Middle Kingdom
Teaching of Ptahhotep: Maxim 1
c. 1800 BCE
The Teaching of Ptahhotep is the oldest philosophical text in the world, attributed to a vizier of the 5th Dynasty but copied in the Middle Kingdom on Papyrus Prisse. The first maxim meditates on the hardships of old age and the wisdom it brings, urging the young to listen to those with experience.
1
jstbjnbtnḏtjꜣw
How hardand painfuleveryafflictionof old age
How hard and painful are every affliction of old age!
2
rwꜣtfnḏjrty=fj
He who is weakhis nosehis eyeshis
He who is weak — his nose and eyes grow dim,
3
msḏrwjnsḏm
his earsdo nothear
his ears do not hear.
4
mrsḏmwmdtnbtsꜣt
Be attentivelistenerto the wordsof everyexcellence
Be attentive, listener, to the words of every excellence.