Echoes of Egyptian voices

John Lawrence Foster

It is a long journey from the decaying fragments of stone and papyrus upon which ancient Egyptian literature is written to finished translations of that civilization's classics. In Echoes of Egyptian Voices, translator John L. Foster shows how these bits and pieces, hints of old poems written three and four thousand years ago, come alive again to illuminate their time, revealing a spirit that is relevant today. Fascinated as we are by pyramids and mummies, we know almost nothing of Egypt's verbal heritage. The written compositions of ancient Egypt are among humanity's first--predating the ancient Greek and Hebrew texts by as much as two millennia. Almost all Egyptian literary texts are in verse, frequently in couplet form; they include a rich assortment of poetic elements, such as figurative language, imagery, nuances in vocabulary, and sound repetition. These poems are the earliest expressions of our experiences, hopes, and dreams, of our encounters with nature, people of other nations, and the gods. This literature relates the details of daily life, the ups and downs of society and politics, and the inner, sometimes turbulent or bewildered, self. Many important literary texts of ancient Egypt are recreated here through detailed, critical readings that uncover the linguistic elegance and essentially poetic nature of these brilliant pieces. Included are compositions not readily available elsewhere, such as selections from The Leiden Hymns, the conclusion to "The Testament of Amenemhat," and "Menna's Lament." Foster has crafted translations that are literary rather than literal, conveying the spirit as well as the substance of each text. The work will speak to general readers as well as to Egyptologists because these ancient voices ring true.