Pharaoh sent one of the noble nobles of his country on a long voyage. But failure befell him, and he could not fulfill the command of Pharaoh. He returned to Egypt with nothing.
The nobleman looked at the shore with sadness: the wrath of the pharaoh frightened him. And then, to console him, an experienced warrior from his retinue turned to him.
And then the experienced warrior said:
- May your heart rejoice, my prince! So we reached the place where the Pharaoh’s court is located, took a mallet, drove in a mooring stake and threw it onto
bow rope ground. Everyone praises and glorifies God. The shipmen hug each other, because everyone returned safe and sound and there is no loss among our soldiers. We safely passed the rapids of Uauat, left behind the island of Senmut* and finally reached our country!
Listen to me, my prince! I will not tell you idle words.
Wash your face, rinse your fingers with water, and be ready to answer when asked. Speak to Pharaoh without fear, answer him without hesitation. A person’s lips save him, skillful speech evokes condescension towards him. However, do as you know, for I have told you this more than once.
Listen, I will tell you something about a misfortune similar to yours, but which happened to me.
I sailed to the mines of Pharaoh, I went down to the Great Green Sea* in a ship one hundred and twenty cubits long* and forty wide. There were one hundred and twenty shipmen on it, among the best in Egypt. They had seen the sky, they had seen the earth, and their hearts were braver than those of a lion. They knew how to predict storms long before they began, they foresaw a thunderstorm long before its approach.
But as we were sailing across the Great Green Sea, a storm suddenly broke out. A whirlwind came and raised a wave up to eight cubits high. The mast collapsed and knocked down the crest of the wave with a strong blow. The ship sank, and with it everyone who was on it. I was the only one carried by the waves of the Great Green Sea to the island.
I spent three days alone; only my heart was my comrade. Exhausted, I lay under a tree, trying to hide in its shade. Then I got up and set my feet in search of food. Soon I found figs and grapes, saw sycamores with ripe and ripening fruits, cucumbers as if grown
1 Uaut is a region of Northern Nubia near the first cataract of the Nile. Senmut Island - modern Bige, located in the area of the first threshold, was considered the border point of Egypt proper.
2 Great Green Sea - Red Sea.
3 A cubit is a measure of length equal to approximately 50 cm.
man, and other excellent vegetables. I also saw many birds, and all kinds of fish in the springs. There was no shortage of anything on this island! I was full, and what I had picked but could no longer eat, I put back on the ground. Then I made a projectile for making fire, lit a fire and offered a burnt offering to the gods.
But suddenly I heard a roar like thunder. I thought that this Great Green Sea had again crashed its waves onto the island, and in fear I covered my face with my hands. The trees around me cracked and the ground shook beneath me.
When I opened my face again, I saw that it was a serpent thirty cubits long and with a beard two cubits long. The rings of his body were covered with gold, his eyebrows were of pure lapis lazuli. He walked towards me, and his body wriggled.
I prostrated myself on my stomach before him, and he opened his mouth and said to me:
-Who brought you here? Who brought you here, little one? Who brought you? If you are slow to answer and do not tell me who brought you to this island, I will turn you into ashes, and you will taste it before you become nothing.
And I answered:
“You speak to me, but the meaning of your words is dark.” I lie in front of you in fear and understand nothing.
Then the serpent took me into his mouth and carried me to his dwelling. There he laid me on the ground so carefully that I remained alive and unharmed. Again I prostrated myself before the serpent on my belly, and he opened his mouth and said:
-Who brought you? Who brought you here? Who brought you here, little one? Who brought you to this island surrounded by the waters of the Great Green Sea?
I folded my hands in front of him and said in response to his words:
“By order of Pharaoh, I sailed to the mines on a ship one hundred and twenty cubits long and forty wide. One hundred and twenty shipmen were on it, among the best in Egypt. They saw the sky, they saw the earth, and their hearts were braver than those of a lion. They knew how to predict storms long before they began, they foresaw a thunderstorm long before its approach. There was one
stronger and braver than the other, and there were no ignorant among them. But as we sailed across the Great Green Sea, far from all shores, a storm suddenly broke out. A whirlwind came and raised a wave up to eight cubits high. The mast collapsed and knocked off the crest of the wave, but the ship sank, and with it everyone who remained on it. I alone was saved, and here I am in front of you. The waves of the Great Green Sea brought me to this island.
And then the serpent said:
- Don't be afraid of me, insignificant one, don't be afraid! Now that you are with me, there is no need for you to turn pale with fear. Apparently, God himself wanted you to stay alive, for it was he who directed you to this island of the Spirit, where there are so many excellent things and there is no shortage of anything. Here on this island you will live month after month until the fourth month is completed. And then a ship will come from your country, and there will be shipmen on it whom you know. You will return with them to your homeland and die in your city. And you will be happy when you start talking about what happened to you, when all the hard things are left behind.
Listen, I will tell you something about the misfortune that happened on this island. Here I lived with my brothers and children, and in all there were seventy-five snakes. There was also one girl among us, the daughter of a mere mortal, but I don’t count her. And then one day a star fell from the sky, and the flames engulfed everyone. This happened when I was not with them. They all burned down, and only I was saved. But when I saw this mountain of dead bodies, I myself almost died of grief.
So, if you are courageous, take control of yourself! Be brave, and you will hug your children, you will kiss your wife, you will see your home again - and what could be better than this? You will return to your city and live out the rest of your days among your brethren.
Prostrated before the serpent on my stomach, I touched my forehead to the ground and said to him:
“I will tell the Pharaoh about your power, I will tell him about your greatness.” I will order that the incense of hekenu, judeneb and hesait*, incense and aromatics be delivered to you
* Hekenu, iudeneb, hesait are the names of various aromatic substances.
tic resins that please the gods. I will tell everyone about what happened to me on this island and what I saw here thanks to your power. And they will praise you in my city before the council of nobles of the whole country. For you I will kill bulls and offer you a burnt offering. I will sacrifice birds to you. I will order ships to be sent to you, loaded with everything that is best in Egypt, and I will bring them to you as a gift, as to a god who is favorable to people in this distant country, about which they do not know.
And then the snake laughed at me, as if my words were meaningless, and said:
“You don’t have much myrrh, and you only have incense.” I am the lord of Punt, the land of incense, and all the myrrh belongs to me. As for the fragrant hekepu that you promise me, there is more of it on the island than anything else. But, having left my island, you will no longer find it, for this place will disappear under the waves.
And everything was as the snake predicted. A ship arrived at the island. I came to the shore, climbed a tall tree, saw the people who were on the ship, and recognized them.
Then I went to the snake to tell him about the ship, but I saw that he already knew everything.
The snake told me:
- Be healthy, be healthy, insignificant! You will return home safe to see your children! Glorify me in your city, that’s what I ask of you.
Then I prostrated myself on my stomach and folded my hands before him, and he allowed me to take the incense of hekenu, judeneb, hesait, tishepses, myrrh, black ointment for the eyes, giraffe tails, as much fragrant resin and incense as I wanted, ivory, hunting dogs, monkeys, baboons and many other most excellent things. And I loaded all this onto the ship.
Then I prostrated myself on my belly before the serpent to thank him. And then he said to me:
“In two months you will reach your country, you will hug your children, you will regain your youth in your homeland, and when the time comes, you will be buried according to custom.”
Then I went down to the shore, to the ship, and called out to the people who were on it. Standing on the shore, I thanked the ruler of this island, and those who were on the ship did the same. And then we sailed north.
Two months later, as the serpent predicted, we reached the place where the Pharaoh's court was. I came to Pharaoh and laid down before him all the gifts I had brought from that island. And Pharaoh thanked me before the council of nobles of the whole country, rewarded me with his slaves and accepted me into his retinue.
You see how much I saw, how much I endured until I returned to my country! Listen to me, I’m telling you this for a reason! It is helpful to listen to the words of others.
But the nobleman answered him:
- Don't be tricky with me, my friend. There is no need to feed a bird at night that will be slaughtered in the morning!
Here ends the story, as it was written down from beginning to end by Ameno, the son of Amen, a scribe with skillful fingers, may he be alive, safe and healthy!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru