Category: Writing

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Song of the Harper
In Ancient Egypt the “Harper’s Song” (or Song of the Harper) is a poem which was inscribed in the tomb along with the image of a blind man playing a harp. It is thought that the harpist played and sang the song during the mortuary feats for the deceased.
A version of the “Harper’s Song” is sometimes found in Old Kingdom tombs but these versions tend to be short and they espouse a very traditional view of life and death.
Later versions are much longer and are notable because they display a marked difference in viewpoint to that which is generally associated with Ancient Egyptian philosophy. The poems encourage the listeners to “seize the day” and reject the more traditional view of eternity, even satirizing the building of large funerary monuments and noting that possessions cannot be taken into the afterlife with the deceased.
Harper’s Song: Tomb of Intef
This version of the poem is from the tomb of the pharaoh Intef (Middle Kingdom). There is also a copy of the text on the Papyrus Harris 500 (New Kingdom).
He is Happy this good prince:
Death is a kindly fate.
A Generation passes, Another stays,
Since the time of the ancestors.
The gods who were before rest in their tombs,
Blessed nobles too are buried in their tombs.
(Yet) those who built tombs,
Their places are gone,
What has become of them?
I have heard the words of Imhotep and Hordjedef,
Whose sayings are recited in whole.
What of their places?
Their walls have crumbled,
Their places are gone,
As though they had never been!
None comes from there,
To tell of their needs,
To calm our hearts,
Until we go where they have gone!
Hence rejoice in your heart!
Forgetfulness profits you,
Follow your heart as long as you live!
Put myrrh on your head,
Dress in fine linen,
Anoint yourself with oils fit for a god,
Heap up your joys,
Let your heart not sink!
Follow your heart and your happiness,
Do your things on earth as your heart commands!
When there comes to you that day of mourning,
the Weary-hearted (Osiris) hears not their mourning,
Wailing saves no man from the pit!
Make holiday, Do not weary of it!
Lo, none is allowed to take his goods with him,
Lo, none who departs comes back again!
Translation by Donald Mackenzie, Egyptian Myth and Legend.
Harper’s Song: Tomb of Neferhotep
The following version was found in the tomb of Neferhotep, the priest. It was inscribed during the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt.
How reposed is this righteous lord
The kindly fate has come to pass
Bodies pass away since the time of the gods
New generations come in their place
Re shows himself at dawn
Atum goes to rest in the western mountains
Men beget, Women conceive
Every nostril breathes the air
Dawn comes and their children have gone to their tombs
Make holiday Oh priest
Put incense and fine oil together to your nostrils
And garlands of lotus and rrmt flowers to your breast
While your sister who you love sits at your side
Put song and music before you
Cast all evil behind you
Think of your joys
Until that day has come of landing
At the land that loves silence
Where the heart of the one whom he loves does not weary
Make holiday, Neferhotep the justified
Good priest, pure of hands
I have heard all that happened to the [ ]
Their buildings have crumbled
Their dwellings are no more
They are as if they had not come into being
Since the time of the God
Adapted from M Lichtheim (1976) Ancient Egyptian Literature Vol 2
Harper’s Song: Tomb of Inherkhawy
The following version was found in the tomb of Inherkhawy, the overseer of workers at the royal cemetery of Thebes. It was inscribed during the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt.
Sung by his Harpist for Osiris, Chief of the Crew in the place of Truth, Inherkhawy, who says:
I am this man, this worthy one,
who lives redeemed by abundance of good
tendered by God indeed
All who come into being as flesh pass on,
and have since God walked the earth;
and young blood mounts to their places.
The busy fluttering souls and bright transfigured spirits
who people the world below
and those who shine in the stars with Orion,
They built their mansions, they built their tombs
and all men rest in the grave.
So set your home well in the sacred land
that your good name last because of it;
Care for your works in the realm under God
that your seat in the West be splendid
The waters flow north, the wind blows south,
and each man goes to his hour.
So, seize the day! Hold holiday!
Be unwearied, unceasing, alive,
you and your own true love;
Let not your heart be troubled
during your sojourn on earth,
but seize the day as it passes!
Put incense and sweet oil upon you,
garlanded flowers at your breast,
While the lady alive in your heart forever
delights as she sits beside you.
Grieve not your heart, whatever comes;
let sweet music play before you;
Recall not the evil, loathsome to God,
but have joy, joy, joy, and pleasure!
O upright man, man just and true,
patient and kind, content with your lot,
rejoicing, not speaking evil
Let your heart be drunk on the gift of Day
until that day comes when you anchor.
Translation by J.L. Foster in “Echoes of Egyptian Voices”.
Copyright J Hill 2010
PLEASE ANSWER ALL THE FOLLOWING MULTIPLE CHOICE:
The Egyptian king emphasizes that it is important for the Egyptian to be buried in Egypt *
so that the person will not be laid to rest by barbarians
since displaced people yearn for peace in the afterlife
since Asiatics never bury their dead in an imaginative way
as his wife and children do not believe in burial in a tomb
Funerary preparations before burial in Egypt contain *
wrapping and placing the body in a mummy case of gold
no special preparations by the family
asking wise men to write the life story of the deceased
dressing the body with the simplest robes found in the market
When Sinuhe returns, there is a noticeable change in him *
he looks like an old man tired of the hardships in the Asiatic region
he needs daily assistance from servants
he is clean shaven with his hair combed and he is rejuvenated
none of the above
Can an inferior ever be loved as a superior? *
Yes, if the inferior listens to others
yes if the person has the characteristics of a steady fighter
yes if the inferior is ready to share his knowledge with his challenger
Sinuhe does not believe it to be so
The main purpose of most of the Harper Songs was: *
accompany those who come to the temple to pray
to sing a praise of death and the tomb
to reflect on the loss of the end of family life
to make a couple happy before their wedding
The Harper’s Song to King Intef
suggests making a banquet on the day of entering the pyramid
praises the accomplishments of workmen who build the tomb
praises the accomplishments of the dead king
casts doubts on the existence of afterlife
The Harper Song of King Intef stresses the idea of: *
extolling the worth of tombs and pyramids
magnifying the enjoyment of the afterlife
counseling enjoyment of life while we are alive
expensive preparations with the best materials
What does the Harper suggest to do to be remembered by later generations? *
compose wise words whose sayings are recited by many people
to have a skeptical approach to daily accomplishments
to save for building a pyramid
to have a feast at the cemetery on the day of death
Nebankh prepares for his afterlife *
with a song that laments his death carved on the wall
by supplying every good thing including food in the tomb
by planting trees around the tomb
by having an artist draw his picture in the tomb
Nebankh hires Tjeniaa to come to his tomb *
to clean it and see that the monument is not damaged
to inquire which activities will bring comfort to his lamenting family
to sing and mention his name so he is kept alive daily
to stamp the letters of the king with the royal seal
PLEASE ANSWER ALL THE FOLLOWING SHORT RESPONSE:
What is the meaning of refrain and why does the poet create it? *
Your answer
T1. Why is the poet skeptical about the meaning of afterlife and what would be a rewarding substitute? *
Your answer
T2. Why does Nebankh, the king’s royal seal bearer hire Tjeniaa? What is the meaning of “royal seal bearer”? What are the functions Tjeniaa has to fulfill? What are the things that Nebankh wants in his pyramid? *
Your answer
T3. A pyramid is built to be “everlasting.” If it does not accomplish it, what is the alternative? *
Your answer
T4. What can we surmise from the fact that we have contrary opinions about the building of a pyramid? *
Your answer

Read Langston Hughes’s “Open Letter to the SouthComplete the Response Questions (1-5)
Question 1. Who does Hughes blame for “the lies of color” (line 25) that divide black from white? Do you agree?
Question 2. Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), the most prominent African American of his, is now often seen as an accommodationist who urged only gradual progress toward equality between blacks and whites. Why do you think Hughes tells his reader to “forget what Booker T. said” (line 19)?
Question 3. If you think of this poem as an argument, what is Hughes’s claim? Who is his audience? And what is his evidence? Do you think he makes the right choices for his argument?
Question 4. What do you think Hughes means by the following lines: “We did not know that we were brothers /Now we know!” (line47-48)?
Question 5. Hughes is hoping that class solidarity is stronger than racial division. Was this the case in 1932?  Is it the case Today?

Long Response: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. 1. At the end of the story, the narrator, in reference to Jim and Della, says, “Of all who give gifts these two were the wisest.” Why does the narrator think that Jim and Della are wise? Support your answer with text. 2. Summarize the text. List five to seven key events from the story in the order in which they happen. Your summary should include main points from the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

What examples of rhythm, repetition, use of space, and NMS is in Ella Mae Lentz’s poem “Sign is Like a Tree”? What is noticed about her signing style for the poem that is different from a conversational signing style?

Question 21 Why did the first screen actors use exaggerated gestures, emphatic expressions, and the mouthing of Not yet words to bring their characters to life? answered Marked out of Select one: 1.00 O a. They were following the Italian National film style. Flag question O b. This was the accepted comic style of the time. O c. This was the standard visual language of cinematic expression. O d. They were trying to adapt the acting style of 19th-century theater. O e. Film directors told them to act this way.

Rules for Group Child Care Centers, compare the similarities and differences in Consider the reasons for any differences. Search for rules
related to: 1. Provider Education (family child care/teacher/assistant). Similarities: Differences: Why might there be differences?