Summary
Sinuhe spends decades enjoying life in Retjenu. His children grow up to become heroes who take charge of their own tribes. Sinuhe gives water to the thirsty and rescues people who have been robbed. He counters the attacks of invading Syrians. Amunenshi sends Sinuhe on missions as commander of his army. Sinuhe forces people away from their fertile grasslands and water wells, steals cattle, takes captives and food, and kills enemies with his excellently planned attacks. Amunenshi comes to love Sinuhe for his great courage in the face of battle and danger.
One day another hero of Retjenu comes to Sinuhe’s tent and challenges Sinuhe to a fight. The man tells Sinuhe that his tribe advised him to rob Sinuhe and steal his cattle. Sinuhe replies that the man must resent him for his success. Sinuhe compares himself to a bull who finds himself in the middle of another cattle herd, incidentally provoking that herd’s bull to charge at him. Sinuhe asks aloud whether that bull—who stands in for him—wants to fight, or whether he wants to retreat because he is afraid of losing.
That night Sinuhe strings his bow, prepares his arrows, sharpens his sword, and polishes his weapons. At dawn, all of Retjenu has come to witness the duel. The women, whose hearts are sore, talk nervously amongst themselves, wondering if there is really a man mighty enough to fight Sinuhe. The attack begins with Sinuhe escaping the man’s javelins and arrows. When the man approaches Sinuhe, Sinuhe shoots an arrow into his neck.
The man cries out in pain and falls on his face. Sinuhe finishes him with a blow from the man’s own axe and, standing on his back, releases a war cry. Sinuhe then subjugates the man’s tribe and plunders the man’s property and cattle, doing to him what he’d planned to do to Sinuhe. As a result, Sinuhe becomes wealthy and rich in cattle.
In old age, Sinuhe reflects on how God has been gracious to him after leading him astray from Egypt. He has a good reputation, plentiful food, clean linen, many serfs, and a spacious dwelling. Whatever God fated him to this life, Sinuhe still wishes that God will return him home to Egypt, where his “heart still stays.” Sinuhe wishes to be buried in the place he was born. He hopes to live in the king of Egypt’s grace. He imagines greeting the queen and her children, saying his limbs will grow young again. At this point in life he is weak, his heart is weary, and he is near to dying. The king of Egypt hears about Sinuhe. The king sends messengers to bring Sinuhe back.
Sinuhe’s first-person account breaks for a “Copy of the Decree Brought to this Humble Servant about his Being Brought Back to Egypt.” In the document, the king tells Sinuhe that he roamed through countries because his heart led him astray. The king bears no grudge against Sinuhe for fleeing, and he invites him to return to Egypt to see the residence where he grew up.
The king promises that Sinuhe’s day of burial will be spectacular. There will be a night vigil, his body will be covered in holy oils and wrappings, he will be placed in a mummy case made of gold with a lapis lazuli mask, and a funeral procession will take place, his hearse pulled by oxen and led by singers. The king decrees that Sinuhe will have a tomb chamber with pillars built of white stone. Sinuhe will not be buried by Asiatics in a foreign country. The king ends the decree by impelling Sinuhe to think of his “corpse” and return to Egypt.
Sinuhe listens to the decree while standing in the middle of his tribe. He lies on the earth, then gets up and walks around his camp, shouting aloud about how fortunate he is to be treated so well despite being a servant whose heart led him astray. A copy of Sinuhe’s reply to the decree follows. He asks that the “Perfected God” the king be blessed by the gods, and he declares that the leaders of Retjenu have grown up loving the king. Sinuhe says he did not plan his flight from Egypt. In a dream-like moment, his feet carried him scurrying away; he was drawn astray by God.
But in all the time he was away, he thought of the king, for fear of the king exists in every land. He says the sun shines out of love for the king, river water is drunk when the king wishes, and heaven’s air is breathed when the king says. Sinuhe says he will give over what he has to his children in Retjenu and return to Egypt. He ends the decree by calling upon the gods to continue to bless the king and the “noble nostrils” he breathes through for all time.
Analysis
A far cry from the cowardly wanderer the reader first sees Sinuhe to be, Sinuhe becomes a warrior hero while living in Retjenu. Having recognized Sinuhe’s capacity for loyalty, Amunenshi appoints Sinuhe highest in the hierarchy of his heirs and makes Sinuhe commander of his army. Amunenshi’s faith in Sinuhe proves warranted as Sinuhe easily assumes control of more and more territory.
Having established a reputation in Retjenu, Sinuhe attracts the attention of a fellow warrior. The man’s followers have encouraged him to defeat Sinuhe and absorb his possessions and land, a challenge Sinuhe accepts but has in no way sought out. When analyzing the situation, Sinuhe uses a metaphor to compare himself to a bull who has wandered into another herd and accidentally provoked that herd’s insecure bull.
But Sinuhe is no coward. He calmly prepares for the man’s attack, which he evades without trouble. Sinuhe displays his prowess as a warrior and his faith that things will work according to God’s plan when he responds with a single arrow. In an instance of situational irony, Sinuhe punishes the man by killing him with his own axe before absorbing his property and subjugating his followers, just as the man intended to do to Sinuhe. With this triumph, Sinuhe further establishes his reputation in Retjenu as a man of godlike power. He has become like the fearless conqueror and loving leader he adores the king for being.
Despite having consolidated his power and authority in Retjenu, Sinuhe longs to return to Egypt. In a prayerful meditation, Sinuhe considers how God has intervened to carry him away from Egypt and bestowed him with success in foreign lands. He wishes that the same god will bring him back to Egypt to die in the place he was born. This desire speaks to Ancient Egyptians’ optimistic conception of the afterlife. Because the civilization was one of abundance and wealth, people tended to conceive of death in positive terms, believing it to be a continuation of the good found in everyday life.
Sinuhe’s prayer is answered with a decree from the king, which is inserted into the text verbatim. Sinuhe responds with disbelief that someone like him, whose heart could so easily be led astray, would still be accepted by the king. Sinuhe replies with a message that contains more praise for the beneficent king and plans to tie up his affairs in Retjenu by handing over control of his land and people to his unnamed eldest son.
Sinuhe continues to show his loyalty toward and adoration for the king by recounting how he has never given up faith in him. He also excuses his flight from Egypt as a dream-like moment in which God led him astray—an explanation that shows not so much a surrendering of responsibility but a sincere belief in his own flawed nature and lack of free will as a man.
