This inscription is unusually forthright in expressing a man's feelings, going beyond the usual cliches. The translation is taken from M. Lichtheim, "Maat in Egyptian Autobiographies and Related Studies", pp.196-198 ( archive.org ). There is also a recent German edition and translation by K Jansen-Winkeln, "Die Biographie eines Kinderlosen" ( archive.org ).
Speech of the Osiris, the priest of Neith, Padisobek, justified, son of Wert, justified, born of the housewife and musician of Sobek of Shedyt, Nefrusobek, justified.
O every priest, every prophet, every lector-priest, [all people] and all [scribes] of the house of life, embalmers, servants, ka-priests, all tomb builders and funeral attendants, when they come to Menment while passing by Shedyt, at the time of offering to their deceased - when they see this stela and read its inscription:
May you hear the request that I make before you in humility, namely that you recall and proclaim my name as a good one, so that the great god, lord of the west, may favour you for it! For I am an excellent deceased, a person who helps [his] helper, who acts for his companion, befriends him who acts for him, one pure and hostile to falsehood, there is no evil in me.
I speak to let you know in words far from untruth why I have written this [account]. I have spent my lifetime in illness [and sickness] with pains thereof from morning till night; I could not enjoy [intercourse] . . . I had no heir who would make me a glorified spirit at the portal of the horizon by rites and the work of Anubis on the day of . . . with libations . . . would erect the ladder, would adorn me on the day of burial, would recite to me glorifications in . . . of his lord, would enter me into my tomb, would lay me to rest in my sleep, would perform the rites for me, visit my tomb for me, lay down for me offerings and water, as does a son for his father. Though being a revered one of his nome, I had no daughter who could mourn me on the day of plant offerings, could weepl and wail over me at the time of weariness, which is death. This happened to me because there was no one to act for me.
I was a priest who knew his duties, who had no fault,
clean-fingered in the work of his hand, who did no wrong,
one pure who walked on the water of his lord,
without neglecting his work,
without wearying in his service,
one clean in his time of duty
at the coming of the image of his lord,
not prone to dirtiness,
cleansed at the time of making offerings,
and ceaseless in all that he did.
I was a citizen in whom no fault was found,
who made a statement without partiality,
a valiant priest without reproach.
One who . . . without partiality,
who did Maat . . ., who abhorred falsehood.
I have placed these things before you in order to let you know my character and my being, and to strengthen your mouth to pronounce my name by the plea that I made to you. For behold, a man to whom no child was born is one who does not exist! He has really not been born! His deeds will not be remembered; his name will not be pronounced, like one who has not existed! [I am] a tree that was torn out with its roots, because of what happened to me! Therefore have I put the plea before you that the living and those who shall be in the future shall serve me! If truly done for me, your heart will not tire by doing it, your throat will not choke on uttering it, your tongue will not weary by saying it, your [mouth] will not suffer by repeating it! These are not goods that you lose when you do it! Your storehouse will not [be emptied] of food thereby! For breath of [the mouth] [helps] the deceased; . . . the deceased is revived when his name is pronounced; the spirit breathes when one calls . . .
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