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The Sixth Petition
The Sixth Petition of 13. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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239 𓅓𓈙𓈇𓆑𓋴𓏏𓄝𓄿𓅱𓍬𓂻𓀀𓂻𓅱𓇋𓈖𓂋𓆑𓇏𓏏𓏭𓀀m š =f stꜣ,w jwi̯.jn r =f sḫ,tj
240 𓊪𓈖𓂋𓄭𓂋𓀁𓈖𓆑𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏤𓏌𓊃𓊪𓊗𓆓𓂧𓆑𓅓𓂋𓉐𓀗𓎟𓀀𓀀pn r spr n =f 6.nw sp ḏd =f (j)m,(j)-rʾ-pr-wr nb =j
241 𓎟𓋴𓇋𓊃𓅪𓆑𓎼𓂋𓍅𓀁𓋴𓆣𓂋𓌳𓐙𓂝𓏏𓀗𓏛𓋴𓆣𓂋nb sjs =f grg sḫpr mꜣꜥ,t sḫpr
242 𓃀𓅱𓎟𓄤𓆑𓂋𓋴𓎛𓍃𓅓𓅬𓅪𓃀𓅱𓏇𓇋𓂻𓅱𓋴𓐟𓄿𓅱𓀁bw-nb-nfr sḥtm bw ⟨⸮ḏw?⟩ mj jwi̯ sꜣw
243 𓇥𓂋𓂡𓆑𓎛𓈎𓂋𓅪𓎛𓃀𓋴𓅱𓋳𓏥𓇥𓂋𓂡𓆑𓇉𓄿𓅱𓏏𓋳ḏr =f ḥqr ḥbs,w ḏr =f ḥꜣ,wt
244 𓏇𓇋𓊵𓏏𓊪𓊪𓏏𓇯𓂋𓐟𓏤𓆓𓂧𓂝𓊡mj ḥtp p,t r-sꜣ ḏ{d}ꜥ
245 𓈎𓄿𓀠𓊃𓈙𓅓𓅓𓊮𓋴𓎛𓎿𓋴𓅱𓊡𓀀𓏥𓎟qꜣi̯ sšmm =s ḥs,w.pl nb
246 𓏇𓇋𓐍𓏏𓊮𓊪𓊃𓆑𓏏𓊮𓇅𓆓𓅱𓏏𓏛𓏥𓏇𓇋mj ḫ,t psf.t wꜣḏ,wt mj
247 𓈗𓂝𓐍𓅓𓈗𓇋𓃀𓃙𓏏𓀁𓌳𓁹𓄿𓄿𓅓mw ꜥḫm jb,t mꜣꜣ m
248 𓁷𓂋𓏤𓎡𓊪𓊃𓈙𓅱𓏴𓏛𓏥𓀀𓅓𓂝𓃹𓈖𓏌𓅱𓂡ḥr =k psš,w m ꜥwn,w
249 𓊃𓉔𓂋𓂋𓏛𓀀𓅓𓁹𓄿𓉔𓅱𓅪𓀀𓋴𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏛shrr m jri̯ ꜣh,w stwt
250 𓅓𓁹𓏠𓈖𓏏𓅪𓏥𓇋𓅱𓋴𓇋𓄿𓏏𓂿m jri̯ mn,t jw sjꜣt
251 𓊃𓈙𓂋𓂋𓅪𓆑𓌳𓐙𓂝𓏏𓀗𓏛𓎔𓏛𓄤𓆑𓂋𓂜𓉔𓈎𓋴𓅪sšrr =f mꜣꜥ,t mḥ nfr n hqs
252 𓂜𓅱𓃀𓈖𓇳𓌳𓐙𓂝𓏏𓀗𓏛𓇋𓂋𓏎𓈖𓎡𓇋𓅓𓐛𓂝𓈖𓌢𓈖𓏌𓅱𓀀𓎡n wbn mꜣꜥ,t jr jni̯ =k jmi̯ n sn,w =k
253 𓅱𓎼𓇋𓇋𓏏𓄑𓀁𓆄𓅱𓏏𓅪𓅓𓂝𓈎𓄿𓂭𓂭𓏛wg,yt šwi̯.t(j) m ꜥqꜣ
254 𓇋𓅱𓄿𓉔𓅱𓅪𓀀𓋴𓌫𓅓𓂻𓆑𓂋𓃛𓅱𓂧𓏏𓂻jw ꜣh,w sšm =f r jwd,t
255 𓇋𓅱𓏎𓈖𓈖𓆑𓂋𓅱𓅱𓏏𓂻𓏥jw ⟨srḫ,y⟩ jni̯{.n} =f rww,t
256 𓂜𓂋𓐍𓏛𓈖𓏏𓅱𓃹𓈖𓈖𓏏𓅓𓄣𓏤n rḫ.n.tw wnn.t m jb
257 𓅓𓅱𓋴𓆑𓅯𓂻𓁹𓂋𓎡𓂋𓋴𓏇𓇋𓏏𓀁𓆑𓂧𓈎𓏴𓎡𓈖𓅓𓂝𓋭𓊃𓍢𓂝𓆑m wsf jri̯ r =k r smj,t fdq =k n-m ṯs =f
258 𓂚𓂡𓈗𓆱𓅓𓂝𓎡𓏇𓇋𓆱𓃹𓈖𓉿𓂝𓊃𓊪𓐍𓈖𓈗𓇋𓇋𓈗𓆣𓂋ꜥḥꜣ-mw m ꜥ =k mj ḫt wn sp-n-mw,y ḫpr
259 𓇋𓂋𓅧𓈎𓂻𓂧𓊪𓏏𓊛𓇋𓅱𓄞𓂧𓏏𓂝𓋴𓄿𓈎𓅪𓀋𓊪𓅱𓏛𓏥𓋴𓈖𓇾𓈇𓏤jr ꜥq dp,t jw šd.t(w) =s ꜣq ꜣṯp,w =s n tꜣ
260 𓁷𓏤𓌸𓂋𓇋𓇋𓏏𓈇𓏤𓏥𓎟𓏏𓇋𓅱𓎡𓋴𓃀𓇼𓏏𓂡𓇋𓅱𓎡𓍍𓅱𓏏𓏛𓇋𓅱𓎡ḥr mr,yt nb.t jw =k sbꜣ.t(j) jw =k ḥmw.t(j) jw =k
261 𓏏𓏏𓀾𓏛𓂜𓇋𓋴𓈖𓂝𓃹𓈖𓂝𓇋𓅱𓎡𓁹𓂋𓎡𓏏𓅱𓏏𓅱𓀾𓏛𓏥𓃀𓅱𓎟𓀀𓁐𓏥t(w)t.(tj) n-js n ꜥwn jw =k jr{r} =k twt,w bw-nb
262 𓇋𓅱𓉔𓄿𓅱𓏛𓏥𓎡𓅓𓈖𓍇𓏌𓅱𓂧𓅱𓂻𓂝𓈎𓄿𓂭𓂭𓏛𓂿𓏏𓏭𓀀jw hꜣw =k m nwd,w ꜥqꜣ sjꜣt,j
263 𓈖𓇾𓈇𓏤𓂋𓇥𓆑𓂓𓏤𓈖𓇋𓇋𓇭𓀀𓈖𓃀𓅱𓎛𓅨𓂋𓅱𓅪𓁷𓏤n tꜣ r-ḏr =f kꜣn,y n bw-ḥwr,w ḥr
264 𓈖𓏏𓆑𓈗𓂡𓎛𓋴𓊪𓈇𓏤𓆑𓅓𓃛𓅱𓇋𓇋𓏏𓅪𓏥𓂋𓋴𓆣𓂋[⯑]𓆑ntf ḥsp =f m jw,yt r sḫpr [ḥ]sp =f
265 𓅓𓎼𓂋𓍅𓀁𓂋𓈖𓏏𓆑𓈗𓀁𓇍𓇋𓇋𓏏𓅪𓏥𓈖𓆓𓏏𓊖m grg r ntf jy,t n ḏ,t
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).
239 as his lake, dragging men away. Then this peasant came
240 to petition him a sixth time, saying: "High Steward, my lord:
241 a lord who lessens falsehood: one who brings what is right to birth, who brings about
242 every good thing, who destroys evil — as when fullness comes
243 and ends hunger, as clothing ends nakedness;
244 as the sky settles after a storm,
245 warming every one who shivers,
246 as fire cooks the raw, as
247 water quenches thirst. Look now with your own face:
248 your face: the divider turned plunderer; the satisfier
249 turned maker of grief; the leveler turned maker of suffering.
250 To cheat is to shrink
251 truth itself. Fill it full and fair, neither lessened
252 nor overrunning; and what you win, give your comrade his share.
253 What has been swallowed down is empty of honesty.
254 The man in grief leads on to separation,
255 and the slanderer brings about the parting.
256 No one can know what is in the heart.
257 Do not be slack: act on the charge; if you cut apart, who shall bind again?
258 The punt pole is in your hand like a prop, when a burst of water has come to pass.
259 If a boat sinks, it is salvaged, but its cargo perishes, scattered over every shore.
260 On every bank you are schooled, you are skilled, you are
261 perfect — not for plundering. Yet you make yourself the equal of every man;
262 your circle is in disarray, and the honest man is the great cheat
263 of the whole land: the gardener of evil, busy
264 watering his plot with evil to make his plot
265 grow in falsehood, watering the harm of the mortuary estate."
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.
239 As his lake dragged him along, this peasant came
240 to petition him a sixth time, saying: "High steward, my lord: a lord who lessens falsehood
241 is one who brings justice into being, a maker of every good thing who destroys evil,
242 like fullness when it comes, ending hunger,
243 like clothing when it comes, ending nakedness.
244 Like the sky after a storm, when it grows calm
245 and warms every one of those who shiver.
246 Like fire cooking what is raw, like
247 water quenching thirst. Look at your own face:
248 you who should divide things are a cheater.
249 You who should make peace have made grief; you who should settle matters have made pain.
250 One who makes suffering is a cheat, and cheating
251 shrinks what is right. Fill the measure full and fair, so that justice is neither shorted
252 nor overflows. When you gain, give to your companion.
253 What is gulped down is empty of what is right.
254 Grief leads to separation.
255 The accuser brings about the parting.
256 No one can know what is in a heart.
257 Do not be lazy; act on the charge. If you cut apart, who will put it together?
258 The punting pole is in your hand, like a sounding staff, when a flood of water has burst in.
259 When a boat goes under, it is raised again, but its cargo is lost on every shore.
260 On every bank you are trained, you are skilled, you are
261 complete—only not for robbing. Yet you make yourself like everyone else,
262 and your circle is crooked. The man who should be straight is the greatest wrongdoer
263 in the whole land. The gardener of evil is at his watering,
264 watering his plot with evil to make his lies grow,
265 watering the harm of the mortuary estate with falsehood."