Khety, son of Duauf (attributed) · Complete work
Washers, Bird Catchers, and Fishermen
Washers, Bird Catchers, and Fishermen of 7. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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8.1 𓂻𓈖𓆑𓍙𓆑𓂡𓆑𓅭𓏏𓏤𓆑𓅨𓂋𓈙𓇳𓏤𓆑𓈙𓂝𓂧𓄦𓌪𓂡𓃀𓅱𓏏𓐎𓏥𓆑𓎛𓃀𓋴𓅱𓍱𓏥𓋸𓅱𓅱𓏛𓂡𓀀𓏥𓃀𓇋𓈖𓅪𓇓𓅱𓂋𓋴𓏭𓈐𓆑nn ={f} ḫsf =f zꜣ,t =f wrš =f ⟨⸮ḥr?⟩ šꜥd ⟨jz⟩ bw,t =f ⟨pw⟩ ḥbs,w ṯbww{.pl} bjn sw rsj ={f} ⟨ẖr⟩ ⟨dbḥ⟩ =⟨f⟩
8.2 𓅓𓅱𓍑𓄿𓏛𓆑𓅱𓍑𓄿𓏛𓀀𓅓𓂝𓆞𓄿𓅱𓄓𓏥𓊪𓊃𓎛𓏏𓎺𓄑𓀁𓏥𓆑𓇋𓄟𓋴𓂓𓄿𓅱𓄛𓏥𓅹𓏏𓏭𓅂𓂡𓀀𓏥𓁷𓏤𓅹𓏏𓏭𓂡𓀀𓏥𓁷𓏤[⯑]m ⟨nḥḥ⟩ wḏꜣ =f wḏꜣ =j m-ꜥ ẖꜣ,wt.pl psḥ.t =f ⟨m⟩ {j}mskꜣ.w.pl rḫt,j{.pl} ḥr rḫt{.pl} ḥr mr[y],t
8.3 𓋴𓐟𓄿𓎛𓃃𓂻𓇾𓏤𓈇𓅓𓏃𓈖𓏏𓏭𓍘𓇋𓇋𓏏𓊛𓆊𓏥𓉐𓂋𓂻𓆑𓇋𓏏𓆑𓀀𓁷𓏤𓈗𓂜𓈖𓍙𓆑𓂡𓆑𓅭𓏏𓏤𓆑𓂜𓈖𓇋𓄿𓅱𓏏𓊑𓏛𓏥𓊵𓏏𓊪𓏛𓏥sꜣḥ-tꜣ m ḫnt,y{t}.pl pri̯ ={f} jt ḥr mw ⟨ꜥḏ⟩ nn ḫsf =f zꜣ,t =f nn jꜣw,t ḥtp(.t)
8.4 𓅓𓁷𓂋𓏤𓎡𓅓𓂝𓏏𓈖𓏌𓅱𓌙𓅯𓏛𓏥𓇋𓄿𓅱𓏏𓊑𓏛𓏥𓎟𓏏𓈙𓃀𓃀𓏴𓈇𓏥𓁷𓏤𓈙𓃀𓈖𓏌𓅱𓏴𓏛𓏥𓁷𓏤𓆑𓀀𓀀𓆑𓂞𓂞𓆑m-ḥr =k m{ꜥ} tnw(.t) ⟨r⟩ jꜣw,t nb.t šbb ḥr šbn ḥr ={f} ⟨ḥs⟩ ={j} ={j} ={f} ⟨nn⟩ ⟨ꜥ,t⟩ ⟨wꜥb(.t)⟩ ⟨jm⟩ =⟨f⟩ ḏḏ =f
8.5 𓅓𓂧𓄿𓇋𓅱𓈀𓏤𓍱𓊃𓏏𓁐𓈞𓏏𓁐𓏥𓐍𓂋𓃹𓈖𓈖𓆑𓅓𓍖𓏤𓅪𓏥𓂋𓅓𓇋𓇋𓁺𓎡𓅨𓂋𓈙𓇳𓏤𓆑𓅓𓂝𓎼𓄿𓏏𓆱𓇋𓅱𓀀𓏎𓈖𓈖𓀀𓇋𓅓𓎡𓆓𓂧𓏏𓅱⟨sw⟩ m dꜣj,w z,t-ḥm,t{.pl} ḫr wnn =f m ḥzmn =⟨st⟩ rmi̯.y ={k} =⟨f⟩ wršu̯ =f ⟨m⟩ mgꜣ,t jw =j jn{n} =j jm =k ḏd =tw ⟨šꜣm⟩
8.6 𓈖𓎡𓅓𓋴𓐍𓂋𓅱𓀒𓂡𓊃𓊪𓊗𓂏𓇋𓅓𓎡𓊠𓂝𓅱𓅻𓏛𓂡𓀀𓏥𓄿𓊪𓂧𓅱𓅯𓏥𓋴𓆑𓈖𓂧𓂉𓏤𓄹𓆑𓂋𓏤𓋴𓏭𓈐𓃀𓅱𓅠𓅓𓏛𓆑n =k m sḫr sp,t jm =k wḥꜥ{.pl} ꜣpd.w.pl {s}fn{d} =f rʾ-sj ((bw)) gmi̯ =f ⟨jr,j.pl-p,t⟩
8.7 𓇋𓂋𓏴𓅱𓅱𓈇𓏤𓅓𓁷𓏤𓎡𓐍𓂋𓆑𓆓𓂧𓆑𓇉𓄿𓈖𓏥𓂋𓏤𓀁𓇋𓄿𓂧𓏏𓏴𓍱𓏥𓂜𓈖𓂋𓂝𓅱𓄣𓏤𓊹𓅆𓆣𓂋𓅱𓇋𓀾𓏛𓏥𓆑𓅱𓋴𓄿𓆑𓏏𓅯𓅪𓏥𓋴𓐍𓂋𓅱𓏛𓏥𓆑jr swꜣ ⟨ẖnm,w⟩ m-ḥr ={k} =⟨f⟩ ḫr =f ḏd =f ḥꜣ~n~rʾ jꜣd,t nn rḏi̯{w} jb nṯr ḫpr,w =f wsfꜣ{t} sḫr.w =f
8.8 𓆓𓂧𓀀𓈖𓎡𓏇𓇋𓊠𓂝𓅱𓅻𓏛𓂡𓀀𓏥𓂋𓂋𓅓𓅱𓆝𓏥𓋴𓆑𓈖𓂧𓂉𓏤𓄹𓆑𓂋𓇋𓄿𓅱𓏏𓊑𓏛𓏥𓎟𓏏𓂜𓈖𓃹𓈖𓅓𓅡𓎡𓅱𓏛𓏥𓅓𓇋𓏏𓅱𓂋𓏥𓈘𓈇𓈙𓃀𓈖𓏌𓅱𓏴𓏛𓏥ḏd =j n =k mj wḥꜥ{.pl} rrm.w.pl {s}fn{d} =f r jꜣw,t nb.t nn-wn m bꜣk.w =⟨f⟩ m jtrw šbn
8.9 𓎛𓈖𓂝𓅓𓋴𓎛𓅱𓆊𓏥𓇋𓂋𓐍𓃀𓅯𓄿𓐎𓂝𓏏𓅱𓋬𓂧𓇋𓇋𓏏𓈇𓏤𓈖𓏏𓏭𓐍𓂋𓃹𓈖𓈖𓅓𓈖𓐍𓅱𓏏𓀁𓏥𓂜𓈖𓆓𓂧𓈖𓏏𓅱𓅓𓋴𓎛𓅱𓆊ḥnꜥ msḥ.w.pl jr ḫbꜣ.tw dmḏ,yt n.tj ⟨jp,t⟩ =⟨f⟩ ḫr wnn =⟨f⟩ m nḫ,wt nn ḏd.n =tw msḥ
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Egyptian, line for line, covering all 69 lines of Papyrus Sallier II, pages 3–11, from the title to the closing sentence, 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).
8.1 He cannot keep his daughter safe. He spends the day cutting reeds; clothes are hateful to him. The sandal-maker fares badly, burdened with his jars.
8.2 If he remains unharmed, I shall remain unharmed by corpses. What he bites is animal hides. The washerman washes on the riverbank;
8.3 the crocodiles are his neighbors. When the father goes out upon the rushing water, he cannot protect his daughter. Is there no profession you find satisfying
8.4 above all the rest? Whoever handles filth in his washing has no clean limb left on him. When he wears a woman’s kilt,
8.5 he is among her menstrual blood. He longs to weep, spending the day with his washing bat. I turn to you. People say, “The dirty laundry is yours.”
8.6 Do not let the riverbank collapse beneath you! The bird catcher fares miserably: he finds no birds of the sky.
8.7 When flocks pass before him, he says, “If only I had a net!” The heart of the god will not permit his change of fortune, for his plans are feeble.
8.8 I will tell you also of the fisherman. He is more miserable than men of any other profession. His work is in the river, amid
8.9 crocodiles. When the sum of his dues is deducted, he must lament. No one can say, “The crocodile is there,” for fear has blinded him.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same Egyptian text, line for line, covering all 69 lines of Papyrus Sallier II, pages 3–11, from the title to the closing sentence.
8.1 He cannot keep his daughter safe. He spends the day cutting reeds. He hates clothes. The sandal maker is badly off, carrying his containers of oil.
8.2 If he comes out unharmed, I too will be safe from corpses. He bites animal hides. The laundry worker washes clothes on the riverbank.
8.3 His neighbors are crocodiles. If the father goes into the rushing water, he cannot keep his daughter safe. Is there no occupation you find satisfying above all the others?
8.4 Anyone who works mixing filth has no clean part of his body. If he wears a woman's linen kilt, he will be in her menstrual blood.
8.5 He wants to cry because he spends the whole day with the laundry beater. I turn to you. People say, “The dirty laundry is yours.
8.6 Don't let the riverbank give way under you!” The bird catcher is in a very bad state. He cannot find any birds.
8.7 When flocks fly past him, he says, “If only I had a net!” God's heart will not let him change his situation, because his plans are careless.
8.8 I will tell you about the fisherman too. He is worse off than workers in any other occupation. All his work is in the river, mixed with
8.9 crocodiles. When the total of what he must pay is calculated, he has to complain. No one can say, “A crocodile is there!”