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Ptahhotep (traditional attribution) · Complete work

Papyrus section 19

Papyrus section 19 of 16. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.

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Original Egyptian

(19.1) 𓂋𓆓𓐳𓂧𓈖𓐰𓄔𓅓𓏏𓐱𓏭𓐰𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓋴𓈖𓐰𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓋴𓏏𓎛𓎿𓊃𓐰𓏛𓎼𓂋𓐰𓏏𓄟𓋴𓇋𓇋𓁓𓈖𓐰𓆑𓇓𓏲𓎝𓎛𓏛𓄣𓐱𓏤𓎡𓑀

(19.2) 𓏏𓐰𓂋𓆵𓇳𓐰𓈖𓌃𓂧𓅱𓇋𓇋𓀁𓎡𓑀𓆓𓐳𓂧𓎡𓑀𓐍𓐰𓏏𓏛𓐰𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓏏𓐰𓈖𓏌𓐱𓏲𓌙𓅮𓀁𓇋𓐍𓏛𓆓𓐳𓂧𓋴𓂋𓅱𓀙𓀀𓐰𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤

(19.3) 𓄔𓅓𓏏𓐱𓏭𓐰𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓋴𓈖𓐰𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓄤𓆑𓐰𓂋𓅱𓏭𓉐𓂋𓅱𓂻𓐰𓈖𓂋𓐱𓏤𓐰𓆑𓁹𓂋𓆓𓐳𓂧𓏏𓎟𓀀𓐰𓎡𓑀𓂋𓐰𓎡𓑀𓄤𓆑𓐰𓂋𓅱𓏭𓇼𓐱𓄿𓀜𓈖

(19.4) 𓇋𓏏𓐰𓆑𓀀𓐰𓆑𓉐𓂋𓂻𓈖𓐰𓆑𓇋𓅓𓆑𓏃𓈖𓐰𓏏𓎛𓂝𓐰𓄹𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐰𓆑𓆓𓐳𓂧𓈖𓐰𓆑𓈖𓐰𓆑𓇋𓅱𓆑𓅓𓄡𓐰𓏏𓐱𓏤𓂋𓄫𓏲𓏛𓅨𓂋𓁹𓐰𓏏𓈖𓐰𓆑

(19.5) 𓂋𓆓𓐳𓂧𓂧𓏏𓐰𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓈖𓐰𓆑𓅓𓂝𓐰𓎡𓑀𓅭𓐰𓀀𓄤𓆑𓐰𓂋𓈖𓂝𓐰𓂝𓊹𓐱𓏤𓂋𓐰𓂝𓇉𓅱𓏛𓐰𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓁷𓐱𓏤𓆓𓐳𓂧𓂧𓐰𓏏𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐰𓈖𓐰𓆑𓐍𓂋𓎟𓀀𓐰𓆑𓁹𓐰𓆑𓌴𓐰𓐙𓂝𓐰𓏏𓐱𓏰𓏛

(19.6) 𓁹𓐰𓈖𓄣𓐱𓏤𓆑𓐰𓂋𓈖𓐰𓌰𓐱𓅓𓏏𓐰𓏏𓂻𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐰𓆑𓏇𓇋𓄖𓂻𓎡𓑀𓅱𓀀𓎛𓂝𓐰𓄹𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐰𓎡𓑀𓅱𓍑𓄿𓏛𓇓𓏏𓐰𓈖𓅆𓊵𓏏𓐰𓊪𓏛𓅓𓆣𓂋𓐰𓏏𓏛𓐰𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓎟𓐰𓏏

(19.7) 𓎁𓏏𓀜𓎡𓑀𓆳𓏏𓐰𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓅓𓋹𓈖𓐰𓐍𓂜𓐰𓈖𓈙𓂋𓅪𓁹𓏏𓐰𓈖𓀀𓁶𓐱𓏤𓇾𓐰𓈇𓐱𓏤𓎁𓏏𓀜𓈖𓐰𓀀𓆳𓏏𓐰𓍢𓎆𓅓𓋹𓈖𓐰𓐍𓈖𓐰𓂝𓂝𓐰𓈖𓀀𓑇

(19.8) 𓇓𓏏𓐰𓈖𓅆𓎛𓎿𓊃𓐰𓏏𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓏃𓈖𓐰𓏏𓁶𓐱𓏤𓊪𓅱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐰𓂝𓐱𓏤𓅱𓏭𓀻𓏤𓐱𓏤𓐱𓏤𓅓𓐰𓂝𓁹𓐰𓏏𓌴𓐰𓐙𓂝𓐰𓏏𓐱𓏰𓏛𓐰𓈖𓇓𓏏𓐰𓈖𓅆𓂋𓊨𓏏𓉐𓇋𓌴𓐍𓄪𓐰𓏤

(19.9) 𓂻𓅱𓆑𓊪𓐱𓏲𓄂𓏏𓐰𓏤𓆑𓂋𓄖𓆑𓐰𓏭𓏇𓇋𓅠𓅓𓇋𓇋𓏏𓅓𓏞𓏛

Mouseia

Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from all 194 numbered records across papyrus sections 4–19 of the complete extant Papyrus Prisse P witness for fidelity, clarity, structure, imagery, and cadence.

(19.1) concerning what those who know him have said, “Indeed, the one born to him is excellent,” your lord will trust your heart.

(19.2) At the time appointed for you to speak, you shall say this thing without excess; then the officials will say:

(19.3) “What comes from his mouth is good.” And when your lord says of you, “How excellent is the teaching of his father—

(19.4) his father, from whose very body he came! He spoke to him while he was still in the womb; what he has done for him is greater

(19.5) than what was said to him by you.” A good son is a god’s gift: he surpasses what his master tells him; he does what is right,

(19.6) his heart acting in accordance with his nature. Come, then, and reach me with your body sound, while the king is content with all that has come to pass.

(19.7) May you spend years in life without diminution. What I have done upon earth is no small thing: I attained one hundred and ten years of life, granted me by the king,

(19.8) with honors from the king surpassing those of the forebears, through doing what is right for the king, until reaching the place of reverence.

(19.9) It has come from its beginning to its end, as found in writing.

Mouseia

Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 194 numbered records across papyrus sections 4–19 of the complete extant Papyrus Prisse P witness.

(19.1) —because he listens to what they say. Moreover, the one born to him is praised by the king. Fill your heart—

(19.2) —with what I have told you. Speak these distinguished words, and then the officials will say—

(19.3) —when they have heard them, “What goodness has come from him!” Do what your lord tells you. How good is a father’s instruction:

(19.4) his son advances through it while his body remains sound. He has told him what benefits him while he holds office; doing it for him is greater than merely repeating to him—

(19.5) —what you have said. A good son is a god’s gift: he does more than what his lord tells him, and he acts rightly.

(19.6) His heart makes his steps fitting. May you reach old age with your body sound, while the king is satisfied with everything that has happened. May you complete—

(19.7) —your years of life without any being diminished. What I have done on earth is not small: I have attained 110 years of life, granted to me—

(19.8) —by the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, with honors surpassing those of the ancestors, through doing justice for the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, until reaching the state of one revered.

(19.9) It has come from its beginning to its end, just as it was found in writing.

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