From: "Marianne Luban" To: AEgyptian-L@rostau.org.uk Subject: AEL The Tale of the Doomed Prince Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 14:22:42 -0700 As things are a bit slow here now, it might amuse some members to have a look at my translation of the "Tale of the Doomed Prince" and the conclusion I have given it. See http://www.geocities.com/scribelist/doomed.html The hieroglyphic version of the extant portion of the tale is at Serge Rosmorduc's site. I do not recall the URL now but perhaps he can supply it. The language of the story is not terribly sophisticated or complex and not very difficult to translate. There are some lacunae and for ideas about those I have had to consult other translations--although I did not agree with all the conclusions. My assessment of the piece is that it was either written for or by a young person and that the entire excercise is a vehicle for the phenomenon of a talking dog. In fact, I saw an opportunity for the dog to speak rather early on in the tale, although other translators did not see it that way or seize upon it. It seemed to me that the hound tried to warn the prince not to go east, into the unknown. When it came to the lacuna where the dog takes some action in Naharin, it did not seem to me that he attempted to bite his master or said to him "I am your fate." I may be wrong, but I don't believe an Egyptian writer would have considered that a dog, raised from a puppy by the youth, would have turned against his owner in such a fashion. Instead, it seemed to me that the greyhound, again, attempted to issue a warning---but left the lacuna just that. Although I wrote a conclusion giving a happy ending--for it seemed to me such a story would have called for one--I do not purport to know the intentions of the author. Regardless, the elements of this tale became staples for fairy tales for a long time afterward, whether "The Doomed Prince" was a well-known composition or an obscure one. Princes, wicked step-mothers and maidens in towers whom only the noblest and handsomest could win, are by now only too familiar. The next earliest story in which a maiden in a tower occurs, insofar as I know, is a Greek composition with the very long title of "Life and Confession of Asenath Daughter of Pentephres Priest of Heliopolis and How Joseph the Handsome Took Her For Wife". It seems to have been written by a Jew of Egyptian origin and could date to as early as the 2nd Century BCE. It was exceedingly popular in ancient and medieval times and has been translated into Latin, Syriac, Armenian, Slavonic, Romanian, Neo-Hellenic, Anglo-Saxon, Ethiopian and Arabic. Like Rapunzel, Asenath lives in a tower and disdains the young men who wish to marry her, including the king's sons. Only when Joseph comes along in his chariot, does Asenath lose her heart, stunned by the young man's beauty. When she finds out that Joseph refuses to marry a pagan, the priest's daughter goes into mourning, dressing in black and covering her head with ashes. Unless she can have Joseph, Asenath threatens to pine away, but an angel intervenes and all comes out right in the end. Marianne Luban ==============================================================================