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The Ba Warns of the Grave
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53 𓂧𓂋𓊪𓂞𓏏𓏭𓆑𓏭𓊢𓂝𓏏𓂻𓆑𓏭𓁷𓏤𓇉𓄿𓏏𓉐𓉔𓂋𓅱𓇳𓏤drp.tj =fj ꜥḥꜥ.t(j) =fj ḥr ḥꜣ,t hrw
54 𓈎𓂋𓋴𓀾𓂡𓋴𓐟𓄿𓇋𓇋𓏛𓆑𓎛𓆰𓈖𓎡𓇋𓇋𓏏𓂠𓋳𓏤qrs sꜣi̯.y =f ḥnk,yt
55 𓈖𓏏𓊻𓂋𓈉𓇋𓅱𓄋𓊪𓏴𓈖𓈖𓀀𓊸𓅡𓀏𓀀𓂋𓏤𓆑𓅱𓈙𓃀𓏴𓀁𓆑n.t ẖr,t-nṯr jw wpi̯.n n =⸢j⸣ bꜣ =j rʾ =⸢f⸣ wšb =f
56 𓆓𓂧𓏏𓈖𓀀𓇋𓂋𓊃𓐍𓆼𓄿𓀁𓎡𓈎𓂋𓋴𓊭𓈖𓇉𓄿𓏏𓐎𓏥𓄣𓏤ḏd.t.n =j jr sḫꜣ =k qrs nḥꜣ,t-jb
57 𓊪𓅱𓏎𓈖𓏏𓂋𓅓𓇋𓇋𓏏𓁹𓊪𓅱𓅓𓋴𓇋𓆛𓈖𓂧𓅪pw jni̯.t rm,yt pw m sjnd
58 𓊃𓀀𓏤𓄞𓂧𓏏𓂝𓊃𓀀𓏤𓊪𓅱𓅓𓉐𓏤𓆑𓆼𓄿𓂝𓂡𓁷𓏤z šdi̯.t z pw m pr =f ḫꜣꜥ ḥr
59 𓈎𓄿𓄿𓀠𓈇𓏤𓂜𓈖𓉐𓂋𓂻𓈖𓎡𓂋𓁷𓂋𓅱𓇯𓌳𓁹𓄿𓎡qꜣꜣ nn pri̯.n =k r-ḥr,w mꜣ =k
60 𓂋𓂝𓇳𓏤𓅆𓏥𓐪𓂧𓏌𓀢𓂡𓅱𓀀𓏥𓅓𓇋𓈖𓂋𓊌𓈖Rꜥ{.pl} qd.w.pl m jnr n(,j)
61 𓌳𓄿𓏏𓊌𓐍𓂝𓅱𓋴𓂡𓉲𓏥𓅓𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴𓄤𓆑𓂋𓅱𓏥𓅓mꜣt ḫ{ꜥ}wsi̯.⸮pl? m mḥr⟨.pl⟩ nfr.w.pl m
62 𓂓𓄿𓏏𓀋𓏛𓏥𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓆣𓂋𓋴𓐪𓂧𓏌𓅱𓀢𓀀𓏥𓅓kꜣ,t nfr.t ḫpr sqd.w.pl m
63 𓊹𓏤𓏥𓂝𓃀𓅡𓄿𓅱𓌂𓏥𓇋𓂋𓏭𓅱𓈙𓅱𓁸𓏇𓇋𓇑𓇑𓈖𓏌𓅱𓀉𓀀𓏥nṯr.pl ꜥbꜣ.w.pl jr,j wš.w mj nn.w.pl
64 𓅓𓏏𓏥𓀏𓁷𓏤𓌸𓂋𓇋𓇋𓏏𓈇𓏤𓈖𓎼𓄿𓅱𓎣𓅪𓁷𓂋𓇯𓇾𓈇𓏤𓀀m(w)t.pl ḥr mr,yt n-gꜣ,w ḥr(,j)-tꜣ
65 𓎁𓏏𓂡𓈖𓈖𓍇𓏌𓅱𓇋𓇋𓈗𓄖𓆑𓏭𓇶𓅆jṯi̯.n nwy pḥ(,wj) =fj jꜣḫw
66 𓅓𓏇𓏏𓏏𓏛𓇋𓂋𓏭𓌃𓂧𓅱𓀁𓈖𓋴𓈖𓏥𓂋𓅓𓅱𓆟𓏥m-mj,tt-jr,j mdwi̯ n =sn rm.w.pl
67 𓊃𓊪𓏏𓂏𓈖𓈗𓄔𓅓𓂋𓎡𓈖𓀀𓅓𓂝𓎡𓄤𓆑𓂋𓄔𓅓𓂋𓂋𓍿𓀀𓁐𓏥⟨n.w⟩ sp,t.du-n(.t)-mw sḏm r =k n =j m =k nfr sḏm n r(m)ṯ.pl
68 𓌞𓋴𓂻𓉔𓂋𓅱𓇳𓏤𓄤𓆑𓂋𓋴𓅓𓐍𓂜𓎔𓂝𓀁𓇋𓅱𓈖𓆓𓊃𓅪𓀀šms hrw-nfr smḫ mḥ jw nḏs
69 𓋴𓂓𓄿𓍁𓂝𓆑𓄞𓂧𓅱𓈇𓏤𓆑𓇋𓅱𓆑𓄿𓊪𓀋𓂝𓆑𓈙𓈗𓌽𓏥𓆑skꜣ =f šd,w =f jw =f ꜣ⟨t⟩p =f šm,w =f
70 𓂋𓄚𓈖𓏌𓅱𓉐𓂧𓊪𓏏𓊛𓋴𓏏𓍔𓄿𓋴𓍬𓂻𓆑𓋴𓐪𓂧𓏌𓅱𓏏𓊛r-ẖnw dp,t stꜣ{s} =f sqd,wt
71 𓎛𓃀𓎱𓆑𓏏𓎡𓈖𓂻𓌳𓁹𓄿𓈖𓆑𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅱𓐍𓏏𓇰ḥ(ꜣ)b =f tkn mꜣ.n =f pri̯.t wḫ,t
72 𓈖𓏏𓎔𓎛𓇋𓇋𓏏𓊡𓂋𓋴⯑𓁹𓅓𓂧𓊪𓏏𓊛n.t mḥ,yt rs m dp,t
73 𓂋𓂝𓇳𓅆𓁷𓏤𓅧𓈎𓂻𓉐𓂋𓂻𓎛𓈖𓂝𓈞𓏏𓁐𓆑Rꜥ ḥr ꜥq pri̯⟨.t⟩ ḥnꜥ ḥm,t =f
74 𓄟𓊃𓅱𓀔𓀀𓁐𓏥𓆑𓄿𓈎𓅪𓁶𓏤𓈙𓏤𓈇𓍲𓈖𓆊𓅓ms.w.pl =f ꜣq tp š šn m
75 𓎼𓂋𓎛𓇰𓌨𓂋𓌸𓂋𓇋𓇋𓏏𓆊𓏥𓇥𓂋𓇋𓈖𓆑𓈞𓋴𓀔grḥ ẖr mr,yt.pl ḏr.jn =f ḥmsi̯
76 𓊪𓊃𓈙𓏴𓏛𓆑𓅓𓊤𓅱𓀁𓁷𓏤𓆓𓂧𓂜𓂋𓅓𓁹𓀀psš =f m ḫrw ḥr ḏd n rmi̯ =j
77 𓈖𓏏𓆑𓄿𓄟𓋴𓏏𓁒𓂜𓈖𓈖𓋴𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓋀𓏏𓈉n tfꜣ ms,t nn n =s pri̯.t m jmn,t
78 𓂋𓎡𓏏𓁷𓏤𓇾𓈇𓏤𓎔𓂝𓇋𓇋𓀁𓀀𓁷𓏤𓄟𓋴𓅱𓀔𓀀𓁐𓏥𓋴r k,t ḥr tꜣ mḥi̯.y =j ḥr ms.w.pl =s
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Egyptian, line for line, covering all 155 lines of Papyrus Berlin P 3024; the opening of the papyrus is lost, and the small Amherst fragments that overlap it are not included, 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).
53 one who will offer and stand at the tomb on the day
54 of burial, and prepare the bed of
55 the necropolis.” Then my ba opened its mouth to me and answered
56 what I had said: “When you call burial to mind, it is grief
57 of heart. It brings tears by saddening
58 a man; it takes a man from his house and leaves him
59 on the hill. Never again will you rise to see
60 Re. Those who built with blocks
61 of granite and raised perfect pyramids with
62 perfect workmanship—the builders became
63 gods, yet their altars lie in ruin, like the weary dead
64 who died upon the riverbank for want of one left behind.
65 The flood has taken their portion, and the sunlight
66 as well; the fish speak to them
67 at the water's edge. Listen to me! See how good it is for people to listen.
68 Seek a day of celebration; forget care. A humble man
69 tills his field, loads his harvest
70 into a boat, and hauls it along its course.
71 His feast is near; he has seen the darkness gather
72 with the north wind, and keeps watch in the boat.
73 Re goes in and comes forth; meanwhile his wife
74 and children perish on the crocodile-haunted lake
75 at night, because of the crocodiles on the banks. At last he sits,
76 his voice breaking as he says: ‘I did not weep
77 for that woman. She cannot come forth from the West
78 to another life upon the earth. I grieve for her children,
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same Egyptian text, line for line, covering all 155 lines of Papyrus Berlin P 3024; the opening of the papyrus is lost, and the small Amherst fragments that overlap it are not included.
53 one who will make offerings and stand at the head on the day
54 of burial, and prepare the bed
55 of the burial ground.” Then my ba opened its mouth to me and answered
56 what I had said: “When you think about burial, it is grief.
57 It brings tears by making
58 a person sad. It takes a person from his home and leaves him on
59 the burial mound. You will never come out again to see
60 Re. Those who built with blocks of
61 granite, who built beautifully made pyramids
62 with fine workmanship, whose builders became
63 gods—their offering tables are empty, like those of people
64 who died on the riverbank without anyone left alive to care for them.
65 The flood took its share of them, and the sunlight
66 did the same. The fish along the water's edge speak to them.
67 Listen to me! Look, it is good for people to listen.
68 Seek a good day! Forget worry! A poor man
69 works his field. He loads his harvest
70 into a boat and pulls it along its route.
71 His time of celebration is near after he sees the dark clouds coming
72 with the north wind. He stays alert on the boat.
73 Re goes in and comes out again. The man's wife
74 and children have perished in the marsh
75 at night because of the crocodiles living on the banks. At last he sits
76 and speaks with a broken voice: ‘I did not weep
77 for that woman who bore children. She cannot come back from the west
78 to another life on earth. I grieve for her children,