IX.—Letter of Dusratta to Amenophis IV
IX.—Letter of Dusratta to Amenophis IV 1
OBVERSE
1. [To Napkhûri]ya my son-in-law whom I love and who loves [me],
2. [Dusratta], the great king, [the king of Mita]nni, thy brother, thy father-in-law, who loves thee: unto me (is) peace;
3. [to thee and] Teie [thy mother, and to] Tadukhêpa my daughter, thy wife, may there be [peace]!
4. [To …] may there be peace! To thy sons, to thy nobles, to thy chariots, to [thy] horses,
5. [to] thy [country], and to thy property may there be exceeding peace!
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6. [I sent an embassy?] to Nimmuriya, and thy father sent to me …
7. [and as regards] the message which he sent, there was no word whatsoever which [was concealed from?]
8. [the ambassadors] of thy father whom he sent [to] me; and Teie the chief wife of thy father,
9. thy mother, [knew?] them all; he showed (?) them to Teie and favoured (?) all of them, and after (?) them
10. thy father [repeated?] the words which he had spoken with me.
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11. … exceedingly, and [the words which I spoke] with Nimmuriya thy father whom we love,
12. [and the words which] Nimmuriya thy father spoke with me, he (and) I, my heart in nothing
13. did they vex, and all the words which I spoke those also on that day
14. did not vex the heart of [thy father, my] beloved one, in anything, and all that
15. [I said] these also did he perform on that day.
16. [Now Manakhbia 1] the father of [N]immuriya sent to Artatâma the father of my father, and the daughter [of]
17. [Artatâma, the father] of my father he asked for; 5 times, 6 times he sends, but (Artatâma) did not give her; at last
18. [his daughter] he sends and with a train (of handmaids) he gave her. An embassy from Nimmûriya thy father to Sut[tarna 2]
19. [my father came], and the daughter of my father, my darling sister, though he asked for her and seven times [requested her],
20. [my father did not give.] At last five times and six times he sends and (my father) gave [her] with a train (of handmaids).
21. [When] Nimmûriya [thy father] sent to me and when he asked for my daughter, I did not [refuse],
22. [but] I spoke favourably; to his messenger I speak as follows: "I am ready to give her; thy messenger among [my] children
23. has come, and [my] eyes [have seen] the aqqâti which he has given, and her dowry is worthy of yourself, 3 and I will bestow [on her]
24. the dowry due to Nimmûriya thy [father] which [contains] jewels (?) [such as] no god possesses; and because I am honoured 4 I do not. [refuse]
25. to give her;" and Amasis 5 [the ambassador] of my brother, [who had come] for the bride, I sent (back) to Nimmûriya
26. after three months, with a very costly present, and …, and four … of gold [such as] none [had given before]
27. [and] a goblet … of gold was given, which I [despatched].
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28. At last my daughter I gave [to him], and when [I had] despatched her and when Nimmûriya thy father had seen 1 her,
29. … he rejoiced with exceeding fulness, and my brother speaks as follows: "In the joy of my heart
30. I will give her [all her desire]"; and he caused her to be united publicly with his country 2; and moreover my ambassador
31. [he honoured?] like men … when he had seen [him], and he honoured him, and ever did Nimmûriya
32. [place him] in the front rank; and since he honoured the embassy, so among the houses which [he gave] to Tadukhepa
33. [my daughter, he placed] my [servants] all of them, and he made (them) dwell round about 3 and in the midst of my ambassadors, who entered
34. [his country]. There was nothing which Giliya [my ambassador did not obtain?]: gold which he gave a thousandfold in weight
35. … Nimmûriya gave to [Tadu]khêpa and Tadukhêpa
36. [gave to Giliya?] whatsoever he desired, and [Giliya] my ambassador did Nimmûriya in friendship
37. [exalt and] honour: then [Nimm]ûriya sent Nisag his ambassador
38. [on account of Tadukhêpa] my darling sister, and along with [Nisag] he sent slaves to my presence [and] objects of gold
39. …… of gold … of Giliya; and ever
40. …… [Nimmûriya] returned my friendship, [and] my ambassadors
41. ……… I (?) did not send to the slaves
42. ……… among the slaves when he sent
43. …… he did not despatch to me, and … I despatched; an object (?) it had not; and so
44. [Nimmû]riya, thy father, in all the words [he had], one subject for vexation did not leave.
45. [The words] which I speak, all of them, … and a wish I do not utter. Teie
46. [knows the truth of] what I speak, and ask Teie thy [mother] if among the words which I speak
47. (there is) one word of falsehood … him did Nimmûriya thy father [honour?], and
48. Nimmûriya thy father made brotherhood [and league?] with me, and Nimmûriya thy father
49. did [not] say: At last the gold which [thou desirest] I have forwarded 1 to the land of Khani-rabbat; and when I went down and
50. he did not send the [gold which] I asked for, [to] future [days] it was left in the keeping of Nimmûriya
51. thy [father]; and Nimmûriya said to [my] envoy: Furniture (and) objects of gold, a profusion of everything
52. [which] my brother has asked for, which was left [here], which [I have agreed to give] and which my father agreed to give, I [now] send to you.
53 [And] so Nimmûriya thy father never changed his word to a non-word;
54. [through what] he said in words never did he cause vexation.
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55. [Now] they say that Nimmûriya has died, 2 and what they have said
56. has distracted my heart, 3 and I wept on that day,
57. [on my throne] I did [not] sit. 4 Bread and water on that day I did not [take], and I was sad,
58. [and] I [said]: If he is dead, in the land of my beloved
[paragraph continues] (sister) and among my [servants] are the objects (of gold), and
59. [his son will succeed him?], and he loves me; or if he is alive with the god 1 and …, we love
60. [one another, and on] that account in our hearts we are [not] distant (from each other).
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61. [And now to] me the eldest son of Nimmûriya by Teie his wife
62. has made [offers of alliance and brotherhood] and has spoken thus: Nimmûriya is not dead
63. [since Napkhururi]ya [his] eldest son by Teie his chief wife (sits) in his place and
64. will never at all alter [his] words from their place (but they shall remain) as before.
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65. [Now to] my [brother] I say as follows: [Artat?]ama my brother whom we love in our hearts
66. [I have sent to? Napkhûriya] the son of Nimmûriya his father [whom I] honour on account of Teie his mother, who [was chief] wife
67. [of Nimmûriya] (and) loved (him) during the reign of (his) father, in order that she may repeat (?) the words before Napkhûriya,
68. [even the words of Nimmû]riya her husband, very earnestly, whom we love.
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69. Since [Nimmûriya] formerly sent an embassy to [me] when he dismissed Giliya, and
70. [further] sent Manê [as ambassador], and my brother despatched objects of wood, and also gold
71. …… [saying] that it (is) not gold and that I have not brought (it)
72. …… immediately from before the king
73. Nimmû[riya] my brother forthwith [despatched the object]s which my brother gave to me,
74. [saying, Take it?] since I dig [the mines] very laboriously,
75 and I [answer] thus: Nimmûriya my brother the presents
76. despatched [to me], which Napkhûriya my brother, whom [I love], has not increased above him
77. ……… and what he despatched; and since ……
78. ……… and before Manê …… I was vexed
79. ……………
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80. …… [the presents] which my brother forwarded and
81. …… [I convened] my nobles, saying: With my brother in [friendship]
82. [I am united, as his fathers with] my fathers in sooth and with his fathers
83. [my fathers; I have received] the gifts which my brother has sent and
84. …… we have rejoiced exceedingly and kept a day of festival.
85. …… he fixed ourselves, and in the [time] of night thou thyself
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