The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

Posted by admin_akashic on Mar 4th, 2022 in Stories

I refused to give him such medicine, but he sought out other physicians, and they gave him dangerous drugs that make women mad and light up their embrace so that they think a fire burns inside their bodies. Secretly, Horemheb administered these drugs to Beketamun and got his way with her, but when he rose from her embrace, Beketamun hated him more bitterly than before and said, “Remember what I told you and remember what I warned you.” But Horemheb was blind and mindless in his endless lust and made her drink wine and intoxicating drugs until she slept, not waking up when touched and not able to resist when Horemheb rejoiced with her — but how much joy did Horemheb get from her, that I cannot say, but I believe his joy was bitter and that love became acrid to him. Therefore he soon travelled to Syria to prepare for war against the Hittites, for he said, “The great Pharaohs erected boundary stones in Kadesh, and I am content only when my chariots will drive to burning Kadesh.”

But when princess Beketamun perceived that once more a seed of barley quickened within her, she shut herself into her room and refused to see anyone but nurtured her shame alone. Servants and slaves were obliged to leave food for her outside the door, and she ate so little that the physicians of the golden house feared for her life. When her time drew near, they had her secretly watched for they feared she would give birth to the child alone and send him down the river in a reed boat, as those mothers do who fear shame by giving birth. But she did no such thing, and when her time came, she summoned her physicians, and the pains of her labour brought a smile to her lips, and her pains made her jubilant, and she bore Horemheb a son and gave him the name of Seti without consulting Horemheb. So bitterly did she hate this child that she gave him Seth’s name and said he was born of Seth.

When she had recovered from the labour, she had her body anointed and face painted and was arrayed in royal linen, letting the slave women row her to the other side of the river, and she went alone to the fish market of Thebes. There she spoke with donkey riders, water carriers and fish gutters and said to them, “I am princess Beketamun, the consort of Egypt’s great general, Horemheb. Two sons have I borne him, but he is a dull and slothful man and smells of blood, and I have no pleasure with him. Come and take pleasure with me that I may enjoy you, for your scarred hands and the wholesome smell of dung in your skin greatly please me, and I also like the smell of fish.”

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The men of the fish market marvelled at her words and were frightened of her and sought to evade her, but she followed them persistently and tempted them with her words and bared her beauty to them, saying, “Am I not fair enough, or why do you hesitate? Maybe I am already old and ugly, but I ask you no other gift in return than a small stone from each of you, and may everyone give me whichever stone they like for the joy I bring to him, but give the bigger stone the more joy I bring to you, and believe me, I will do my best for your joy.”

Such a thing had never happened before to the men of the fish market, and I don’t think such a thing had ever happened in all of Egypt. They looked at her willingly, and their eyes brightened at her beauty, the royal linen of her dress luring them and the perfume of her salves consuming their heads. They said to one another, “Nothing like this has ever happened, and truly she must be a goddess who reveals herself to us because we have found favour with her. We would do wrong to oppose her will, for she is unlike any earthly woman we have seen, and the pleasure she offers us must be divine.” Some said, “At least our pleasure will be cheap, for even black women don’t sell themselves that cheap but demand at least one copper piece for the joy they offer. No doubt she is a priestess who is collecting stones to build a new temple to Bastet, and we shall perform a deed acceptable to the gods if we do as she bids us.”

Thus the men of the fish market hesitated and kept talking and followed her to the reed swamps by the riverbank, where she led them out of people’s sight. Yet the fish gutters said, “Let us not follow her, for maybe she has come from the water and leads us to the water, and maybe she is the cat-faced herself — and her head will turn into the head of a cat, and she will claw our manhood with her rear legs if we embrace her to rejoice with her.” Nevertheless, they followed her, enchanted by her beauty and fine perfume, and donkey riders laughed at the fish gutters, saying, “May her head turn into the head of a fish, and we fear not her rear legs as long as we can rejoice with her.”

Thus Beketamun gave pleasure to the men from the fish market all day in the reed swamps by the riverbank, and she didn’t cheat them of any of their delights but did her best to please them so that they were glad to bring her stones — and many brought large stones as are bought

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