Half sheet of papyrus with hieratic letter, in black, in large, thick, cursive signs, in 24 horizontal lines on recto, 20 more on verso with endorsement. Severely damaged by fire along right side and upper left, lower right fold lines. Petrie lot No. VI.5.
This letter catalogues several disagreements that the writer, only half of whose name we have, has had with his own household. In the first part he writes about owing somebody payment for clothes and has also apparently thrown away some kind of vessel he wasn’t supposed to. He then asks the recipient of the letter to do him a favour but goes on immediately to complain that that same person hasn’t written to ask how he was. He also says that a woman in the house is going on and on about a basket that she says he has stolen. Matters have come to such a head that the writer refuses to stay in his own house and chooses to go somewhere else in an effort to be left alone, although it appears that he has tried that in the past to avoid his enemies from but one of them always comes back there earlier than expected. He finishes the letter by saying that he hates his entire household.
Text has been translated as:
'[Recto]
This is a [message] for the lord, may he live long prosper and thrive, to the effect that all the responsibilities of the lord are safe and sound and everything is as it should be thanks to Khenty-Khety, [lord of Kemwer], the king of upper and lower Egypt Khakheperre-true-of-voice and the gods of Upper and Lower Egypt just as [yours-truly] would wish.
This is a [message] for the lord, may he live long prosper and thrive, about […………………..] your […….] to me the […………………………………..] cloth I owe to [….………] which [……] brought. [Lo]ok! I am sick of [hearing] it [……..] the story about yours truly. As for the vessel “ [Give] it to him in order to throw it out” [those were] the exact words he said to you. Someone has already thrown the pot out from [………]and it [has been] taken by […………]. Look! [Tell] Sageb that I will let my pot be given in [its place………….]. If it is going to be given then [he] can [come] and get it.
Someone should [wri]te to yours truly about the [………..] when he gives it. The […….] is [……..] and yours-truly can bring it from the treasury […….] if that’s fine with you, and when he turns up it can come back with me. This is a message about it.
It doesn’t leave a bad taste in the mouth to say that you are the one who hasn’t written to ask how I am. […………]. He has done it […………..] your basket [… saying…………] I have taken it [from {a woman’s name ending in hi}], every single day. She will […….]. When I come back I will not enter [………..] our house; [I will be] safe because there will be nobody to […………]me, yours-truly can stay in [Sekhem-]Sen[wosret]-true-of-voice. But look, this is what I say
[Verso]
every time and then yours-truly finds out that he is coming back early. However, the [………] so that I might spend the day [……..]ing […………………………………I…...] getting [……………….] the [………..] bread that you made for Ket [………] you [……..] it. Look! Yours-truly is the one who lets you be with your family so […….] can [let…] bring me my [………..]
Also, greet the overseer of the temple [………….] with long life, prosperity and good health and the steward [Sa]ka[inu] with a long life, prosperity and good health
Our entire household is what I hate
This is a message for the lord and it is good that the lord, may he live long, prosper and thrive, listens.
[Address]
The lord
From Amen[…………..]'.
