<h2>THE SHIPWRECKED SAILOR</h2>
<p>GOING TO WAWAT</p>
<p>XIITH DYNASTY <i>THE SHIPWRECKED SAILOR</i> THE
wise servant said, " Let <i>thy</i> heart be satisfied, O my lord, for
that we have come back to the country; after we have long been on board,
and rowed much, the prow has at last touched land. All the people rejoice,
and embrace us one after another. Moreover, we have come back in good
health, and not a man is lacking; although we have been to the ends of
Wawat, and gone through the land of Senmut, we have returned in peace, and
our land—behold, we have come back to it. Hear me, my lord; I have no other refuge. Wash thee, and turn
the water over thy ringers; then go and tell the tale to the majesty."
His lord replied, "Thy heart continues still its
wandering words! but although the mouth of a man may save him, his words
may also cover his face with confusion. Wilt thou do then as thy heart
moves thee? This that thou wilt say, tell quietly " The sailor then answered, "Now I shall tell that which
has happened to me, to my very self I was going to the mines of Pharaoh,
and I went down on the sea on a ship of 150 cubits long and 40 cubits
wide, with 150 sailors of the best of Egypt, who had seen heaven and
earth, and whose hearts were stronger than lions. They had said that the
wind would not be contrary, or that there would be none. But as we
approached the land the wind arose, and threw up waves eight cubits high.
As for me, I seized a piece of wood; but those who were in the vessel
perished, without one remaining. A wavethrew me on an island, after that I had been three
days alone, without a companion beside my own heart. I laid me in a
thicket, and the shadow covered me. Then stretched I my limbs to try to
find something for my mouth. I found there figs and grapes, all manner of
good herbs, berries and grain, melons of all kinds, fishes and birds.
Nothing was lacking. And I satisfied myself; and left on the ground that
which was over, of what my arms had been filled withal. I dug a pit, I
lighted a fire, and I made a burnt-offering unto the gods. "Suddenly I heard a noise as of thunder, which I thought
to be that of a wave of the sea. The trees shook, and the earth was moved.
I uncovered my face, and I saw that a serpent drew near. He was thirty
cubits long, and his beard greater than two cubits; his body was as
overlayed with gold, and his colour as that of true lazuli. He coiled
himself before me. "Then he opened his
mouth, while that I lay on my face before him, and he said to me,
'What has brought thee, what has brought thee, little one, what has
brought thee? If thou sayest not speedily what has brought thee to this
isle, I will make thee know thyself; as a flame thou shalt vanish, if thou
tellest me not something I have not heard, or which I knew not, before
thee.' "Then he took me in his mouth and
carried me to his resting-place, and layed me down without any hurt. I was
whole and sound, and nothing was gone from me. Then he opened his mouth
against me, while that I lay on my face before him, and he said, 'What has
brought thee, what has brought thee, little one, what has brought thee to
this isle which is in the sea, and of which the shores are in the midst of
the waves?' "Then I replied to him, and
holding my arms low before him, I said to him, 'I was embarked for the
mines by the order of the majesty, in a ship, 150 cubits was its length,</p>
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<div class="fig"> <ANTIMG src="images/p1-14.jpg" alt="p1-14.jpg" width-obs="100%" /><br/></div>
<p>THE INQUIRYand the width of it 40 cubits. It had 150 sailors
of the best of Egypt, who had seen heaven and earth, and the hearts of
whom were stronger than lions. They said that the wind would not be
contrary, or that there would be none. Each of them exceeded his companion
in the prudence of his heart and the strength of his arm, and I was not
beneath any of them. A storm came upon us while we were on the sea. Hardly
could we reach to the shore when the wind waxed yet greater, and the waves
rose even eight cubits. As for me, I seized a piece of wood, while those
who were in the boat perished without one being left with me for three
days. Behold me now before thee, for I was brought to this isle by a wave
of the sea.' "Then said he to me, 'Fear
not, fear not, little one, and make not thy face sad. If thou hast come to
me, it is God who has let thee live. For it is He who has brought thee to
this isle of the blest, where nothing is lacking, and which is filled with
all good things. See now, thou
shalt pass one month</p>
<div class="fig"> <ANTIMG src="images/p1-15.jpg" alt="p1-15.jpg" width-obs="100%" /><br/></div>
<p>after another, until thou shalt be four months in
this isle. Then a ship shall come from thy land with sailors, and thou
shalt leave with them and go to thy country, and thou shalt die in thy</p>
<p>town. '"Converse is</p>
<div class="fig"> <ANTIMG src="images/p1-16.jpg" alt="p1-16.jpg" width-obs="100%" /><br/></div>
<p>pleasing, and he who
tastes of it passes over his misery.I will therefore tell thee of that which is in
this isle. I am here with my brethren and my children around me; we are
seventy-five serpents, children, and kindred; without naming a young girl
who was brought unto me by chance, and on whom the fire of heaven fell,
and burnt her to ashes. "'As for thee if
thou art strong, and if thy heart waits patiently, thou shalt press thy
infants to thy bosom and embrace thy wife. Thou shalt return to thy house
which is full of all good things, thou shalt see thy land, where thou
shalt dwell in the midst of thy kindred.' "Then
I bowed, in my obeisance, and I touched the ground before him. 'Behold now
that which I have told thee before. I shall tell of thy presence unto
Pharaoh, I shall make him to know of thy greatness, and I will bring to
thee of the sacred oils and perfumes, and of incense of the temples with
which all gods are honoured. I shall tell, moreover, of that which I do
now see</p>
<p>(thanks to him), and there shall be rendered to
thee praises before the fulness of all the land. I shall slay asses for
thee in sacrifice, I shall pluck for thee the birds, and I shall bring for
thee ships full of all kinds of the treasures of Egypt, as is comely to do
unto a god, a friend of men in a far country, of which men know not.'
"Then he smiled at my speech, because of that
which was in his heart, for he said to me, <i>'</i>Thou art not rich in
perfumes, for all that thou hast is but common incense. As for me I am
prince of the land of Punt, and I have perfumes. Only the oil which thou
sayedst thou wouldest bring is not common in this isle. But, when thou
shalt depart from this place, thou shalt never more see this isle; it
shall be changed into waves.' "And, behold,
when the ship drew near, according to all that he had told me before, I
got me up into an high tree, to strive to see those who were within it.
Then I came and told to him this matter; but it was alreadyknown unto him before. Then he said to me.
'Farewell, farewell, go to thy house, little one, see again thy children,
and let thy name be good in thy town; these are my wishes for thee.'</p>
<div class="fig"> <ANTIMG src="images/p1-17.jpg" alt="p1-17.jpg" width-obs="100%" /><br/></div>
<p>"Then I bowed myself before him, and held my arms
low before him, and he, he gave me gifts of precious perfumes, of cassia,
of sweet woods, of kohl, of cypress, an</p>
<p>abundance of incense, of ivory tusks, of baboons,
of apes, and all kind of precious things. I embarked all in the ship which
was come, and bowing myself, I prayed God for him. "Then he said to me, 'Behold thou shalt come to thy
country in two months, thou shalt press to thy bosom thy children, and
thou shalt rest in thy tomb.' After this I went down to the shore unto the
ship, and I called to the sailors who were there. Then on the shore I
rendered adoration to the master of this isle and to those who dwelt
therein. "When we shall come, in our
return, to the house of Pharaoh, in the second month, according to all
that the serpent has said, we shall approach unto the palace. And I shall
go in before Pharaoh, I shall bring the gifts which I have brought from
this isle into the country. Then he shall thank me before the fulness of
all the land. Grant then unto me a follower, and lead me to the courtiers
ofthe king. Cast thy eye upon me, after that I am
come to land again, after that I have both seen and proved this. Hear my
prayer, for it is good to listen to people. It was said unto me, 'Become a
wise man, and thou shalt come to honour,' and behold I have become such."
This is finished from its beginning unto its end,
even as it was found in a writing. It is written by the scribe of cunning
fingers Ameni-amen-aa; may he live in life, wealth, and health!
<i>REMARKS</i> This tale is only known in one copy,
preserved in the Hermitage collection at St. Petersburg. The papyrus has
not yet been published, either in facsimile or transcription. But two
translations of it have appeared by M. Golenischeff: from the earlier a
modified translation is given by Maspero in the "Contes Populaires," 2nd
edit., pp. 133-146, and the later translation is in M. Golenischeff's
excellent</p>
<p>"Inventaire de la collection Egyptienne (Ermitage
Imperial)," p. 177-182. The tale is that of
a returned sailor, speaking to his superior and telling his adventures, to
induce him to send him on with an introduction to the king. At first his
master professes to disbelieve him, and then the sailor protests that this
happened to himself, and gives his narrative. The idea of an enchanted
island, which has risen from the waves and will sink again, is here found
to be one of the oldest plots for a tale of marvels. But the construction
is far more advanced than that of the tales of the magicians. The family
of serpents and the manner of the great serpent is well conceived, and
there are many fine touches of literary quality: such as noise as of
thunder, the trees shaking and the earth being moved at the appearance of
the great serpent—the speeches of the serpent and his threat—the
sailors who had seen heaven and earth—the contempt of the serpent
for his offerings."As for me, I am prince of the land of Punt, and I
have perfumes"—and the scene of departure. All of these points show
a firm hand and practised taste, although there is still a style of
simplicity clinging to it which agrees well to its date in the XIIth
Dynasty. The great serpent is not of a type
usual in Egyptian designs. The human-headed uraeus is seldom bearded; and
the best example of such a monster is on an Ethiopian temple, where a
great uraeus has human arms and a lion's head. The colours again repeat
the favourite combination expressive of splendour—gold and lazuli.
Though lazuli is very rare in early times, yet it certainly was known in
the XIIth Dynasty, as shown by the forms of some beads of lazuli.
The slaughter of asses in sacrifice is a very
peculiar offering, and no sign of this is found in any representations or
groups of offerings.</p>
<p>The colophon of the copyist at the end shows by
the style of the name that it belongs to the earlier part of the XIIth
Dynasty, and if so, the composition might be referred to the opening of
foreign trade under Sankhkara or Amenemhat I.</p>
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