Naguib Mahfouz - Before the Throne

“I too adored the noble deeds of morality, which is how all the believers of the gods were raised.”

“The wiles of women nearly killed a great king,” tut-tutted the Sage Ptahhotep, “while causing the deaths of two judges, as well.”

“The One God fashioned women to expose the elements that men are made of,” said Queen Nefertiti. “The precious and the worthless, too!”

“Welcome to this son, who is both great and noble in one!” exclaimed the goddess Isis.

“Go to your place among the Immortals,” pronounced Osiris.

HORUS HERALDED, “The kings Ramesses IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, and XII.”

Nine men of varying shapes and sizes came in, wrapped in their winding sheets, and walked in a row until they stood before the throne.

Thoth, Scribe of the Gods, recited from the book before him, “They each ruled for a short time only, one after the other, and none cared for anything but to hang onto power. They let their lusts run away with them — and things fell apart. Wickedness was rampant, the area of the north coast seceding under the last of their line.”

Osiris bid them to speak — but they all remained silent.

Ramesses II then asked them, “Why did you take my name as your own? Are we related in any way?”

“We took it in order to be blessed and ennobled!” said Ramesses IV.

“But you had none of my fortitude, and, in truth, you did not live up to it,” retorted Ramesses II.

“I cannot request their forgiveness,” said Isis, “but I do ask for mercy.”

“To Purgatory with the lot of you,” commanded Osiris.

HORUS BELLOWED, “The governor Nesubenedbed!”

A stout man of medium height stepped in, striding forward until he stood before the throne.

Thoth, the Divine Record Keeper, then read aloud, “As viceroy of the northern region, he broke away from Egypt during the reign of Ramesses XII. The malaise within the country was matched by the fading of her influence abroad.”

Osiris asked him to speak, so Nesubenedbed began, “I sprang from the elite of Tanis, and it distressed me to see Egypt fall into chaos and disunity. I was not able to seize the throne, so I declared the independence of the northern area, hoping to establish order and security there. To this end, I devoted the utmost energy.”

“I am the one most qualified here to interpret the speech of those born to privilege,” boasted Abnum. “Though they always call for security and welfare, they only want those things for themselves, at the expense of the peasants and the dispossessed.”

“The oneness of our homeland, to which I dedicated my whole life, was ended by your actions,” moaned Menes.

“I deplore the blindness of those who surrounded you,” added Ptahhotep.

“I do not know how to defend this son,” admitted Isis.

“To the gates of Hell,” fumed Osiris.

OSIRIS MOTIONED TO THOTH, who duly recited, “The will of the gods decreed that Libya should attack Egypt, becoming its ruling dynasty. Near the end of their rule, Egypt was rent into many parts, the provinces divided one from another, and things returned to how they had been before the age of Menes.

“Then the Assyrians invaded in turn, as the sorrows continued to mount.”

HORUS HERALDED, “King Psamtek the First!”

A boney, bent-over man came in, walking in his shroud until he stood before the throne.

Thoth, Recorder of the Divine Court, then read aloud, “He proclaimed himself monarch over Egypt. He brought back the nation’s unity and fixed the foundations of order. He marshaled a mighty army made up of foreign mercenaries, using it to reimpose Egypt’s dominion over Palestine.”

Osiris summoned him to speak.

“I was a descendant of Sethnakht,” said Psamtek I, “one of twelve princes who governed in the northern province in the shadow of the Assyrians. Due to foreign factors, the power of the Assyrians began to wane, so I resolved to declare Egypt’s independence and territorial integrity. I ended the authority of the princes through a series of assaults, announcing myself as Egypt’s pharaoh. I appointed my sister Nitocris as high priestess of Thebes in order to assert my hold on the clergy, and the nation’s union and internal disciple were restored.

“I concentrated on the economy, while recruiting an army of Greeks and Carians, as well as Syrians and Libyans. The people were blessed with security and prosperity, and harked back on their own to the Old Kingdom in taste, tradition, and the rituals of worship — I saw no harm in that. Egypt’s sovereignty over Palestine returned, and the country became again nearly what it was five hundred years before, under Ramesses III.

“A majestic achievement, for which we are grateful,” said the wise Imhotep, vizier to King Djoser.

“What could be more beautiful than for a people to revive their ancient heritage,” Khufu agreed.

“I consider it a reactionary movement — how do you interpret it, King Psamtek?” asked Akhenaten.

“The people suffered such humiliation under the foreigners that they launched a peaceful revolution against their imported customs — seeking refuge in their original roots and their ancestral traditions.”

“But you yourself marched in an opposite direction,” noted Thutmose III, “and put up an army of alien troops!”

“Egypt was threatened from the east, west, and south,” explained Psamtek I, “but the Egyptians had lost their military drive, and were resigned to defeat. I saved the situation with the means available.”

“See what he has done for his homeland,” rhapsodized Isis, “under the most arduous conditions possible!”

“Take your seat among the Immortals,” decreed Osiris.

HORUS CALLED OUT, “Pharaoh Nekau the Second!”

A tall, amply fleshed man walked in, wrapped in his shroud, and stood before the throne.

Thoth, Scribe of the Gods, then read aloud, “He extended his rule unto Syria, and was victorious over Assyria and Judah. But Babylon was rising at the same time, and conquered Syria and Palestine as well. He strengthened the forts along the border and sought to improve trade, even sending an expedition of Phoenicians to explore the far shores of Africa.”

Osiris bid him speak.

“I never, ever neglected my duty,” said Nekau II simply. “I met with luck at my life’s beginning, and with defeats at its ending. But the homeland enjoyed soundness, security, well-being during my rule.”

“You must have realized,” Thutmose III reminded him, “that young nations have no limits to their ambitions. You had to ready the people to fight!”

“Tragically, the people had lost their spirit,” Nekau II admitted mournfully.

“You too had lost your spirit,” the Sage Ptahhotep berated him, “for you put your faith in foreign hirelings!”

“He never flagged in the struggle,” said Isis, “either on the field of battle, or on our fertile soil.”

“Take your seat among the Immortals,” Osiris told him.

HORUS HERALDED, “King Psamtek the Second!”

A short, plump man entered the chamber, waddling in his winding sheet until he stood before the throne.

Thoth, Recorder of the Divine Court, then recited, “He strengthened order at home, and to that end, made his daughter, Enekhnes-Neferibre, High Priestess of Amun, in place of her paternal aunt, Nitocris. And he deepened his relations with Greece.”

Osiris asked him to speak.

“I have nothing to add,” said Psamtek II, “save that my reign was one of peace and clemency.”