The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant was composed in the Middle Kingdom and set in an earlier time, under a king Nebkaure of Herakleopolis. It is part story and part showcase of fine speech, and it opens with the classic first line of an Egyptian tale.
Key idea
z pw wn ḫw-n-jnpw rn=f "There was a man named Khun-Anup"; sḫtj pw n sḫt-ḥmꜣt "he was a peasant of the Field of Salt". Robbed of his donkeys on the way to market, he pleads with the high steward Rensi in nine speeches, full of praise, complaint and irony: jr mꜣꜥt n nb mꜣꜥt "Do what is right for the lord of what is right!".
Why it works
The story asks what justice means when the powerful ignore the weak. The thief, Nemtynakht, is a servant of Rensi's estate; the peasant has only his words. The king, delighted by his eloquence, orders Rensi to keep silent so that the peasant will go on speaking, to have the speeches written down, and to see that the peasant's family is fed meanwhile. The tale ends with justice done and the thief's goods given to the peasant. Readers then and now enjoy the speeches as both art and argument.
| Egyptian | Translation | Grammar |
|---|---|---|
| z pw wn ḫw-n-jnpw rn=f | There was a man named Khun-Anup | z pw: "a man it was"; wn "who existed"; X rn=f "X (was) his name" |
| sḫtj pw n sḫt-ḥmꜣt | he was a peasant of the Field of Salt | a pw sentence; sḫt-ḥmꜣt is today's Wadi el-Natrun |
| jw ḥmt=f mrt rn=s | his wife was named Meret | name + rn=s "her name" |
| jr mꜣꜥt n nb mꜣꜥt | Do what is right for the lord of what is right! | an imperative of jrj |
Worked example: The first line
Translate z pw wn ḫw-n-jnpw rn=f.
- z pw "a man it was", with pw as in Sentences with pw.
- wn "existing", a participle of wnn.
- ḫw-n-jnpw rn=f "Khun-Anup (was) his name".
Answer: "There was a man named Khun-Anup."
Worked example: A command to the official
What form is jr in jr mꜣꜥt n nb mꜣꜥt?
- It begins the clause with no suffix, addressing Rensi.
- It is the imperative of jrj "do" (The Imperative).
Answer: An imperative: "Do!"
The speeches use every tool of the language: commands, negative commands (m + verb), conditions with jr, and long chains of epithets. In the speeches the peasant calls Rensi the rudder and the balance of justice, and then accuses him of steering crooked and weighing falsely.
Common mistake
Taking the peasant's praise of the official at face value. He calls Rensi "father of the orphan, husband of the widow", then complains that the balance is crooked and the judge corrupt. The speeches mix praise, complaint and irony on purpose. Check: read each image together with the reproach that follows it.