creator = Mark-Jan Nederhof
name = Nederhof
labelname = Ne
created = 2006-11-04
modified = 2009-06-08
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language = eng
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hieroglyphic = ignored
transliteration = shown
translation = shown
lexical = ignored

Transliteration and translation for &quot;The laudatory autobiography
of Kay&quot;, following the transcription of De Buck (1948), pp.
73-74.

For an older transcription, see Anthes (1928), p. 54. A drawing of the
original (Gr. 24) can be found in plate 24 thereof.

The transliteration throughout follows Hannig (1995).

For published translations, see Anthes (1928), pp. 55-56.

###

R. Anthes. <i>Die Felseninschriften von Hatnub</i>. Hinrichs, Leipzig,
1928.

A. De Buck. <i>Egyptian Readingbook</i>. Ares Publishers, Chicago,
Illinois, 1948.

R.O. Faulkner. <i>A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian</i>.
Griffith Institute, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1962.

R. Hannig. <i>Grosses Handwörterbuch Ägyptisch-Deutsch: die Sprache
der Pharaonen (2800-950 v.Chr.)</i>. Verlag Philipp von Zabern, 1995.

###

<1> xtmw-bjtj smr watj
;
<1> Royal seal-keeper and sole companion,

jmj-rA njwt tAytj TAtj sAb ^kAy
;
leader of the city and grand vizier Kay

Dd
;
says:

jnk sA s nxt sAA
;
'I am a well-born man, strong and wise,

mA n njwt=f n Hntj
;
who sees to his city for eternity,

rDj sj Hr wAt nt grg
;
who brought it on the course of restoration,

rx dwAw [n] jwt=f
;
who knows the morning [before] it has come,

mA n <2> nHH
;
who sees to <2> eternity,

rx-nsw Hna qnbt=f
;
acquaintance of the king and his cabinet,

wa Hr xw
;
one of a kind,

jwtj snnw=f
;
without equal,

j.n n=f ^Smaw m ksw
;
to whom Upper Egypt came bowing.

jnk sA s jwtj [xsf]=f
;
I am a well-born man, beyond [reproach],

nb snD aA Sfyt
;
inspiring fear, greatly respected,

nb Hrt
;
inspiring terror,

aA mrwt
;
greatly beloved,

<3> HD Hr nfr bjt
;
<3> bright of face, good of character,

pxA Xt Sw m snkt
;
open-hearted, free of darkness,

ntj tA pn Xr mrwt=f
;
for whom this land has love,

Ha.n rmT nTrw m xsfw Xntjw=f
;
at the approach of whose statues the people and the gods were
rejoicing,

hrw wDA=sn r Hwt-nTr
;
on the day they proceeded to the temple,

Xpn kAw DdA jwAw
;
with fat bulls and fat cows,

<4> nb rAw aSA Apdw
;
<4> possessor of geese, numerous in birds,

aA axw wab stpt,
;
great in braziers, pure of choice meat,

snDm=f sT Hwt-nTr
;
so that he makes the odour of the temple sweet,

sA ^DHwtj n wn-mAa
;
true son of Thoth,

mtwt ^kA-mAat
;
semen of the Bull of Truth,

dwA.n njwt=f r pr=f r dwA kA=f
;
whose city went early in the morning to his house to praise his
spirit,

ra nb n-aAt-n mr[wt=f]
;
every day because of the greatness of the love [of him]

[n] <5> nfr n jrrt=f n=s
;
and <5> the goodness of what he does for it.

jw jr.n=j mAat spd r wSm
;
I did justice, sharper than a needle,

jw nHm.n=j mAr m-a wsr
;
I freed the oppressed from the powerful,

jw snf.n=j XArt jwtt hAj=s
;
I succoured the widow without a husband,

jw Sd.n=j nmH jwtj jt=f
;
I raised the orphan without a father.

<6> jw Ts.n=j DAm=sn Xrdw
;
<6> I levied their troops of young men

n mrt aSA xprw=s
;
so that the current ones were numerous,

jw grt DAm=s aq(.w) n nDsw
;
whereas its (old) troops have entered into citizenship,

Hms m prw=sn
;
live in their houses,

n aHA=sn
;
and didn't fight

m rk snD n <7> pr-nsw
;
in the time of fear of <7> the palace.

jw nHm.n=j njwt=j
;
I saved my city,

hrw awA m-a Hrt mrt nt <8> pr-nsw
;
on the day of robbery, from the evil terror of <8> the palace.

jnk grt xnt=s hrw aHA=s
;
I was its foremost on the day of its battle,

nh{A}t=s m Sdt SA
;
its stronghold in the swamp land,

sA HqA <9> n ^wnt
;
son of the ruler <9> of Unet,

xwd aA Hr-qd
;
wealthy and great in every respect.

jw grt sanx.n=j njwt=j r-Dr=s
;
I kept my whole town alive

m Tsw nw <10> tA jw nn wn
;
on the sandbanks of <10> the land, while there was nothing.

wrw mj Srrw=s
;
The great were as its small.

n Hr xn n ^xmnw
;
There was no discontented face in Hermopolis,

^wnw <11> m-mjtt-jrj
;
and the same in Unu.

snS.n=j Snwt=j n bw nb
;
I opened my barn to everyone.

jnk nb nfrt
;
I am a possessor of beauty,

mry antjw
;
loving myhrr,

<12> smAy n hrw nfr
;
<12> companion of the holiday.'

^nHrj ^kAy mAa-xrw
;
Kay son of Nehri, justified,

anx(.w) Dt r nHH
;
may he live forever until eternity.
