and pleaded to all gods of Egypt. Although it goes beyond me how one country could be holier than another or that Egyptian gods would be any mightier than the Hittite gods, but as far as I have read the texts and heard old soldiers tell me, one must plead to gods when a war starts, and a proficient commander always remembers the gods when he is speaking. People like that — whether it is of any use or not — and also you, Sinuhe, have to admit that my speech had a great effect on people even though I had put my own men amongst the people to start shouting my praise, just to be sure. Also note, Sinuhe, that I promised them victory without exaggerating the troubles ahead — for people will receive troubles and misery in due time, and there is no need to frighten them too early. But before we can win this war, we need to face a lot of pain, and facing the Hittites with untrained troops that have no spears or chariots makes me feel like a boy poking a lion’s nose with a dry reed. But I don’t doubt that we will prevail at the end for I am destined to great deeds, though I am afraid many will die before that.”
“Horemheb,” I asked him, “Is anything sacred to you?”
He pondered a little and said, “A great commander and ruler has to see through all words and fantasies and himself use words and fantasies as weapons within his hands. I admit, Sinuhe, that this is quite hard and makes life joyless, but perhaps the feeling to rule other people with one’s will and make them perform great deeds compensates for all other joys. When I was younger, I believed in my spear and my falcon. Now I believe only in my own will and know that my will is my destiny. But my will consumes me like a grindstone consumes stone. I don’t have a single moment to rest — not during the day or night, not when awake or sleeping — and I can only get exceedingly drunk if I want to relax for a while. When I was younger, I believed in friendship, and I believed also that I loved a certain woman, whose scorn and resistance enraged me but
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now I know that no human being is an aim, but only a means to me — and also that woman is nothing but a means to me any more. I, Horemheb, am the centre of everything — all things proceed from me and return to me. I am Egypt and the people. In making Egypt great and powerful again, I myself am made great and powerful. This is no more than right and proper, as you may understand, Sinuhe.”
His words might have made an impression on someone else who did not know him, but I had known him as a boastful boy and had in Nen-nesu seen his parents, who smelled of cheese and cattle, although he had raised them to distinction. Therefore I could not take him very seriously although it was plain that he apparently sought to make himself divine in my sight. But I concealed my thoughts from him and began to speak of princess Beketamun, who was much displeased because she had felt her place in Tutankhamun’s procession had not been consistent with her dignity. Horemheb listened to me greedily and offered me wine, that I might tell him more of Beketamun. This way, we drank wine as we sailed down the river to Memphis, while the chariots of the Hittites laid waste the Lower Kingdom.
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