Three Novels of Ancient Egypt Khufu's Wisdom, Rhadopis of Nubia, Thebes at War

by Naguib Mahfouz

  He awoke from his reverie to the unfamiliar voice of the officer telling him for the third time, “Follow me!” and he looked and he saw the palace of the governor of the island. The officer went in and he followed, paying no attention to the piercing looks directed toward him from all sides.

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  He was given permission to enter the reception hall, the officer preceding him. It was the place -where the governor received those whose complaints could be settled simply with gold. The youth cast a look at the governor as he went by, taking in his thick, long beard, his piercing, almond-shaped eyes, and his prominent nose, so hooked as to look like the sail of a boat. The man regarded the newcomer minutely, with a cautious and dubious look. The youth bowed before him with great reverence and said with extreme politeness, “The Lord bless your morning, noble governor!”

  The officer had spoken to him of the strange arrival who carelessly threw down purses full of gleaming gold pieces and led a convoy loaded with gifts with which to acquire the acquaintance of Egypt's masters. He returned the greeting with a wave of his hand and asked in a gruff, deep voice, “Who are you, and of what country?”

  “My lord, I am called Isfinis and my country is Napata, of the land of Nubia.”

  The man shook his head doubtingly and said, “But I see that you are not Nubian and, if my eyes are not mistaken, you are a peasant.”

  Isfinis's heart beat hard at this description, which the governor uttered in a tone that was not without contempt. He replied, “Your knowledge of men has not betrayed you, my lord. I am indeed a… peasant, of an Egyptian family that migrated to Nubia many generations ago and worked in trade for a long period before the borders between Egypt and Nubia were closed, putting an end to our livelihood.”

  “And what do you want?”

  “With me is a convoy laden with the good things of the country from which it comes. I wish to make it my vehicle to make the acquaintance of Egypt's masters and win their patronage.”

  The governor played with his beard and looked sharply and doubtfully at him. He said, “Are you saying that you underwent the hardships of the voyage just to ‘make the acquaintance of the masters and win their patronage'?”

  “Noble governor, we live in a land of wild beasts and treasures, where life is extremely harsh, and hunger and drought have sunk their talons into men's necks. We are skilled at working gold, but exhaust ourselves to obtain a bowl of grain. If your lordships accept my gifts and give me permission to trade between the south and the north, your markets will fill with precious stones and animals and I will have transformed the misery of my people into blessing.”

  The governor laughed loudly and said, “I see your head is full of dreams! Oughtn't you to start by pleading and begging? But no, you want your efforts to be crowned with royal commands to your benefit! So be it. The stupid are many. Tell me, though, fellow, what ‘treasures’ does your convoy bring?”

  Isfmis bowed his head respectfully and said with the seductiveness of the clever merchant, “Would my lord not prefer to visit my ships to see their treasures himself and choose some precious stone that pleases him?”

  Greed and covetousness stirred in the governor's soul. The idea struck him as excellent and he told Isfmis, as he got up to go with him, “I will grant you that honor.”

  Isfmis preceded him to the warship and thence to the convoy and displayed for the onlookers the bangles, jewelry, and marvelous animals. The governor looked over these treasures with an eye gleaming with rapacious greed and Isfmis presented him with an ivory scepter with a knob of pure gold decorated with emeralds and rubies, which the governor accepted without a word of thanks. Uninvited, he took costly bracelets, rings, and earrings and started to say to himself, “Why shouldn't I let this merchant enter Egypt? This isn't trade. These are captivating gifts that Pharaoh will certainly welcome. If he then grant their owner his wish, he will have got what he came for, and if he refuses, it is nothing to do with me. I have a wonderful opportunity that I must seize. Khanzar, governor of the South, loves all such precious things. Why don't I send him the merchant? He will remember me for my action in presenting him with such treasure and creating an opportunity for him to increase his dealings with his lord. If one day he should want to appoint a governor for one of the larger provinces, he will certainly think of me.”

  Turning to Isfmis, he said, “I shall give you an opportunity to try your luck. Go straight to Thebes. Here is a letter to the governor of the South. Take it to him so that you can display your treasures and ask for his intercession on behalf of your request.”

  Isfmis was overjoyed and bowed to the governor in thanks and relief.

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  The first thing that Isfmis did the moment the governor had departed from the ship was to tell the old man who accompanied him, “From this moment on there is no Ahmose here and no Hur. Instead there are Isfmis the trader and his agent Latu.”

  The old man smiled and said, “You speak wisely, Isfmis the Trader!”

  The convoy spread its sails, its oars moved, and it set off downstream with the current toward the borders of Egypt, which it crossed without incident. Isfmis and Latu were standing at the front of the ship enduring the same longing, their eyes almost overflowing with tears. Isfmis said, “A good start!”

  Latu replied, “Indeed, so let us pray to the Lord Amun in thanks and ask Him to guide our steps and crown our efforts with an outright victory!”

  They knelt down on the deck of the ship and prayed together, then stood as they were before. Isfmis said, “If we succeed in restoring the ties with Nubia to what they were in the past, we shall have won half the battle. We shall give them gold and take men!”

  “Don't worry — they are incapable of resisting the lure of gold. Haven't the borders that have been closed for ten years been opened to us? The Herdsman is very arrogant, conceited, and extremely brave, but he is lazy and prefers to employ others, thinking himself above trade, and he cannot tolerate life in Nubia. Thus, his only path to its gold is through someone like Isfinis the Trader -who volunteers to bring it to him.”

  They -went on together, casting looks toward the unknown that awaited them beyond the distant horizon that disappeared into the valley of the Nile, turning their gaze on the brilliant green that clothed the villages and hamlets, the birds circling above and the oxen and cattle grazing contentedly below. Here and there, peasants were working, naked, not raising their heads from the land, and the sight of them stirred in the youth's breast both love and anger, while his heart burned with affection and frustration. He said, “See how the soldiers of Amenhotep work as slaves for the stupid, conceited whites with their dirty beards!”

  The convoy continued its progress, passing Ombos, Salsalis, Magana, Nekheb, and Tirt, till Thebes was only an hour away and Isfinis asked, “Where should the ship anchor?”

  Latu replied, smiling, “To the south of Thebes, where the quarters of the poor and the fishermen are. All of them are purebred Egyptians.”

  The youth was reassured by his words and, glancing ahead, saw at a distance a ship proceeding toward them. He stared as it slowly approached till he was able to make out its features. He beheld a huge, beautifully made vessel of outstanding elegance, with, in the middle, a high, handsome deck cabin, its sides glittering with exquisite artwork. It seemed to him that he had seen something like it before. Latu nudged his arm and murmured, “Look.”

  The young man looked and said quickly, “My God, it's a royal ship!” Then he went on, “It is traveling without guards, so maybe its passenger is a palace official, or a prince seeking solitude.”

  The ship drew close and almost caught up with the convoy, the unaccustomed sight of which had piqued the curiosity of those on board. A woman emerged from the deck cabin followed by a bevy of slave girls, whom she preceded unhurriedly like a ray of radiant light dazzling the eyes - blond, the breeze playing with the hem of her white robe, her fine golden tresses dancing. They felt sure she must be a princess from the pala
ce of Thebes, seeking the solace of the breeze.

  They saw her point her finger at one of the ships behind them, her mouth open in amazement, -while -wonder like-wise sketched itself on the comely faces of the slave girls. Isfmis looked backward and saw one of the pygmies that he had brought -walking on the deck of the ship and realized -why the beautiful princess was amazed. He looked at Latu, saying smilingly that one of the gifts had found the appreciation it deserved, but Latu was gazing at the woman, his eyes hard and face dark. The woman called a sailor, who made his way to the side of the ship and shouted, directing his call to Latu in accents that brooked no refusal, “Halt, Nubian, and drop anchor!”

  Isfmis acceded to the order and issued a command to the convoy to halt. The royal vessel then drew near to the ship carrying the pygmy and the sailor asked Isfmis, “What is this convoy?”

  “A trade convoy, sir.”

  He gestured with his hand at the pygmy, who was fleeing to the bowels of the ship, and said, “Is the creature dangerous?”

  “Not at all, sir!”

  “Her Pharao nie Highness wishes to look at the creature close up.”

  Latu whispered, “That is the title of Pharaoh's daughter.”

  Isfmis for his part lowered his head in respect and said, “It is my pleasure to obey!”

  He quickly left the ship in a boat with which he crossed to the other ship, where he climbed onto the deck to receive the princess, who, with her entourage, was approaching in a boat from her ship. They mounted the deck, preceded by the princess, and the youth bowed before her with a show of reverence, resisting his feeling of humiliation, and pretending to be embarrassed and confused. He stammered, “You do our convoy great honor, Your Highness!”

  Then he lifted his head and observed her from close up with a quick glance. He beheld a face that embodied both beauty and pride, for there was in it as much to provoke fascination as there was to invoke respect, and he beheld blue eyes in whose clear gaze shone haughtiness and boldness. She paid no attention to his greeting but looked around the place, no doubt seeking the pygmy. She asked him in a melodious voice that gave all who heard it the impression of thrilling music, “Where is the wonderful creature that was here?”

  The youth said, “He will present himself.”

  He went to a hatch that opened into the interior of the ship and called, “Zolo!”

  Soon, the head of the pygmy appeared through the hatch, followed by his body. Then he approached his master, who took him by the hand to where the princess and her slave girls stood, the pygmy walking with his chest thrust forward and his head tilted backward in an absurd display of pride. He was no more than four hand spans in height, intensely black in color, and his legs were bowed. Isfmis said to him, “Greet your mistress, Zolo!”

  The pygmy bowed till his frizzy hair touched the ground. The princess was reassured and asked, her eyes never leaving the pygmy, “Is he animal or human?”

  “Human, Your Highness.”

  “Why should he not be considered an animal?”

  “He has his own language and his own religion.”

  “Amazing! Are there many like him?”

  “Indeed, my lady. He belongs to a numerous people, composed of men, women, and children. They have a king and poisoned arrows that they shoot at wild animals and raiders. Yet Zolo's folk quickly take a liking to people. They give sincere affection to those they take as friends and will follow them like faithful dogs.”

  Wondering, she shook her head with its crown of golden tresses and her lips parted to reveal pearly, regular teeth as she asked, “Where do Zolo's people live?”

  “In the furthest forests of Nubia, where the divine Nile has its source.”

  “Make him talk to me if you can.”

  “He cannot speak our language. At most he can understand a few commands. But he will greet my lady in his own language.”

  Isfmis said to the pygmy, “Call down a nice blessing on our lady's head!”

  The pygmy's large head shook as though he were trembling, then he uttered strange words in a voice that was more like the lowing of cattle and the princess could not suppress a sweet laugh. She said, “Truly, he is strange. But he is ugly; it would give me no pleasure to acquire him.”

  The youth looked crestfallen and said, with the glibness of the cunning merchant, “Zolo, my lady, is not the best thing in my convoy. I have treasures to captivate the soul and steal the heart!”

  She turned contemptuously from Zolo to the boastful salesman and for the first time cast him a scrutinizing glance. Finding before her his towering height and youthful bloom, she was amazed that a common trader should appear thus. She asked him, “Do you really have something likely to please me?”

  “Indeed, my lady.”

  “Then show me a specimen… some examples of your wares.”

  Isfmis clapped his hands and a slave came to him and he directed a few words to him in a low voice. The man absented himself for a while, then returned carrying, with the help of another, an ivory box. This they placed in front of the princess and opened. Then they moved aside. The princess looked inside the box, while the slave girls craned their necks, and saw a dazzling array of gleaming pearls, earrings, and bracelets. She examined these with a practiced eye, then stretched out her soft, supple hand to take a necklace of incomparable simplicity and perfection: an emerald heart on a chain of pure gold. She took the heart in her fingers and murmured, “Where did you get this gem? There is nothing like it in Egypt!”

  The youth said proudly, “It is the greatest of Nubia's treasures!”

  She murmured, “Nubia… Zolo's country. How beautiful it is!”

  Isfmis smiled and looking attentively at her fingers he said, “Now that it has attracted your highness's admiration, it would not do for it to be returned to its box.”

  Without embarrassment she replied, “Indeed. But I do not have the money to pay for it with me. Are you going to Thebes?”

  He said, “Yes, my lady.”

  She said, “You will have to come to the palace and take the money.”

  The youth bowed respectfully and the princess cast a farewell look at Zolo, then turned away, moving past with her supple, slender form, followed by the slave girls. The youth's eyes hung on her until the ship's side hid her. Then he recalled himself and returned to his ship where Latu awaited him impatiently, asking him before the youth could say anything, “What news?”

  He gave him a summary of what the princess had said, then asked smilingly, “Do you think she's really the daughter of Apophis?”

  Latu replied angrily, “She is a devil, daughter of a devil!”

  Latu's rough words and angry looks awakened the youth from his reverie. It came to him that the person who had aroused his admiration was the daughter of the humiliator of his people, and his grandfather's killer, and that he had not felt in her presence the resentment and hatred that he should. He was angry with himself, fearing that the tone in which he had related her words might have had its source in an admiration that would hurt the honest old man. He said to himself, “I must be worthy of the duty that I came here to perform!” So it was that he did not look after the princess's boat but instead stared long at the horizon and tried to feel hatred for her, sensing that she was a power that must be resisted in every way. She had passed out of his life forever, but… dear God, her beauty had enchanted him, and no one who had the misfortune to see her could close his eyes to the power of its light.

  At that moment he thought of his young wife Nefertari, with her straight body, golden-brown face, and enchanting black eyes, and all he could do was to stammer, “How different from each other these two lovely images are!”

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  Thebes’ southern wall with its splendid gates appeared, the temples and obelisks rising up behind, magnificence incarnate and terrifying to behold. The two men stared at the city, their eyes filled with tenderness and sorrow.

  Latu said, “The Lord grant you life, glorious Thebes!”

/>   And Isfinis responded, “At last, Thebes, after long years of exile!”

  The ship turned toward the shore, the others of the convoy following in its wake, sails furled and oars raised. It made its way among a great number of fishing boats full of fish, some still pulsing -with life, the sailors standing in the waists of the vessels with their naked, copper bodies and muscle-bound arms. An intoxicating joy diffused throughout Isfmis's body as he looked at them and he said to his companion, “Let's hurry! I'm longing to talk to any Egyptian!”

  The weather was moderate and gentle and the sky a clear blue, the rising sun bathing in its rays the Nile, the banks, the fields, and the towns. They went on shore wrapped in their cloaks and placing Egyptian caps, like those of the great merchants, on their heads. They took a few steps in the direction of the quarter of the fishermen, groups of whom were standing on the shore, their hands holding the ropes of the nets that the boats cast into the depths of the Nile, singing songs and hymns. Others were filling the carts with fish and thrashing the backs of the oxen harnessed to them toward the marketplaces. A few minutes’ walk from the shore, small or middling mud-brick huts roofed with palm trunks had been set up, giving an appearance of homeliness and indigence.

  Isfinis moved from place to place, senses alert, eyes open, watching the fishermen closely, following their movements, and listening to their hymns. He felt toward them an affection and a sorrow that were accompanied by admiration and respect. As he moved among them, familiarity, confidence, and love blended in his heart and he wished that he could stop them and hug them to his breast and kiss their dark faces marked by hardship and poverty. He remembered what Tetisheri had told him about them when she said, “What strong, long-suffering men they are!”