WHEN
A SENATOR VISITS EGYPT, THE STUDENTS HAVE TO PREPARE THEIR TRANSLATIONS
Reading the Arabic translation of Life in Egypt Under Roman Rule of Naphtali Lewis (Oxford University Press (1983), I find this Arabic translation of P.Tebt. I 33: Preparations for a Roman Visitor very useful for Egyptian students of papyrology to learn translation. A translation from Greek into English, English into Arabic, or from Greek into Arabic is a non trivial task. I can not remmebr when I first wrote this post, but her what I have done. [Your can find the Arabic book in my blog. I don't know exactly where but I do have a digital copy of it, if you want]
The first lines of the Arabic translation of Naphtali's English translation run smoothly i.e. almost word for word. However towards the middle of the text the Arabic translation diverts from the English original, so that I can not align most of the words. The words that I can not align are red in this visualisation: http://sosol.perseids.org/alpheios/app/align-editsentence-perseids.xhtml?doc=36376&s=
The English translation of Lines 3-19 of the text runs, in Lewis, Life in Egypt (1983), S. 12 , as follow:
"Lucius Memmius, a Roman senator, who occupies a position of great dignity and honor, is making the voyage from Alexandria to the Arsinoite nome to see the sights. Let him be received with special magnificence, and take care that at the proper spots the chambers be prepared and the landing-places to them be got ready, and that the gifts of hospitality below written be presented to him at the landing-place, and that the furniture of the chamber, the customary tit-bits for Petesouchos and the crocodiles, the necessaries for the view of the Labyrinth, and the offerings and sacrifices be provided; in general take the greatest pains in everything that the visitor may be satisfied, and display the utmost zeal"
The Arabic translation in p. 15 of the translated book, runs as follow:
The Greek original runs as fellow:
Λεύκιος Μέμμιος Ῥωμαῖος τῶν ἀπὸ
συνκλήτου ἐν μίζονι (l. μείζονι) ἀξιώματι κα[ὶ] τιμῆι
5 κείμενος τὸν ἐκ τῆς π̣ό̣(λεως) ἀνάπλουν ἕως τοῦ Ἀρσι(νοίτου) νο(μοῦ)
ἐπὶ θεωρίαν ποιούμενος μεγαλουπρεπέστερον(l. μεγαλοπρεπέστερον)
ἐγδεχθήτωι(l. ἐγδεχθήτω), καὶ φρόντισον ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν
καθηκόντων τόπων αἵ τε αὐλαὶ κατασκ̣ευα̣σ̣-
[θ]ή̣σ̣[ο]ν̣ται καὶ αἱ ἀπ̣ὸ̣ τούτων ἐγβα(τηρίαι) ε̣[ ̣]ι̣ε̣[ ̣ ̣ ̣]
10 π̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ συντελεσθήσονται καὶ αὐτῶι προσ-
ενεχ̣θ̣ήσε̣ται ἐπὶ τῆς ἐγβα(τηρίας) τὰ ὑπογεγρ(αμμένα) ξένια,
καὶ τ[ὰ] εἰς τὸν τῆς αὐλῆς καταρτισμὸν
καὶ τὸ γεινόμενον τῶι Πετεσούχωι καὶ τοῖς κροκο(δείλοις)
ψω̣μ̣ί̣ον κ̣α̣ὶ̣ τὰ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ λαβυρίνθου θέαν
15 καὶ τ̣ὰ ̣[ ̣ ̣] ̣[ ̣ ̣ σ]ταθησόμενα θύματα καὶ τῆς
θ̣υ̣σ̣ί̣[α]ς̣ ἡ̣ π̣α̣ρ̣ο̣χὴ̣ ο̣ἰ̣κ̣ο̣ν̣[όμη(?)]ται(?), τὸ δʼ ὅλον ἐ̣π̣ὶ̣ π̣ά̣ν̣[των]
τὴν μεγίστην φροντίδα ποιουμενου (l. ποιούμενος) τοῦ εὐδοκοῦν̣[τ]α̣
τὸν ἄ̣ν̣δ̣ρ̣α̣ κατασταθῆ[ναι] τὴν πᾶσαν προσενέγκαι
σπουδὴ[ν]
συνκλήτου ἐν μίζονι (l. μείζονι) ἀξιώματι κα[ὶ] τιμῆι
5 κείμενος τὸν ἐκ τῆς π̣ό̣(λεως) ἀνάπλουν ἕως τοῦ Ἀρσι(νοίτου) νο(μοῦ)
ἐπὶ θεωρίαν ποιούμενος μεγαλουπρεπέστερον(l. μεγαλοπρεπέστερον)
ἐγδεχθήτωι(l. ἐγδεχθήτω), καὶ φρόντισον ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν
καθηκόντων τόπων αἵ τε αὐλαὶ κατασκ̣ευα̣σ̣-
[θ]ή̣σ̣[ο]ν̣ται καὶ αἱ ἀπ̣ὸ̣ τούτων ἐγβα(τηρίαι) ε̣[ ̣]ι̣ε̣[ ̣ ̣ ̣]
10 π̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ ̣ συντελεσθήσονται καὶ αὐτῶι προσ-
ενεχ̣θ̣ήσε̣ται ἐπὶ τῆς ἐγβα(τηρίας) τὰ ὑπογεγρ(αμμένα) ξένια,
καὶ τ[ὰ] εἰς τὸν τῆς αὐλῆς καταρτισμὸν
καὶ τὸ γεινόμενον τῶι Πετεσούχωι καὶ τοῖς κροκο(δείλοις)
ψω̣μ̣ί̣ον κ̣α̣ὶ̣ τὰ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ λαβυρίνθου θέαν
15 καὶ τ̣ὰ ̣[ ̣ ̣] ̣[ ̣ ̣ σ]ταθησόμενα θύματα καὶ τῆς
θ̣υ̣σ̣ί̣[α]ς̣ ἡ̣ π̣α̣ρ̣ο̣χὴ̣ ο̣ἰ̣κ̣ο̣ν̣[όμη(?)]ται(?), τὸ δʼ ὅλον ἐ̣π̣ὶ̣ π̣ά̣ν̣[των]
τὴν μεγίστην φροντίδα ποιουμενου (l. ποιούμενος) τοῦ εὐδοκοῦν̣[τ]α̣
τὸν ἄ̣ν̣δ̣ρ̣α̣ κατασταθῆ[ναι] τὴν πᾶσαν προσενέγκαι
σπουδὴ[ν]
