Brugsch, Heinrich: Egypt under the pharaohs: a history derived entirely from the monuments (London, 1891)

Dra. xix. THE POEM OF PENTAUB 275

his chariot-horses did any work. I pointed out to them the road
from their city, that they might find it in like manner at the day and
at the hour at which the battle comes on. Now behold ! A bad
service altogether has been performed for me. None of you stood
oy, ready to stretch out his hand to me when I fought. By the
name of my father Amen ! Oh that I may be for Egypt like my
father, the sun-god Ra ! Not a single one of you would watch, to
attend to what concerns his duty in the land of Egypt. Eor such
ought to be the good kind of men, who have been entrusted with
work for the memorial-places in Thebes, the city of Amen. This is
a great fault which my warriors and chariot-fighters have committed,
greater than it is possible to describe. Now behold, I have achieved
the victory. No warrior and no chariot-fighter was with me.
The whole world from afar beholds the strength of my arm. I was
all alone. No other was with me. No prince was by my side, of
the captains of the chariots, no captain of the soldiers, nor any
horseman. The foreign peoples were eye-witnesses of this. They
publish my name to the furthest and most unknown regions. All
"the combatants whom my hand left surviving, they stood there,
turning themselves to wonder at what I did ; and though millions of
them had been there they would not have kept their feet, but would
have run away. For every one who shot an arrow aimed at me,
his own weapon failed, which should have reached me.'

When now my warriors and my charioteers saw that I was
named like Mentu of the victorious arm, and that Amen my
father was with me, and the special favour he had done for me,
;and that the foreigners all lay like hay before my horses, then they
came forward one after another out of the camp at the time of
evening, and found all the people which had come against them, the
best combatants of the people of Kheta, and of the sons and brothers
°f their king, stretched out and weltering in their blood. And
when it was light on the (next morning) in the plain of the land
•of Kadesh, one could hardly find a place for his foot on account of
their multitude.

Then came my warriors forward to praise highly my name,
full of astonishment at what I had done. My princes came forward
to honour my courage, and my chariot-fighters also to praise my
strength.

' How wast thou, great champion of firm courage, the saviour
of thy warriors and of thy chariot-fighters ! Thou son of Amen,
who came forth out of the hands of the god, thou hast annihilated
the people of Kheta by thy powerful arm. Thou art a good
•champion, a lord of victory ; no other king fights as thou dost for
his warriors in the day of battle. Thou, 0 bold one, art the first

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