One text, 2 sources · Trismegistos-Text 33541

Letter about an estate and an ailing mother who reproaches her absent son TM 33541unbekanntIV - VII

The same ancient text or artifact as recorded by 2 records across 2 independent projects, recognised as one entity by its TM-Text identifier. View on Trismegistos →

A Christian private letter, poorly written and partly damaged, telling the recipient about matters concerning his estate and reeds on its east side. It urges him to come because his mother is ill and says she wants to die, reproaches him for having gone away and left his wife, and asks him to write a short note.

In English machine translation

† Before all else, [at the beginning] of the letter […] writing, and I greet Apol[…] […] son of Isidorianos (?). I write […] […] because of your (plural) estate, I mean the estate, and the reeds 50 (?) […] on the east side of your estate […] from your estate. I write: your brothers make obeisance […] to you […]. Your mother is ill; she wants to die. If you can, come (?) […] your face (?). Your mother said that she wants to die […] on your part, because you went away and left your wife […] on your soul. Write them a little note. ☧ † † † † ☧

The Greek is highly irregular and several passages are unintelligible strings of letters, so parts of the translation are conjectural. 'Ballе' is perhaps meant as 'come' or 'send'.

Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Private letter). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.

p.michael.39

Papyri.info — DDbDP (Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri) — text · IV - VII

† πρὸ μὲν πάντων τῆς ἐπιστολῆς[…] γραφων καὶ ἀσπάζομαι Ἀπολ[…] ἐγρα[…] υἱὸς Ἰσοδωριανοῦ ἐγὼ γράφω […] ερεμιαις διὰ τὸ χωρίον ὑμῶν φημὶ τὸ χωρίον καὶ τὸ καλάμους ν ει[…] ἀπηλιώτῃ τοῦ χωρίου σου ηρ…[…] μεν ἐκ τοῦ χωρίου σου ἐγὼ γράφω ἀδελφοί σου προσκυν… σοι εδεω ἡ μήτηρ σου ἀσθενε…