The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

Posted by admin_akashic on Mar 4th, 2022 in Stories

He died smiling, for at times death comes like a smiling bliss after great agony, and his fading eyes saw wonderful visions as they lapsed. I watched him trembling, and as I watched him, I saw him as a man, someone like me, and I no longer thought about his country nor his speech nor the colour of his skin, but I only knew that he died by my hand and by my wickedness, though as a man he was my brother. Hardened though my heart was by all the deaths I had witnessed during the days of my life, yet my heart quaked at the passing of prince Zannanza. The tears poured down my cheeks and onto my hands, and I tore at my cloth and cried, “Don’t die, my brother, my fellow man.”

But I could not help his death any more, and the Hittites laid his body in strong wine and honey that they might carry it to Hattusa to the royal tombs in the mountains, where eagles and wolves watched over the eternal sleep of the Hittite Kings. They were deeply touched by my emotion and by my sincere tears, and at my desire, they willingly certified on a clay tablet that I was in no way to blame for prince Zannanza’s death but had exerted every art to save him from the disease. They wrote this certificate in clay in Hittite writing and attested it with their own seals and with the royal seal of prince Zannanza that no shadow might fall upon me in Egypt because of their lord’s death. For they judged Egypt by their own customs and believed that when I returned to Egypt and told princess Beketamun of prince Zannanza’s death, she would have me killed.

Thus I saved Egypt from the power of the Hittites with my deed and ought to have rejoiced for the sake of my deed, but I wasn’t joyful and only felt that wherever I went, death would follow at my heels. I had become a physician that I might heal men with my skill and sow life instead of death, but my father and mother died because of my wickedness; and Minea died because of my weakness; and Merit and little Thoth died because of my blindness; and Pharaoh Akhenaten died because of my hatred, my friendship and for the sake of Egypt. All whom I loved died a violent death for my sake. So died prince Zannanza also, though I loved him at his moment of dying and I no longer wished for his death. I started to fear my own eyes, and when I returned to Tanis I feared my own hands, believing that a curse followed me everywhere I went.

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So I returned to Tanis, and from Tanis sailed to Memphis, and from Memphis returned to Thebes. In Thebes, I gave orders for my ship to be made fast to the quay of the golden house and stepped before Ay and Horemheb. They received me, and I said to them, “Your will has been done. Prince Zannanza has died in the Sinai desert, and the shadow of his death does not fall upon Egypt.” They rejoiced greatly at my words, and Ay took the golden chain of the crook bearer from his neck and hung it about my own, and Horemheb said, “Relate this also to princess Beketamun for she will not believe us if we tell her of it but will fancy that I have had the Hittite prince assassinated out of jealousy.”

I went before princess Beketamun, and she received me, and she had painted her cheeks and mouth brick red, but in her oval, dark eyes lurked death. I said to her, “Your suitor, prince Zannanza, released you from your promise before he died, for he died of the desert stomach sickness in the Sinai desert; and none of my skills availed to save him, nor could the Hittite physician save him either.”

She took the golden bangles from her wrists and set them on mine and said, “Your news is good, Sinuhe, and I thank you for it, since I have already been initiated as a priestess of Sekhmet, and my crimson robe is woven for the victory festival. Nevertheless, I have started to know this Egyptian stomach sickness too well, and I know that my brother Akhenaten, who was Pharaoh and whom I loved as a sister, died of the same stomach disease. Therefore, be accursed, Sinuhe, be accursed to all eternity, and may your grave be accursed and your name fall into perpetual oblivion for you have made the throne of Pharaohs a playground for robbers, and in my blood you have forever desecrated the sacred blood of Pharaohs.”

Bowing deeply before her, I stretched forth my hands at knees and said, “Be it as you say.” Then I left her, and she bade her slaves sweep the floor after me all the way to the threshold of the golden house.

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