The Doomed Prince

There once was a king who had no son. His heart was sad, and he prayed toTHERE once was a king to whom no son was born; and his heart was grieved, and he prayed for himself unto the gods around him for a child. They decreed that one should be born to him. And his wife, after her time had comewas fulfilled, gave birth tobrought forth a son. Then the Hathors, goddesses, came to decide his fate. Theycame the Hathors to decree for him a destiny; they said, "He will die because of a crocodile, or a serpent, or aHis death is to be by the crocodile, or by the serpent, or by the dog." The people standing nearby heard this and went to tell His Majesty.Then the people who stood by heard this, and they went to tell it to his majesty. Then His Majesty’s heart grew sick with fear.his majesty's heart sickened very greatly. And His Majesty had a house built in the desert. He filled it with attendants and all the good things of the royal house, so that the child would not go outside.his majesty caused a house to be built upon the desert; it was furnished with people and with all good things of the royal house, that the child should not go abroad. And when the child had grown, he went up onto the roof and saw a dog. It was following a man walking alongwas grown, he went up upon the roof, and he saw a dog; it was following a man who was walking on the road. He spoke to his young attendant,page, who was with him, "What is that walking behind the manthis that walks behind the man who is coming along the road?" He answered him, "This is a dog." The child said to him, "Have one like it brought to me.Let there be brought to me one like it." The attendant went to repeat the request to His Majesty.page went to repeat it to his majesty. And His Majesty said, "Have a little pet dog brought to him, so that he will nothis majesty said, "Let there be brought to him a little pet dog, lest his heart be sad." And behold, they broughtbehold they brought to him the dog.

Then as more days passed and the child became fully grown,when the days increased after this, and when the child became grown in all his limbs, he sent a message to his father saying, "Come, whywherefore am I kept here? Since three terrible fates await me,Inasmuch as I am fated to three evil fates, let me follow my desire. Let God do what is in His heart." They agreed to all he said and gave him all sorts of weapons, with his dog to follow him. They took him to the eastern country and said,said, and gave him all sorts of arms, and also his dog to follow him, and they took him to the east country, and said to him, "Behold, go wherever you wishthou whither thou wilt." His dog was with him, and he went northward, following his heart in the desert, living on the best wild animals hunted inwhile he lived on all the best of the game of the desert. He went to the chief of Naha-raina.

And behold, the chief of Naharaina had no childrenbehold there had not been any born to the chief of Naharaina, except one daughter. Behold, a house had been built for her. Its seventy windows were about 36 metres abovethere had been built for her a house; its seventy windows were seventy cubits fromExplanation: Seventy cubits are about 36 metres using an Egyptian cubit of approximately 52 centimetres. This is a rounded indication of height, not a claim of exact measurement; the seventy windows remain. the ground. And the chief had all the sons of the chiefs of the land of Khalu brought to him. Hecaused to be brought all the sons of the chiefs of the land of Khalu, and said to them, "Whoever reaches my daughter’s window will marry her.He who reaches the window of my daughter, she shall be to him for a wife."

And many days after these things, as the young men were doing their daily task, the youth rode past them.they were in their daily task, the youth rode by the place where they were. They took the youth to their house and bathed him. They gave fodder to his horses and brought him all kinds of things. They perfumed him, rubbed oil on his feet and gave him portions of their own food. Then they spokehouse, they bathed him, they gave provender to his horses, they brought all kinds of things for the youth, they perfumed him, they anointed his feet, they gave him portions of their own food; and they spake to him, "Where do you come from, fine young man?Whence comest thou, goodly youth?" He said to them, "I am the sonson of an officer of the land of Egypt; my mother is dead, and my father has taken another wife. And when she had children, she grew to hate me, so I ran away from her and came here.bore children, she grew to hate me, and I have come as a fugitive from before her." And they embraced him, and kissed him.

And after many days hadwere passed, he said to the youths, "What are you doingis it that ye do here?" And they said to him, "We spend our time climbingin this: we climb up, and whoever reaches the window of the daughter of the chief of Naharaina will marry herhe who shall reach the window of the daughter of the chief of Naharaina, to him will be given her to wife." He said to them, "If you please, let me watch, so that I can come andit please you, let me behold the matter, that I may come to climb with you." They went to climb, as they did every day. The youth stood at a distance to watch. And the daughter of the chief of Naharaina turned her face towardswas their daily wont: and the youth stood afar off to behold; and the face of the daughter of the chief of Naharaina was turned to them. And another day the sons came to climb, and the youth came to climb with the sons of the chiefs. He climbed, and he reached the window of the daughter of the chief of Naharaina. She kissed him and held him in a full embrace.him, she embraced him in all his limbs.

And someone went to bring joy to her father’s heart and said,one went to rejoice the heart of her father, and said to him, "One of the people has reached the window of yourthy daughter." And the ruler asked the messenger,prince inquired of the messenger, saying, "Which ruler’s son is he?The son of which of the princes is it?" And he replied to him, "It is the son of an officer, who fled from Egypt to escape his stepmother afterhas come as a fugitive from the land of Egypt, fleeing from before his stepmother when she had children." Then the chief of Naharaina was veryexceeding angry; and he said, "Am I really to give my daughter to this Egyptian fugitive? Let him go back where he came from.Shall I indeed give my daughter to the Egyptian fugitive? Let him go back whence he came." And someoneone came to tell the youth, "Go back to the place you camethou camest from." But the young woman seized his hand;But the maiden seized his hand; she swore an oath by God, saying, "By Ra Harakhti’s very existence,the being of Ra Harakhti, if anyoneone takes him from me, I will die in that verynot eat, I will not drink, I shall die in that sameExplanation: The young woman still threatens to die if parted from him. The explicit means of refusing food and drink are omitted only in the modernized version for children. hour." The messenger went to tell herunto her father all that she said. Then the ruler sent men to kill the youth while the youthprince sent men to slay the youth, while he was in his house. But the young woman said,But the maiden said, "By Ra’s very existence,the being of Ra, if anyone killsone slay him I will be dead before the sun goes down. I will not live another hourshall be dead ere the sun goeth down. I will not pass an hour of life if I am parted from him." And someone went to tell her father. Then the ruler had the youth and the young woman brought to him. The youth was seized with fear when he came before the ruler. But the ruler embraced him, kissed him all overone went to tell her father. Then the prince made them bring the youth with the maiden. The youth was seized with fear when he came before the prince. But he embraced him, he kissed him all over, and said, "Oh! Tell me who you are. Behold, you are like a son to me.tell me who thou art; behold, thou art to me as a son." He said to him, "I am a son of an officer of the land of Egypt; my mother died, my father took a second wife. She came to hate me, and I ran away fromto him a second wife; she came to hate me, and I fled a fugitive from before her." He then gave him his daughter in marriage. He also gave him a house, serfs, fields, cattle and all kindsto him his daughter to wife; he gave also to him a house, and serfs, and fields, also cattle and all mannerExplanation: Petrie calls these people serfs: workers who were not free and were bound to a master or his land. The word is retained as his historical translation; the story does not give enough detail to identify their precise legal status. of good things.

But after some days hadthe days of these things were passed, the youth said to his wife, "I am doomed to three fates—a crocodile, a serpent, and a dog." She said to him, "Have someoneLet one kill the dog which belongs to youthee." He replied to her, "I am not going to kill my dog, which I have raised sincebrought up from when it was small." And she feared greatly for her husband, and would not let him go out alonealone abroad.

And someone went with the youth towardsone went with the youth toward the land of Egypt, to travel in that country. Behold, the river’s crocodile came out near the town whereBehold the crocodile of the river, he came out by the town in which the youth was. And in that town was a mighty man. And the mighty man would not let the crocodilesuffer the crocodile to escape. And when the crocodile was tied up, the mighty man went out for a walk.bound, the mighty man went out and walked abroad. And when the sun rose the mighty man went back to the house; and he did so every day, for two months.during two months of days.

Now as more days passed, the youth sat enjoying a pleasantwhen the days passed after this, the youth sat making a good day in his house. And when evening came, he lay down on his bed, and sleep seized his limbs. His wife filled a bowl with milkthe evening came he lay down on his bed, sleep seized upon his limbs; and his wife filled a bowl of milk, and placed it by his side. Then a serpent came out of its hole to bite the youth. Behold, his wife was sitting beside him; she did not liecame out a serpent from his hole, to bite the youth; behold his wife was sitting by him, she lay not down. Then the servants gave milk to the serpent. It drank, became drunkThereupon the servants gave milk to the serpent, and he drank, and was drunk, and lay upside down. Then his wife killed it with blows frommade it to perish with the blows of her dagger. And they woke her husband, who was astonished; and she said tounto him, "Behold, your God has put one of your foretold dangers into your hands. He will also put the others there.Behold thy God has given one of thy dooms into thy hand; He will also give thee the others." And he sacrificed to God, worshipping Him and praising His spirits day afteradoring Him, and praising His spirits from day to day.

And after more days had passed,when the days were passed after these things, the youth went to walk in the fields of his domain. He did not go alone. Behold,went not alone, behold his dog was following him. And his dog ran off after wild animals,aside after the wild game, and he followed the dog. He came to the river, and entered the river behind his dog. Then the crocodile came outcame out the crocodile, and took him to the place where the mighty man was. And the crocodile said to the youth, "I am your doom, following you. ...I am thy doom, following after thee. ..."

[Here the papyrus breaks off.]