Chester Beatty Papyrus

Chester Beatty Papyrus
Ancient Egyptian Love Songs

Ancient Egyptian Love Songs
Chester Beatty I Papyrus
English interpretation by Alan Humm

Collected songs from the ballad-mistress (verso) A.31-37
"Reticent Lovers"

In alternate stanze, a young man and a young woman sing of their love in separation.

As in many cultures, they call one another 'brother' and 'sister'

the man sings of her beauty, and his wish to approach her
the woman, separated, in the house of her mother, sings of her longing for his arrival
the man abandons hope of reaching her
the woman struggles with her desires
after seeing her, the man rejoices but is still separated
after seeing him, the woman sings of her hope that her mother might share her sentiment
seven days of separation have left the man sick: only she can cure him

[First Stanza]

Boy

a   There is no one like my sister,
    the most lovely of all women.
b   She is Sirius rising
       heralding the rising Nile.
      Shining, light-skinned, exquisite,
        her eyes constantly wandering.
c   Her lips speak sweetly
          but do not ramble.
     Her neck is long, her breasts white
        her hair lapis lazuli.
d   Her arms outshine gold,
        with lotus-fingers,
     full rear, narrow waist,
         and thighs that lead to splendor.
      Her stride is a magic-charm;
        my heart is bewitched in her embrace.
e   She’ll turn the head of any man
          who catches a glimpse of her.
      Any man who gets her into bed
           is indeed a master lover.
f   When she emerges
         it is like the emergence of the One.

Second Stanza

Girl

a. My brother's voice unsettles me
                leaves me feeling ill.
     He lives near my mother's house
        but I cannot go to him.
b   My mother is right to order,
          "Stop seeing him!"
      But my heart is in turmoil when I think of him;
        I cannot keep from loving him.
c   He may be crazy,
           but I am too.
     He must not know how I long to hold him
        or he would contact my mother.
d   O brother, I was chosen for you
          by the Golden One
     Come! Let me gaze at you;
          my parents will approve.
e   My people will welcome you in;
      They will honor you, my brother.

Third Stanza

Boy

a   I devised to drink in her beauty
          while sitting in her house.
     On the way, there was Mehy in his chariot,
        with his enchanted men in tow
        (how could I escape?).
b   Could I just walk on by?
But the Nile was the road -
     where could I put my feet?
        (O foolish heart,
        why are you so anxious to avoid Mehy?)
c   If I pass by him
               he will see where I am going!
     It is as good as surrendering to him.
        Then he will call my name,
      and put me in first place
        among his devotees.

Fourth Stanza

Girl

a   My hearts races
          When I think of you, love.
b   It throws ‘normal’ out the window
        and leaps out of its place.
       It won’t let me get dressed,
          or put on a scarf,
       I can’t do my eye-shadow,
        or even rub on my oils.
c.   "Go there now!" it insists
         whenever he comes to mind.
d   Don’t be an idiot, heart,
          are you out of your mind?
       Be patient, be still, the brother will come.
      There are eyes everywhere, you know!
      I don’t want people saying,
               “Love did this woman in.”
e   Keep calm when thinking of him.
          Heart, stop racing!

Fifth Stanza

Boy

a   I laud the Golden One,
            exalt her majesty,
     extol the Mistress of Heaven,
        give honor to Hathor,
        and acclaim to my lady.
     When I called, she heard me
        and sent me my lady.
b   She came on her own.
         Wonder of wonders!
      I was pleased, joyful, ecstatic.
        when they told me she was here.
    When she came, the 'lovers' bowed
        because of their love for her.
c   So I’ll be pleading with my goddess
         to grant me my sister as a gift.
       It was already three days yesterday
           since I started praying for her
        and two days longer since I’ve seen her.

Sixth Stanza

Girl

a   I was passing near his house
           and his door was ajar.
     My brother was standing with his mother
           and all his siblings.
b   Love must take hold
           of anyone walking by--
       such a magnificent youth;
       there is no one like him,
        so honorable a brother.
c   He watched me going by
            and I was in heaven.
     I’ve been floating on air
        since I first saw you, brother.
d   If my mother knew how I felt
               she would go inside for a while.
     O Golden One, make her think of that!
        Then I could rush up to my brother
     and kiss him - the kin could be there.
        I would not be embarrassed.
     They are welcome to watch
        you acknowledge me.
        I’d make a feast for my goddess
e   Oh, how I long to go out
              and see my brother tonight.
       Passing near is so thrilling!

Seventh Stanza

Boy

a   It has been seven days since I saw my sister.
              Sickness has invaded me.
     I have grown sluggish;
        I can hardly move.
b   The best doctors look in on me;
            their medicines have no effect.
      The magicians are useless;
        They can make no sense of it.
c   Tell me she is here, and I’ll come alive
           Her name would get me up
     Her messengers showing up
        would give life to my heart.
     Better my sister than any prescription,
        than anything you’ll find in a medical text;
        her arrival is my amulet.
d   I see her, I’m healthy;
           she looks at me, I’m strong;
e   I hold her, all sickness is driven away!
           But it has been seven days since we parted.

(Verso) B.38-40

"Come to your sister"

1. Girl

a   I wish you would come quickly to your sister
           like the king’s quickest messenger
      His master is anxious for news
        He waits for it impatiently.
b   The stables are ready for him
         while horses are waiting at the stations
    The chariot is already harnessed--
        no time to rest on the way.
c   Only on reaching his sister’s house
         will he will be truly happy.

2. Girl

a   I wish you would come
   like one of the king’s horses
     chosen from among a thousand:
        the best the stable can offer.
b   It has the best feed to help it run
         and its master is familiar with its paces.
     It just hears the sound of the whip
        and there’s no holding it back.
    There is no master rider
        who can overtake it.
c   The sister knows
          that he is not far away.

3. Girl

a   I wish you would come quickly to your sister
           like a swiftly running gazelle on the plain,
     with stumbling feet, and weary to the bone,
        because it is gripped with fear.
b   Hunter and hounds are in hot pursuit,
           but they can’t even see it for the dust.
     It regards a place of rest as a trap
              and takes the river as a road.
c   Then you will reach my cave
          even before getting your hand kissed four times
     You are in pursuit of your sister’s love
        since, my friend, the Golden One has chosen her for you.

(Recto) C.41-47

“A collection of lively sayings found in a book container,
written by the scribe Nakht-Sobek from the City of the Dead. ”

1. Mentor

Fox:

a1   When you bring it to the house of (your) sister
               and blow(?) into her cave,
        her gate(?) will be raised up(?)
       that her house-mistress may slaughter it.

Perhaps following Foster:

a2   Bring it to your sister’s house;
            come boldly into her den.
     The gates of her reluctance will be thrown open;
        She will ready herself for the ‘sacrifice.’
b   Ply her with song and dancing,
            with wine and beer (she has plenty).
      Get her tipsy, then close in;
        finish the job that very night.
c   She’ll say, “Hold me now,
          and we will still be that way when dawn comes.”

2. Mentor

a   Bring it to your sister’s “window.”
           when you are completely alone.
      You will enjoy being in her snare.
        A light breeze will keep your comfortable.
b   But even a storm wind
           will not blow her away.
     It only wafts her fragrance to you;
        you are drunk with her scent
        (as anyone would be).
c   It is the Golden One sending you a gift
           to fill up your days.

3. Boy

a   My sister can certainly throw a lasso,
         but never has to pay the cattle tax.
b   She lassos me with her hair,
          ensnares me with her eye,
      ties me up with her thighs,
        and brands me with her seal ring.

4. Girl

   Why are you so conflicted:
           “Should I go after her, hold her close?”
    By Amon, I came to you,
        my cloak hanging loose on my shoulder.

5. Girl

   My brother is at the canal,
one foot on the bank.
He is preparing an altar to spend the day
        drinking his best beer.
    He entices me with a glimpse of his member:
        long, not so thick.

6. Boy

   My sister was so irritating!
      I have to tell someone.
   She left me standing by her front door
        while she just went inside.
   No invitation to join her--
        she was deaf to my longing!

7. Boy

a   I was not in my right mind when I went by her house.
        I knocked, but no one opened.
        The doorkeeper was doing his job well!
b   Door, I will get you open
           (or you will be the death of me),
      but my will will be yours.
        We could slaughter an ox inside?
c   Don’t resist me, door!
     We could slaughter an ox to your bolt,
        a calf for your threshold,
a fat goose to your door-posts,
        and a duck to the key?
d   But instead, I think we’ll give the best parts of our ox
       to the carpenter boy. He’ll make us a new bolt of reeds
        and a grass door.
e   Then whenever the brother comes
       he’ll find that her house is open,
           and a bed made with fine sheets,
        and a pretty girl with them.
f   The girl will tell me, …

Chester Beatty Papyrus is a record of Egyptian dream interpretations dating from the 12th dynasty (1991–1786 BCE)

CHESTER BEATTY PAPYRI. The Chester Beatty Papyri are a group of twelve Gr. MSS on papyrus acquired by the late A. Chester Beatty. They are thought to have come from the Fayum.

Said to have been found near Memphis, on the banks of the Nile, these papyri were acquired by Mr. Chester Beatty from a dealer in Egypt about 1930.

Papyrus was the primarily writing material in Egypt from at least c. 2900 B.C. until c. 1000 AD. Surviving remarkably well in the desert sands, documents and manuscripts written thousands of years ago continue to be uncovered revealing much about the beliefs and everyday lives of ancient civilizations and the Chester Beatty Collection includes texts written in Hieroglyphics, Hieratic, Demotic, Greek, Coptic, Latin and Arabic.

Group of manuscripts from Deir el-Medina

The following group of papyri from Deir el-Medina, now preserved in the French Institute, Cairo, in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, in the Chester Beatty Library and Gallery, Dublin, and in the British Museum, seem to derive from a single source.

Papyrus Chester Beatty 1, sole copy of the Tale of Horus and Seth, and of a group of love songs (preserved in Dublin)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 2, sole copy of the Tale of Truth and Falsehood (British Museum ESA 10682)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 3, sole copy of a Dream Book, on other side a copy of the Battle of Qadesh (British Museum ESA 10682)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 4, hymns and didactic excerpts (British Museum ESA 10684)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 5, copy of the Hymn to the Nile flood, and didactic excerpts (British Museum ESA 10685)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 6, prescriptions and incantations for good health (British Museum ESA 10686)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 7, incantations for good health (British Museum ESA 10687)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 8, incantations for good health (British Museum ESA 10688)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 9, copy of the Offering Ritual for king Amenhotep I, and on other side incantations for good health (British Museum ESA 10689)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 10, aphrodisiacs (British Museum ESA 10690)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 11, incantations for good health including the Tale of Isis and Ra, and a hymn to Amun (British Museum ESA 10691)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 12, incantations for good health (British Museum ESA 10692)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 13, incantations for good health (British Museum ESA 10693)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 14, incantations for good health (British Museum ESA 10694)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 15, incantations for good health (British Museum ESA 10695)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 16, incantation for purity (British Museum ESA 10696)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 17, excerpts from the 'Satirical Letter' (British Museum ESA 10697)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 18, didactic excerpts and incantations for good health (British Museum ESA 10698)
Papyrus Chester Beatty 19, copy of the Teaching of Khety (British Museum ESA 10699)
Papyrus Ashmolean, Will of Niutnakht (completed by Papyrus IFAO Deir el-Medina 2, part of the Will of Niutnakht)

The papyri in the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology, Cairo expand the contents of the group to include personal letters and accounts documents, including the following:

Papyrus IFAO Deir el-Medina 1, copy of the Teaching of Any, and on other side incantations for good health
Papyrus IFAO Deir el-Medina 3 -16, 21-22, letters
Papyrus IFAO Deir el-Medina 17, list of bronze tools

From the French Institute records, it seems that the bulk of these manuscripts were retrieved in 1928 during the excavations by that institute at Deir el-Medina. However, it is not certain that all items derive from that one find.

The history of the group of papyri has been reconstructed by Gardiner, Posener and Pestman; broadly, it seems that in the late 19th Dynasty (late 13th century BC), literary papyri were collected, and some compositions copied by a man called Qenherkhepshef, Accountant of the Project for the King's Tomb. Over the next century his successors began to add documentary papyri (accounts, legal documents, letters), and to tear rectangular sections from the literary books for reuse as writing material for such documents.

The group may have been stored in a tomb-chapel, before being moved to their final resting-place; it has been suggested that they are the books mentioned in the following private letter of the 12th century BC, from Thutmose, another Accountant of the Project for the King's Tomb to his son and assistant Butehamun (after Wente 1990, 191, from papyrus British Museum ESA 10326, lines recto, line 19- verso, line 1):

'Now you wished to say,

"I am alive to the matter of the writings which were placed in the staircase chamber".

Well, about the writings that were rained on in the chamber of the scribe Horsheri of my family,
you brought them out,

and we found that they hadn't been washed off -

I told you I would untie them again.

You brought them down below,

and we placed (them) in the chamber of the chapel of Amennakht my forefather.

And you wished to say "I am alive (to it)".

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Chester Beatty PapyrusAncient Egyptian Love Songs

Chester Beatty Papyrus
Ancient Egyptian Love Songs