Ancient Egyptian Literature, Part VII

by Ed Rizkalla

 “Didactic literature” is one of the most important genres of ancient Egyptian literature. In this article the writer, with the grace of Christ the Lord, continues the review for this type of ancient Egyptian literature to help shed more light on some of the Coptic cultural traits, values and norms. Ancient Egyptian literary creations outline several common themes, e.g. “Justice” or “Maat”. The literature of the Middle Kingdom includes several Didactic compositions including the tale of the “Eloquent Peasant”. The main theme for the “Eloquent Peasant” is “Maat”, and equality of all people before the law regardless of their back ground, social status, wealth, or rank. The tale has other important themes, such as the ancient Egyptians’ esteem for fine speech, and literary creations. Thus, the tale sheds more light on the Coptic cultural attribute for the respect for education, knowledge and love of wisdom.

Furthermore, the tale highlights some Coptic cultural norms and values, such as courage, patience, tenacity, and persistence to achieve goals- in this particular case it is achieving justice- and benevolence in dealings with others.

There are several extant, though incomplete papyri, which when put together, outline the tale of the “Eloquent Peasant (1). The papyri include P. Berlin 3023, P. Berlin 3025, P. Berlin 10499, P. Butler 527, and P. British Museum 10274. The literary composition of the tale consists of a narrative frame and nine poetic speeches. The poetic speeches include numerous wordplays and assonances.

The main protagonist of this tale is a poor but eloquent peasant from Niteria named “Khunanup”, who sets on a journey to sell products at the capital of Egypt. On his journey, he encountered Nemtynakhte, a greedy man, who coveted his laden donkeys. Nemtynakhte was the son of a man in the service of the chief steward of the Pharaoh, Rensi, the son of Meru. Nemtynakhte managed to trick and deprive Khunanup of his property.  Nemtynakhte further beat Khunanup and threatened to kill him, as he complained for a period of 10 days. Khunanup ultimately arrived at the capital and sought an audience to petition Pharaoh’s chief steward Rensi and to file a petition against Nemtynakhte. As Khunanup made his first petition, the chief steward Rensi recognized the excellence of his speech and informed Pharaoh, king Nebkaure. The following is an excerpt from the tale regarding Rensi’s report to king Nebkaure (2):               “Then the chief steward, Rensi, son of Meru, went before his majesty and said, “My Lord, I have found someone, among the peasants, who is exceedingly eloquent of speech. His property was stolen by a man who is in my service, and behold he has come to petition me about it. Then his majesty said. “As you desire to see me healthy, cause him to remain here, without replying…Then let his words be brought to us in writing, that we may hear them. However, provide the means, so his wife and children may live, for behold one of these peasants comes to the city only, when there is nothing in his house. And furthermore, provide the means so that this peasant himself may live.”

As Khunanup continued to petition Rensi, he kept silent to prompt him to speak more and instructed his scribes to write down the peasant’s petitions. Rensi also secretly provided food for Khunanup and his family back at his village, as commanded by Pharaoh. Khunanup showed great courage, persistence, and tenacity in presenting his case; however Rensi kept his silence and even threatened him at times. Khunanup however was undeterred, and kept coming back seeking justice. The following excerpts are from petitions 4, 6, and 8:

“But he who is hasty of speech is not free from indiscreet talk, and he who is light of heart is not serious of mind. Be patient, so that you may learn Maat; Control your preference, so that the humble petitioner may gain…He who fosters Maat diminishes falsehood, and he who fosters goodness is a destroyer of evil…He, who tends the garden of evil waters his field with corruption, and cultivates his plot with falsehood, so as to irrigate iniquity for ever……

Then the peasant came to petition an eighth time, saying, “O chief steward, my lord: …Perform Maat for the sake of the Lord of Maat, for the constancy of Maat is absolute. (You are) the pen, papyrus and palette of (the god) Thoth, so keep far from doing wrong, that goodness should be potent is excellent indeed.”

After repeated petitions to Rensi, there was still no response or action to remedy Khunanup grievance, so he told the chief steward that he was leaving and will raise his petition to the gods. Rensi sent two men after him and asked him to listen to the scribes, who recited his nine petitions. Rensi took the written petitions to king Nebkaure, who was pleased with the excellence of the written literary composition, and asked Rensi to render a verdict. Rensi finally summoned Nemtynakhte to court, passed a verdict in favor of the peasant Khunanup to remedy his grievance and compensate him.

The tale of the “Eloquent Peasant” provides another excellent example of ancient Egyptian wisdom literature and helps shed more light on some of the Coptic cultural attributes, norms, and values. It provides another illustration for the origins of the Coptic cultural trait for the respect of education, knowledge and wisdom. Note if you will, how Rensi and king Nebkaure admired the fine speech of the peasant and sought to record it for the education and edification of both their contemporaries and future generations. Khunanup further illustrates some of the norms and values esteemed and held dear by the Copts such as courage, tenacity, and persistence in achieving goals. By way of comparison, tale of Sinuhe illustrates courage and valor in combat, as he dueled with a challenger and fought against Asiatic rebels, whereas the tale of the Eloquent Peasant illustrates the courage of a peaceful man and his tenacity to achieve a just cause. It also illustrates the norms and value of courage, patience, tenacity and perseverance, qualities which remain much sought after in our day and age, as companies and organizations compete in a global marketplace. Furthermore, the tale illustrates how rulers, magistrates, and managers should temper their actions with benevolence, as the king commands Rensi to make sure that the peasant and his family’s needs are taken care of. Last but not least, the tale illustrates that, with patience, tenacity and persistence, justice, equity, and equality always prevail.

The peace of the Lord be with you all. Irene Passe.

References:

• (1) Ancient Egyptian Literature, volume I “The Old and Middle Kingdoms”, by Miriam Lichtheim, University of California Press, Los Angeles, CA, 2006.
• (2) The Literature of Ancient Egypt, An Anthology of Stories, Instructions, Stelae, Autobiographies, and Poetry, edited by William Kelly Simpson, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2003.

Acknowledgement: The writer would like to acknowledge and thank the staff of the Library of Congress, Washington, DC, for their assistance with research for background material for this article.

Ed Rizkalla is a management consultant and a freelance writer. He is the founder of Pharos on the Potomac Group (POPG), a non-profit organization at Annandale, VA. http://mysite.verizon.net/vzes76jv/pharosonthepotomacgroup