# by the sea
"on the great river" or "along the Nile River" 

# vessels of papyrus

"papyrus boats" or "boats made of reeds"

# a nation tall and smooth

"a nation whose people are tall and have smooth skin" 

# a people feared far and near

"a people who are feared everywhere" or "a people that everyone in the earth fears" 

# a nation strong and treading down

"a nation that is strong and conquers other nations" 

# the rivers divide

This probably refers to many rivers that flow through the nation so they divide it into different parts.