Naguib Mahfouz - Before the Throne

“You are still a resentful, wrong-headed, and rotten person,” protested Hatshepsut. “You remain determined to impugn my honor without any proof.”

“I warn you not to exchange such wounding words,” Osiris rebuked them.

“Did you love her, my son?” asked Isis.

“She used to mock my short stature — before which the kings of all nations would prostrate themselves abjectly.”

“This great son is worthy,” Isis lauded Thutmose III, “because he brought prestige to Egypt for many long ages.”

“Go take your place among the Immortals,” commanded Osiris.

HORUS BELLOWED, “King Amenhotep the Second!”

A gigantic man entered, inspiring awe with this height and broad build, marching in his shroud until he loomed before the throne.

“The throne has never known a man of his portly power,” recited Thoth, Recorder of the Sacred Court. “His age was one of peace, as he devoted himself to building and public works.”

Osiris asked Amenhotep II to speak.

“I was strong, so all those near me were afraid of me,” he began. “I held them all to their duty, as though my eye followed their every move. I had a bow that only I could draw and shoot. Yet the well-established stability called for me to center my mission on building and construction — and so I did.”

“What was your view regarding the grandeur of your forebears?” asked the Sage Ptahhotep.

“They were my highest example,” answered Amenhotep II. “Yet I sometimes felt inadequate in comparison with them, and a great depression would seize me.”

“In any case,” said Isis, “you ruled and you built, while your times did not demand anything more than what you offered.”

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

HORUS CALLED OUT, “King Thutmose the Fourth!”

A tall, stringy man came in. As he stood before the throne, Thoth read from the holy scroll, “He came to power when the heir apparent died. A revolt broke out in the Asian territories, and he put the rebels down. He married Mutemwia, daughter of the king of Mitanni.”

Osiris invited Thutmose IV to speak.

“I was not designated to take the throne,” the king began. “One day, while visiting the Great Sphinx, I sat down in the shade of his paws. Something like drowsiness caressed me, and I heard the Sphinx’s voice asking me to remove the sands from around him — and promising me the kingship if I did. Immediately, I called the workmen and ordered them to free him, assuming the entire responsibility for that myself. Then what had been predicted came to pass, as the heir apparent died, and I found myself on the throne without a rival.

“From the first day, I understood it was my duty to preserve the grandeur of our inheritance. So I punished the rebels and, in order to strengthen international ties, I married the daughter of Mitanni’s king.”

“Such a step looks like weakness to me,” scolded Hatshepsut.

“I considered it a sensible policy,” replied Thutmose IV.

“Choosing a queen from abroad is a matter fraught with peril!” interjected Khufu.

“I agree with the king that it was a very wise decision,” opined the Sage Ptahhotep.

“Moreover,” added Thutmose IV, “our royal harem has always included women from foreign nations.”

“This man has done his duty, both at home and abroad,” declared Isis.

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

HORUS HERALDED, “King Amenhotep the Third and Queen Tiye!”

The royal couple came in, advancing in their shrouds until they halted before the throne.

Then Thoth, Scribe of the Gods, read aloud, “Queen Tiye was invited to rule alongside the king, whose era was one of such strength and prosperity as never had been seen before, while Egypt drank in the goods and wealth of the world. Meanwhile, Amenhotep III remained effectively vigilant over his empire. He put down any rebellion anywhere it arose, enjoying life as no pharaoh had done before him. He built palaces and temples, and displayed a fondness for food, drink, and women. In his final days, he married a daughter of the king of Mitanni who was the same age as his grandchildren, and who brought about his demise.”

Osiris then invited the king to speak.

“I inherited the empire from my mighty grandfather, Thutmose III,” said Amenhotep III, “and I was determined to inherit his greatness, as well. At that time there was no space for the empire to expand, so instead I reinforced its allies and crushed those who rose up against it. I displayed my greatness through a campaign of construction, and by providing material comfort to the masses. I defied tradition by marrying a woman from the common people: she was an outstanding partner for me in ruling the country, in the charm and wisdom that she brought to me. In the end, I left behind me an age that remains a byword for happiness and plenty.”

“I was pleased by your testimonial to the queen’s qualifications to rule,” lauded Hatshepsut. “That is a witness to the competence of women as a whole, and an eloquent response to the attacks against them by their enemies.”

“Tiye was a magnificent queen,” agreed Amenhotep III, “according to the testimony of her enemies even before that of her friends.”

“Yet you humiliated her in the most despicable way with your insatiable lust for other women,” decried Abnum.

“Every king has his harem,” Amenhotep III replied. “These fleeting passions did not diminish the great role of the queen.”

“And you wed in your senility a woman the age of your granddaughter?” continued Abnum.

“I wanted to strengthen the ties between Egypt and Mitanni,” said Amenhotep III.

“Lies are forbidden in this sacred hall!” Osiris warned him.

“In truth,” Amenhotep III answered apologetically, “I had heard of her unsurpassed beauty, and I was insane about this quality. Despite illness and old age, I overindulged in love until it undid me.”

“Was this the acme of your long life’s wisdom?” the Sage Ptahhotep needled him.

“Death by love is fairer by far than death by illness,” said Amenhotep III.

Osiris asked Queen Tiye to speak.

“The king made me his wife out of love,” she began. “I was drawn intensely to him, panting with passion and the splendor of Pharaoh. Love bound us together from then on always.”

“One day he consulted me about some of his business as king, and my opinion deeply impressed him. ‘You are a truly wise woman, as much as you are a much beloved female,’ he told me.”

“From that day forward, he never resolved an issue without first hearing my view, and we began to receive the ministers and other officials together. I employed my own personal vision in handling the business that came to our attention. Every high office holder in the kingdom acknowledged my ability and sagacity — the priests rushed to me for guidance when the religious crisis sparked by my son Akhenaten’s creed grew out of control. I worked as hard I as could to avoid the catastrophe and prevent civil war.

“As for my husband’s obsession with other women, all kings have their concubines. Not only should a wife refrain from plotting her revenge on this score — it is also no shame for her to select his beauties for him, until he purges himself clean, restoring his sense of well-being. Through the force of my will as an exceptional woman, I triumphed, contenting myself that a queen is no ordinary female when responsible for her husband’s policies.”