Fragmentary private letter of the 3rd century AD, attributed to Memphis, in which the writer complains of the addressee's lack of concern, mentions a letter, salted fish, expenses, a slave woman, a plan to sell something, and Koptos. It closes with greetings involving the addressee's parents and a farewell.
In English machine translation
[…] I […] as you know […]
[…] but my […] you told me to farewell (?) […]
[…] letters […] other […]
[…] my letter by salted fish or other […]
[…] although you do not inquire about […]
[…] and I know everything, if indeed also the […]
[…] of your affairs; these things do not concern me […]
[…] to be grieved that, going out […]
[…] against (?) you […] initiate (?) […]
[…] and coming to […]
[…] it and your expense and […]
[…] slave woman, from whom you […] me […]
[…] and I did these things so as not to grieve you […]
[…] permitting, I shall sell the few (?) […]
[…] in Koptos I am […]
[…] of which […] so great […]
[…] with your parents. Farewell. […]
Both edges of every line are lost, so the connected sense is largely conjectural. The reading 'mystes' (initiate) in line 9 is uncertain.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below. It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.