The Tale of Sinuhe and other Ancient Egyptian Poems, 1940-1640 B.C.

• Author: TROY, LANA
• Position: Review

The Tale of Sinuhe and other Ancient Egyptian Poems, 1940- 1640 B.C. Translated by R. B. PARKINSON, with introduction and notes. Oxford: CLARENDON PRESS, 1997. Pp. xiv + 317.

This is R. B. Parkinson's second volume of translations of Middle Kingdom texts. The first, Voices from Ancient Egypt, [1] gives an overview of the writings of the period, including selections from a wide range of text types. Limited sections of many of the texts found in the work under review are also found in that volume.

The perspective of the present work is, however, distinctly different, as signaled in the title's reference to these texts as "Ancient Egyptian Poems." Included under this heading are thirteen oft-translated works of ancient Egyptian literature, divided into three major sections. The first is "Tales," where the perhaps best known compositions are found: Sinuhe, The Eloquent Peasant, The Shipwrecked Sailor, and the stories from the Westcar Papyrus, called here The Tale of King Cheops' Court. This is followed by what Parkinson terms "Discourses," and under that heading are found The Words of Neferti, The Words of Khakheperseneb, The Dialogue of a Man and His Soul, and The Dialogue of Ipuur and the Lord of All. The third section is entitled "Teachings" and comprises The Teaching of King Amenemhet, The Teaching for King Merikare, The "Loyalist" Teaching, The Teaching of the Vizier Ptahhotep and The Teaching of Khety (also known as The Satire of the Trades). A fourth and final section, called "Phrases and Fragmen ts," adds translations and discussions of fragmentary texts such as The Tale of the Herdsman, The Tale of the King and the Ghost, The Discourse of Scribe Sasobek, and The Teaching for Kagemni. The rationale for this division is found in a detailed discussion of genre in a recent article by Parkinson. [2]

A compact introductory text covers a number of questions related to the literature of the ancient Egyptians, from the historical and social context to particulars of style. The author's treatment of these questions is impressive, much of it related to his earlier work. [3] Parkinson touches upon issues that are central to the study of ancient Egyptian literature, such as the role of the ethical concept Maat, the constraint of decorum, and the presumed social exclusivity of the written word. One topic currently under discussion concerns the distinguishing qualities of "literary" texts. [4] Parkinson attempts a general definition, calling literary texts "self-conscious and concerned with self-definition and expression," without being "bound to any context or situation." In addition, Parkinson sees a focus on "aesthetic considerations," with framing devices being used to dramatize "the speaker-hearer relationship." The most important attribute is, however, "fictionality," a term that has proved useful in this t ype of discussion, in that it differentiates...