Teaching Amenemhat I, section 10

The Teaching of King Amenemhat I
Transliteration

(10)
iw hAb.n.i r Abw Hsy.n.i r idHw
aHa.kwi Hr Drw tA mA.n.i qAb.f
in.n.i r Drw xpSwt
m xpS.i m xprw.i

Section 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Translation

(10)
I PLOUGHED SOUTH TO ABU, FARED NORTH TO THE MARSHES.
I stood at the limits of the land, and saw its contour.
I reached the limits of the strongholds,
by my strength and by my forms.

Commentary to the translation. Detailed points

(10)
ploughed south
This passage is used to illustrate linguistic extension, by Mark Collier, in Loprieno, Antonio (ed.), Ancient Egyptian Literature, History & Forms, Leiden 1996, 538 with n.23

Abu
The Egyptian name for the town called by the Greeks Elephantine, on the island facing modern Aswan, at the southern boundary of Egypt.

Marshes
The papyrus marshes along the northern reaches of the Nile Delta, marking the natural northern boundary of Egypt.

limits of the land … limits of the strongholds
Echo of Lord of All: note the themes of limit, control, power and powerlessness

Contour
The word literally denotes 'folding' or 'circuit': other commentators take it to refer not to the boundaries, but to the contents 'enfolded' by them.

by my forms

Religious concept of 'forms': note resonance of 'create'-'happen'-'form'