The
Instruction of Any has long been known through a single
manuscript: Papyrus Boulaq 4 of the Cairo Museum, which dates
from the Twenty-First or Twenty-Second Dynasty. Of the first
pages only small fragments have remained, and the copy as a
whole abounds in textual corruptions due to incomprehension on
the part of the copying scribe. The introductory sentence of the
work is preserved on a tablet in the Berlin Museum (No. 8934),
and small portions of the text are found in three papyrus
fragments in the Musee Guimet, in Papyrus Chester Beatty V of
the British Museum, and in four ostraca from Deir elMedina.
Given the
corruption and lacunae of the main text copy and the absence of
sizable duplicate copies, the text has presented great
difficulties to editors and translators. In the words of Sir
Alan Gardiner: "The papyrus known as P. Boulaq IV, to the
contents of which Chabas gave the name Les Maximes du scribe
Anii, has long enjoyed the unenviable reputation of being the
obscurest of all Egyptian wisdom texts" YEA, 45 [1959], 12).
An incomplete
papyrus of eight pages containing about a third of a duplicate
copy of the Instruction of Any came to light in the French
excavations at Deir el-Medina (see G. Posener, RdE, 6 [1949],
42). It has been edited for publication by G. Posener and is
scheduled to appear as a volume of the Institut Franipis
d'Archeologie Orientale du Caire. Professor Posener has very
kindly allowed me to use a photocopy of his hieroglyphic
transcription of the papyrus; and this has enabled me to better
understand a number of passages. The precise extent of the help
provided by the partial Deir el-Medina copy will be gauged
after it has been published.
The work
itself was composed in the New Kingdom, almost certainly in the
Eighteenth Dynasty. It combines traditional themes with a
certain amount of innovation. Two aspects, in particular,
distinguish it from most earlier Instructions. One is the fact
that the Instruction of Any comes from the sphere of the middle
class and is meant for the average man. The author presents
himself as a minor official, and the ac"'ice he dispenses, in
the usual form of a father instructing his son, is sui,;.d to
the thinking of anyone who possessed a modicum of education and
of material comforts. Thus there is nothing specifically
aristocratic about the values that are taught. This is of course
in keeping with the evolution of Egyptian society and with the
growth of the middle class.
The other
novel feature appears in the epilogue. In earlier Instructions
the epilogue had consisted either in the grateful acceptance of
the teaching by the listeners, or in the teacher's conclusion
urging compliance. The epilogue of Any, however, is a debate
between father and son in which the son makes the objection that
the father's teachings are too difficult to be understood and
obeyed. By making the son disinclined to learn and obey, the
author of the work introduced a new dimension into the concept
of didactic literature: the thought that instruction might fail
to have an impact. The thought is introduced in order to be
refuted. The father has the last word as well as the more
telling arguments. Yet the expression of a negative point of
view adds a fresh and realistic note to the genre Instruction by
showing an awareness that the efficacy of teaching could be
questioned and that the teachability of man had its limitations.
Publication: A. Mariette, Les papyrus
egyptiens du musee de Boulaq (Paris, 1871), pls. 15-28. E. Suys,
La sagesse d'Ani: Texte traduction et commentaire, Analecta
Orientalia, 2 (Rome, 1935). Includes hieroglyphic transcription
of the Berlin and Paris fragments.
Other fragments: A. H. Gardiner, Hieratic
Papyri, I, 50, and II, 27: P. Chester Beatty V, verso 2,6-11 (=
P. Boulaq 4, 3,1-3 and 6,1-4). Posener, Ostr. hier., nos. 1063,
1257, 1258, 1259.
Study and translation of excerpts: A.
Volten, Studien zum Weisheitsbuch des Anii, Danske
videnskabernes selskab, historisk-filologiske meddelelser,
xxiii, 3 (Copenhagen, 1937-38).
Translation: Erman, Literature, pp.
234-242. J. A. Wilson in ANET, pp. 420-421 (excerpts).
Translation of individual maxims: A.
Volten, "Agyptische NemesisGedanken," Miscellanea Gregoriana
(Rome, 1941), pp. 373-374: lines 8, 14-16. A. H.
Gardiner, JEA, 45 (1959), 12-15: lines 3,4-9.
Note: The page and line numbering used here
is that of Suys's publication which was also employed by
Volten. My translation begins with page 3,1 preceded by the
title of the work found on the Berlin tablet.
The Instruction of Ani
Beginning of the educational instruction
made by the Scribe Any of the Palace of Queen Nefertari.1
Take a wife while you're young,
That she make a son for you;
She should bear for you while you're
youthful,
It is proper to make people.'
Happy the man whose people are many,
He is saluted on account of his progeny.
Observe the feast of your god,'
And repeat its season,
God is angry if it is neglected.
Put up witnesses (5) when you offer,
The first time that you do it.
When one comes to seek your record,
Have them enter you in the roll;
When time comes to seek your purchase,"
It will extol the might of the god.
Song, dance, incense are his foods,
Receiving prostrations is his wealth;
The god does it to magnify his name,
But man it is who is inebriated.
Do not (10) enter the house of anyone,
Until he admits you and greets you;
Do not snoop around in his house,
Let your eye observe in silence.
Do not speak of him to another outside,
Who was not with
you;
A great deadly
crime
………………
'Beware of a
woman who is a stranger,
One not known in
her town;
Don't stare at
her when she goes by,
Do not know her
carnally.
A deep water
whose course is unknown,
Such is a woman
away from her husband.
"I am pretty,"
she tells you daily,
When she has no
witnesses;
She is ready to
ensnare you,
A great deadly
crime when it is heard.
Do not leave when
the chiefs enter,
Lest your name stink;
In a quarrel
(4,1)
do not speak,
Your silence will
serve you well.
Do not raise your voice in the house of god,
He abhors shouting;
Pray by yourself with a loving heart,
Whose every word is hidden.
He will grant your needs,
He will hear your words,
He will accept your offerings.
Libate for your father and mother,
Who are resting in
the valley;
When the gods (5) witness your action,
They will say: "Accepted."
Do not forget the one outside,
Your son will act
for you likewise.
Don t indulge in
drinking beer,
Lest you utter
evil
speech'
And
don't
know what
you're
saying.
If
you fall and
hurt your body,
None holds out a hand to
you;
Your companions in the drinking
Stand up saying:
"Out with the
drunk"
If one comes to
seek you (10) and talk with
you,
One finds you lying on the ground
As if you were a
little child.
Do not go-out of
your house,
Without knowing
your place of rest.
Let your chosen
place be known,
Remember it and
know it.
Set it before you
as thee path to take,
If you are
straight you find it.
Furnish your
station in the valley,
The grave that
shall conceal your corpse;
Set it before you
as your concern,
A thing that
matters in your eyes.
Emulate the great
departed,
Who are at rest
within their tombs.
No blame accrues
to him who does it,
It is well that
you be ready too.
When your envoy'
(5,1) comes to fetch you,
He shall find you
ready to come
To your place of
rest and saying:
"Here comes one
prepared before you.
" Do not say, "I
am young to be taken,
" For you do not
know your death.
When death comes
he steals the infant
Who is in his
mother's arms,
Just like him who
reached old age.
Behold, I give
you these useful counsels,
For you to ponder
in your heart;
Do it (5) and you
will be happy,
All evils will be
far from you.
Guard against the
crime of fraud,
Against words
that are not (true);
Conquer malice in
your self,
A quarrelsome man
does not rest on the morrow.
Keep away from a
hostile man,
Do not let him be
your comrade;
Befriend one who
is straight and true,
One whose actions
you have seen.
If your rightness
matches his,
The friendship
will be balanced.
Let your hand
preserve what is in your house,
Wealth accrues to
him who guards it;
Let your hand not
scatter it to (10) strangers,
Lest it turn to
lose for you.
If wealth is
placed where it bears interest,
It comes back to
you redoubled;
Make a storehouse
for your own wealth,
Your people will
find it on your way.
What is given
small returns augmented,
What is replaced
brings abundance:'
The wise lives
off the house of the fool,
Protect what is
yours and you find it;
Keep your eye on
what you own,
Lest you end as a
beggar.
He who is slack
amounts to nothing,
Honored is the
man who's active.
Learn about the
way of man
Who undertakes to
found his household.
Make a garden,
enclose a patch,
In addition to
your plow land;
Set out trees
within it,
As shelter about
your house.
Fill your hand
with all the flowers
That your eye can
see;
One has need of
all of them,
It is good
fortune not to lose them?
Do not rely on
another's goods,
Guard what you
acquire yourself;
Do not depend on
another's wealth,
Lest he become
master in your house.
Build a house or
find and buy one,
Shun contention,
Don't say: "My
mother's father has a house,
a house that
lasts,' one calls it;"
When you come to
share with your brothers,
Your portion may
be a storeroom.
If your god lets
you have children,
They'll say: "We
are in our father's house."
Be a man hungry
or sated in his house,
It is his walls
(10) that enclose him.
Do not be a
mindless person,
Then your god
will give you wealth.
Do not sit when
another is standing,
One who is older
than you,
Or greater than
you in his rank.
No good character
is reproached,
An evil character
is blamed.
Walk the accustomed path each day,
Stand according to your rank.
"Who's there?" So one always says,
Rank creates its rules;
A woman is asked about (15) her husband,
A man is asked about his rank.
Do not speak rudely to a brawler,
When you are attacked hold yourself back;
You will find this good
(7,1)
when your relations are
friendly,
When trouble has
come it will help you bear up,
And the aggressor
will desist.
Deeds that are
effective toward a stranger
Are very noxious to a brother."
Your people will hail you when you are joyful,
They will weep freely (when you are sad);
When you are happy the brave look to you,
When you are lonely you find your relations.
One will do all you say
If you are versed in writings;
Study the writings, put them in your heart, (5)
Then all your words will be effective.
Whatever office a scribe is given,
He should consult
the writings;
The head of the treasury has no son,
The master of the seal has no heir.
The scribe is chosen for his hand,
His office has no children;
His pronouncements are his freemen,
His functions are
his masters.
Do not reveal your heart to a stranger,
He might use your
words against you;
The noxious speech that came from your mouth,
He repeats it and you make enemies.
A man may be ruined by his tongue,
Beware and you
will do well."
A man's belly is wider than a granary,
And full of all kinds of answers;
Choose the good
one and say it,
While the bad is shut in your belly
A rude answer brings a beating,
Speak sweetly and you will be loved.
Don't ever talk
back to your attacker
Do not set a trap
for him;
It is the god who
judges the righteous,
His fate comes
and takes him away."
Offer to your
god,
Beware of
offending him.
Do not question
his images,
Do not accost him
when he appears.
Do not jostle him
in order to carry him,
Do not disturb
the oracles."
Be careful, help
to protect him,
Let your eye
watch out (15) for his wrath,
And kiss the
ground in his name.
He gives power in
a million forms,
He who magnifies
him is magnified.
God of this earth
is the sun in the sky,
While his images
are on earth;
When incense is
given them as daily food,
The lord of
risings is satisfied.
Double the food
your mother gave you,
Support her as
she supported you;
She had a heavy
load in you,
But, she did not
abandon you.
When you were
born after your months,
She was yet yoked
(to you)
Her breast in
your mouth for three years.
As you grew and
your excrement disgusted,
She wasted,
saying: "What shall I do!"
When she sent you
to school,
And you were
taught to write,
She kept watching
over you daily,
With bread and,
beer from her house,
When as mouth you
take a wife,
And you are
settled in your house,
Pay attention to
your offspring.
Bring him up as
did your mother.
Do not give her
cause to blame you,
Lest she raise
her hands to god
And he hears her
cries.
Do not eat bread
while another stands by
Without extending
your hand to him'.
As to food, it is
here always,
It is man (5) who
does not last;
One man is rich,
another is poor,
But food remains
for him who shares it.
As to him who was
rich last year,
He is a vagabond
this year;
Don't be greedy
to fill your belly,
You don't know
your end at all.
Should you come
to be in want,
Another may do
good to you.
When last year's
watercourse is gone,
Another river is
here today;
Great lakes
become dry places,
Sandbanks turn
into depths.
Man does not have
a single (10) way,
The lord of life
confounds him.14
Attend to your
position,
Be it low or
high;
It is not good to
press forward,
Step according to
rank.
Do not intrude on
a man in his house,
Enter when you
have been called;
He may say
"Welcome" with his mouth,
Yet deride you in
his thoughts.
One gives food to
one who is hated,
Supplies to one
who enters uninvited.
Don't rush to
attack your attacker,
Leave him to the
god;
Report him daily
to the god, (15)
Tomorrow being
like today,
And you will see
what the god does,
When he injures
him who injured you.
Do not enter into
a crowd,
If you find it in
an uproar
And about to come
to blows.
Don't pass
anywhere near by,
Keep away from
their tumult,
Lest you be
brought before the court,
When an inquiry
is made.
Stay away from
hostile people,
Keep your heart
quiet among fighters;
An outsider is
not brought to court,
One who knows
nothing is not bound in fetters.
It is useful to
help one whom one loves,
So as to cleanse
him of his faults;
You will be safe
from his errors,'
The first of the
herd leads to the field,
Do not control
your wife in her house,
When you know she
is efficient;
Don't say to her:
"Where is it? Get it!"
When she has put
it in the right place
Let your eye
observe in silence,
Then you
recognize her (5) skill;
It is joy when
your hand is with her,
There are many
who don't know this.
If a man desists
from strife at home,
He will not
encounter its beginning.
Every man who
founds a household
Should hold back
the hasty heart.
Do not go after a
woman,
Let her not steal
your heart."
Do not talk back
to an angry superior,
Let him have his
way;
Speak sweetly
when he speaks sourly,
It's the remedy
that calms the heart.
Fighting answers
carry sticks,
And your strength
collapses;
Do not vex your
heart.
He will return to
praise you soon,
When his hour of
rage has passed.
If your words
please the heart,
(10) The heart
tends to accept them;
Choose silence
for yourself,
Submit to what he
does.
Befriend the
herald" of your quarter,
Do not make him
angry with you.
Give him food
from your house,
Do not slight his
requests;
Say to him,
"Welcome, welcome here,"
No blame accrues
to him who does it.
The scribe Khonshotep answered his father, the scribe Any:
Do not proclaim your powers,
So as to force me to your ways;
Does it not happen to a man to slacken his hand
So as to hear an answer in its place?
Man resembles the god in his way
If he listens to a man's answer.
One (man) cannot know his fellow,
If the masses are beasts;
One (man) cannot know his teachings-,'
And alone possess a mind,
If the multitudes are foolish.
All your sayings are excellent,
But doing them requires virtues
Tell the god who gave you. wisdom:
"Set them on your path!"
The scribe Any answered his son, the scribe Khonshotep:
Turn your back to these many words,
That are knot worthy being heard.
The crooked stick left on the ground,
With sun and shade attacking it,
If the carpenter takes it, he straightens it,
Makes of it a noble's staff,
And a straight stick makes a collar.
"You
foolish heart,
Do you wish us to teach,
Or have you been corrupted?
"Look," said he
"you my
father,
You who are wise and strong of hand:
The infant in his mother's arms,
His wish is for what nurses him."
"Look," said he,"when
he finds his speech,
He says: "Give me bread." |