 |
The stele is now deposited in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, and has been published by M. Chabas in the "Revue Archeologique," May-June, 1857, after a paper stamp taken by the late M. Deveria.
A HYMN TO OSIRIS
1 Adoration of Osiris by the Steward of the flocks, Amen-em-ha, Son of the Lady Nefer-t-ari: he says,
Welcome to thee(441) Osiris, Lord of length of times, King of the gods, of many names, of holy transformations, of mysterious forms in the temples, august being, residing in Tattu, Great One contained
2 in Sokhem, Master of invocations in Ant.(442) Principle of abundance in On; who has the right to command in the place of double justice, mysterious soul, Lord of Kerer, Holy One of the White Wall, Soul of the sun, his very body reposing in
3 Souten-Khnen; author of invocations in the region of the tree Ner: whose soul is existing for vigilance; Lord of the great dwelling in Sesennou(443) the very awful in Shashotep; Lord of the length of times in Abydos.
The road to his dwelling is in the To-sar;(444) his name is stable in
4 men's mouths. He is the paut-ti(445) of the world, Atum, feeder of beings among the gods, beneficent spirit in the abode of spirits.
From him the heavenly Nile(446) derives its waters; from him comes the wind, and respirable air(447) is in his nostrils, for his satisfaction, and
5 taste of his heart. For him, the ground brings forth to abundance; in obedience to him is the upper heaven and its stars, and he opens the great gates; he is the Master of invocations in the south heavens, and of adorations in the north heavens: the moving
6 constellations are under the place of his face, they are his dwellings, as also the reposing constellations. To him Seb orders offerings to be presented: the gods adore him; those who are in the lower heaven bow to him, the divine Chiefs(448) doing reverence, all supplicating.
7 They see him, those who are there, the august ones, and stand in awe from him; the whole earth glorifies him when his holiness proceeds [on the vault of the sky]: he is a Sahou illustrious among the Sahous, great in dignity, permanent in empire. He is the excellent master of the gods, fair and
8 beloved by all who see him. He imposes his fear to all lands so that they like to exalt his name to the first rank. Through him all are in abundance; Lord of fame in heaven and on earth. Multiplied (are his) acclamations in the feast of Ouak; acclamations are made to him by the
9 two worlds unanimously. He is the eldest, the first of his brothers, the Chief of the gods, he it is who maintains justice in the two worlds, and who places the son in the seat of his father; he is the praise of his father Seb, the love of his mother Nou; very valiant, he overthrows the impure; invincible, he strikes
10 his opponent, he inspires his fear to his enemy; he seizes the wicked one's boundaries; firm of heart, his feet are vigilant: he is the offspring of Seb, ruling the two worlds. He (Seb) has seen his virtues and has commanded him to conduct
11 the nations by the hand continually.(449) He has made this world with his hand, its waters, its atmosphere, its vegetation, all its flocks, all its flying things, all its fish, all its reptiles and quadrupeds. Justice is rendered to the
12 Son of Nou and the world is at quiet when he ascends the seat of his father like the sun: he shines at the horizon, he enlightens the darkness, he illuminates shades by his double plume:(450) he inundates the world like
13 the sun every morning. His diadem predominates at top of heaven and accompanies(451) the stars: he is the guide(452) of all the gods.
He is beneficent in will and words: he is the praise of the great gods and the love of the small gods.
His sister took care of him, by dissipating his enemies,
14 repelling (bad) luck; she sends forth her voice by the virtues(453) of her mouth: wise of tongue, no word of hers fails. She is beneficent in will and speech: It is Isis the beneficent, the avenger of her brother: she unrepiningly sought him:
15 she went the round of the world lamenting him: she stopped not till she found him: she shadowed with her wings; her wings caused wind, making the invocation of her brother's burial;
16 she raised the remains of the god of the resting heart: she extracted his essence: she had a child, she suckled the baby in (loneliness) secret; none know where that happened.
The arm (of the child) has become strong in the great dwelling
17 of Seb.(454) The gods are joyous at the arrival of Osiris, son of Horus intrepid, justified, son of Isis, heir of Osiris. The divine Chiefs join him: the gods recognize the Universal Lad himself. The Lords of justice there united
18 to watch over iniquity and sit in Seb's great dwelling are giving authority to its Lord.(455) The reign of justice belongs to him. Horus has found his justification; given to him is the title of his father, he appears with the royal fillet,
19 by the orders of Seb. He takes the royalty of the two worlds; the crown of the superior region is fixed on his head. He judges the world as he likes: heaven and earth are below the place of his face: he commands mankind; the intelligent beings, the race of the Egyptians, and the northern barbarians.(456) The circuit
20 of the solar disk is under his management, the winds, the waters, the wood of the plants and all vegetables. A god of seeds, he gives all herbs and the abundance of the ground. He affords plentifulness(457) and gives it to all the earth.
21 All men are in ecstasy, hearts in sweetness, bosoms in joy; everybody is in adoration. Everyone glorifies his goodness: mild is his love for us; his tenderness environs (our) hearts: great is his love in all bosoms. The
22 Son of Isis has justice rendered him: his foe falls under his fury, and the evil-doer at the sound of his voice: the violent is at his final hour, the Son of Isis, father avenger, approaches him.
23 Sanctifying, beneficent is his name; veneration finds its place: respect immutable for his laws: the path is open, the footpaths are opened: both worlds are at rest: evil flies and earth becomes fecundant peaceably under its Lord. Justice is confirmed
by its Lord who pursues iniquity.
24 Mild is thy heart, O Ounnefer, son of Isis! he has taken the crown of the Upper region: to him is acknowledged his father's authority in the great dwelling of Seb: Phra when speaking, Thoth in writing,
25 the divine Chiefs are at rest.
What thy father Seb has commanded for thee, let that be done according to his word.
(This Egyptian "So be it" ends the hymn. Below this is the usual formula.)
Oblation to Osiris living in the west, Lord of Abydos: may he allow funereal gifts: bread, liquor, oxen, geese, clothes, incense, oil, all gifts of vegetation:
To make the transformations, to enjoy the Nile, to appear as a living soul, to see the solar disk every morning: to go and to come in the Ru-sat: that the soul may not be repulsed in the Neter-Kher. To be gratified(458) among the favored ones, in presence of Ounnefer, to take the aliments presented on the altars of the great god, to breathe the delicious air and to drink of the rivers current. To the steward of the flocks of Ammon, Amen-mes, justified "Son of Lady Hen-t, justified, his consort, who loves him ..."
(The name of Nefer-t-aru, which ought to end the phrase, has been completely chiselled out.)
Travels Of An Egyptian In The Fourteenth Century B.C.
From a Papyrus in the British Museum
Translated by M. F. Chabas and M. C. W. Goodwin
The "Travels of an Egyptian" has first been translated into English by M. C. W. Goodwin ("Cambridge Essays," 1858, p. 267-269), from a hieratic papyrus in the British Museum, published in fac-simile by the trustees (Fo. 1842, pl. 35-61). In 1866, M. F. Chabas, availing himself of the collaboration of M. Goodwin, published a full translation of the same in French ("Voyage d'un Egyptien en Syrie, en Phenicie," etc., 4to, 1866), including a copy of the hieratic text with a double transcription into hieroglyphic and Coptic types, and a perpetual commentary. Objections were made by M. H. Brugsch ("Revue Critique," Paris, 1868, Aout et Septembre). But M. Chabas strongly vindicated his views in an additional work, "Voyage d'un Egyptien—Reponse a la Critique," Chalons, 1868, 4to, since which the matter seems to be settled among Egyptologists. The debate was, however, unimportant in regard to geographical information, as it bore merely on the point to ascertain whether the narrative refers to an actual journey really effected by the Egyptian officer named a Mohar, or a model narrative of a supposed voyage drawn from a previous relation of a similar trip extant at the time.
TRAVELS OF AN EGYPTIAN
Section 1
18.3 Thy letter which is full of lacunae is loaded with pretentious expressions: such is the retribution of those who wish to understand it; it is a charge
18.4 which thou hast charged at thy will. "I am a scribe, a Mohar," hast thou repeated: let us respect thy word and set off.
18.5 Thou hast put horses to the chariots; thy horses are as swift as jackals: their eyes flash; they are like a hurricane bursting; thou takest
18.6 the reins, seizest the bow: we contemplate the deeds of thy hand. I send thee back the Mohar's portrait: and make thee know
18.7 his actions. Didst thou not then go to the country of the Kheta? Hast thou not seen the land of Aup? Knowest thou not Khatuma, Ikatai
18.8 likewise? how is it? The Tsor of Sesortris, the city of Khaleb on its vicinity?—
19.1 How goes it with its ford? Hast thou not made an expedition to Qodesh and Tubakkhi? Hast thou not gone to the Shasous?
19.2 with the auxiliary body? Hast thou not trampled the road of Pamakar the sky(459) was dark on the day when
19.3 there flourished the cypresses, the oaks and cedars, which reached up to heaven: there are many lions, wolves, and hyenas
19.4 which the Shasous track on all sides. Didst thou not ascend the mountain of Shaoua? Hast thou not travelled, thy arms
19.5 placed on the back of thy car separated from its harness by the horses drawing it?
19.6 Oh! come to ... barta. Thou hastenest to get there: thou crossest
19.7 its ford. Thou seest a Mohar's trials. Thy car
19.8 is placed in thy hand: thy strength fails. Thou arrivest at the night: all thy limbs
19.9 are knocked up: thy bones are broken, thou fallest asleep from excess of somnolence: thou wakest up—
20.1 'Tis the hour when sad night begins: thou art absolutely alone. Comes there not a thief to rob the
20.2 things left aside: he enters the stable: the horses are agitated: the thief goes back in the night
20.3 carrying away thy clothes. Thy servant awakes in the night; he perceives the thief's actions: he takes away the rest,
20.4 he goes among the bad ones; and joins the tribes of the Shasous: and transforms himself to an Asiatic.
20.5 The enemy comes to plunder, he finds only the wreck: Thou wakest, dost thou not find them
20.6 in their flight? They take thy baggage. Thou becomest an active and quick-eared Mohar?
Section 2
20.7 I also describe to thee the holy city, whose name is Kapaon (Gabal). How is it? Of their goddess (we will speak) another time. Therein
20.8 hast thou not penetrated? Come then to Berytus, to Sidon, to Sarepta. The ford
21.1 of Nazana, where is it? Aoutou, how is it? They are neighbors of another city on the sea. Tyre the
21.2 port is its name: water is carried to it in barks, it is richer in fish than in sands.
Section 3
21.3 I will speak to thee also of two other small chapters. The entrance of Djaraou, and the order thou hast given to set this city in flames. A Mohar's office is a very painful one.
21.4 Come, set off to return to Pakaikna. Where is the road of Aksaph?
21.5 In the environs of the city; come then to the mountain of Ousor: its top,
21.6 how is it? Where is the mountain of Ikama? Who can master it? What way has the Mohar
21.7 gone to Hazor? How about its ford? let me go to Hamath,
21.8 to Takar, to Takar-Aar, the all-assembling place of the Mohars; come
22.1 then, on the road that leads there. Make me to see Jah. How has one got to Matamim?
22.2 Do not repel us by thy teachings; make us to know them.
Section 4
22.3 I will speak to thee of the towns other than the preceding ones. Wentest thou not to the land of Takhis, to Cofer-Marlon, to Tamena,
22.4 to Qodesh, to Dapour, to Adjai, and to Harnemata? Hast thou not seen Keriath-Anab, near to
22.5 Beith-Tuphar? Knowest them not Odulam and Tsidphoth? Knowest thou not the name of
22.6 Khaouretsa, which is in the land of Aup? 'Tis a bull on his frontier, the place where one sees the battle (melee)
22.7 of the brave ones. Come then to the image of Sina: let me know Rohob:
22.8 represent to me Beith-Sheal as well as Keriathaal. The fords of the
23.1 Jordan, how does one cross them? let me know the passage to enter Mageddo, whereof it remains to speak. Thou art a Mohar,
23.2 expert in courageous deeds. Is there found a Mohar like thee to march at the head of the soldiers, a Marina
23.3 superior to thee to shoot an arrow! Take care of the gulf in the ravine 2,000 cubits deep, full of rocks and rolling stones.
23.4 Thou makest a detour: seizest thy bow; preparest the iron in thy left hand; showest thyself to the good chiefs.
23.5 Their eye looks down at thy hand: "Slave, give camel for the Mohar to eat." Thou makest thy name of Mohar known,
23.6 master of the captains of Egypt; thy name becomes like that of Kadjarti, the Chief of Assur, after his encounter with
23.7 the hyenas in the wood, on the defile infected by the wood-hidden Shasous.
23.8 Some of these were four cubits from the nose to the heel: fierce without mildness, not listening to caresses.
23.9 Thou art alone, no guide with thee, nor troop behind thee. Didst thou not meet the Marmar? He makes thee
24.1 pass: thou must decide on departing, and knowest not the road. Anxiety seizes thee, thy hair bristles up:
24.2 thy soul places itself in thy hand: thy way is full of rocks and rolling stones, no practicable passage; the road is obstructed by
24.3 hollies, nopals,(460) aloes and bushes called "dog-wolf's shoes." On one side is the precipice, on the other rises the vertical wall of the mountain.
24.4 Thou must advance going down. Thy car strikes the wall and thy horses are startled by the rebound:
24.5 they stop at the bottom of the harness; thy reins are precipitated and left behind; all fall down, thou passest on.
24.6 The horses break the pole and move it out of the path; you cannot think of refastening them, cannot repair
24.7 them. The seats are precipitated from their places; the horses refuse to be loaded with them. Thy heart fails thee. Thou beginnest to
24.8 reel; the sky is clear: thirst torments thee: the enemy is behind thee, thou beginnest to quake;
25.1 a thorny bush hinders thee; thou placest it aside; the horses wound themselves.
25.2 At this moment thou art stretched flat and beholdest the sad satisfaction (of thy state?). Entering Joppa
25.3 thou seest a verdant enclosure in a ripe state. Thou makest an opening for eating the fruit. Thou findest a pretty
25.4 young girl who takes care of the gardens: she yields herself to thee as a companion, and yields to thee her secret charms.
25.5 Thou art perceived: thou art subjected to an interrogatory; thou art recognized as a Mohar. Thy tie of
25.6 sweet servitude, is settled by a compromise. Each night thou liest down; a rug of hair
25.7 is on thee: thou imprudently fallest asleep, a robber takes away thy bow, thy dagger,
25.8 and thy quiver: thy reins are cut in the night, and thy horses run away. Thy valet takes a sliding path: the road mounts before him, he breaks
26.1 thy car in pieces ... thy armor-pieces fall on the ground.
26.2 They sink in the sand. Thou must have recourse to prayers, and thou gettest puzzled in thy address. Give me victuals and water, and I
26.3 shall reach my safety. They pretend to be deaf, they do not listen: they do not consent. Thou orderest:
26.4 "Pass to the forge! Pass through the workshops!" Workmen in wood and metals and workmen in leather come before thee: they do
26.5 all thou wishest. They repair thy car, leaving aside all unserviceable pieces: they nail on again
26.6 a new pole: they replace the fittings: they replace the leathers of the harness, and at the back
26.7 they consolidate thy yoke: they replace the metallic ornaments: they incrust the marquetry:
26.8 they put on the handle of thy whip and arrange the thongs. Thou leavest very hastily
26.9 to fight at the perilous post; to perform valiant deeds.
Section 5
27.1 Mapou, O chosen scribe! Mohar, who knows his hand, conductor of the Arunas, chief of Tsebaou, explorer of the most distant limits of the land of Pa ... thou dost not
27.2 answer me anyhow: thou givest me no account; come let me tell all that happened to thee at the end of thy road. I begin
27.3 for thee at the dwelling of Sestsou (Rameses): hast thou not forced thy way therein? Hast thou not eaten fishes of...?
27.4 Hast thou not bathed therein? Oh, come, let us describe Atsion to thee: where is its fortress?
27.5 Come to the house of Ouati; to Sestsou-em-paif-nakhtou-ousormara;(461) to Sats ... aal,
27.6 also to Aksakaba? I have pictured to you Ainini. Knowest thou not its customs? Nekhai,
27.7 and Rehoboth, hast thou not seen them since thy birth, O eminent Mohar? Raphia,
27.8 how about its entrenchment? It covers the space of an aour going toward Gaza.
27.9 Answer quickly, and speak to me of what I have said of a Mohar concerning thee. I have thunderstruck
28.1 the strangers at thy name of Marina: I have told them of thy fierce humor, according to which word thou saidst: "I am fit for all works; I have been taught by my father, who had verified his judgment millions of times. I
28.2 can hold the reins, and also am skilful in action. Courage never forsakes my limbs; I am of the race Mentou."
All that issues from thy tongue is very thwarting: thy phrases
28.3 are very puzzling: thou comest to me enveloped in difficulties charged with recrimination. Thou cuttest off the discourse of those who come in thy presence; thou dost not disgust thyself with fumbling, and
28.4 with a stern face sayest: "Hasten ye: and desist not! How to do not to be able to succeed in it, and how to do to succeed in it?"(462) No! I stop not, for I arrive; let thy preoccupation get calmed:
28.5 tranquillize thy heart: prepare not privations for him who offerest himself to eat. I have mutilated the end of thy book, and I send it to thee back, as thou didst request; thy orders accumulate on my tongue, they rest on my lips:
28.6 but they are difficult to understand; an unskilful man could not distinguish them; they are like the words of a man of Athou with a man of Abou. Yet thou art a scribe of Pharaoh; whose goodness reveals the essence of the universe.
28.7 Be gracious when seeing this work, and say not, "Thou hast made my name repugnant to the rabble, to all men." See I have made for thee the portrait of the Mohar: I have travelled for thee through foreign provinces. I have collected
28.8 for thee nations and cities after their customs. Be gracious to us: behold them calmly: find words to speak of them when thou wilt be with the prince Ouah.
Dirge Of Menephtah
Translated by S. Birch, LL.D.
The following short poetical eulogium of a king, apparently of Menephtah or Seti II of the nineteenth dynasty, is found in Papyrus Anastasi 4 of the British Museum. It is published in "Select Papyri," pl. lxxxiv, l. 2-9; lxxxv, l. 1. Although not divided by red dots it is clearly poetic in style, and is accordingly given in paragraphs. From the final line it appears to be addressed to the monarch after his death. Although the titles do not exactly correspond with those of Rameses II, or Menephtah, it appears to relate to him, as the papyrus is of his reign and that of Seti II of the same dynasty. It may indeed refer to this later monarch; but as no cartouche is given and the titles after the palatial or so-called Horus ones are doubtful, it is uncertain whom the monarch is to whom it refers. It has been translated by M. Chabas ("L'Egypt aux temps de l'exode," Chalons, 1873, p. 118).
DIRGE OF MENEPHTAH
1 Amen gave thy heart pleasure, 2 he gave thee a good old age, 3 a lifetime of pleasure followed thee 4 blessed was thy lip, sound thy arm 5 strong thy eye to see afar 6 thou hast been clothed in linen.(463) 7 Thou hast guided thy horse and chariot 8 of gold with thy hand 9 the whip in thy hand, yoked were the steeds 10 the Xaru,(464) and Nahsi,(465) marched before thee 11 a proof of what thou hadst done 12 thou hast proceeded to thy boat of as(466) wood 13 a boat made of it before and behind 14 thou hast approached the beautiful tower which 15 thou thyself made 16 thy mouth was full of wine, beer, bread and flesh 17 were slaughtered cattle and wine opened: 18 the sweet song was made before thee 19 thy head anointer anointed thee with kami(467) 20 the chief of thy garden pools brought crown 21 the superintendent of thy fields brought birds 22 thy fisherman brought fish 23 thy galley came from Xaru(468) laden with good things 24 thy stable was full of horses(469) 25 thy female slaves were strong(470) 26 thy enemies were placed fallen 27 thy word no one opposed 28 Thou hast gone before the gods the victor the justified!(471)
Hymn To The Nile
Translated by Rev. F. C. Cook
This hymn is important as bearing witness to the state of religious thought in Egypt in the time of Merneptah, the son of Rameses II, nineteenth dynasty, according to the generality of Egyptologers, contemporary with Moses. It is extant in two papyri, "Sallier," ii, p. 11, "Select Papyri," pls. xx-xxiii, and "Anastasi," vii. "Select Papyri," pls. cxxxiv-cxxxix, published by the trustees of the British Museum.
The name of the author Enna is well known. He wrote the "Romance of the Two Brothers" and other works preserved in the "Select Papyri," and partially translated by Mr. Goodwin, in "Cambridge Essays," 1858, p. 257, and M. G. Maspero, in "Genre epistolaire chez les anciens Egyptiens," Paris, 1872.
A translation of this hymn was published by Maspero ("Hymne au Nil"), in 1868, with an introduction and critical notes of great value.
The attention of the reader is specially called to the metrical structure of this poem. The stanzas, containing upon an average ten couplets, are distinctly marked in the original, the first word in each being written in red letters; hence the origin of rubricated MSS. Each clause also has a red point at the close. The resemblance with the earliest Hebrew poems has been pointed out by the translator in the "Introduction to the Book of Psalms," and in the "Notes on Exodus," in the "Speaker's Commentary on the Bible."
HYMN TO THE NILE
I. Strophe Adoration of the Nile
1 Hail to thee O Nile! 2 Thou showest thyself in this land, 3 Coming in peace, giving life to Egypt: 4 O Ammon, (thou) leadest night unto day,(472) 5 A leading that rejoices the heart! 6 Overflowing the gardens created by Ra.(473) 7 Giving life to all animals; 8 Watering the land without ceasing: 9 The way of heaven descending:(474) 10 Lover of food, bestower of corn, 11 Giving light to every home, O Ptah!
II.
1 Lord of fishes, when the inundation returns 2 No fowls fall on the cultures.(475) 3 Maker of spelt; creator of wheat: 4 who maintaineth the temples! 5 Idle hands he loathes(476) 6 For myriads, for all the wretched. 7 If the gods in heaven are grieved,(477) 8 Then sorrow cometh on men.
III.
1 He maketh the whole land open to the oxen,(478) 2 And the great and the small are rejoicing; 3 The response of men at his coming!(479) 4 His likeness is Num!(480) 5 He shineth, then the land exulteth! 6 All bellies are in joy! 7 Every creature receives nourishment! 8 All teeth get food.
IV.
1 Bringer of food! Great lord of provisions! 2 Creator of all good things! 3 Lord of terrors(481) and of choicest joys! 4 All are combined in him. 5 He produceth grass for the oxen; 6 Providing victims for every god. 7 The choice incense is that which he supplies. 8 Lord in both regions, 9 He filleth the granaries, enricheth the storehouses, 10 He careth for the state of the poor.
V.
1 He causeth growth to fulfil all desires, 2 He never wearies of it. 3 He maketh his might a buckler.(482) 4 He is not graven in marble,(483) 5 As an image bearing the double crown. 6 He is not beheld: 7 He hath neither ministrants nor offerings: 8 He is not adored in sanctuaries: 9 His abode is not known: 10 No shrine is found with painted figures.(484)
VI.
1 There is no building that can contain him!(485) 2 There is no counsellor(486) in thy heart! 3 Thy youth delight in thee, thy children: 4 Thou directest(487) them as King. 5 Thy law is established in the whole land, 6 In the presence of thy servants in the North:(488) 7 Every eye is satisfied with him:(489) 8 He careth for the abundance of his blessings.
VII.
1 The inundation comes, (then) cometh rejoicing; 2 Every heart exulteth: 3 The tooth of the crocodiles, the children of Neith(490) 4 (Even) the circle of the gods who are counted with thee. 5 Doth not its outburst water the fields, 6 Overcoming mortals (with joy): 7 Watering one to produce another.(491) 8 There is none who worketh with him; 9 He produces food without the aid of Neith.(492) 10 Mortals he causes to rejoice.
VIII.
1 He giveth light on his coming from darkness:(493) 2 In the pastures of his cattle 3 His might produceth all: 4 What was not, his moisture bringeth to life, 5 Men are clothed to fill his gardens: 6 He careth for his laborers. 7 He maketh even and noontide, 8 He is the infinite Ptah and Kabes.(494) 9 He createth all works therein, 10 All writings, all sacred words, 11 All his implements in the North.(495)
IX.
1 He enters with words the interior of his house,(496) 2 When he willeth he goeth forth from his mystic fane. 3 Thy wrath is destruction of fishes.(497) 4 Then(498) men implore thee for the waters of the season. 5 "That the Thebaid may be seen like the Delta. 6 That every man be seen bearing his tools, 7 No man left behind his comrade! 8 Let the clothed be unclothed, 9 No adornments for the sons of nobles, 10 No circle of gods in the night!" 11 The response (of the god) is refreshing water, 12 Filling all men with fatness.
X.
1 Establisher of justice! men rejoice 2 With flattering words to worship(499) thee, 3 Worshipped together with the mighty water! 4 Men present offerings of corn, 5 Adoring all the gods: 6 No fowls fall on the land.(500) 7 Thy hand is adorned with gold,(501) 8 As moulded of an ingot of gold, 9 Precious as pure lapis lazuli,(502) 10 Corn in its state of germination is not eaten.(503)
XI.
1 The hymn is addressed to thee with the harp; 2 It is played with a (skilful) hand to thee! 3 The youths rejoice at thee! 4 Thy own children. 5 Thou hast rewarded their labor. 6 There is a great one adorning the land; 7 An enlightener, a buckler in front of men, 8 Quickening the heart in depression. 9 Loving the increase of all his cattle.
XII.
1 Thou shinest in the city of the King; 2 Then the householders are satiated with good things, 3 The poor man laughs at the lotus.(504) 4 All things are perfectly ordered. 5 Every kind of herb for thy children. 6 If food should fail, 7 All enjoyment is cast on the ground, 8 The land falls in weariness.
XIII.
1 O inundation of Nile, offerings are made to thee: 2 Oxen are slain to thee: 3 Great festivals are kept for thee; 4 Fowls are sacrificed to thee; 5 Beasts of the field are caught for thee 6 Pure flames are offered to thee; 7 Offerings are made to every god, 8 As they are made unto Nile. 9 Incense ascends unto heaven, 10 Oxen, bulls, fowls are burnt! 11 Nile makes for himself chasms in the Thebaid;(505) 12 Unknown is his name in heaven, 13 He doth not manifest his forms! 14 Vain are all representations!(506)
XIV.
1 Mortals extol (him), and the cycle of gods! 2 Awe is felt by the terrible ones; 3 His son(507) is made Lord of all, 4 To enlighten all Egypt.(508) 5 Shine forth, shine forth, O Nile! shine forth! 6 Giving life to men by his oxen: 7 Giving life to his oxen by the pastures! 8 Shine forth in glory, O Nile.
The Solemn Festal Dirge Of The Egyptians
Translated by C. W. Goodwin, M.A.
This dirge or hymn, which is that alluded to by Herodotus,(509) is contained in one of the "Harris Papyri" (No. 500), the same from which I have already translated the "Story of the Doomed Prince." The first line of the hymn ascribes it to the authorship of King Antuf, one of the Pharaohs of the eleventh dynasty. The papyrus itself is, however, of the time of Thothmes III, eighteenth dynasty, but that is no reason why all the texts in the MSS. should be of the latter date. The translation here given was printed by myself for the first time in the "Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archaeology," Vol. III, part 1, but the hieroglyphic text remains yet to be published. A fragment of another copy of this identical hymn is to be found in the "_Monumens _ du Musee de Leide_," part iii, pl. 12, and from it several words which were wanting in the Harris papyrus have been restored.
FESTAL DIRGE
1 (Wanting.)
2 The song of the house of King Antuf, deceased, which is (written) in front of
3 the player on the harp.(510) All hail to the good Prince, the worthy good (man), the body is fated(?) to pass away, the atoms(511)
4 remain, ever since the time of the ancestors. The gods who were beforetime rest in their tombs, the mummies
5 of the saints likewise are enwrapped in their tombs. They who build houses, and they who have no houses, see!
6 what becomes of them. I have heard the words of Imhotep(512) and Hartatef.(513) It is said in their sayings,
7 After all, what is prosperity? Their fenced walls are dilapidated. Their houses are as that which has never existed.
8 No man comes from thence who tells of their sayings, who tells of their affairs, who encourages our hearts. Ye go
9 to the place whence they return not.(514) Strengthen thy heart to forget how thou hast enjoyed thyself, fulfil thy desire whilst thou livest.
10 Put oils upon thy head clothe thyself with fine linen adorned with precious metals
11 with the gifts of God multiply thy good things, yield to thy desire, fulfil thy desire with thy good things
12 (whilst thou art) upon earth, according to the dictation of thy heart. The day will come to thee, when one hears not the voice when the one who is at rest hears not
13 their voices.(515) Lamentations deliver not him who is in the tomb.(516)
14 Feast in tranquillity seeing that there is no one who carries away his goods with him. Yea, behold, none who goes thither comes back again.
Hymns To Amen
Translated by C. W. Goodwin, M.A.
These beautiful poems are contained in the "Anastasi Papyri" in the collection at the British Museum. They have been mostly translated in French by M. F. Chabas, from whose interpretation I have occasionally found reason to differ.
The papyrus itself is considerably mutilated, and bears no date, but from the character of the script there can be little doubt that it is of the period of the nineteenth dynasty.
These hymns have been published by myself with exegetical notes in the "Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archaeology," vol. II, part 2, 1873, p. 353; and, as before mentioned, in French by M. Chabas in the "Melanges Egyptologiques," 1870, p. 117.
HYMN TO AMEN(517)
1 "O Amen, lend thine ear to him 2 who is alone before the tribunal, 3 he is poor (he is not) rich. 4 The court oppresses him; 5 silver and gold for the clerks of the book, 6 garments for the servants. There is no other Amen, acting as a judge, 7 to deliver (one) from his misery; 8 when the poor man is before the tribunal, 9 (making) the poor to go forth rich."
HYMN TO AMEN(518)
1 "I cry, the beginning of wisdom is the way of Amen,(519) 2 the rudder of (truth). 3 Thou art he that giveth bread to him who has none, 4 that sustaineth the servant of his house. 5 Let no prince be my defender in all my troubles. 6 Let not my memorial be placed under the power 7 of any man who is in the house ... My Lord is (my) defender; 8 I know his power, to wit, (he is) a strong defender, 9 there is none mighty except him alone. 10 Strong is Amen, knowing how to answer, 11 fulfilling the desire of him who cries to him; 12 the Sun the true King of gods, 13 the Strong Bull, the mighty lover (of power)."
HYMN TO AMEN(520)
1 "Come to me, O thou Sun; 2 Horus of the horizon give me (help); 3 Thou art he that giveth (help); 4 there is no help without thee, 5 excepting thou (givest it). 6 Come to me Tum,(521) hear me thou great god. 7 My heart goeth forth toward An(522) 8 Let my desires be fulfilled, 9 let my heart be joyful, my inmost heart in gladness. 10 Hear my vows, my humble supplications every day, 11 my adorations by night; 12 my (cries of) terror ... prevailing in my mouth, 13 which come from my (mouth) one by one. 14 O Horus of the horizon there is no other beside like him, 15 protector of millions, deliverer of hundreds of thousands, 16 the defender of him that calls to him, the Lord of An.(523) 17 Reproach me not(524) with my many sins. 18 I am a youth, weak of body.(525) 19 I am a man without heart. 20 Anxiety comes upon me(526) as an ox upon grass. 21 If I pass the night in ...(527) and I find refreshment, 22 anxiety returns to me in the time of lying down."
Hymn To Pharaoh
[The previous hymns are addressed to the Supreme Being, under the names of Amen, Horus, and Tum, all identical with the Sun. But for the old Egyptians the ruling Pharaoh of the day was the living image and vicegerent of the Sun, and they saw no profanity in addressing the King in terms precisely similar to those with which they worshipped their god. The following address or petition, which also is found in the "Anastasi Papyri," is a remarkable instance of this:]
HYMN TO PHARAOH(528)
1 "Long live the King!(529) 2 This comes to inform the King 3 to the royal hall of the lover of truth, 4 the great heaven wherein the Sun is. 5 (Give) thy attention to me, thou Sun that risest 6 to enlighten the earth with this (his) goodness. 7 The solar orb of men chasing the darkness from Egypt. 8 Thou art as it were the image of thy father the Sun, 9 who rises in heaven. Thy beams penetrate the cavern. 10 No place is without thy goodness. 11 Thy sayings are the law of every land. 12 When thou reposest in thy palace, 13 thou hearest the words of all the lands. 14 Thou hast millions of ears. 15 Bright is thy eye above the stars of heaven, 16 able to gaze at the solar orb. 17 If anything be spoken by the mouth in the cavern, 18 it ascends into thy ears. 19 Whatsoever is done in secret, thy eye seeth it, 20 O Baenra Meriamen,(530) merciful Lord, creator of breath."
[This is not the language of a courtier. It seems to be a genuine expression of the belief that the King was the living representative of Deity, and from this point of view is much more interesting and remarkable than if treated as a mere outpouring of empty flattery.]
The Song Of The Harper
Translated by Ludwig Stern
The text of the following song, found in the tomb of Neferhetep at Abd-el-Gurnah, is a good specimen of Egyptian poetry of the eighteenth dynasty. It was first copied by Mr. Duemichen ("Historische Inschriften," ii. 40), and subsequently by myself. In addition to a translation in the "Zeitschrift fuer aegyptische Sprache," 1873, p. 58, I gave some critical observations in the same journal of 1875. Professor Lauth of Munich translated it in an appendix to his essay on the music of the ancient Egyptians.
The song is very remarkable for the form of old Egyptian poetry, which like that of the Hebrews delights in a sublimer language, in parallelisms and antitheses, and in the ornament of a burden; no doubt it was sung, and it seems to be even rhythmic, forming verses of equal length—
"Ured urui pu ma, Pa shau nefer kheper Khetu her sebt ter rek Ra Jamau her at r ast-sen."
Though part of the text is unhappily much mutilated, we yet may gather the general ideas of the poem from the disjecta membra which remain.
It is a funeral song, supposed to be sung by the harper at a feast or anniversary in remembrance of the deceased patriarch Neferhetep, who is represented sitting with his sister and wife Rennu-m-ast-neh, his son Ptahmes and his daughter Ta-Khat standing by their side, while the harper before them is chanting. The poet addresses his speech as well to the dead as to the living, assuming in his fiction the former to be yet alive. The room of the tomb, on the walls of which such texts were inscribed, may be thought a kind of chapel appointed for the solemn rites to be performed by the survivors. The song which bears a great resemblance to the "Song of the House of King Antef," lately translated by the eminent Mr. Goodwin, affords a striking coincidence with the words which Herodotus (ii. 78) asserts to have been repeated on such occasions, while a wooden image of the deceased, probably the figure called "usheb," was circulating among the guests. "Look upon this!" they said; "then drink and rejoice, for thou shalt be as this is."
THE SONG OF THE HARPER
[Chanted by the singer to the harp who is in the chapel of the Osirian, the Patriarch of Amen, the blessed Neferhotep.]
He says:
The great one is truly at rest, the good charge is fulfilled. Men pass away since the time of Ra(531) and the youths come in their stead. Like as Ra reappears every morning, and Tum(532) sets in the horizon, men are begetting, and women are conceiving. Every nostril inhaleth once the breezes of dawn, but all born of women go down to their places.
Make a good day, O holy father! Let odors and oils stand before thy nostril. Wreaths of lotus are on the arms and the bosom of thy sister, dwelling in thy heart, sitting beside thee. Let song and music be before thy face, and leave behind thee all evil cares! Mind thee of joy, till cometh the day of pilgrimage, when we draw near the land which loveth silence. Not ...(533) peace of heart ...(534) his loving son.
Make a good day, O blessed Neferhotep, thou patriarch perfect and pure of hands! He finished his existence ... (the common fate of men). Their abodes pass away, and their place is not; they are as they had never been born since the time of Ra. (They in the shades) are sitting on the bank of the river, thy soul is among them, drinking its sacred water, following thy heart, at peace ...(535) Give bread to him whose field is barren, thy name will be glorious in posterity for evermore; they will look upon thee ...(536) (The priest clad in the skin)(537) of a panther will pour to the ground, and bread will be given as offerings; the singing-women ...(538) Their forms are standing before Ra, their persons are protected ...(539) Rannu(540) will come at her hour, and Shu will calculate his day, thou shalt awake ...(541) (woe to the bad one!) He shall sit miserable in the heat of infernal fires.
Make a good day, O holy father, Neferhotep, pure of hands! No works of buildings in Egypt could avail, his resting-place is all his wealth ...(542) Let me return to know what remaineth of him! Not the least moment could be added to his life, (when he went to) the realm of eternity. Those who have magazines full of bread to spend, even they shall encounter the hour of a last end. The moment of that day will diminish the valor of the rich ...(543)
Mind thee of the day, when thou too shalt start for the land, to which one goeth to return not thence. Good for thee then will have been (an honest life,) therefore be just and hate transgressions, for he who loveth justice (will be blessed). The coward and the bold, neither can fly, (the grave) the friendless and proud are alike ... Then let thy bounty give abundantly, as is fit, (love) truth, and Isis shall bless the good, (and thou shalt attain a happy) old age.
Hymn To Amen-Ra
Translated by C. W. Goodwin, M.A.
This hymn is inscribed upon a hieratic papyrus, No. 17, in the collection of papyri at the Museum of Boulaq. A fac-simile of the papyrus has been published by M. Marriette ("Les papyrus Egyptiens du Musee de Boulaq," fo. Paris 1272, pls. 11-13). It is not a very long composition, being contained in eleven pages of moderate size, and consisting of only twenty verses. It has the advantage of being nearly perfect from beginning to end, written in a legible hand, and free from any great difficulties for the translator.
From the handwriting of the papyrus it may be judged to belong to the nineteenth dynasty, or about the fourteenth century B.C. It purports to be only a copy, and the composition itself may be very much earlier.
In the original the beginning of each verse is indicated by rubricated letters; each verse is also divided into short phrases by small red points; these are indicated in the translation by colons.
This translation has just been published with exegetical notes in the "Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archaeology," vol. ii, p. 250.
HYMN TO AMEN-RA
1 Praise to Amen-Ra: the Bull in An(544) Chief of all gods: the good god beloved: giving life to all animated things: to all fair cattle: Hail to thee Amen-Ra, Lord of the thrones of the earth: Chief in Aptu:(545) the Bull of his mother in his field: turning his feet toward the land of the South: Lord of the heathen, Prince of Punt:(546) the Ancient of heaven, the Oldest of the earth: Lord of all existences, the Support of things, the Support of all things.
2 The ONE in his works, single among the gods: the beautiful Bull of the cycle of gods: Chief of all the gods: Lord of truth, Father of the gods: Maker of men, Creator of beasts: Lord of existences, Creator of fruitful trees: Maker of herbs, Feeder of cattle: Good Being begotten of Ptah, beautiful youth beloved: to whom the gods give honor: Maker of things below and above, Enlightener of the earth: sailing in heaven in tranquillity: King Ra true speaker, Chief of the earth: Most glorious one, Lord of terror: Chief creator of the whole earth.
3 Supporter of affairs above every god: in whose goodness the gods rejoice: to whom adoration is paid in the great house: crowned in the house of flame: whose fragrance the gods love: when he comes from Arabia: Prince of the dew, traversing foreign lands: benignly approaching the Holy Land.(547)
4 The gods attend his feet: while they acknowledge his Majesty as their Lord: Lord of terror most awful: greatest of spirits, mighty in ...: bring offerings, make sacrifices: salutation to thee, Maker of the gods: Supporter of the heavens, Founder of the earth.
5 Awake in strength Min(548) Amen: Lord of eternity, Maker everlasting: Lord of adoration, Chief in ...: strong with beautiful horns: Lord of the crown high plumed: of the fair turban (wearing) the white crown: the coronet(549) and the diadem(550) are the ornaments of his face: he is invested with Ami-ha: the double crown is his head-gear, (he wears) the red crown: benignly he receives the Atef-crown: on whose south and on whose north is love: the Lord of life receives the sceptre: Lord of the breastplate armed with the whip.
6 Gracious ruler crowned with the white crown: Lord of beams, Maker of light: to whom the gods give praises: who stretches forth his arms at his pleasure: consuming his enemies with flame: whose eye subdues the wicked:(551) sending forth its dart to the roof of the firmament: sending its arrows against Naka to consume him.
7 Hail to thee Ra Lord of truth: whose command the gods were made: Athom Maker of men: supporting their works, giving them life: distinguishing the color of one from another: listening to the poor who is in distress: gentle of heart when one cries unto him.
8 Deliverer of the timid man from the violent: judging the poor, the poor and the oppressed: Lord of wisdom whose precepts are wise: at whose pleasure the Nile overflows: Lord of mercy most loving: at whose coming men live: opener of every eye: proceeding from the firmament: causer of pleasure and light: at whose goodness the gods rejoice: their hearts revive when they see him.
9 O Ra adored in Aptu:(552) high-crowned in the house of the obelisk:(553) King (Ani) Lord of the New-moon festival: to whom the sixth and seventh days are sacred: Sovereign of life health and strength, Lord of all the gods: who art visible in the midst of heaven: ruler of men ...: whose name is hidden from his creatures: in his name which is Amen.(554)
10 Hail to thee who art in tranquillity: Lord of magnanimity strong in apparel: Lord of the crown high plumed: of the beautiful turban, of the tall white crown: the gods love thy presence: when the double crown is set upon thy head: thy love pervades the earth: thy beams arise ... men are cheered by thy rising: the beasts shrink from thy beams: thy love is over the southern heaven: thy heart is not (unmindful of) the northern heaven: thy goodness ... (all) hearts: love subdues (all) hands: thy creations are fair overcoming (all) the earth: (all) hearts are softened at beholding thee.
11 The ONE maker of existences: (creator) of ... maker of beings: from whose eyes mankind proceeded: of whose mouth are the gods: maker of grass for the cattle (oxen, goats, asses, pigs, sheep): fruitful trees for men: causing the fish to live in the river: the birds to fill the air: giving breath to those in the egg: feeding the bird that flies: giving food to the bird that perches: to the creeping thing and the flying thing equally: providing food for the rats in their holes: feeding the flying things in every tree.
12 Hail to thee for all these things: the ONE alone with many hands: lying awake while all men lie (asleep): to seek out the good of his creatures: Amen sustainer of all things: Athom Horus of the horizon:(555) homage to thee in all their voices: salutation to thee for thy mercy unto us: protestations to thee who hast created us.
13 Hail to thee say all creatures: salutation to thee from every land: to the height of heaven, to the breadth of the earth: to the depths of the sea: the gods adore Thy Majesty: the spirits thou hast created exalt (thee): rejoicing before the feet of their begetter: they cry out welcome to thee: father of the fathers of all the gods: who raises the heavens who fixes the earth.
14 Maker of beings, Creator of existences: Sovereign of life, health, and strength, Chief of the gods: we worship thy spirit who alone hast made us: we whom thou hast made (thank thee) that thou hast given us birth: we give to thee praises on account of thy mercy to us.
15 Hail to thee Maker of all beings: Lord of truth father of the gods: Maker of men creator of beasts: Lord of grains: making food for the beast of the field: Amen the beautiful Bull: beloved in Aptu:(556) high crowned in the house of the obelisk:(557) twice turbaned in An: judge of combatants in the great hall: Chief of the great cycle of the gods:
16 The ONE alone without peer: Chief in Aptu: King over his cycle of gods: living in truth forever: (Lord) of the horizon, Horus of the East: he who hath created the soil (with) silver and gold: the precious lapis lazuli at his pleasure: spices and incense various for the peoples: fresh odors for thy nostrils: benignly come to the nations: Amen-Ra Lord of the thrones of the earth: Chief in Aptu: the Sovereign on his throne.
17 King alone, single among the gods: of many names, unknown is their number: rising in the eastern horizon setting in the western horizon: overthrowing his enemies: dawning on (his) children daily and every day: Thoth raises his eyes: he delights himself with his blessings: the gods rejoice in his goodness who exalts those who are lowly: Lord of the boat and the barge: they conduct thee through the firmament in peace.
18 Thy servants rejoice: beholding the overthrow of the wicked: his limbs pierced with the sword fire consumes him: his soul and body are annihilated.
19 Naka(558) saves his feet: the gods rejoice: the servants of the Sun are in peace: An is joyful: the enemies of Athom are overthrown and Aptu is in peace, An is joyful: the giver of life is pleased: at the overthrow of the enemies of her Lord: the gods of Kher-sa make salutations: they of the Adytum prostrate themselves.
20 They behold the mighty one in his strength: the image of the gods of truth the Lord of Aptu; in thy name of Doer of justice: Lord of sacrifices, the Bull of offerings: in thy name of Amen the Bull of his mother: maker of men: causing all things which are to exist: in thy name of Athom Chepra:(559) the great Hawk making (each) body to rejoice: benignly making (each) breast to rejoice: type of creators high crowned: ... (Lord) of the wing: Uati(560) is on his forehead: the hearts of men seek him: when he appears to mortals: he rejoices the earth with his goings forth: Hail to thee Amen-Ra Lord of the thrones of the world: beloved of his city when he shines forth.(561)
Finished well as it was found.(562)
Hymn To Ra-Harmachis
Translated by E. L. Lushington, LL.D., D.C.L.
The hymn to Amen-Ra-Harmachis (the Sun identified with the Supreme Deity), of which a translation is here attempted, is found, with other compositions of a similar nature, among the Berlin papyri. (No. 5, published in Lepsius, "Denkmaeler," Abth. vi. Bd. 12, pp. 115-117.)
It probably belongs to the Ramesside period; the writing is careful and for the most part very distinct; some lacunae are met with toward the end, and in a few passages the characters baffle the present translator's skill in deciphering.
Citations from this hymn occur not unfrequently in the writings of eminent Egyptian scholars, as Brugsch, Deveria, and others; compare especially Chabas, "Le Nom de Thebes," p. 16, where the long antithesis of epithets bestowed on Ra and his adversaries is described as "furnishing a page of the Egyptian dictionary."
As far as I am aware, no complete translation of it was published till the appearance of Professor Maspero's "Histoire Ancienne," Paris, 1875; where the whole is rendered into French, pp. 32-35. My own translation was made before I had the opportunity of seeing this work; since consulting it I have modified my version of one or two passages in accordance with M. Maspero's views.
HYMN TO RA-HARMACHIS
Adoration to Ra-Harmachis at the front of the morning.(563) Say: Thou wakest beauteous Amen-Ra-Harmachis, thou watchest in triumph, Amen-Ra, Lord of the horizon. O blessed one beaming in splendor, towed by thy mariners who are of the unresting gods, sped by thy mariners of the unmoving gods. Thou comest forth thou ascendest, thou towerest in beauty, thy barge divine careers wherein thou speedest, blest by thy mother Nut each day, heaven embraces thee, thy foes fall as thou turnest thy face to the west of heaven. Counted are thy bones, collected thy limbs, living thy flesh, thy members blossom, thy soul blossoms, glorified is thy august form, advanced thy state on the road of darkness. Thou listenest to the call of thy attendant gods behind thy chamber; in gladness are the mariners of thy bark, their heart delighted, Lord of heaven who hast brought joys to the divine chiefs, the lower sky rejoices, gods and men exult applauding Ra on his standard, blest by his mother Nut; their heart is glad. Ra hath quelled his impious foes, heaven rejoices, earth is in delight, gods and goddesses are in festival to make adoration to Ra-Hor, as they see him rise in his bark. He fells the wicked in his season, the abode is inviolate, the diadem mehen in its place, the uroes hath smitten the wicked.
O let thy mother Nut embrace thee,(564) Lord Ra, those who are with her tell thy glories. Osiris and Nephthys have uplifted thee at thy coming forth from the womb of thy mother Nut. O shine Ra-Harmachis, shine in thy morning as thy noonday brightness, thy cause upheld over thy enemies, thou makest thy cabin speed onward, thou repellest the false one in the moment of his annihilation: he has no rest(565) in the moment when thou breakest the strength of the wicked enemies of Ra, to cast him into the fire of Nehaher,(566) encircling in its hour the children of the profane. No strength have they, Ra prevails over his insensate foes, yea, putting them to the sword thou makest the false one cast up what he devoured.
Arise O Ra from within thy chamber, strong is Ra, weak the foes: lofty is Ra, down-stricken the foes: Ra living, his foes dead: Ra full of meat and drink, his foes ahungered and athirst: Ra bright, his foes engulfed: Ra good, his foes evil: Ra mighty, his foes puny: Ra hath despoiled Apap.
O Ra thou givest all life(567) to the King, thou givest food for his mouth, drink for his throat, sweet-oil for his hair. O blessed Ra-Harmachis thou careerest by him in triumph, those in thy bark exult to quell and overthrow the wicked. Cries of joy in the great seat, the divine cabin is in gladness, acclamation in the bark of millions of years. Ra's sailors are charmed at heart to see Ra hailed as supreme of the order of great gods, they gain delight in doing adoration to the great bark, homage in the mysterious chamber. O shine Amen-Ra-Harmachis self-sprung, thy sister goddesses stand in Bech,(568) they receive thee, they uplift thee into thy bark, which is perfect in delights before Lord Ra, thou begettest blessings. Come Ra, self-sprung, thou lettest Pharaoh receive plenty in his battlemented house, on the altar of the god whose name is hidden.
Glory to thee, Prince coming forth in thy season, Lord of many faces, diadem producing rays, scattering darkness, all roads are filled with thy splendors, apes make to thee salutations with their arms, they praise thee, they cry aloud to thee, they tell thy glories, their lips exalt thee in heaven, in earth; they conduct thee at thy splendid arising, they open or drive back the gate of the western horizon of heaven, they let Ra be embraced in peace and joy by his mother Nut; thy soul is approved by the tenants of the lower heaven, the divine spirits rejoice at the twofold season of brightness: thou turnest gloom into repose,(569) thou sweetenest pain of Osiris, thou givest breezes in the valley, illuminest earth in darkness, sweetenest pain of Osiris. All beings taste the breath, they make to thee acclamations in thy changes, thou who art Lord of changes, they give adoration to thy might in thy forms of beauty in the morn. Gods hold their arms to thee, those whom thy mother Nut bore.
Come to the King O Ra, stablish his glories in heaven his might on earth.
O Ra heaven rejoices to thee, O Ra earth trembles at thee, O blessed Ra-Harmachis thou hast raised heaven to elevate thy soul, the lower sky has hidden thee in thy mystic forms. Thou hast uplifted heaven to the expanse of thy outstretched arms, thou hast spread out earth to the width of thy stride. Heaven rejoices to thee at thy greatness of soul, thy terror fills earth at thy figure, princely hawk of glittering plume, many colored frame, mighty sailor god, self-existing, traversing paths in the divine vessel, thou roarest in smiting thy foes, making thy great bark sweep on, men hail thee, gods fear thee, thou hast felled thy foes before it. Courier of heaven outstripped by none, to illumine earth for his children, uplifted above gods and men, shining upon us; we know not thy form when thou lookest on our faces, thy bulk passes our knowledge.
O blessed Ra-Harmachis thou penetratest ... Bull at night, Chieftain by day, beauteous orb of mafek, King of heaven, Sovran of earth, great image in the horizon of heaven. Ra who hast made beings, Tatanen giving life to mankind, Pharaoh son of Ra has adored thee in thy glories, he has worshipped at thy gracious rising brightness on the Eastern horizon, he makes tranquil thy path, he beats down thy foes before thee in his turning back all thy adversaries, he assigned to thee the Uta on her seat, he makes them ... he assigned to thee honors ... he cleared the way for thee, he established thy rites in Abydos; he opens to thee roads in Rusta, he beats down evil.
The Lamentations Of Isis And Nephthys
Translated by P. J. De Horrack
This papyrus was found by the late Mr. Passalaqua, in the ruins of Thebes, in the interior of a statue representing Osiris. It is divided into two parts, very distinct. The first contains chapters of the funeral ritual in the hieroglyphic writing; the second, of which a translation here follows, consists of five pages of a fine hieratic writing of the lower epoch (probably about the time of the Ptolemies).
This manuscript now belongs to the Royal Museum of Berlin, where it is registered under the No. 1425.
A partial translation of it was published in 1852 by M. H. Brugsch ("Die Adonisklage und das Linoslied"). He translated the second page and the beginning of the third, but without giving the hieratic text. I have since published and completely translated this interesting document ("Les Lamentations d'Isis et de Nephthys," Paris, 1866), and now give the English translation revised.
The composition has a great analogy with the "Book of Respirations," a translation of which will be added here. Both refer to the resurrection and renewed birth of Osiris (the type of man after his death), who, in this quality, is identified with the sun, the diurnal renewal of which constantly recalled the idea of a birth eternally renewed. The object of the prayers recited by Isis and Nephthys is to effect the resurrection of their brother Osiris, and also that of the defunct to whom the papyrus is consecrated.
LAMENTATIONS OF ISIS AND NEPHTHYS
Recital of the beneficial formulae made by the two divine Sisters(570) in the house of Osiris who resides in the West, Great god, Lord of Abydos, in the month of Choiak, the twenty-fifth day. They are made the same in all the abodes of Osiris, and in all his festivals; and they are beneficial to his soul, giving firmness to his body, diffusing joy through his being, giving breath to the nostrils, to the dryness of the throat; they satisfy the heart of Isis as well as (that) of Nephthys; they place Horus on the throne of his father, (and) give life, stability, tranquillity to Osiris-Tentrut(571) born of Takha-aa, who is surnamed Persais the justified. It is profitable to recite them, in conformity with the divine words.
Evocation By Isis.(572) (She says:)
Come to thine abode, come to thine abode! God An,(573) come to thine abode! Thine enemies (exist) no more. O excellent Sovereign, come to thine abode! Look at me; I am thy sister who loveth thee. Do not stay far from me, O beautiful youth. Come to thine abode with haste, with haste. I see thee no more. My heart is full of bitterness on account of thee. Mine eyes seek thee; I seek thee to behold thee. will it be long ere I see thee? Will it be long ere I see thee? (O) excellent Sovereign, will it be long ere I see thee? Beholding thee is happiness; Beholding thee is happiness. (O) god An, beholding thee is happiness. Come to her who loveth thee. Come to her who loveth thee. (O) Un-nefer,(574) the justified. Come to thy sister, come to thy wife. Come to thy sister, come to thy wife. (O) Urt-het,(575) come to thy spouse. I am thy sister by thy mother; do not separate thyself from me. Gods and men (turn) their faces toward thee, weeping together for thee, whenever (they) behold me. I call thee in (my) lamentations (even) to the heights of Heaven, and thou hearest not my voice. I am thy sister who loveth thee on earth; no one else hath loved thee more than I, (thy) sister, (thy) sister.
Evocation By Nephthys. (She says:)
O excellent Sovereign, come to thine abode. Rejoice, all thine enemies are annihilated! Thy two sisters are near to thee, protecting thy funeral bed; calling thee in weeping, thou who art prostrate on thy funeral bed. Thou seest (our) tender solicitude. Speak to us, Supreme Ruler, our Lord. Chase all the anguish which is in our hearts. Thy companions, who are gods and men, when they see thee (exclaim): Ours be thy visage, Supreme Ruler, our Lord; life for us is to behold thy countenance; let not thy face be turned from us; the joy of our hearts is to contemplate thee; (O) Sovereign, our hearts are happy in seeing thee. I am Nephthys, thy sister who loveth thee. Thine enemy is vanquished, he no longer existeth! I am with thee, protecting thy members forever and eternally.
Invocation By Isis.(576) (She says:)
Hail (O) god An! Thou, in the firmament, shinest upon us each day. We no longer cease to behold thy rays. Thoth is a protection for thee. He placeth thy soul in the bark Ma-at, in that name which is thine, of God Moon. I have come to contemplate thee. Thy beauties are in the midst of the Sacred Eye,(577) in that name which is thine, of Lord of the sixth day's festival. Thy companions are near to thee; they separate themselves no more from thee. Thou hast taken possession of the Heavens, by the grandeur of the terrors which thou inspirest, in that name which is thine, of Lord of the fifteenth day's festival. Thou dost illuminate us like Ra(578) each day. Thou shinest upon us like Atum.(579) Gods and men live because they behold thee. Thou sheddest thy rays upon us. Thou givest light to the Two Worlds. The horizon is filled by thy passage. Gods and men (turn) their faces toward thee; nothing is injurious to them when thou shinest. Thou dost navigate in the heights (of Heaven) and thine enemy no longer exists! I am thy protection each day. Thou who comest to us as a child each month, we do not cease to contemplate thee. Thine emanation heightens the brilliancy of the stars of Orion in the firmament, by rising and setting each day. I am the divine Sothis(580) behind him. I do not separate myself from him. The glorious emanation which proceedeth from thee giveth life to gods and men, reptiles and quadrupeds. They live by it. Thou comest to us from thy retreat at thy time, to spread the water of thy soul, to distribute the bread of thy being, that the gods may live and men also. Hail to the divine Lord! There is no god like unto thee! Heaven hath thy soul; earth hath thy remains; the lower heaven is in possession of thy mysteries. Thy spouse is a protection for thee. Thy son Horus is the king of the worlds.
Invocation By Nephthys. (She says:)
Excellent Sovereign! come to thine abode! Un-nefer the justified, come to Tattu. O fructifying Bull, come to Anap. Beloved of the Adytum, come to Kha. Come to Tattu, the place which thy soul prefers. The spirits of thy fathers second thee. Thy son, the youth Horus, the child of (thy) two sisters,(581) is before thee. At the dawn of light, I am thy protection each day. I never separate myself from thee. O god An, come to Sais. Sais is thy name. Come to Aper; thou wilt see thy mother Neith.(582) Beautiful Child, do not stay far from her. Come to her nipples; abundance is in them.(583) Excellent Brother, do not stay far from her. O son, come to Sais! Osiris-Tarut, surnamed Nainai, born of Persais the justified, come to Aper, thy city. Thine abode is Tab. Thou reposest (there) by thy divine mother, forever. She protecteth thy members, she disperseth thine enemies, she is the protection of thy members forever. O excellent Sovereign! come to thine abode. Lord of Sais, come to Sais.
Invocation By Isis.(584) (She says:)
Come to thine abode! come to thine abode. Excellent Sovereign, come to thine abode. Come (and) behold thy son Horus as supreme Ruler of gods and men. He hath taken possession of the cities and the districts, by the grandeur of the respect he inspires. Heaven and earth are in awe of him, the barbarians are in fear of him. Thy companions, who are gods and men, have become his, in the two hemispheres to accomplish thy ceremonies. Thy two sisters are near to thee, offering libations to thy person; thy son Horus accomplisheth for thee the funeral offering: of bread, of beverages, of oxen and of geese. Toth chanteth thy festival-songs, invoking thee by his beneficial formulae. The children of Horus are the protection of thy members, benefiting thy soul each day. Thy son Horus saluteth thy name (in) thy mysterious abode, in presenting thee the things consecrated to thy person. The gods hold vases in their hands to make libations to thy being. Come to thy companions, Supreme Ruler, our Lord! Do not separate thyself from them. When this is recited, the place (where one is) is holy in the extreme. Let it be seen or heard by no one, excepting by the principal Khereb-heb(585) and the Sam.(586) Two women, beautiful in their members, having been introduced, are made to sit down on the ground at the principal door of the Great Hall.(587) (Then) the names of Isis and Nephthys are inscribed on their shoulders. Crystal vases (full) of water are placed in their right hands; loaves of bread made in Memphis in their left hands. Let them pay attention to the things done at the third hour of the day, and also at the eighth hour of the day. Cease not to recite this book at the hour of the ceremony!
It is finished.
The Litany Of Ra
Translated by Edouard Naville
The following Litany of Ra is the translation of a long text which is to be found at the entrance of several of the largest tombs of the kings, in the valley called Biban el Moluk at Thebes. It is a kind of introduction to the long pictures which adorn the walls of the royal sepulchres, and which generally represent the course of the sun at the different hours of night.
Although very nearly connected with the "Book of the Dead," this text has not yet been found complete in any funereal papyrus; the second section of the fourth chapter only is contained in a papyrus of the British Museum.
The importance of this text consists in this, that it gives us an idea of the esoteric doctrine of the Egyptian priests, which was clearly pantheistic, and which certainly differed from the polytheistic worship of the common people.
The present translation has been made from the book "La Litanie du Soleil" (Leipzig, 1875, avec un vol. de XLIX planches), where this text has been first translated in French, with a commentary. Among the different tombs where this inscription was collected, that of Seti I, commonly called Belzoni's tomb, has been chosen as the standard text.
THE LITANY OF RA
CHAPTER I
Title. The beginning of the book of the worship of Ra in the Ament(588) of the worship of Temt(589) in the Ament. When anyone reads this book, the porcelain figures are placed upon the ground, at the hour of the setting of the Sun, that is of the triumph of Ra over his enemies in the Ament. Whoso is intelligent upon the earth, he is intelligent also after his death.
1 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the master of the hidden spheres who causes the principles to arise, who dwells in darkness, who is born as(590) the all-surrounding universe.
2 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the beetle that folds his wings, that rests in the empyrean, that is born as his own son.
3 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, Tonen(591) who produces his members,(592) who fashions what is in him, who is born within his sphere.
4 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who discloses the earth and lights the Ament, he whose principle has (become) his manifestation, and who is born under the form of the god with the large disk.
5 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the soul that speaks, that rests upon her high place, that creates the hidden intellects which are developed in her.
6 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the only one, the courageous one, who fashions his body, he who calls his gods (to life), when he arrives in his hidden sphere.
7 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who addresses his eye, and who speaks to his head,(593) he who imparts the breath of life to the souls (that are) in their place; they receive it and develop.
8 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the spirit that walks, that destroys its enemies, that sends pain to the rebels.
9 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who shines when he is in his sphere, who sends his darkness into his sphere, and who hides what it contains.
10 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who lights the bodies which are on the horizon, he who enters his sphere.
11 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who descends into the spheres of Ament, his form is that of Tum.
12 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who descends into the mysteries of Anubis, his form is that of Chepra (Atmu).
13 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he whose body is so large that it hides his shape, his form is that of Shu.
14 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who leads Ra into his members, his form is that of Tefnut.
15 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who sends forth the plants in their season, his form is that of Seb.
16 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the great one who rules what is in him, his form is that of Nut.
17 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who goes always toward him who precedes him, his form is that of Isis.
18 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he whose head shines more than he who is before him, his form is that of Nephthys.
19 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the urn(594) of the creatures, the only one, that unites the generative substances, its form is that of Horus.
20 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the brilliant one who shines in the waters of the inundation, his form is that of Nun.
21 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who creates the water which comes from within him, his form is that of Remi.(595)
22 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the two vipers that bear their two feathers, their form is that of the impure one.
23 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who enters and comes forth continually from his highly mysterious cavern, his form is that of At.(596)
24 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the spirit that causes his disappearance, his form is that of Netert.(597)
25 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the spirit that sets up (those whom he has created), that creates(598) his descendants, his form is that of Ntuti.(599)
26 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who raised his head and who lifts his forehead, the ram, the greatest of the creatures.
27 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the light that is in the infernal regions, its form is that of Ament.
28 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the penetrating spirit who is in the Ament, his form is that of Kerti.(600)
29 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the timid one who sheds tears, his form is that of the afflicted.
30 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who raises his hand and who glorifies his eye(601) his form is that of the god with the hidden body.
31 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the spirit who is raised upon the two mysterious horizons, his form is that of Chentament.(602)
32 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power; the god with the numerous shapes in the sacred dwelling, his form is that of the beetle.
33 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who puts his enemies into their prison, his form is that of the lion.
34 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the ray of light in his sarcophagus, its form is that of the progenitor.
35 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the covering of the body, which develops the lungs, its form is that of Teb-ati.(603)
36 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who calls the bodies into the empyrean, and they develop, who destroys their venom, his form is that of the transformer.
37 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the being with the mysterious face, who makes the divine eye move, his form is that of Shai.
38 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the supremely great one who embraces the empyrean, his form is that of the spirit who embraces (space).
39 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who hides his body within himself, his form is that of the god with the hidden body.
40 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who is more courageous than those who surround him, who sends fire into the place of destruction, his form is that of the burning one.
41 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who sends destruction, and who causes the development of his body in the empyrean, his form is that of the inhabitant of the empyrean.
42 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the wonderful one who dwells in his eye,(604) who lights the sarcophagus, his form is that of Shepi.(605)
43 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who unites the substances, who founds(606) Amto, his form is that of one who joins substances.
44 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who invents(607) secret things, and who begets bodies, his form is that of the invisible (progenitor).
45 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who furnishes the inhabitants of the empyrean with funeral things, when he enters the hidden spheres, his form is that of Aperto.(608)
46 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, his members rejoice when they see his body, the blessed spirit who enters into him, his form is that of the joyful one.
47 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the adult who dilates his eyeball, and who fills his eye,(609) his form is that of the adult.
48 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who makes the roads in the empyrean, and who opens pathways in the sarcophagus, his form is that of the god who makes the roads.
49 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the moving spirit who makes his legs stir, his form is that of the moving one.
50 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who sends forth the stars and who makes the night light, in the sphere of the hidden essences, his form is that of the shining one.
51 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who makes the spheres and who creates bodies; from thy person emanating from itself alone, thou hast sent forth, Ra, those who are and those who are not, the dead, the gods, the intellects; his form is that of creator of bodies.
52 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the mysterious, the hidden one, he whom the spirits follow as he conducts them, he gives the step to those surrounding him, his form is that of Ameni.
53 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the horn, the pillar of the Ament, the lock of hair that shines in ...(610) its form is that of the horn.
54 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the eternal essence who penetrates the empyrean, who praises the spirits in their spheres, his form is that of the eternal essence.
55 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, when he arrives in the good Ament, the spirits of the empyrean rejoice at sight of him, his form is that of the old man.
56 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the great lion that creates the gods, that weighs words, the chief of the powers inhabiting the holy sphere, his form is that of the great lion.
57 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, when he speaks to his eye and when he addresses his eyeball, the bodies shed tears; his form is that of the being who speaks to his eye.(611)
58 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who raises his soul, and who hides his body, he shines and he sees his mysteries, his form is that of Herba.(612)
59 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the high spirit who hunts his enemies, who sends fire upon the rebels, his form is that of Kaba.(613)
60 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the substance which hides the intestines and which possesses the mind and the limbs, its form is that of Auai.(614)
61 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the great eldest one who dwells in the empyrean, Chepri who becomes two children, his form is that of the two children.
62 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the great walker who goes over the same course, the spirit who anoints the body, Senekher, his form is that of Senekher.(615)
63 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who creates his body and who detaches his members by the sacred flame of Amto, his form is that of the flame of Amto.(616)
64 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the master of the hooks (who struggles) against his enemies, the only one, the master of the monkeys, his form is that of Anteti.(617)
65 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who sends the flames into his furnaces, he who cuts off the head of those who are in the infernal regions, his form is that of the god of the furnace.
66 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the parent who destroys his children, the only one who names(618) the earth by his intelligence, his form is that of Tonen.
67 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who sets up the urshi(619) themselves upon their foundation, no one sees their mysteries, his form is that of the urshi.
68 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the vessel of heaven, the door of the empyrean, he who makes the mummy come forth, his form is that of Besi.
69 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the monkey ...(620) the being in his nature, his form is that of the monkey of the empyrean.
70 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who opens the earth and who shows the interior of it, the speaking spirit who names his members, his form is that of Smato.(621)
71 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, he who is armed with teeth, who consumes his enemies, the flame that lights the wick, his form is that of Nehi.(622)
72 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the walker, the moving luminary, who makes darkness come after his light, his form is that of the walker.
73 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the master of souls who is in his obelisk, the chief of the confined gods, his form is that of the master of souls.
74 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the double luminary, the double obelisk, the great god who raises his two eyes, his form is that of the double luminary.
75 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, the master of the light, who reveals hidden things, the spirit who speaks to the gods in their spheres, his form is that of the master of the light.
76 Homage to thee, Ra! Supreme power, O Ra of the sphere, O Ra who speakest to the spheres, O Ra who art in thy sphere, homage to thee, Ra Keschi, four times. They sing praises to the spirit Keschi,(623) the spheres honor his spirit, they glorify thy body which is in thee, saying, Homage to thee, great Keschi! four times. They sing praises in thy honor, spirit Keschi in thy seventy-five forms which are in thy seventy-five spheres. The royal Osiris knows them by their names, he knows what is in their bodies, all their hidden essences. The royal Osiris speaks to them in their forms, they open to the royal Osiris, they display the hidden doors to his spirit which is like thy spirit, thou createst them, thou createst the royal Osiris; the development of his body is like thine because the royal Osiris is one of thy companions, who are in their spheres, and who speak in their caverns, those who are blessed through thy creation and who transform themselves when thou commandest it. The royal Osiris is like one of those who speak in their hidden spheres. Ha! he has arrived, he advances in the train of the spirit of Ra. Ha! he has completed the journey from Chepri.(624) Hail! he has arrived. The royal Osiris knows all that concerns the hidden beings. Hail! he has arrived in the midst of you; homage to his spirit Keschi! four times.
77 O Ra of the Ament, who hast created the earth, who lightest the gods of the empyrean, Ra who art in thy disk, guide him on the road to the Ament, that he may reach the hidden spirits; guide him on the road which belongs to him, guide him on the Western road; that he may traverse the sphere of Ament, guide him on the road to the Ament, that the King may worship those who are in the hidden dwelling, guide him on the road to the Ament, make him descend to the sphere of Nun. Hail, Ra! the royal Osiris is Nun. Hail Ra! the royal Osiris is thyself and reciprocally. Hail, Ra! thy spirit is that of Osiris, thy course is his in the empyrean. Hail, Ra! he dwells in the empyrean, he traverses the good Ament. Such as thou art, such is the royal Osiris. Thy intellect, Ra, is his. Osiris worships the hidden gods, he praises their spirits, these latter say to one another that thy course (Ra!) is that of Osiris, that thy way is his, great god who dwellest in the empyrean. Hail! god of the disk with the brilliant rays, praise be to the spirit Keschi! four times.
78 Hail to thee, universal covering, who createst thy soul and who makest thy body grow; the King traverses the most secret sphere, he explores the mysteries contained in it. The King speaks to thee like Ra, he praises thee with his intelligence, the King is like the god; and reciprocally. He moves by himself, he moves by himself. The all surrounding universe says: Ah, guide him unto the interior of my sphere; four times.
79 This chapter is said to the most mysterious god, these words are written like those upon the two sides of the door of the empyrean ...(625) this book is read every day, when he has retired in life, according to custom, perfectly.
CHAPTER II
1 Worship of the Spheric Gods, when Ra sets in life. Hail, gods of the spheres, gods who are in the Ament, perfect gods ...(626) the enemies of Ra, you make the universal covering(627) grow ...(628) you worship the god who is in his disk ...(629) thou commandest thy enemies, great god who art upon the horizon; four times. Thou commandest thy enemies, Osiris Temt; four times.
2 The royal Osiris commands his enemies in heaven and upon earth, by authority of all the gods and all the goddesses, by authority of Osiris Chentament, because the royal Osiris is Ra himself, the great inhabitant of the heavens, he speaks in the presence of Ament. The King governs by favor of the great powers. The royal Osiris is pure, what is in him is pure, the royal Osiris governs the two worlds, the royal Osiris commands his enemies; four times.
3 He is powerful, Ra in the empyrean, he is powerful, Ra in the empyrean. He traverses the empyrean with joy, for he has struck Apap;(630) there is joy for thee, god of the horizon, Osiris, King of the Ament, there is joy for thy triumphant spirit, for thou destroyest his enemies; thou art delighted, Tesherti, red spirit who openest the Ament. Thou givest thy hand to Osiris, thou art received in the good Ament, and the gods rejoice over thee. Osiris gives thee his hand, thou art received by Chentament. He is brilliant, the spirit of Ra in the empyrean, he is brilliant, the body of Teb Temt. Ra commands in the empyrean, because he has struck Apap. Teb Temt commands; he worships the spirit of the two horizons; the spirit of the two horizons worships him.
4 The royal Osiris receives dominion over his enemies from the great powers of the mysterious avenger, he who reveals the mysterious empyrean, who dissipates the darkness, who chases away the rain, he who hurries, and who makes the blessed servants of Ra come forth. He(631) sees the body of the god when he assumes forms with a mysterious name, when he sheds his rays in obscurity, and when he hides the uncovered bodies; when he traverses the mysterious spheres and when he gives eyes to their gods; they themselves see him, and their spirits are blessed.
5 Hail, Ra! give eyes to the royal Osiris, give him divine eyeballs, and may they guide the royal Osiris. Hail, Ra! give a heart to the royal Osiris; he traverses the earth, he traverses the world like Ra.
6 Thou takest care that what thou commandest to exist, exists; thou rulest the royal Osiris like Chuti(632) and the King honors thy spirit, he glorifies thee.
7 Thou commandest Osiris to be like Khuti, the brilliant triangle which appears in the shining place.
8 Thou commandest Osiris to be like the mysterious spirit which comes forth from the mysterious place.
9 Thou commandest Osiris to be like the blessed spirit which comes forth from the blessed place.
10 Thou commandest Osiris to be like the destructive spirit which comes forth from the place of destruction.
11 Thou commandest Osiris to be like the revealing spirit which comes forth from the opening.
12 Thou commandest Osiris to be like the elevated spirit which comes forth from the high place.
13 Thou commandest Osiris to be like the hidden spirit which comes forth from the Ament.
14 Deliver him from the crocodiles which frighten the spirits, like geese; let them not do their work upon the royal Osiris, in the presence of the gods armed with swords; may Osiris never fall into their furnaces, may their nets never entangle him; his spirit flies away and soars into the heavens, his spirit returns and enters into the empyrean, because the royal Osiris knows the mysteries which are in the empyrean, the secret forms of Osiris, that none of his servants know, in the secret of his hidden dwelling. Hail! the royal Osiris knows thy form, great and mysterious god.
15 Deliver the royal Osiris from the agile demons furnished with legs, from the cruel gods who pluck out hearts and who throw them into their furnaces. May they never do their work upon the royal Osiris, may they never put him in their furnaces, because Osiris is Ra; and reciprocally. His soul is that which is in the disk. His body is in the middle of the hidden gods; they make Osiris rule, Osiris makes them rule; he commands, and he rests as you rest in the Ament.
16 The soul of Ra shines in his shape, his body rests amid the invocations which are addressed to him; he enters into the interior of his white disk, he lights the empyrean with his rays, he creates it, he makes the souls remain in their bodies, they praise him from the height of their pedestal. He receives the acclamations of all the gods who open the doors, the hidden essences who prepare the way for Ra's soul, and who allow the King of souls access to the fields. He traverses his disk himself; he calls (to life) the body of Kat;(633) he places the gods of the stars upon their legs; these latter make the god An(634) come at their hours; the two sisters join themselves to him, they decorate his head, as a spirit worthy of adornment.
17 O, Ra, place the royal Osiris in thy train; he is the divine key which opens his haunts, he knows admirable means of obtaining the great victory over his enemies; Osiris is powerful through thy two eyes; walking god, the course of Osiris is thy course. Ra, the journeys of Osiris are thy journeys, Osiris makes thee rule over thy enemies, thou makest Osiris rule over his enemies, by means of the great splendor which is the splendor of Ra in the empyrean, they cry to him: Bull of the country of the dead, thou art Ra, thy body rests in peace, thou art blessed in thy mysteries.
CHAPTER III
1 O, Ra, come to the King! truly. Highly glorious Teb Temt.
2 O, Ra, come to the King! truly. Thou makest thy soul young again and thou givest birth to thy body.
3 O, Ra, come to the King! truly. Lead him into the holy dwelling.
4 O, Ra, come to the King! truly. Guide him on the good ways.
5 O, Ra, come to the King! truly. Guide him on the roads of Nun.
6 O, Ra, come to the King! truly. Guide him on the roads of Nut.
7 O, Ra, come to the King! truly. He restores the body of Osiris.
8 O, Ra, come to the King! truly. He places the corpse upon its foundation, in its place that no one knows. |
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