The Famine Stela
(Translation from M. Lichtheim. Ancient
Egyptian Literature: A Book of Readings. Vol. 3, pp. 94-100.)
Year 18 of Horns:
Neterkhet; the King of Upper
and Lower Egypt: Neterkhet; Two Ladies: Neterkhet; Gold-Horus: Djoser; under the Count, Prince, Governor of the
domains of the South, Chief of the Nubians in Yebu, Mesir. There was brought to
him this royal decree. To let you know:
I was in mourning on
my throne,
Those of the palace
were in grief,
My heart was in great
affliction,
Because Hapy had
failed to come in time
In a period of seven
years.
Grain was scant,
Kernels were dried up,
Scarce was every kind
of food.
Every man robbed his
twin,
Those who entered did
not go.
Children cried,
Youngsters fell,
The hearts of the old
were grieving;
Legs drawn up, they
hugged the ground,
Their arms clasped
about them.
Courtiers were needy,
Temples were shut,
Shrines covered with
dust,
Everyone was in
distress.
I directed my heart to
turn to the past,
I consulted one of the
staff of the Ibis,
The chief
lector-priest of Imhotep,
Son of Ptah South-of-his-Wall:
"In which place
is Hapy born?
Which is the town of
the Sinuous one?
Which god dwells
there?
That he might join
with me."
He stood: "I
shall go to Mansion-of-the-Net,
It is designed to
support a man in his deeds;
I shall enter the House
of Life,
Unroll the Souls of
Re,
I shall be guided by
them."
He departed, he
returned to me quickly,
He let me know the
flow of Hapy,
His shores and all the
things they contain.
He disclosed to me the
hidden wonders,
To which the ancestors
had made their way,
And no king had
equaled them since.
He said to me:
"There is a town
in the midst of the deep,
Surrounded by Hapy,
Yebu by name;
It is first of the
first,
First nome to Wawat,
Earthly elevation,
celestial hill,
Seat of Re when he
prepares
To give life to every
face.
Its temple's name is
'Joy-of-life,'
'Twin Caverns' is the
water's name,
They are the breasts
that nourish all.
It is the house of
sleep of Hapy,
He grows young in it
in [his time],
[lt is the place
whence] he brings the flood:
Bounding up he
copulates,
As man copulates with
woman,
Renewing his manhood
with joy;
Coursing twenty-eight
cubits high,
He passes Sema-behdet
at seven.
Khnum is the god [who
rules] there,
[He is enthroned above
the deep],
His sandals resting on
the flood;
He holds the door bolt
in his hand,
Opens the gate as he
wishes.
He is eternal there as
Shu,
Bounty-giver,
Lord-of-fields,
So his name is called.
He has reckoned the
land of the South and the North,
To give parts to every
god;
It is he who governs barley,
[emmer],
Fowl and fish and all
one lives on.
Cord and scribal board
are there,
The pole is there with
its beam
. . . . . .
His temple opens
southeastward,
Re rises in its face
every day;
Its water rages on its
south for an iter,
A wall against the
Nubians each day.
There is a mountain
massif in its eastern region,
With precious stones
and quarry stones of all kinds,
All the things sought
for building temples
In Egypt, South and
North,
And stalls for sacred
animals,
And palaces for kings,
All statues too that
stand in temples and in shrines.
"Their
gathered products are set before the face of Khnum and around him; likewise
tall plants and flowers of all kinds that exist between Yebu and Senmut, and
are there on the east and the west.
"There
is in the midst of the river-covered by water at its annual flood-a place of
relaxation for every man who works the stones on its two sides.
"There is in the river, before this town of Yebu, a central
elevation of difficult body which is called grf-3bw.
"Learn the names of the gods and goddesses of the temple of
Khnum: Satis, Anukis, Hapy, Shu, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Horus, Isis, Nephthys.
"Learn the names of the stones that are there, lying in the
borderland: those that are in the east and the west, those [on the shores] of
Yebu's canal, those in Yebu, those in the east and west, and those in the
river: bhn, mt3y, mhtbtb, r'gs, wtSy in the east; prdn in the west; tSy in the west and in the river.
"The names of the precious stones of the quarries that are in
the upper region-some among them at a distance of four iter-are: gold. silver, copper, iron, lapis lazuli,
turquoise, thnt, red jasper, k', mnw, emerald, tm-ikr.
In addition, nSmt, t3-mhy, hm3gt, ibht, bks-'nh, green eye-paint, black eye-paint, carnelia, shrt,
mm, and ochre are within this township."
When I heard what was there my heart was guided. Having heard of the
flood <I> opened the wrapped books. <I> made a purification;
<I> conducted a procession of the hidden ones; <I> made a complete
offering of bread, beer, oxen, and fowl, and all good things for the gods and
goddesses in Yebu whose names had been pronounced.
As I slept in peace, I found the god standing before me. <I>
propitiated him by adoring him and praying to him. He revealed himself to me
with kindly face; he said:
"I am Khnum, your
maker!
My arms are around
you,
To steady your body,
To safeguard your
limbs.
I bestow on you stones
upon stones,
That were not found
before,
Of which no work was
made,
For building temples,
Rebuilding ruins,
Inlaying statues'
eyes.
For I am the master
who makes,
I am he who made
himself,
Exalted Nun, who first
came forth,
Hapy who hurries at
will;
Fashioner of
everybody,
Guide of each man in
his hour,
Tatenen, father of
gods,
Great Shu, high in
heaven!
The shrine I dwell in
has two lips,
When I open up the
well,
I know Hapy hugs the
field,
A hug that fills each
nose with life,
For when hugged the
field is reborn!
I shall make Hapy gush
for you,
No year of lack and
want anywhere,
Plants will grow
weighed down by their fruit;
With Renutet ordering
all,
All things are
supplied in millions!
I shall let your
people fill up,
They shall grasp
together with you!
Gone will be the
hunger years,
Ended the dearth in
their bins.
Egypt's people will come
striding,
Shores will shine in
the excellent flood,
Hearts will be happier
than ever before!"
The
Donation
I awoke with speeding heart. Freed of fatigue I made this decree on
behalf of my father Khnum. A royal offering to Khnum, lord of the cataract
region and chief of Nubia:
In return for what you have done for me, I offer you Manu as western
border, Bakhu as eastern border, from Yebu to Kemsat, being twelve iter on the east and the west, consisting of fields
and pastures, of the river, and of every place in these miles.
All tenants who cultivate the fields, and the vivifiers who irrigate
the shores and all the new lands that are in these miles, their harvests shall
be taken to your granary, in addition to your share which is in Yebu.
All fishermen, all hunters, who catch fish and trap birds and all
kinds of game, and all who trap Iions in the desert- I exact from them
one-tenth of the take of all of these, and all the young animals born of the
females in these miles [in their totality].
One shall give the branded animals for all burnt offerings and daily
sacrifices; and one shall give one-tenth of gold, ivory, ebony, carob wood,
ochre, carnelian, shrt, diw-plants,,nfw,-plants, all kinds of timber, (being) all the things brought by the
Nubians of Khent-hen-nefer' (to) Egypt, and (by) every man who comes with
arrears from them
No officials are to issue orders in these places or take anything
from them, for everything is to be protected for your sanctuary.
I grant you this domain with (its) stones and good soil. No person
there - - - - - - anything from it. But the scribes that belong to you and the
overseers of the South shall dwell there as accountants, listing everything
that the kiry-workers, and
the smiths, and the master craftsmen, and the goldsmiths, and the . . . and the Nubians, and the crew of Apiru,
and all corvˇe labor who fashion the stones, shall give of gold, silver,
copper, lead, baskets of . . .
firewood, the
things that every
man who works with them shall give as dues, namely one-tenth of all these. And
there shall be given one-tenth of the precious stones and quarrying stones that
are brought from the mountain side, being the stones of the east.
And there shall be an overseer who measures the quantities of gold,
silver, copper, and genuine precious stones, the things which the sculptors
shall assign to the gold house, <to> fashion the sacred images and to
refit the statues that were damaged, and any implements lacking there.
Everything shall be placed in the storehouse until one fashions anew, when one
knows everything that is lacking in your temple, so that it shall be as it was
in the beginning.
Engrave this decree on a stela of the sanctuary in writing, for it
happened as said, (and) on a tablet, so that the divine writings shall be on
them in the temple twice. He who spits (on it) deceitfully shall be given over
to punishment.
The overseers of the priests and the chief of all the temple
personnel shall make my name abide in the temple of Khnum-Re, lord of Yebu, ever-mighty.