They build this fortress in the name of |30 thy ("my") Majesty
Surrounded by a great wall,
Which towers to the sky,
Settled with the children of the princes of the Nubian Troglodytes.
I turn my face towards the sunrise
(And) I do wonders for thee:
(For) I make the lands of Punt come to thee
With all kinds |31 of pleasant spices of their lands,
To beg peace of thee,
And to breathe the breath, which thou givest,
King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Prince
Of the peoples of the Nine Bows, Lord of the two Lands,
Neb-maat-Ra, Son of the Sun, his favourite,
Amenhotep, Prince of Thebes; content
Is the heart of the gods with his monuments—
He is gifted with life, stability,
Purity (?) and health. His heart
Rejoices like the Sun for ever.
48. Plates XIII, XIV. Great stele of Merenptah. This has been engraved on the rough back of the stele of Amenhotep III., which was removed from his temple, and placed back outward, against the wall, in the forecourt of the temple of Merenptah. Owing to the rough surface, and the poor cutting, the readings in many places require careful examination. For this, there have been used (1) a hand copy by myself, taken at a disadvantage, as it lay face downward; (2) a paper squeeze, made by Prof. Petrie; (3) photographs of the stele, and of squeezes of it, made by E. Brugsch Bey, on a larger scale.
The scene at the top retains its original colouring of yellow, red, and blue. Amen is shewn giving a sword to the king, who is backed by Mut on one side and by Khonsu on the other. Of the inscription a copy was published in the Zeitschrift f. Ae. Sp. 1896 p. 1., with commentary by me. Hence only a plain translation is given here.
The Triumphal Song of Merenptah.
I. Protocol.
"In the year V., on the third day of the third month of the period of inundation, under the Majesty of Horus Ra, the strong bull, high in (?) truth, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt Banera Meriamen, son of Ra, Merenptah-Hetephermaat the increaser of power, raising the victorious sword of Horus-Ra, the strong bull, smiting the Nine Bows (foreigners) whose name endures to all eternity."
II. Merenptah Triumphator.
(a) Introduction.
"Report of his |2 triumph in all lands, proclamation to all lands together in order that may be known the glory of the deeds of victory of King Merenptah, the bull, the Lord of power,
Slaughtering his enemies,
Beautiful in the field of victory.
His attack is the sun,
Which frightens away the clouds that stand over Egypt.
He causes Egypt to see the sunbeams,
And overthrows the brazen mountain,
From the neck of the people;
He gives freedom to men who languish in imprisonment,
He avenges Memphis upon its enemies,
He causes Ptah Totunen to rejoice over his foes,
He opens the gates of the City of Walls (Memphis) which were closed,
He causes the temples to receive again their meal offerings,
King Merenptah, he who makes firm the hearts of hundreds of thousands and of millions."
(b) The Defeat of Libya.
"At the sight of him the breath of life enters their nostrils,
The land of Temehu (Libyan tribe) stands open during his lifetime,
Eternal terror is laid in the heart of the Mashawasha (Libyan tribe)
He makes the tribe of the Lebu withdraw, having invaded Egypt.
Great fear of Egypt is in their hearts.
They were come their face in front (?)
They were turned backward (?)
Their legs did not stay firm, but fled,
Their archers threw their bows away,
Their runners were weary of (?) marching,
They unbound their skins
And threw them to the ground.
Their sacks (?) were taken and poured out (?)
The wretched conquered Prince of Libya fled,
Under the protection of the night,
Alone, without the plume on his head.
