Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I Quotes

“Death is before me today
Like a sick man’s recovery,
Like going outdoors after confinement.
Death is before me today
Like the fragrance of myrrh,
Like sitting under sail on breeze day.
Death is before me today
Like the fragrance of lotus.
Like sitting on the shore of drunkenness.
Death is before me today
Like a well-trodden way,
Like a man’s coming home from warfare.
Death is before me today
Like the clearing of the sky.
As when a man discovers what he ignored. Death is before me today
Like a man’s longing to see his home
When he has spent many years in captivity”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“But your laziness leads you astray;
your greed makes you dumb;
your gluttony makes enemies for you.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“The cardinal virtues are self-control, moderation,
kindness, generosity, justice, and truthfulness tempered by discretion”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“There was retribution for what I had done, For it is evil to destroy,
Useless to restore what one has damaged, To rebuild what one has demolished.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Good nature is a man’s heaven,
The cursing of the [furious] is painful.
If you are skilled in speech, you will win,
The tongue is [a king’s] sword;
Speaking is stronger than all fighting,
The skillful is not overcome.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“As to everyone on whom I placed my hand, no misfortune ever befell him, because my heart was sealed and my counsel excellent. But as to any fool, any wretch, who stands up in opposition. I shall give according as he gives. “O woe,” will be said of one who is accused by me, his will take water like a boat. For I am a champion without peer!

THE FIRST PART OF THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ANKHTIFI”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAHHOTEP
Part IV

If you are mighty, gain respect through knowledge
And through gentleness of speech.
Don’t command except as is fitting,
He who provokes gets into trouble.
Don't be haughty, lest you be humbled,
Don’t be mute, lest you be chided.
When you answer one who is fuming,
Avert your face, control yourself.
The flame of the hot-heart sweeps across.
He who steps gently, his path is paved.
He who frets all day has no happy moment,
He who’s gay all day can’t keep house.

Don’t oppose a great man’s action.
Don’t vex the heart of one who is burdened;
If he gets angry at him who foils him,
The ka will part from him who loves him.
Yet he is the provider along with the god,
What he wishes should be done for him.
When he turns his face back to you after raging,
There will be peace from his ka;
As ill will comes from opposition,.
So goodwill increases love.

Teach the great what is useful to him,
Be his aid before the people;
If you Set his knowledge impress his lord,
Your sustenance will come from his ka
As the favorite's belly is filled.
So your back will be clothed by it,
And his help will be there sustain you.
For your superior whom you love
And who lives by it,
He in turn will give you good support.
Thus will love of you endure
In the belly of those who love you,
He is a ka who loves to listen.

If you are a magistrate of standing.
Commissioned to satisfy the many,
Hew a straight line,
When you speak don't lean to one side.
Beware lest one complain:
“Judges, he distorts the matter!”
And your deed turns into a judgment (of you).

If you are angered by misdeed.
Lean toward a man account of his rightness;
Pass it over, don’t recall it,
Since he was silent to you the first day

If you are great after having been humble,
Have gained wealth after having been poor
In the past, in a town which you know,
Knowing your former condition.
Do not put trust in your wealth,
Which came to you as gift of god;
So that you will not fall behind one like you,
To whom the same has happened,

Bend your back to your superior,
Your overseer from the palace;
Then your house will endure in its wealth.
Your rewards in their right place.
Wretched is he who opposes a superior,
One lives as long as he is mild,
Baring the arm does not hurt it
Do not plunder a neighbor’s house,
Do not steal the goods of one near you,
Lest he denounce you before you are heard
A quarreler is a mindless person,
If he is known as an aggressor
The hostile man will have trouble in the neighborhood.

This maxim is an injunction against illicit sexual intercourse. It is
very obscure and has been omitted here.

If you probe the character of a friend,
Don’t inquire, but approach him,
Deal with him alone,
So as not to suffer from his manner.
Dispute with him after a time,
Test his heart in conversation;
If what he has seen escapes him,
If he does a thing that annoys you,
Be yet friendly with him, don’t attack;
Be restrained, don’t let fly,
Don’t answer with hostility,
Neither part from him nor attack him;
His time does not fail to come,
One does not escape what is fated

Be generous as long as you live,
What leaves the storehouse does not return;
It is the food to be shared which is coveted.
One whose belly is empty is an accuser;
One deprived becomes an opponent,
Don’t have him for a neighbor.
Kindness is a man’s memorial
For the years after the function.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“THE INSTRUCTION OF PTAHHOTEP
Part II

If you are one among guests
At the table of one greater than you,
Take what he gives as it is set before you;
Look at what is before you,
Don’t shoot many glances at him,
Molesting him offends the ka.
Don’t speak to him until he summons,
One does not know what may displease;
Speak when he has addressed you,
Then your words will please the heart.
The nobleman, when he is behind food,
Behaves as his ka commands him;
He will give to him whom he favors,
It is the custom when night has come.
It is the ka that makes his hands reach out,
The great man gives to the chosen man;
Thus eating is under the counsel of god,
A fool is who complains of it.

If you are a man of trust,
Sent by one great man to another,
Adhere to the nature of him who sent you.
Give his message as he said it.
Guard against reviling speech,
Which embroils one great with another;
Keep to the truth, don't exceed it,
But an outburst should not be repeated.
Do not malign anyone,
Great or small, the ka abhors it.

If you plow and there’s growth in the field,
And god lets it prosper in your hand,
Do not boast at your neighbors’ side,
One has great respect for the silent man:
Man of character is man of wealth.
If he robs he is like a crocodile in court.
Don’t impose on one who is childless,
Neither decry nor boast of it;
There is many a father who has grief,
And a mother of children less content than another;
It is the lonely whom god fosters,
While the family man prays for a follower.

If you are poor, serve a man of worth,
That all your conduct may be well with the god.
Do not recall if he once was poor,
Don’t be arrogant toward him
For knowing his former state;
Respect him for what has accrued to him.
For wealth does not come by itself.
It is their law for him whom they love,
His gain, he gathered it himself ;
It is the god who makes him worthy
And protects him while he sleeps.

Follow your heart as long as you live,
Do no more than is required,
Do not shorten the time of “follow-the-heart,”
Trimming its moment offends the ka
Don’t waste time on daily cares
Beyond providing for your household;
When wealth has come, follow your heart,
Wealth does no good if one is glum!

If you are a man of worth
And produce a son by the grace of god,
If he is straight, takes after you,
Takes good care of your possessions.
Do for him all that is good,
He is your son, your ka begot him,
Don’t withdraw your heart from him.
But an offspring can make trouble:
If he strays, neglects your counsel,
Disobeys all that is said,
His mouth spouting evil speech,
Punish him for all his talk
They hate him who crosses you,
His guilt was fated in the womb;
He whom they guide can not go wrong,
Whom they make boatless can not cross.

If you are in the antechamber,
Stand and sit as fits your rank
Which was assigned you the first day.
Do not trespass — you will be turned back,
Keen is the face to him who enters announced,
Spacious the seat of him who has been called.
The antechamber has a rule,
All behavior is by measure;
It is the god who gives advancement,
He who uses elbows is not helped.

If you are among the people,
Gain supporters through being trusted
The trusted man who does not vent his belly’s speech,
He will himself become a leader,
A man of means — what is he like ?
Your name is good, you are not maligned,
Your body is sleek, your face benign,
One praises you without your knowing.
He whose heart obeys his belly
Puts contempt of himself in place of love,
His heart is bald, his body unanointed;
The great-hearted is god-given,
He who obeys his belly belongs to the enemy.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Cleanse yourself before your (own) eyes,
Lest another cleanse you.
When you prosper, found your household,
Take a hearty wife, a son will be born you.
It is for the son you build a house,
When you make a place for yourself.
Make good your dwelling in the graveyard,
Make worthy your station in the West.
Given that death humbles us,
Given that life exalts us,
The house of death is for life.
Seek for yourself well-watered fields,
Choose for him, a plot among your fields,
Well-watered every year.
He profits you more than your own son,
Prefer him even to your [heir].

The Instruction of Prince Hardjedef”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Do your things on earth as your heart commands!
When there comes to you that day of mourning,
The Weary-hearted hears not their mourning, Wailing saves no man from the pit!”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Forgetfulness profits you,
Follow your heart as long as you live!”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“The scribe is regarded as one who hears,
For the hearer becomes a doer.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“The day in school will profit you
Its works are for ever.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Do not answer with the answer of silence!
Do not attack one who does not attack you.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“No sleeper whom you have wakened,
None downcast whom you have roused,
None whose shut mouth you have opened, None ignorant whom you gave knowledge. None foolish whom you have taught.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Don’t brood on what has not yet come, nor rejoice at what has not yet happened.
The patient man prolongs friendship;
he who destroys a case will not be trusted.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“No hasty man attains excellence,
No impatient man is leaned upon.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“A man who saw has turned blind,
A hearer deaf,
A leader now leads astray!”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“To whom shall I speak today ?
Brothers are mean,
The friends of today do not love.
To whom shall I speak today?
Hearts are greedy,
Everyone robs his comrade's goods.
To whom shall I speak today ?
Kindness has perished,
Insolence assaults everyone.
To whom shall I speak today ?
One is content with evil,
Goodness is cast to the ground everywhere. To whom shall I speak today?
He who should enrage men by his crimes — He makes everyone laugh at his evildoing. To whom shall I speak today ?
Men plunder,
Everyone robs his comrade.
To whom shall I speak today ?
The criminal is one’s intimate,
The brother with whom one dealt is a foe.
To whom shall I speak today ?
The past is not remembered,
Now one does not help him who helped.
To whom shall I speak today ?
Brothers are mean,
One goes to strangers for affection.
To whom shall I speak today?
Faces are blank,
Everyone turns his face from his brothers.
To whom shall I speak today ?
Hearts are greedy,
No man’s heart can be relied on.
To whom shall I speak today ?
None are righteous,
The land is left to evildoers.
To whom shall I speak today ?
One lacks an intimate,
One resorts to an unknown to complain.
To whom shall I speak today ?
No one is cheerful,
He with whom one walked is no more.
To whom shall I speak today ?
I am burdened with grief
For lack of an intimate.
To whom shall I speak today ?
Wrong roams the earth,
And ends not.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“See, the Serpent is taken from its hole,
The secrets of Egypt's kings are bared.
See, the residence is fearful from want.
Men stir up strife unopposed.
See, the land is tied up in gangs,
The coward is emboldened to seize his goods.
See, the Serpent the dead.
He who could not make a coffin owns a tomb.
See, those who owned tombs are cast on high ground,
He who could not make a grave owns a treasury.
See now, the transformations of people,
He who did not build a hut is an owner of coffers.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Lo, there is much hatred in the streets,
The wise says, “Yes,”
the fool says, “No,”
The ignorant is satisfied.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Citizens come and go in desolation.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“The robber owns riches, [the noble] is a thief.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Men’s slaves, their hearts are greedy,
The great do not mingle with their people when they rejoice.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“The sundisk, covered, shines not for people to see,
One cannot live when clouds conceal.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“But no one is strong at night;
no one can fight alone;
no success is achieved without a helper.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“For no man has adherents on the day of woe.
I gave to the beggar, I raised the orphan,
I gave success to the poor as to the wealthy..”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“He will find no favor on the day of woe.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Make your monuments [worthy] of the god, This keeps alive their maker’s name,..”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms

“Choose a man on account of his skills.”
― Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms