The Eloquent Peasant
second edition
Loren R. Fisher
THE ELOQUENT PEASANT
Second Edition
Copyright © 2015 Loren R. Fisher. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.
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ISBN 13: 978-1-62564-904-1
EISBN 13: 978-1-63087-834-4
Cataloging-in-Publication data:
Fisher, Loren R.
The eloquent peasant , second edition / Loren R. Fisher
xvi + 64 p. ; 20.5 cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 13: 978-1-62564-904-1
1. Egyptian literature—Translations into English. 2. Eloquent Peasant. 3. Egypt—Civilization—To 332 B.C. I. Title.
pj1531 e5 f5 2015
Manufactured in the USA
For Jane
The Egyptians said, “Thoth gave us writing.”
Your gift is greater; you have made writing possible for me.
“Do for the doer to cause him to do.” (B1 141)
“Do for the one who does for you.” (B2 108)
“Overlook one blameworthy act, and it will become two.” (B1 246)
“Speak Truth! Do Truth!” (B1 351)
Preface
The ancient Mediterranean world has given us many rich and colorful stories, and The Eloquent Peasant is by far one of my favorites. It is difficult for most of us to imagine a four-thousand-year-old story that considers the issues of social equality and the importance of perfect speech, but these issues are emphasized in this story. When the peasant went before the Chief Steward, his first speech amazed his audience. When this was reported to the Pharaoh, “His Majesty said, ‘Since surely, you desire to see me, and that I am well (B1 110), you should cause him to delay here, without answering anything he says. In order to keep him speaking, be silent. Then it will be brought to us in writing that we may hear it.’” Egyptians were interested in rhetoric and the gift of writing.
The Gift of Writing
Who was Dhwty? The Greeks called him Thoth.
Egyptians said that he gave them writing.
He invented it and some other things.
In Plato’s Phaedrus, Thoth says as follows:
“Writing improves memory and wisdom.”
But the King of Thebes said, “No” to all this.
“Rather, writing will destroy memory.”
Is Plato jealous and thus critical?
The context in Plato is rhetoric.
Interesting. Egyptians loved great speech.
The Eloquent Peasant gave nine speeches.
Now, the King of Egypt said to Rensi,
“In order to keep him speaking, be silent.
Then it will be brought to us in writing
That we may hear it.” And Rensi obeyed.
They were grateful for the gift of writing.
The Egyptians thought writing was helpful.
It was an aid to memory, praise Thoth.
It was a means of sharing and teaching.
It also provided entertainment.
When scribes took stories from oral telling,
The story was frozen, but it lived on.
The storyteller could compress or add to.
The written form does not rule; but it helps.
The structure of this story, right from the beginning, is built upon a series of speeches. This structure is well known in Hebrew literature. The book of Exodus is a prime example. See Exodus 4–14 and note the following: 4:1 “Moses answered; he said, . . . ”; 4:6 “Yahweh said, . . . ”; 4:10 “Moses said to Yahweh, . . . ”; this goes on and on. The Egyptians taught most of the east Mediterranean world how to write, and it had to do with more than just structure. You will be able to see such things as commandments in The Eloquent Peasant, for example, “Do not steal” and “Do not covet.”
Loren R. Fisher
10 May 2012
Medford, Oregon
Acknowledgments
The protesters in Tahrir Square brought to mind a four-thousand-year-old story from Egypt that related a peasant’s search for equality. These events motivated me to accelerate my work on The Eloquent Peasant. I want to thank the protesters, and I wish them well.
For this work, I am indebted to the work of R. B. Parkinson.1 In fact, it would have been impossible for me to translate this story without his book. He has moved the Egyptian text from the cursive Hieratic Egyptian to the formal Hieroglyphic Egyptian. He has also given us notes on the texts. In short, he has done the basic text-critical work for the translator. I thank him.
I am also dependant on the work of John Wilson and on his understanding of this story. In addition, the translations by F. O. Faulkner and Miriam Lichtheim have been helpful.
I want to thank my wife, Jane, for her careful editing and for her encouragement. K. C. Hanson, my editor at Cascade Books, has helped me in many ways to complete this project. Thanks K. C.
1. R. B. Parkinson, The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant (Oxford: Griffith Institute, Ashmolean Museum, 1991).
Abbreviations
ANET Ancient Near Eastern Texts, edited by James B. Pritchard
ANEP The Ancient Near East In Pictures, edited by James B. Pritchard
B1 Papyrus Berlin 3023
B2 Papyrus Berlin 3025
COS The Context of Scripture, 3 vols., edited by William W. Hallo
Erman-Grapow Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache
Faulkner “The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant”
Gardiner Egyptian Grammar, 2nd ed.
Lichtheim Ancient Egyptian Literature, vols. 1 and 2
Parkinson The Tale of Sinuhe and Other Egyptian Poems
R Papyrus Ramesseum A, Papyrus Berlin 10499
Wilson Translations in ANET
Introduction
On February 11, 2011, the Egyptian people experienced freedom and liberation as President Mubarak stepped down after thirty years