Naguib Mahfouz - Before the Throne

Osiris addressed him, “Your grandfather left a teaching that said:

Summon all sternness to treat with those ’neath thee,

For folk but revere those who fill them with fear.

Make no one your brother and no one too dear!

For who ate at my table rose up against me,

And all whom I trusted came to betray me.

“So what did you reap from this?” he asked.

“I do not deny that it affected me greatly during the first part of my reign,” answered Amenemhat III. “Every individual in my family was shaken by the conspiracy that nearly ended the life of my good and mighty grandfather — even those who were not yet born in his time. Some of my counselors urged me not to be clement with my subjects when they were rebellious or exceeded their proper bounds. Yet the heart does not hearken to a way of treating others except when it comes from an impulse within. I found that mine impelled me to love the people — I never hesitated to obey it, nor did I ever regret doing so.”

“You were wrong, my son,” said Amenemhat I. “Only your luck saved you from destruction.”

“Yet you held true to the right and to good guidance,” Ptahhotep commended him, “for when the heart speaks of goodness it is the God who has inspired it.”

“How awful,” exclaimed Abnum bitterly. “To speak well now of when the people were in power has become a subject of dispute!”

Isis then said, “This great and good son needs no defense for the portals of Paradise to open before him.”

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

HORUS CALLED OUT, “Kings Sebekemsaf, Neferhotep, Si-Hathor, Neferkhera, Intef, and Timaios!”

The six entered in their shrouds and processed, bare of head and feet, until they stood before the throne.

Thoth then recited, “They each ruled for a short time. Each reign was known for its weakness, corruption, and internecine fighting over the throne, as well as the encroachments of the provincial governors and priests, the despotism of officials, and the hunger of the people. The thieves among nations fixed their eyes upon Egypt, until the Hyksos came to occupy her, and she suffered disgrace.”

Osiris bid them to speak, and Sebekemsaf replied, “I lived under threat from my family and my courtiers, and was unable to confront the challenges that faced me.”

The others spoke after him, saying much the same thing — then there was silence.

“Clearly,” lamented Abnum, “there was not in all Egypt a man whose heart beat with sincerity. The state of the nation at this time was much like that which rallied the peasants to revolt in ours.”

“All you think about is revolution,” Amenemhat I upbraided him. “When I was governor of a nome, I found the country drowning in chaos. I did not therefore call for greater disorder, but trained my men and took over the throne, saving the land and the people, without violating our sacred customs, and without giving up either lives or honor.”

“These men were feeble,” Isis added, “and nothing can be done for the weak.”

“You committed unforgivable crimes against the rights of your country,” Osiris reproved the wretched sextet. “Weakness was not your only offense, for your hearts lacked nobility, and good intentions as well. Therefore, go to the Western Gate that leads unto Hell.”

HORUS HERALDED, “King Seqenenra!”

A thin, tallish man came in, marching in his shroud until he stood before the throne.

Thoth, Scribe of the Gods, then recited, “He was Prince of Thebes, ruler of the Far South, the province that did not bow to the rule of the Hyksos — the so-called ‘Shepherd Kings’—though he was compelled to pay them tribute. The Shepherds provoked him as they prepared to annex his domain to their immediate control, complaining that the lowing of the hippos in his palace’s lake deprived their king’s eyes of sleep. Yet he spurned the demand to surrender, leading his army to confront the foe. He had the good fortune to fall in battle, slain by numerous wounds to his head and face.”

Osiris invited him to speak.

“I belong to the family that resisted the invasion,” said Seqenenra, “fortifying ourselves in the South until the enemy tired of attacking us. A truce was proclaimed, leaving the South under my family’s authority in return for an annual tax. This situation prevailed for over a hundred years, until I rose to the throne. I had spent no time thinking of the aggressor who had usurped our lands, nor had I prepared to combat him, when he seduced himself into creeping southward. My capacity in both men and matériel was limited, hence — while treating her as an equal — I annexed Nubia to my province, recruiting some of her men to strengthen my army. When the foe confronted me, opinions around me clashed: a minority called for defense of our realm, while the majority warned of a terrible outcome. But I gave courage to the fearful while inciting their anxiety over religion, rule, and ideals until I aroused the defeatists to fight. My army fought doggedly, regaining some of its self-confidence by doing so. In one of the battles, the enemy encircled me, so I slew three of them, then spears and axes rained down upon me.”

“Did you exhaust all political means before embarking on a futile war?” Ptahhotep asked.

“I did indeed,” Seqenenra replied, “yet I would have needed three years more to prepare properly for the day of battle. But I later learned they had amassed their army even before they had sent me their warning.”

“You lived as a hero,” Abnum praised him, “and you died as a hero.”

Isis said, “I repeat what my son Abnum said, that you lived as a hero, and died one too.”

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

HORUS CALLED OUT, “King Kamose!”

A man of medium height and muscular build walked to his position before the throne.

Thoth, Recorder of the Divine Court, read aloud, “He took control on the same day in which his father was killed so that the will to fight was not lost, throwing himself without wavering into the fray. The war raged, sometimes in victory, sometimes in defeat, while he remained steadfast in command until he himself died.”

Asked by Osiris to speak, Kamose recounted, “From the first moment, I found myself obliged to keep up the spirit of combat among my troops, shaken by the fall of their leader. I swooped down on the vanguard of the enemy, leaving not one of my soldiers a chance to balk. I never failed to appreciate my adversary’s strength or superiority. For this reason, I chose as my redoubt a narrow place between the Nile and the mountain, taking up a defensive position until we could catch our breath and reassemble our forces. At the same time, I kept enlisting and training more and more men as well. Then I departed the world, having expended immense effort and vigilance.”

“Both of us lived out our reigns in the field of battle,” Menes said sympathetically.

“All kings are indebted to Egypt for their glory,” mused Abnum, “except for this dynasty — to which Egypt is herself in debt.”

“This monarch needs no defense from me,” confessed Isis.

Osiris commanded Kamose, “Take your seat among the Immortals.”

HORUS HAILED, “King Ahmose the First!”

A svelte man entered, walking in his winding sheet until he stood before the throne.

Thoth, Recorder of the Sacred Court, read aloud, “He took his father’s place when the latter succumbed. He never flinched in fighting the foe, completing his preparations to shift from defense to attack. He affirmed a gift for leadership equal to his personal valor as he swept from victory to victory, besieging the Hyksos’ capital at Avaris until he overcame it. Afterward, he hounded the enemy into Asia, where he chopped him up and scattered the pieces.”