The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians (1927) - Page 18

II. FROM THE OLDER PERIOD

The "Older Period" refers to the Middle Kingdom, the era when the Egyptian language reached its classical form and produced its most enduring literary masterpieces.

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A. NARRATIVES—
1. The Story of Sinuhe . . . . . .	14
2. The Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor . . . . .	29
3. The Story of the Herdsman . . . . .	35
4. King Khufu and the Magicians . . . . .	36 original: "Kheops." Khufu was the Old Kingdom pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid at Giza.
5. The Deliverance of Mankind . . . . .	47
6. The Founding of a Temple . . . . .	49
7. The War of King Kamose . . . . .	52 Kamose was the last king of the 17th Dynasty who began the war to expel the Hyksos invaders from Egypt.

B. INSTRUCTIONS IN WISDOM—
1. The Instruction of Ptahhotep . . . . .	54
2. The Instruction for Kagemni . . . . .	66
3. The Instruction of Duauf . . . . .	67 Also known as the "Satire of the Trades," this text encourages students to become scribes by mocking other professions.
4. The Instruction of King Amenemhet I . . . .	72
5. The Instruction for King Merikare . . . .	75
6. The Instruction of Sehetepibre . . . . .	84

C. MEDITATIONS AND COMPLAINTS—
1. The Dispute Between a Man Tired of Life and
his Soul . . . . . . . . .	86 A famous philosophical debate regarding the value of life versus the peace of death.
2. The Admonitions of a Prophet . . . . .	92 Often called the "Admonitions of Ipuwer," describing a time of social chaos and national distress.
3. The Complaint of Khekheperre-sonbu . . . .	108
4. The Prophecy of Neferti . . . . .	110 original: "Neferrohu."
5. The Complaints of the Peasant . . . . .	116 Also known as "The Eloquent Peasant," a story about a man seeking justice through sophisticated rhetoric.

D. SECULAR POEMS—
1. Songs of the workers—
Song of the shepherds . . . . .	131
Song of the fishers . . . . .	132
Song of the litter-bearers . . . . .	132 original: "chairmen." These were men who carried the portable chairs or litters of the elite.
2. Songs at Banquets . . . . . .	132
3. Hymns to King Senusret III . . . . .	134 original: "Sesōstris III."

E. RELIGIOUS POEMS—
1. To Min-Horus . . . . . . .	137
2. To the sun—
(a) To the morning sun . . . . .	138
(b) To the evening sun . . . . .	139
3. To Thoth . . . . . . .	140 Thoth: The god of wisdom, writing, and the moon.
4. Hymns to Osiris—
(a) The long hymn . . . . . .	141
(b) Shorter hymns . . . . . .	145
5. To the Nile . . . . . . .	146