This is the testament of the excellent sovereign of marvelous destiny: The generations fade and disappear, others take their place in the time of the ancestors. The gods that once lived rest in their pyramids. The nobles and the blessed are buried in their graves. They had built houses whose location does not exist anymore. What has also been theirs? I have heard the words of Imhotep and Hardedef who quote in proverbs and have survived everything. What has happened to his possessions? Its walls have collapsed, its dignities have disappeared as if they had never existed. No one comes back from there to tell us what their fate is, to tell us what they need, and to calm our hearts until we reach that place where they have already arrived. May your heart, then, be appeased. Oblivion is favorable to you. Obey your spirit for as long as possible. Anoint your brow with myrrh, get dressed in fine linen, scent yourself with the true wonders that are part of the divine offering. Increase your content so that your heart does not languish. Follow your desire and your happiness, fill your destiny on earth. Do not expose your heart to restlessness until the day when the mourning lament reaches you. He whose heart is weary does not hear his cry; and his scream does not save anyone from the grave. So make a party of the day, and do not feel fed up. Look, nobody carries their assets with them. Look, no one comes back from those who have left.
Egyptian poem dated in the XXI century a.C. composed to sing at banquets and weddings.