o.
The following extracts will give an idea of the character of the
indictment which Apuur drew up against the Government and society of his
day, and which he had the temerity to proclaim in the presence of the
reigning king and his court. He says: "The guardians of houses say, 'Let
us go and steal.' The snarers of birds have formed themselves into armed
bands. The peasants of the Delta have provided themselves with bucklers.
A man regardeth his son as his enemy. The righteous man grieveth because
of what hath taken place in the country. A man goeth out with his shield
to plough. The man with a bow is ready [to shoot], the wrongdoer is in
every place. The inundation of the Nile cometh, yet no one goeth out to
plough. Poor men have gotten costly goods, and the man who was unable to
make his own sandals is a possessor of wealth. The hearts of slaves are
sad, and the nobles no longer participate in the rejoicings of their
people. Men's hearts are violent, there is plague everywhere, blood is
in every place, death is common, and the mummy wrappings call to people
before they are used. Multitudes are buried in the river, the stream is
a tomb, and the place of mummification is a canal. The gentle folk weep,
the simple folk are glad, and the people of every town say, 'Come, let
us blot out these who have power and possessions among us.' Men resemble
the mud-birds, filth is everywhere, and every one is clad in dirty
garments. The land spinneth round like the wheel of the potter. The
robber is a rich man, and [the rich man] is a robber. The poor man
groaneth and saith, 'This is calamity indeed, but what can I do?' The
river is blood, and men drink it; they cease to be men who thirst for
water. Gates and their buildings are consumed with fire, yet the palace
is stable and nourishing. The boats of the peoples of the South have
failed to arrive, the towns are destroyed, and Upper Egypt is desert.
The crocodiles are sated with their prey, for men willingly go to them.
The desert hath covered the land, the Nomes are destroyed, and there
are foreign troops in Egypt. People come hither [from everywhere], there
are no Egyptians left in the land. On the necks of the women slaves
[hang ornaments of] gold, lapis-lazuli, silver, turquoise, carnelian,
bronze, and _abhet_ stone. There is good food everywhere, and yet
mistresses of houses say, 'Would that we had something to eat.' The
skilled masons who build pyramids have become hinds on farms,