The Tale of Sinuhe and Other Ancient Egyptian Poems 1940-1640 B.C.

by Parkinson, R. B.

• ISBN13: 9780192839664
• ISBN10: 0192839667
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-09-16
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Drawing on recent advances in Egyptology, R. B. Parkinson's new translations bring to life for the modern reader the golden age of Egyptian fictional literature, the Middle Kingdom (c. 1940-1640 BC). The book features The Tale of Sinuhe, acclaimed as the masterpiece of Egyptian poetry, which tells of a courtier's adventures after he flees Egypt. Other works include stories of fantastic wonders from the court of the builder of the Great Pyramid, a lyrical dialogue between a man and his soul on the nature of death and the problem of suffering, and teachings about the nature of virtue and wisdom, one of which is bitterly spoken from the grave by the assassinated king Amenemhat I, founder of the Twelfth Dynasty. A general introduction discusses the historical context of the poetry, the nature of poetry, and the role of literature in ancient Egyptian culture., while a full set of notes explicates allusions, details of mythology, place-names, and the like. Parkinson's book provides, for the first time, a literary reading to enable these poems to entertain and instruct the modern reader, as they did their original audiences three-and-a-half thousand years ago.

Author Biography

R. B. Parkinson is Assistant Keeper in the Department of Egyptian Antiquities at the British Museum.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix	(3)
Note on the Translations	xii	(3)
Select Bibliography	xv	(16)
Chronology	xxxi	(2)
Map	xxxiii
INTRODUCTION	1	(20)
TALES	21	(110)
1 The Tale of Sinuhe	21	(33)
2 The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant	54	(35)
3 The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor	89	(13)
4 The Tale of King Cheops' Court	102	(29)
DISCOURSES	131	(72)
5 The Words of Neferti	131	(13)
6 The Words of Khakheperreseneb	144	(7)
7 The Dialogue of a Man and his Soul	151	(15)
8 The Dialogue of Ipuur and the Lord of All	166	(37)
TEACHINGS	203	(84)
9 The Teaching of King Amenemhat	203	(9)
10 The Teaching for King Merikare	212	(23)
11 The `Loyalist' Teaching	235	(11)
12 The Teaching of the Vizier Ptahhotep	246	(27)
13 The Teaching of Khety	273	(14)
PHRASES AND FRAGMENTS	287	(10)
14 Phrases and Fragments	287	(10)
Glossary	297