =s rḏi̯.jn (j)m,(j)-rʾ-pr-wr Mr,w zꜣ Rnsj
40 𓈝𓅓𓂻𓌞𓅱𓂻𓆑𓈖𓐍𓂋𓏏𓏛𓄣𓏤𓆑𓁶𓏤𓇋𓅓𓆑𓉔𓄿𓃀𓂻šmi̯ šms,w =f n ḫr,t-jb =f tp-jm =f hꜣb
41 𓇓𓅱𓇏𓏏𓏭𓀀𓊪𓈖𓁷𓏤𓌃𓂧𓏏𓀁𓏏𓈖𓏇𓇋𓈎𓇋𓀾𓏛𓋴sw sḫ,tj pn ḥr md,t tn mj-qj =s
42 𓎟𓃹𓈖𓇋𓈖𓅓𓂋𓉐𓀗𓌸𓂋𓅱𓆇𓂋𓈖𓋴𓏭𓀀𓁷𓏤𓋴𓂋𓐍𓏏𓀁nb wn.jn (j)m,(j)-rʾ-pr-wr Mr,w zꜣ Rnsj ḥr srḫ.t
43 𓅇𓏏𓏭𓂡𓀀𓊪𓈖𓈖𓋴𓂋𓅱𓀔𓀀𓏥𓈖𓏏𓏭𓂋𓐛𓏤𓆑𓆓𓂧𓇋𓈖𓋴𓈖𓏥Nm,tj-nḫt pn n sr.w.pl n,tj r-gs =f ḏd.jn =sn
44 𓈖𓆑𓊃𓅓𓃹𓈖𓀁𓇏𓏏𓏭𓀀𓆑𓊪𓅱𓂻𓅱𓈖𓎡𓇋𓇋𓀀𓂋𓐛𓏤𓆑n =f smwn sḫ,tj =f pw jwi̯ n ky r-gs =f
45 𓅓𓂝𓎡𓁹𓂋𓏏𓋴𓈖𓏥𓊪𓅱𓂋𓇏𓏏𓅂𓀀𓏥𓋴𓈖𓏥𓂻𓅱𓅱𓀀𓏥𓈖m =k jrr.t =sn pw r sḫ,tj.pl =sn jwi̯.w n
46 𓎡𓏏𓐍𓏏𓏛𓀀𓏥𓂋𓐛𓏤𓋴𓈖𓏥𓅓𓂝𓎡𓁹𓂋𓏏𓋴𓈖𓏥𓊪𓅱𓊃𓊪𓊗𓊪𓅱𓈖kt-ḫ,t r-gs =sn m =k jrr.t =sn pw sp pw n
47 𓍙𓆑𓂡𓏏𓅱𓈖𓅇𓏏𓏭𓂡𓀀𓊪𓈖𓁷𓏤𓈖𓉔𓅪𓈒𓏥𓈖𓎛𓋴𓏠𓈖𓍖𓈒𓏥ḫsf =tw n Nm,tj-nḫt pn ḥr nh n ḥsmn
48 𓎛𓈖𓂝𓈖𓉔𓅪𓈒𓏥𓈖𓎛𓌳𓄿𓏏𓍖𓈒𓏥𓎗𓅱𓏛𓏏𓅱𓈖𓆑𓂧𓃀𓅡𓄿𓌥𓏛ḥnꜥ nh n ḥmꜣ,t wḏ =tw n =f dbꜣ
49 𓋴𓏏𓂧𓃀𓅡𓄿𓌥𓏛𓆑𓋴𓏏𓎼𓂋𓀁𓊪𓅱𓁹𓈖st dbꜣ =f st gr pw jri̯.n
50 𓅓𓂋𓉐𓀗𓌸𓂋𓅱𓆇𓂋𓈖𓋴𓏭𓀀𓂜𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏴𓀁𓆑(j)m,(j)-rʾ-pr-wr Mr,w zꜣ Rnsj n wšb =f
51 𓈖𓇑𓇑𓈖𓋴𓂋𓅱𓀔𓀀𓏥𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏴𓀁𓆑𓈖𓇏𓏏𓏭𓀀𓊪𓈖n nn n sr.w.pl ⟨n⟩ wšb =f n sḫ,tj pn
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).
32 This Nemtynakht did not satisfy him over it. So this peasant set out
33 for Herakleopolis, to petition the High Steward
34 Rensi son of Meru, and found him coming out of a door
35 of his house, to go down to his service barge.
36 Then this peasant said: "Oh, may it be permitted me to acquaint you,
37 to your heart's content, with this complaint of a matter. It is this: let
38 your follower, the confidant of your heart, be brought to me, and I will send him
39 back to you over it. Then the High Steward Rensi son of Meru
40 sent his follower, his trusted man, in to him; him
41 this peasant sent back, over this matter in its entirety, every part.
42 Then the High Steward Rensi son of Meru laid a charge
43 against this Nemtynakht before the officials who were at his side. Then they said:
44 "No doubt it is his own peasant, who has gone to another beside them.
45 See, this is what they do with their peasants who go
46 to others beside them. See, this is what they do. Is this a case
47 for punishing this Nemtynakht for a bit of natron
48 and a bit of salt? Let him simply be ordered to make it good."
49 so that he will make it good." Now silence was what was made
50 the High Steward Rensi son of Meru: he did not answer
51 these officials, and he did not answer this peasant.
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.
32 This Nemtynakht paid him no attention. So this peasant went
33 to Herakleopolis, to make his petition to the high steward
34 Rensi son of Meru. He found him just coming out of the door
35 of his house, on his way down to his official barge.
36 Then this peasant said: "May it be permitted that I tell your heart
37 this plea of mine, this case:
38 let your trusted servant come to me; I send
39 him to you about it." Then the high steward Rensi son of Meru had
40 his trusted servant go to him, the man he had sent,
41 and the peasant told him this whole matter in full.
42 Then the high steward Rensi son of Meru brought a charge against this Nemtynakht
43 before the high officials who stood beside him. They said:
44 "Probably it is his own peasant, gone to some other man near him.
45 That is what they do with their peasants who go to others beside them.
46 It is the same with the others beside them. Is this a case
47 for punishing this Nemtynakht for a little natron
48 and a little salt? He should be ordered to pay it back, and pay it back he will."
49 But pay it back he did not: silence was what
50 the high steward Rensi son of Meru made. He gave no answer
51 to these high officials, and he gave no answer to this peasant.