1-Said his majesty: "What is this about, Har[dedef, my son?

"
And His Majesty said: 'What is this,Hordedef, my son?'
2- [Said Prince Har]dedef, "There is a man named Djedi
Prince Hordedef said: 'There is a commoner called Djedi
3- he lives in Djed-Snefru.
who lives in Djed-Snofru.
4- He is a man of a hundred and ten years
He is a commoner a hundred and ten years old,
5- he eats five hundred loaves of bread, half an ox for meat,
who eats five hundred loaves of bread, a shoulder of beef for meat,
6- he drinks one hundred jugs of beer to this very day.
and drinks a hundred jars of beer, up to this day.
7- He can join a severed head.
He knows how to mend a severed head.
8- He can make a lion walk behind him, its leash on the ground.
He knows how to make a lion walk behind him, with its leash on the ground.
.9- Said his majesty: "You yourself, Hardedef, my son, shall bring him to
me!"
His Majesty said: 'You yourself, Hordedef, my son, will bring him to me!'
10- Ships were made ready for Prince Hardedef.
Then boats were prepared for prince Hordedef,
11- He journeyed upstream to Djed-Snefru.
and he went southward to Djed-Snofru.
12- After the ships had been moored to the shore,
After the boats had been moored to the river bank,
13- he traveled overland
he travelled overland
14- seated in a carrying chair of ebony,
seated in a palanquin of ebony,

15,16 Now when he had reached Djedi, the carrying chair was set down.
When he had reached Djedi, the palanquin was set down.
17- Having got up to greet him,
Then he stood up to greet him.
18- he found him lying on a mat in the courtyard of his house
He found him lying on a mat at the threshold of his
19- Said Prince Hardedef. " greetings to a venerable one!
Greeting, O blessed one!
20- I have come here to summon you, commissioned by my father
Khufu.
I have come here to summon you by order of my father Cheops, justified.
21- You shall eat the delicacies that the king gives, the food of those
who are in his service. He will convey you in good time to your fathers
who are in the necropolis."
You will eat delicacies provided by the king He will lead you through a good
lifetime, and to your forefathers who are in the necropolis.'
22- Said this Djedi: "In peace, in peace, Hardedef, king's son,
And this Djedi said: 'Welcome, welcome, Hordedef, prince
23- May your father, King Khufu, praise you.
May your father Cheops, justified, favour you.
24- May he advance you to rank among the elders
May he advance your position among the elders.
25- Then Prince Hardedef held out , his hands to him
Then prince Hordedef held out his arms to him,
26- and helped him up. He proceeded with him to the shore,
And raised him up. Then he proceeded with him to the river bank,
27- holding his arm. Then Djedi said: "Let me have a barge to bring me
my children and my books.
giving him his arm.Djedi then said: 'Let me be given one of the barges so that
it may bring me the children and my books.'
28-Then two vessels and their crews were put in his service.
Then two boats were made available to him, together with their crew.
29- Djedi journeyed downstream
And Djedi came northward
30- in the ship in which Prince Hardedef was.
in the barge in which prince Hordedef was.
After he had reached the residence, Prince Hardedef entered in to report
to the majesty of King Khufu.
After he had reached the residence, prince Hordedef entered to report to the
majesty of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt Cheops, justified,
Said Prince Hardedef: "O king, my lord, I have brought Djedi." Said his
majesty: "Go, bring him to me!"
prince Hordedef said: 'Sovereign (l.p.h.!), my lord, I have brought Djedi.' His
Majesty said: 'Go and bring him to me!'
His majesty proceeded to the great hall of the palace.
His Majesty then proceeded to the audience hall of the palace (l.p.h.!),
When Djedi had been ushered in to him, his majesty said: "How is it,
Djedi, that I never got to see you?"

and Djedi was ushered in to him. Then His Majesty said: 'How is it, Djedi, that
I haven't been made to see you (before)?'

Said Djedi: "He who is summoned comes, O king, my lord. I was

And Djedi said: 'He comes who is summoned, sovereign (l.p.h.!). Summon
me, and look, I've come.'

His majesty said: "Is it true, what they say, that you can join a
severed head?"

Then His Majesty said: 'Is it the truth what they say, that you know how
to mend a severed head?'

Said Djedi: "Yes, I can, O king, my lord." Said his majesty: "Have
brought to me a prisoner from the prison, that he be executed." Said
Djedi: "But not to a human being, O king, my lord! Surely, it is not
permitted to do such a thing to the noble cattle!"
 And Djedi said: 'Yes, I know how to, sovereign (l.p.h.!), my lord.' Then
His Majesty said: 'Let me be brought a criminal who is in prison, and let his
sentence be executed. Whereupon Djedi said: 'But not to a human, sovereign
(l.p.h.!), my lord! Look, doing something like that to the 'noble flock' is not
ordained.'

A goose was brought him and its head cut off. The goose was
placed on the west side of the great hall, its head on the east side of the
great hall. Djedi said his say of magic: the goose stood up and waddled,
its head also. When one had reached the other, the goose stood
cackling. He had a "Iong-leg"-bird brought him, and the same was done
to it. His majesty had an ox brought to him, and its head was cut off.
Djedi said his say of magic, and the ox stood up. ------.

Then a goose was brought to him and its head was cut off The goose was
placed at the west side of the audience hall and its head at the east side of
the audience hall. Then Djedi said his magic spell, and the goose stood up,
waddling, its head likewise. After one had reached the other, the goose stood
up, cackling. Then he had a xt-aA-goose brought to him, and the same was
done to it. Then His Majesty had a bull brought to him, and its head was felled
to the ground. Then Djedi said his magic spell, and the bull stood up behind
him,

Then the majesty of King Khufu said: "It was also said that you know
the number of the secret chambers of the sanctuary of Thoth." Said Djedi:
"Please, I do not know their number, O king, my lord. But I know the place
where it is." Said his majesty: "Where is that?" Said this Djedi: "There is a
chest of flint in the building called 'Inventory' in On. It is in that chest." Said his
majesty: ["Go, bring it to me!"] Said Djedi: "O king, my lord, it is not I who shall
bring it to you." Said his majesty: "Who then will bring it to me?" Said Djedi: "It
is the eldest of the three children who are in the womb of Ruddedet who will
bring it to you." Said his majesty: "I want it; but say: who is this Ruddedet?"
Said Djedi: "She is the wife of a priest of Re, lord of Sakhbu, who is pregnant
with three children of Re, lord of Sakhbu. He has said concerning them that
they will assume this beneficent office in this whole land, and the eldest of
them will be high priest in On."

His majesty's heart grew sad at this. Said Djedi: "What is this mood, O
king, my lord ? Is it because of those three children ? I say: first your son, then
his son, then one of them." Said his majesty: "When will Ruddedet give birth?"
[Said Djedi]: "She will give birth on the fifteenth day of the first winter month."
Said his majesty: "Just when the sandbanks of the Two-Fish Channel are dry!
I would have crossed over myself, so as to see the temple of Re, lord of
Sakhbu." Said Djedi: "Then I shall make four cubits of water over the
sandbanks of the Two-Fish Channel."

His majesty went into his palace. His majesty said: "Let Djedi be
assigned to the house of Prince Hardedef, to live with him. Make his rations a
thousand loaves of bread, a hundred jugs of beer, one ox, and a hundred
bundles of vegetables." One did all that his majesty commanded.