The Epic Of Penta-Our

The commencement of the epic of Penta-our is wanting in the papyrus, and
the end is also defective, but the date of the composition and the name of
the writer have fortunately escaped. It appears to have been written in
the ninth year of the King whose valor it celebrates. Champollion saw this
papyrus, and had formed some notion of the nature of its contents, but to
M. de Rougé belongs the honor of having first given a complete translation
of it. This was published in the “_Revue Contemporaine_,” 1856, p. 389.
The scene of the exploit lies in the neighborhood of the city of
Katesh,(685) the capital of the Hittites, which stood on the banks of a
river named Anrata (or Aranta, as it is sometimes written), perhaps the
Syrian Orontes. It appears, from the sculptures and inscriptions of
Ibsamboul and the Theban Ramesseum, that Rameses II, in the fifth year of
his reign, made an expedition into Asia to suppress a revolt of the
Asiatic tribes headed by the Prince of Heth. Arrived near Katesh, upon the
south side of the city, certain wandering Arabs came to inform him that
the forces of the Hittites had retired toward the south, to the land of
the Khirbou. These Arabs were, however, in the service of the enemy, and
were sent with the intention of entrapping the Egyptians, the fact being
that the Hittites and their allies were assembled in force to the north of
the town. Rameses fell into the trap, and advanced to the northwest of
Katesh while the body of his army proceeded to the south. Shortly after
two Hittite spies were caught and brought to the King, and under the
pressure of the bastonnade, confessed the true state of the affair. The
prince of the Hittites had in the meantime executed a movement to the
south of the city, and thus the King was cut off from the body of his
troops, and only escaped destruction by the dashing exploit which his
admiring subjects seem to have been never weary of commemorating, and
which furnished Penta-our, the court poet, with a brilliant theme. A few
extracts from the recital shall be given, based upon M. de Rougé’s
version, from which I venture in a few respects to deviate. The papyrus
begins in the middle of a sentence, at the moment when the King had
discovered his mistake.


“[The Prince of] Heth advanced with men and horses well armed [or
full of provender?]: there were three men to each chariot.(686)
There were gathered together all the swiftest men of the land of
the vile Hittites, all furnished with arms ... and waited
stealthily to the northwest of the fortress of Katesh. Then they
fell upon the bowmen of Pharaoh, into the middle of them, as they
marched along and did not expect a battle. The bowmen and the
horsemen of his Majesty gave way before them. Behold they were
near to Katesh, on the west bank of the river Anrata. Then was
[fulfilled?] the saying of his Majesty. Then his Majesty, rising
up like the god Mentou [Mars], undertook to lead on the attack. He
seized his arms—he was like Bar [Baal] in his hour. The great
horse which drew his Majesty his name was Nekhtou-em-Djom, of the
stud of Rameses-Meiamen ... His Majesty halted when he came up to
the enemy, the vile Hittites. He was alone by himself—there was no
other with him in this sortie. His Majesty looked behind him and
saw that he was intercepted by 2,500 horsemen in the way he had to
go, by all the fleetest men of the prince of the base Hittites,
and of many lands which were with him—of Artou [Aradus], of
Maausou, of Patasa, of Kashkash, of Aroun, of Kadjawatana, of
Khirbou, of Aktra, Katesh, and Raka. There were three men to each
chariot, they were ... but there were neither captains, nor
squires, nor leaders of bowmen, nor skirmishers [with the King],
‘My archers and my horsemen forsook me, not one of them remained
to fight with me.’ Then said his Majesty, ‘Where art thou now, my
father Amen? Behold, does a father forget his son? But do I
confide in my own strength? Walking or standing, is not my face
toward thee? Do I not inquire the counsels of thy mouth? Do I not
seek for thy mighty counsels, O thou great lord of Egypt, at whose
approach the oppressors of the land are scattered? What now is the
hope of these Aamou? Amen shall abase those who know not god. Have
I not made for thee many and great buildings of stone? have I not
filled thy temple with my spoils, building for thee a temple to
last myriads of years? ... The whole earth unites to bring thee
offerings ... [to enrich] thy domain. I have sacrificed to thee
30,000 oxen, with all kinds of sweet-scented herbs. Have I not put
behind me those who do not thy will? ... I have built thee a house
of great stones, erecting for thee eternal groves; I have brought
for thee obelisks from Abou [Elephantine]; I have caused the
everlasting stones to be fetched, launching for thee boats upon
the sea, importing for thee the manufactures of the lands. When
was it ever before said that such a thing was done? Confounded is
every one who resists thy designs; blessed is every one who obeys
thee, O Amen. That which thou doest is dear to my heart[?] I cry
to thee, my father, Amen. I am in the midst of many unknown people
gathered together from all lands. But I am alone by myself; there
is none other with me. My bowmen and my horsemen have forsaken me;
they were afraid; not one of them listened when I cried to them.
Amen is more helpful to me than myriads of bowmen, than millions
of horsemen, than tens of thousands of chosen youths, though they
be all gathered together in one place. The arts of men prevail
not, Amen is more powerful than they; they follow not the commands
of thy mouth, O sun! Have I not sought out thy commands? have I
not invoked thee from the ends of the earth?’ ”


This invocation is heard, and the King proceeds to make a vigorous charge
against the enemy, who are scattered in all directions. The prince of the
Hittites rallies, and succeeds in bringing them again to the combat, but
they are repulsed by the King. It will be observed that sometimes the
writer himself speaks, but generally the narrative is put into the mouth
of the King—a poetical artifice which gives a certain liveliness to the
composition—


“ ‘I ran toward them, like the god Mentou, I fleshed my hand upon
them in the space of a moment[?]. I smote them, I slew them, so
that one of them cried to another, saying, “It is no man”
[superhuman]. Mighty was he who was among them, Soutech, the most
glorious. Baal was in my limbs; why was every enemy weak? his hand
was in all my limbs. They knew not how to hold the bow and the
spear. As soon as they saw him, they fled far away with speed, but
his Majesty was upon them like a greyhound. He slew them, so that
they escaped not.’ ”


The King’s squire or armor-bearer is seized with terror, and conjures his
master to fly. The King comforts him; and after charging the enemy six
times, returns victorious from the field. Rameses, on rejoining his
troops, addresses a long tirade to his captains upon their cowardice, and
enlarges upon his own valor without any modest scruples. In the evening
the rest of the troops came dropping in, and were surprised to find the
whole country strewed with the bodies of the dead. The whole army joins in
singing the praises of the courageous leader—


“ ‘Hail to the sword, thanks to the bold warrior, strengthener of
hearts, who deliverest thy bowmen and thy horsemen, son of Toum,
subduing the land of the Hittites with thy victorious sword. Thou
art King of victories; there is none like thee, a King fighting
for his soldiers in the day of battle. Thou art magnanimous, the
first in battle. The whole world joined together cannot resist
thee. Thou art the mighty conqueror, in the face of thy army. The
whole earth falls down before thee saying homage. Thou rulest
Egypt, thou chastisest the foreigners, thou crushest, thou bowest
the back of these Hittites forever.’ Then said his Majesty to his
bowmen and his horsemen, likewise his captains, ‘Ye who did not
fight, behold none of you have done well, in that ye left me alone
among the enemy. The captains of the vanguard, the sergeants of
the infantry, came not to help me. I fought against the myriads of
the land alone. I had the horses Nechtou-em-Djom and
Becht-herouta; they were obedient to the guidance of my hand, when
I was alone by myself in the midst of the enemy. Therefore I grant
to them to eat their corn in the presence of Ra continually, when
I am in the gate of the palace, on account of their having been
found in the midst of the enemy: and as for the armor-bearer who
remained with me, I bestow upon him my arms, together with the
things which were upon me, the habiliments of war.’ Behold his
Majesty wore them in his great victory, overthrowing myriads
assembled together with his conquering sword.”


The battle is renewed the next day, and the Hittites are thoroughly
routed. An envoy from the chief is now announced, suing for mercy. Rameses
acts the part of a magnanimous conqueror, and grants pardon to the
repentant rebels. He then returns peaceably to Egypt, leaving the terror
of his arms in all the countries of the East.

At the end of the last page of the manuscript are the date and dedication,
unfortunately somewhat mutilated. The writer Penta-our dedicates it, not
to the King, but to a chief librarian, probably Amen-em-an, with whom he
carried on a correspondence. This poem was so highly appreciated by the
King that he caused it to be engraved in hieroglyphics upon the walls of
one of his palaces, where some remains of it may be still seen. If the
date be correctly read, it would appear to have been written four years
after the event it celebrates, and, notwithstanding the exaggerated style
of adulation which pervades it, there can be little doubt that some such
occurrence as that which it represents really took place.