The king smiled at him. The priest requested permission to greet the family, which the king granted him, and he went to Tetisheri and greeted her, then turned to Queen Ahotep, to whom he had been close during the reign of Seqenenra, then kissed Setkimus and Nefertari. Then Hur said to his master, “My lord, Thebes is waiting for her master and the army is drawn up along the roads, but the chief priest of Amun has a request.”
“And what is the request of our chief priest?”
The priest said respectfully, “That our lord be kind enough to visit the temple of Amun before going to the royal palace.”
Ahmose said, smiling, “What a profitable and auspicious request to fulfill!”
33
Ahmose left the ship followed by his queens and the great men of his kingdom. The officers and soldiers who had fought with him from the first day greeted him and the king returned their salute. He climbed into a beautiful royal litter, the queens got into theirs, the litters were raised, and a battalion of the royal guard preceded them, with the chariots of the entourage following and, behind them, another battalion of the royal guard. The royal procession made its way toward the central southern gate of Thebes, which was decorated with flags and flowers, the doughty soldiers who had breached these same walls only yesterday drawn up on either side.
The royal litter passed through the gate of the city between two rows of bristling lances, after the guard of the walls had blown their bugles, and flowers and sweet-scented herbs fell on them as they entered. Ahmose looked around him and saw a scene amazing enough to startle the most composed soul. He saw all the people of Egypt at a single glance. He saw bodies covering the streets, the walls, and the houses; nay more, he saw souls purified by — worship, love, and ardor. The air rang — with the cheers rising from their hearts, the people enthralled by the sight of the Sacred Mother in the dignity of her old age and the venerability of her grandeur, and of her valiant great-grandson in the flower of his strength and youth. The procession moved as though plowing through a bottomless, billowing sea, souls and eyes hanging on it. It took several hours to cover the distance to the temple of Amun.
At the door of the temple, the king was received by the priests, who prayed for him at length and walked in front of him to the Hall of the Columns, where offerings were made on the altar. The priests chanted the Lord's hymn with sweet, melodious voices that continued resounding in their hearts long after. Then the chief priest said to the king, “My lord, permit me to enter the Holy of Holies, to make ready certain precious things that concern Your Majesty.”
The king granted him permission and the man departed with a troupe of priests. They were gone for a short time and then the priest appeared once more, followed by the other priests carrying a coffin, a throne, and a golden chest. All these they placed in front of the royal family with respect and reverence and Nofer-Amun, advancing until he stood before Ahmose, said, in a magical, penetrating voice, “My lord, these things that I place before you for your inspection are the most precious relics of the Sacred Kingdom. Valiant Commander Pepi, of immortal memory, put them in my safekeeping twelve years ago, so that they might be out of reach of the enemy's greedy hands. The coffin is that of the martyred king Seqenenra and preserves his embalmed body, whose shrouds enfold grievous wounds, each one of which records an immortal page of bravery and sacrifice. The throne is his glorious throne, which fulfilled its rightful duty when he announced from it Thebes’ word of defiance, choosing the sufferings of the struggle and its terrors over silence under a humiliating peace. This golden chest contains the double crown of Egypt, the crown of Timayus, last of our kings to rule a united Egypt. I gave it to Seqenenra as he left to fight Apophis. He plunged into the thick of the battle with it on his noble head and everyone in the valley knows well how he defended it. These things, my lord, constitute the sacred trust left by Commander Pepi and I praise the Lord that He extended my life so that I could hand them back to their owners, may they ever live in glory, and glory in them!”
The eyes of all turned to the royal coffin. Then all, with the royal family at their head, prostrated themselves and made humble prayer.
The king and his family approached the coffin and surrounded it. Silence enveloped them all but the coffin spoke to their hearts and innermost souls. Tetisheri, for the first time, felt weary. She supported herself on the king's arm, her tears hiding the beloved coffin from her eyes. Hur, resolved to staunch the Sacred Mother's tears and still the sufferings of her heart, said to Nofer-Amun, “Chief Priest, keep this coffin in the Holy of Holies until it may be placed in its grave with solemn ceremony befitting its owner's standing.”
The priest took his master's permission to order his men to remove the coffin to the sanctuary of the Divine Lord. Then the priest opened the chest, took out the double crown of Egypt, reverently approached Ahmose, and crowned with it his curly hair. The people, seeing what the priest had done, all cheered, “Long live the pharaoh of Egypt!”
Nofer-Amun invited the king and queens to visit the sacred sanctuary and they proceeded there, Tetisheri still leaning on Ahmose's arm. They crossed the sacred threshold that separates this world from the next, prostrated themselves to the Divine Lord, kissed the curtains that hung before his statue, and prayed a prayer of thanks and praise for His preparing their success and restoring them in triumph to the motherland.
The king then left and went to his litter, as did the queens. The throne was loaded onto a large carriage and the procession resumed its progress to the palace between crowds that cheered and prayed, exulting and acclaiming the greatness of God, waving branches and scattering flowers. They reached the old palace toward the end of the afternoon. Tetisheri had been much affected. Her heart was beating hard and her breathing was irregular, so she was taken in her litter to the royal wing, where the queens and the king joined her and sat anxiously in front of her. However, she recovered her composure, and, by the strength of her will and her faith, she once more sat upright and looked tenderly into the beloved faces, saying in a weak voice, “Please excuse me, children. For the first time, my heart has betrayed me. How much has it borne and how patient it has been! Let me kiss you all, for when you are as old as I, the achievement of one's hopes brings on the end.”
34
Evening came and night descended but Thebes knew nothing of sleep and stayed awake in revelry, the torches shimmering in the streets and suburbs, while the people gathered in its squares to chant and cheer and the houses rang with music and song. That same night, Ahmose did not sleep despite his exhaustion. The bed irked him, so he went out onto the balcony overlooking the vast garden and sat there on a luxurious divan in the light of a dim lamp. His soul wandered in the oppressive darkness, the tips of his fingers playing affectionately and tenderly with a gold chain, at which, from time to time, he gazed, as though his very thoughts and dreams emanated from it.
The young queen Nefertari joined him unexpectedly, excitement having driven slumber from her eyes. She thought that her husband was as happy as she and sat beside him full of gaiety and happiness. Smiling, the king turned toward her and her eyes fell on the chain in his hand. She took it in amazement and said, “Is this a necklace? How lovely! But it's broken.”
Gathering his thoughts, he said, “Yes. It has lost its heart.”
“What a pity! Where did it lose it?”
He replied, “I know only that it was lost against my will.”