A day in the life of an ancient Egyptian doctor - Elizabeth Cox

Translator: Jonathan Rebetz Reviewer: Nika Kotnik

It’s another sweltering morning in Memphis, Egypt.

Je še eno žgoče jutro v Memfisu v Egiptu.

As the sunlight brightens the Nile, Peseshet checks her supplies.

Ko sonce osvetli Nil, Pesešet preveri svoje zaloge.

Honey,

garlic,

Med,

česen,

cumin,

kumina,

acacia leaves,

listi akacije,

cedar oil.

cedrino olje.

She’s well stocked with the essentials she needs to treat her patients.

Dobro založena je z osnovnimi stvarmi, ki jih potrebuje za zdravljenje pacientov.

Peseshet is a swnw, or a doctor.

Pesešet je sunu ali zdravnica.

In order to become one,

Da bi postala zdravnica,

she had to train as a scribe

se je morala uriti kot pisarka

and study the medical papyri stored at the Per Ankh, the House of Life.

in preučiti zdravstvene papiruse, shranjene v Per Ankhu, Hiši življenja.

Now, she teaches her own students there.

Zdaj tam uči svoje lastne učence.

Before teaching, Peseshet has a patient to see.

Pred poučevanjem mora Pesešet k pacientu.

One of the workers at the temple construction site has injured his arm.

Eden od delavcev na gradbišču templja si je poškodoval roko.

When Peseshet arrives,

Ko Pesešet prispe,

the laborer’s arm is clearly broken,

vidi, da je delavčeva roka očitno zlomljena,

and worse, the fracture is a sed, with multiple bone fragments.

in, kar je še huje, zlom je kominutiven, kost je namreč zlomljena na več delcev.

Peseshet binds and immobilizes the injury.

Pesešet poveže in imobilizira poškodbo.

Her next stop is the House of Life.

Njen naslednji postanek je Hiša življenja.

On her way, a woman intercepts Peseshet in the street.

Na poti tja Pesešet na cesti prestreže neka ženska.

The woman’s son has been stung by a scorpion.

Njenega sina je pičil škorpijon.

Peseshet has seen many similar stings and knows exactly what to do.

Pesešet je videla mnogo podobnih primerov in točno ve, kaj narediti.

She must say an incantation to cast the poison out.

Izreči mora urok, da bo pregnala strup.

She begins to recite the spell,

Prične recitirati urok,

invoking Serqet, patron of physicians and goddess of venomous creatures.

klicati Serket, zavetnico zdravnikov in boginjo strupenih bitij.

Peseshet recites the spell as if she is Serqet.

Pesešet recitira urok, kot da je Serket.

This commanding approach has the greatest chance at success.

Ta ukazovalni pristop ima največ možnosti za uspeh.

After she utters the last line,

Ko izreče zadnjo vrstico,

she tries to cut the poison out with a knife for good measure.

poskusi za dobro mero izrezati strup z nožem.

Peseshet packs up to leave, but the woman has another question.

Pesešet pripravi stvari, da bi odšla, a ženska ima še eno vprašanje.

She wants to find out if she is pregnant.

Rada bi ugotovila, če je noseča.

Peseshet explains her fail-safe pregnancy test:

Pesešet razloži svoj nezmotljivi nosečnostni test:

plant two seeds: one barley, one emmer.

posaditi je treba dve semeni, ječmen in dvozrnico.

Then, urinate on the seeds every day.

Nato je treba vsak dan urinirati nanju.

If the plants grow, she’s pregnant.

Če rastlina zraste, je ženska noseča.

A barley seedling predicts a baby boy,

Ječmenov poganjek napoveduje dečka,

while emmer foretells a girl.

dvozrnica pa deklico.

Peseshet also recommends a prayer to Hathor, goddess of fertility.

Presešet priporoča tudi molitev boginji plodnosti, Hator.

When Peseshet finally arrives at the House of Life,

Ko Pesešet končno prispe v Hišo življenja,

she runs into the doctor-priest Isesi.

naleti na zdravnika-svečenika Isesija.

She greets Isesi politely, but she thinks priests are very full of themselves.

Vljudno ga pozdravi, a misli, da so svečeniki polni samih sebe.

She doesn’t envy Isesi’s role as neru pehut,

Isesiju ne zavida njegove vloge kot neru pehut,

which directly translates to herdsman of the anus to the royal family,

kar dobesedno pomeni pastir anusa kraljeve družine

or, guardian of the royal anus.

ali stražar kraljevega anusa.

Inside, the House of Life is bustling as usual with scribes,

V notranji Hiše življenja vse kot ponavadi vrvi pisarjev,

priests,

duhovnikov,

doctors,

zdravnikov

and students.

in študentov.

Papyri containing all kinds of records, not just medical information,

Papirusi, ki vsebujejo različne zapise, ne le zdravstvene informacije,

are stored here.

se hranijo tu.

Peseshet’s son Akhethetep is hard at work copying documents

Presešetin sin Akhethetep pridno prepisuje dokumente

as part of his training to become a scribe.

kot del svojega usposabljanja, da bo postal pisar.

He’s a particularly promising student,

Je še posebej obetaven študent,

but he was admitted to study because Peseshet is a scribe,

na študij pa je bil sprejet, ker je Pesešet tudi pisarka

as was her father before her.

in prav tako njen oče pred njo.

Without family in the profession,

Brez družine v poklicu

it’s very difficult for boys, and impossible for girls,

je zelo težko za fante, za deklice pa nemogoče

to pursue this education.

lotiti se tega izobraževanja.

Peseshet oversees all the female swnws and swnws-in-training in Memphis.

Pesešet nadzoruje vse zdravnice in zdravnice pripravnice v Memfisu.

The men have their own overseer,

Moški imajo svojega nadzornika,

as the male doctors won’t answer to a woman.

ker zdravniki nočejo odgovarjati ženski.

Today, Peseshet teaches anatomy.

Danes Pesešet poučuje anatomijo.

She quizzes her students on the metu,

Študentke sprašuje o metu,

the body’s vessels that transport blood,

telesnih poteh, ki transportirajo kri,

air,

urine,

zrak,

urin

and even bad spirits.

in celo hudobne duhove.

Peseshet is preparing to leave

Pesešet se pripravlja na odhod,

when a pale, thin woman accosts her at the door and begs to be examined.

ko jo pri vratih nagovori bleda, vitka ženska in jo roti, naj jo pregleda.

The woman has a huge, sore lump under her arm.

Ženska in ogromno vneto bulo pod roko.

Peseshet probes the growth and finds it cool to the touch

Pesešet pregleda izrastek in vidi, da je hladen na dotik

and hard like an unripe hemat fruit.

in trd kot nezrel sadež.

She has read about ailments like this, but never seen one.

Brala je o takih tegobah, a videla je še ni nikoli.

For this tumor there is no treatment, medicine or spell.

Za tak tumor ni zdravljenja, zdravila ali uroka.

All the texts give the same advice: do nothing.

Vsa besedila nudijo isti nasvet: ne stori ničesar.

After delivering the bad news, Peseshet goes outside.

Ko pove slabo novico, gre Pesešet ven.

She lingers on the steps of the House of Life,

Postaja na stopnicah Hiše življenja

admiring the city at dusk.

in občuduje mesto v somraku.

In spite of all her hard work,

Kljub njenemu trdemu delu

there will always be patients she can’t help,

bodo vedno pacienti, ki jim ne more pomagati,

like the woman with the tumor.

tako kot ženska s tumorjem.

They linger with her, but Peseshet has no time to dwell.

Ostajajo z njo, a Pesešet nima časa razmišljati.

In a few short weeks,

Čez nekaj kratkih tednov

the Nile’s annual flooding will begin,

se bo začelo letno poplavljanje Nila,

bringing life to the soil for the next year’s harvest

ki bo prineslo življenje zemlji za naslednjo žetev,

and a whole new crop of patients.

in cel nov pridelek pacientov.