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. Dümichen (“Historische Inschriften,” ii. 40), and subsequently by myself. In addition to a translation in the “Zeitschrift für ägyptische 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 mā,
Pa shau nefer kheper
Khetu her sebt ter rek Rā
Jamāu 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 Rā[531]
and the youths come in their stead.
Like as Rā 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 Rā.
(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 Rā,
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 Musée 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 [pg 350] 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 Archæology,” vol. ii, p. 250.
Hymn to Amen-Ra
1 Praise to Amen-Rā:
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-Rā, 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 Rā 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 Rā 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 Rā 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-Rā 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-Rā 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-Rā-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, “Denkmäler,” 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 lacunæ 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, Devéria, and others; compare especially Chabas, “Le Nom de Thèbes,” p. 16, where the long antithesis of epithets bestowed on Rā 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 Rā-Harmachis at the front of the morning.[563] Say: Thou wakest beauteous Amen-Rā-Harmachis, thou watchest in triumph, Amen-Rā, 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 [pg 357] 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 Rā on his standard, blest by his mother Nut; their heart is glad. Rā hath quelled his impious foes, heaven rejoices, earth is in delight, gods and goddesses are in festival to make adoration to Rā-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 urœs hath smitten the wicked.
O let thy mother Nut embrace thee,[564] Lord Rā, 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 Rā-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 Rā, to cast him into the fire of Nehaher,[566] encircling in its hour the children of the profane. No strength have they, Rā prevails over his insensate foes, yea, putting them to the sword thou makest the false one cast up what he devoured.
Arise O Rā from within thy chamber, strong is Rā, weak the foes: lofty is Rā, down-stricken the foes: Rā living, his foes dead: Rā full of meat and drink, his foes ahungered and athirst: Rā bright, his foes engulfed: Rā good, his foes evil: Rā mighty, his foes puny: Rā hath despoiled Apap.
O Rā thou givest all life[567] to the King, thou givest food [pg 358] for his mouth, drink for his throat, sweet-oil for his hair. O blessed Rā-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. Rā's sailors are charmed at heart to see Rā 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-Rā-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 Rā, thou begettest blessings. Come Rā, 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 Rā 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 Rā, stablish his glories in heaven his might on earth.
O Rā heaven rejoices to thee, O Rā earth trembles at thee, O blessed Rā-Harmachis thou hast raised heaven to [pg 359] 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 Rā-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. Rā who hast made beings, Tatanen giving life to mankind, Pharaoh son of Rā 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 formulæ
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 Rā[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 formulæ.
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 Rā 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 Rā 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 Rā over his enemies in the Ament. Whoso is intelligent upon the earth, he is intelligent also after his death.
1 Homage to thee, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, the beetle that folds his wings, that rests in the empyrean, that is born as his own son.
3 Homage to thee, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, the spirit that walks, that destroys its enemies, that sends pain to the rebels.
9 Homage to thee, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, he who lights the bodies which are on the horizon, he who enters his sphere.
11 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, he who descends into the spheres of Ament, his form is that of Tum.
12 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, he who descends into the mysteries of Anubis, his form is that of Chepra (Atmu).
13 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, he whose body is so large that it hides his shape, his form is that of Shu.
14 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, he who leads Rā into his members, his form is that of Tefnut.
15 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, he who sends forth the plants in their season, his form is that of Seb.
16 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, the great one who rules what is in him, his form is that of Nut.
17 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, he who goes always toward him who precedes him, his form is that of Isis.
18 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, he whose head shines more than he who is before him, his form is that of Nephthys.
19 Homage to thee, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, the brilliant one who shines in the waters of the inundation, his form is that of Nun.
21 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, he who creates the water which comes from within him, his form is that of Remi.[595]
22 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, the two vipers that bear their two feathers, their form is that of the impure one.
23 Homage to thee, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, the spirit that causes his disappearance, his form is that of Netert.[597]
25 Homage to thee, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, he who raised his head and who lifts his forehead, the ram, the greatest of the creatures.
27 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, the light that is in the infernal regions, its form is that of Ament.
28 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, the penetrating spirit who is in the Ament, his form is that of Kerti.[600]
29 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, the timid one who sheds tears, his form is that of the afflicted.
30 Homage to thee, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, the spirit who is raised upon the two mysterious horizons, his form is that of Chentament.[602]
32 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power; the god with the numerous shapes in the sacred dwelling, his form is that of the beetle.
33 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, he who puts his enemies into their prison, his form is that of the lion.
34 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, the ray of light in his sarcophagus, its form is that of the progenitor.
35 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, the covering of the body, which develops the lungs, its form is that of Teb-ati.[603]
36 Homage to thee, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, the being with the mysterious face, who makes the divine eye move, his form is that of Shai.
38 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, the supremely great one who embraces the empyrean, his form is that of the spirit who embraces (space).
39 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, he who hides his body within himself, his form is that of the god with the hidden body.
40 Homage to thee, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, he who unites the substances, who founds[606] Amto, his form is that of one who joins substances.
44 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, he who invents[607] secret things, and who begets bodies, his form is that of the invisible (progenitor).
45 Homage to thee, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, the moving spirit who makes his legs stir, his form is that of the moving one.
50 Homage to thee, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, he who makes the spheres and who creates bodies; from thy person emanating from itself alone, thou hast sent forth, Rā, 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, he who raises his [pg 372] soul, and who hides his body, he shines and he sees his mysteries, his form is that of Herba.[612]
59 Homage to thee, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, the monkey ...[620] the being in his nature, his form is that of the monkey of the empyrean.
70 Homage to thee, Rā! Supreme power, he who opens the [pg 373] 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! 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, Rā! Supreme power, O Rā of the sphere, O Rā who speakest to the spheres, O Rā who art in thy sphere, homage to thee, Rā 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 Rā. Ha! he has completed the journey [pg 374] 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 Rā of the Ament, who hast created the earth, who lightest the gods of the empyrean, Rā 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, Rā! the royal Osiris is Nun. Hail Rā! the royal Osiris is thyself and reciprocally. Hail, Rā! thy spirit is that of Osiris, thy course is his in the empyrean. Hail, Rā! he dwells in the empyrean, he traverses the good Ament. Such as thou art, such is the royal Osiris. Thy intellect, Rā, is his. Osiris worships the hidden gods, he praises their spirits, these latter say to one another that thy course (Rā!) 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 Rā, 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 Rā sets in life. Hail, gods of the spheres, gods who are in the Ament, perfect gods ...[626] the enemies of Rā, 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 Rā 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, Rā in the empyrean, he is powerful, Rā 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 Rā in the empyrean, he is brilliant, the body of Teb Temt. Rā 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 Rā 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 [pg 376] spheres and when he gives eyes to their gods; they themselves see him, and their spirits are blessed.
5 Hail, Rā! give eyes to the royal Osiris, give him divine eyeballs, and may they guide the royal Osiris. Hail, Rā! give a heart to the royal Osiris; he traverses the earth, he traverses the world like Rā.
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 Rā; and reciprocally. His soul is that which is in the disk. His body is in the middle of [pg 377] 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 Rā 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 Rā'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, Rā, 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. Rā, 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 Rā in the empyrean, they cry to him: Bull of the country of the dead, thou art Rā, thy body rests in peace, thou art blessed in thy mysteries.
CHAPTER III
1 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. Highly glorious Teb Temt.
2 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. Thou makest thy soul young again and thou givest birth to thy body.
3 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. Lead him into the holy dwelling.
4 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. Guide him on the good ways.
5 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. Guide him on the roads of Nun.
6 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. Guide him on the roads of Nut.
7 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. He restores the body of Osiris.
8 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. He places the corpse upon its foundation, in its place that no one knows.
9 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. He calls his body Osiris.
10 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. He sees him who is in the sarcophagus.
11 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. The rays of Aten[635] are upon his person.
12 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. He has taken the good ways.
13 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. He worships thy soul upon the horizon.
14 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. Thou speakest to him as to the god who is upon the ground.
15 O, Rā, come to the King! truly. He is one of thy Nine Gods.
CHAPTER IV
Section I
1 Thou art what he is, Rā, thou givest birth to the royal Osiris, thou makest him exist like thyself, god of the two horizons; the birth of Osiris is the birth of Rā in the Ament, and reciprocally; the birth of Osiris in the heavens is the birth of the soul of Rā in the heavens, and reciprocally; the life of Osiris is the life of Rā, and reciprocally; the development of his body is the development of Rā's body. Rā conceived, Tum gave birth to Osiris; it is the young Chepra; Nut brings Osiris into the world, she nourishes Osiris, like Rā's soul which issued from her.
2 O, Rā who art in the Ament ...[636] who art in the empyrean, deliver Osiris from thy conductors who separate souls from their bodies, the agile beings who move quickly in thy places of torment. May they never seize Osiris, may they never take him, may they never quicken their steps toward him, may they never put him in their places of torture, may they never cast their toils round him, may they never place him upon their altars, may he never tremble in the land of the condemned, may he never be lost in the [pg 379] Ament. He walks as the god of the horizon walks, he takes Rā's steps, he worships the god who is on the earth, he honors the mysterious bodies ...[637] they say to Osiris: Hu and Sa; they call him this, because he is like the spirit of Hu and Sa[638] in his creations; he makes the sacred tree grow he is not ignorant of it. There are cries of joy in the mysterious region, for Rā sets under the form of Osiris, and reciprocally. Rejoice, you the dead, render praises to Rā, and Rā renders praises to you. Rā comes forth from the cow Mehur,[639] he sets in Netur;[640] Osiris comes forth from Nehur like the sun, he sets in Netur like Temt. The name of the King is the name of Rā, Ammehur,[641] the setting of Osiris, it is his setting, Amnetur.[642]
3 The gods of the empyrean bless him, the hidden gods rejoice over him; they say to him: thy person is the god of the country of the dead, thy form is Teb Temt. The hidden gods speak to the royal Osiris, they rejoice on seeing him; (they say to him:) Hail, blessed and perfect one, who comest forth from Tonen, the god who destroys the forms; it is great, thy essence, spirit, shadow that no one destroys, that lives where you live. He knows the essences of the primitive beings, he knows the mysterious flames of the empyrean, for he attains to holy and mysterious things.
4 The two gods speak to the royal Osiris, they rejoice on seeing him, this blessed, perfect spirit; (they say to him:) This is one of us. The gods speak to the royal Osiris, they rejoice when they see him, him, the splendor of Rā, the splendor of the two goddesses that appears in Heset,[643] the supplicant Heset addresses the guardians who watch over the doors, who devour souls and who swallow the shades of the dead; when they approach them, they are led by them to the place of destruction: O guardians who watch over your doors, who swallow souls and devour the shades of the dead; when they approach you, you lead them to the place of destruction; Oh! allow this blessed this most holy spirit, to be in the dwelling of the Akher;[644] it is a spirit like [pg 380] Rā glorious like Osiris. This is what Heset the supplicant says before the royal Osiris.
5 O Heset, make him come, O Heset, guide the royal Osiris, O Heset open to him the empyrean, give him the lot of the god of the empyrean; he puts the veil nems[645] upon his head at the bottom of the dwelling of the Ament. Hail to thee, he has reached thee; Heset, guide him on the good way, he speaks to thee, he glorifies thee by his invocations, and thou rejoicest on seeing his spirit; Heset, the supplicant, open the doors which are in the empyrean, open his spheres to him, for the club is in the hand of Osiris, and he grasps his lance; his club strikes the enemies, and his lance destroys the rebels; his dwelling is that of the god of the two horizons; his throne is Rā's throne; for he is the Horus of the two horizons.[646] He is beautiful, this spirit, he is perfect, he is powerful in both his hands.
6 The two great gods speak to the royal Osiris; they rejoice on his account; they celebrate his victorious strength, they give him their protection, they send him their spirit of life; (they say to him:) He is brilliant like the spirit of the horizon that is the dwelling of Rā in the heavens;[647] they communicate their words to him, they give him the power by their authority. He opens the door of heaven and earth like his father Rā; a spirit shining in the place where they burn the offerings, in the arms of Osiris. The royal Osiris rests in the mysterious dwelling, he shines like the god of the luminary, the dwelling of Rā of the horizon.[648] The royal Osiris is Rā; and reciprocally, he is the spirit of Osiris, he rests (in him).
7 He reaches the gods of the pyramid; these latter praise him on seeing the happy arrival of Osiris; they address him as Rā of the horizon; praise be to Rā! cheers for the spirit of the horizon, praises to the spirit of Rā! Praise his spirit that inhabits the empyrean, invoke him who is in his disk, bear him to him who created you, carry him unto the pyramid, since you are the gods who accompany Rā Osiris. Here is Osiris, carry him into the hidden sanctuary of Osiris, the lord of years[649] who is under the care of the two [pg 381] Rehti. Carry him into the hidden dwelling where Osiris resides, carry him into the funeral monument which is in the Ament, the mysterious sanctuary of the god who is at rest; bear him, open your arms to him, stretch out your hands to him, take off your veils before him, for he is the great essence whom the dead spirits do not know; it is Rā, the god of the two horizons, and Osiris, the King of the Ament, who send him.
8 The royal Osiris is one of you, for his diadem is a vulture; his face is a sparrow-hawk, his head is Rā; his eyes are the Rehti, the two sisters; his nose is Horus of the empyrean; his mouth is the King of the Ament; his lungs are Nun; his two hands are the god Secheni;[650] his fingers are the gods who seize him; his body is Chepra; his heart is Horus, the creator; his chest is the goddess of life; his spleen is the god Fenti;[651] his lungs are the goddess Heti; his stomach is Apu; his intestines, the god with the mysterious names;[652] his back is the corpse-god; his elbows are Makati; the nape of his neck, Horus Thoth; his lips Mehur; his phallus is Tonen;[653] ...[654] the goddess of Cher; ...[655] the two hidden gods; his sitting posture the two goddesses; his legs, he who traverses the hidden places; his shin-bones are uræus. His members are gods, he is throughout a god, no one of his members is without a god, the gods are of his substance. The royal Osiris is an intelligent essence, his members guide him, his flesh opens the way to him, those who are born of him create him, they rest when they have given birth to him. The royal Osiris is he who gives them birth, it is he who begets them, it is he who makes them exist; his birth is that of Rā in the Ament, Rā gives birth to the royal Osiris, he causes his own birth.
Section II
1 O Rā, open to his spirit, for the royal Osiris knows what there is in the empyrean, he is the great mummy, Osiris, the King of the Ament; he is Osiris, he is perfect like Osiris, he is blessed like Osiris, his club is that of Osiris, his sword [pg 382] is that of Chentament, his sceptre is that of Sahou, he is the great one, the King of the blessed, for he is the original one, he who knows the mysteries, the greatest of the holy ones in the empyrean. He is happy, the spirit Keschi who makes his own law in the Ament, he speaks to what is born of him,[656] Osiris Chentament.
2 Hail to thee, inhabitant of the empyrean, praised be what is in thee; hail to thee, inhabitant of the empyrean, the weeping gods cut their hair in honor of thee, they clap their hands, they revere thee, they weep before thee, thy spirit rejoices in their fear, thy body is blessed.
3 Hail to thee, inhabitant of the empyrean, god seated upon his throne, who boldest the sceptre hik,[657] King of the empyrean, Prince of the Aker, great Prince crowned with the urer,[658] great god who hides his dwelling, Lord of wisdom, Chief of the powers.
4 Hail to the inhabitant of the empyrean, thy son Horus rests in thee, thou communicatest thy orders to him, thou permittest him to shine like An of the empyrean, the great star who creates his names,[659] who knows the empyrean and who traverses the interior of it, he, the son of Rā, proceeding from Tum. The royal Osiris is thy son, thou communicatest thy orders to him, thou permittest him to shine like An of the heavens, the great star who creates his names,[660] who knows the empyrean and who traverses the interior of it, he the son of Rā, proceeding from Tum. He rests in the empyrean, he rejoices in the dusk, he enters in there and comes forth, the arms of Tonen receive him, the blessed lift him, they stretch out their hands toward him, the ...[661] guide him. Praise him ye blessed, exalt the royal Osiris, ye blessed! Rejoice over him, as over Rā, extol him like Osiris, he has placed your offerings before you, he accords you the favor of receiving your portion as his father Rā commanded. He is his darling, he is his descendant upon the earth, and the blessed show him the way. Let him arrive in the empyrean, and let him penetrate into the good Ament. The royal Osiris fixes the crown upon [pg 383] the head of Osiris, he offers his casket to Seb, he presents Sah with the sceptre, he gives the royal diadem to him whose name is Ammon.
5 Look at him, ye blessed, let him receive a perfect intelligence, let him shine like the god of mysteries, deliver him from the gods of the pillory who fasten to their posts. May they never bind Osiris to their posts, may they never put him in the place of destruction, for he is the descendant of Osiris who permits him to receive the diadem in the empyrean.
6 He is sublime, the spirit of Rā in the Ament, his body is blessed there, the spirits rejoice when they develop their forms in the zones of the empyrean, before the soul of Rā, the inhabitant of the empyrean, and Teb Temt who rests in his covering. Hail, yes, hail! Hail spirit of Rā, hail, spirit of the royal Osiris like Temt! Hail, royal Osiris who art Rā, and reciprocally! O Temt who art Rā, and reciprocally, hail!
7 The royal Osiris is one of you. He gives birth to you, he gives you your names, he makes you perfect; ha! he sends his body into you; ha! he is your creator. Look at him, he shines like him who proceeds from you; he honors his father, perfect, blessed, blessing his mother; look at him, make his essence sublime and make him like him who destroys his forms;[662] show the way to his spirit, set him upon your pedestals, make him rest in his members, show him his dwelling in the midst of the earth, open your doors to him, unfasten the bolt.
8 O Rā, O Teb-Temt, guide the royal Osiris following the direction of the spirits, following the course of the gods. The royal Osiris is in his gateway (in presence of the) navigating gods; the royal Osiris is the only one, the guardian of his doors, he who puts the gods in their places. He is upon his pedestal in the empyrean, he is the possessor in the midst of the possessors, he is at the extremities of the empyrean, he is blessed in the infernal regions. He rests in the Ament among the spirits who are in the members of the Ament. The royal Osiris is Rā's darling, he is the mysterious phœnix, he enters in peace into the empyrean, he [pg 384] leaves Nut in peace; the royal Osiris has his throne in heaven, he traverses the horizons in Rā's train, he is at peace in the heavens, in Rā's fields, his share is upon the horizon in the fields of Aalu; he traverses the earth like Rā, he is wise like Thoth, he walks at will, he hastens in his course, like Sahu with the mysterious names, who becomes two divinities. The royal Osiris becomes two divinities. What Rā produces, the royal Osiris produces; he gives a spiritual existence to what he loves; he does not give it to what he hates. The royal Osiris is the Chief of the gods who make offerings to the spirits, he is powerful in his course, he is the courageous being who strikes his enemies.
9 O ye gods, O ye blessed who precede Rā and who escort his spirit, do to the royal Osiris as to Rā, tow him with you in the same way that you conduct Rā and the two navigating gods in the heavens; the royal Osiris is Rā himself, and reciprocally; he is the Chief of his worshippers who gives life to the forms.
Section III
1 O Ament, O Ament, O good, O good, O strong, O strong, O powerful, O powerful, O protecting, O protecting, O mysterious, O mysterious (Ament), the royal Osiris knows thee, he knows thy form, he knows the name of thy companions. Ament, hide my corpse, good Ament, hide my body. O resting-place, let me rest in thee; O strong one, may the royal Osiris be strong with thy strength; O powerful one, may he be powerful with thy power! O Ament, open thy arms to him; O protectress, cover his body; O mysterious being, stretch out thy hand to him. Hail, holy Ament of Osiris with the mysterious names, the most holy of the gods, thou who art the most hidden of all mysteries. Hail! the royal Osiris worships thee; he addresses the great god who is within thee. Hail! he worships thee; open thy mysterious doors to him. Hail! he worships thee; (open to him) thy hidden spheres, for he has his dwelling in the heavens like Rā, and his throne is upon the earth like Seb; he is seated upon the throne of Seb, upon the seats of Horchuti; his spirit soars into the heavens, it rests there; his body descends to the earth in the midst of the gods. [pg 385] He walks with Rā, he follows Tum, he is like Chepra, he lives as thou livest in truth.
2 When this book is read he who reads it purifies himself at the hour when Rā sets, who rests in the Ament of the Ament, when Rā is in the midst of hidden things, completely.
The Book Of Respirations
Translated by P. J. De Horrack
The manuscript a translation of which here follows belongs to the Museum of the Louvre, in Paris, where it is registered under the No. 3284 (Devéria, Catalogue des MS. égypt., p. 132). It probably dates from the epoch of the Ptolemies. It is in hieratic writing and generally known by the name of “Book of Respirations” or “Book of the Breaths of Life,” according to Mr. Le Page Renouf's ingenious interpretation. This book seems to have been deposited exclusively with the mummies of the priests and priestesses of the god Ammon-Rā, if we may judge from the titles inserted into the manuscripts.
Dr. Brugsch, in 1851, first directed the attention of Egyptologists to this curious work, by publishing a transcription in hieroglyphics of a hieratic text in the Berlin Museum, with a Latin translation, under the title of “Shaï an Sinsin, sive liber Metempsychosis,” etc. He added to this a copy of a hieratic text of the same book found in Denon (“Voyage en Egypte,” pl. 136).
A full analysis of this literary composition has also been given by Dr. Samuel Birch, in his Introduction to the “Rhind Papyri,” London, 1863.
The Paris manuscript is as yet unpublished, but a copy of it will be produced ere long by the present translator. A few passages corrupted by the ancient scribe have been restored from copies of the same text, which are in the Egyptian Museum of the Louvre.
The “Book of Respirations” has a great analogy with that of the “Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys.” It not only makes allusion to the formulæ and acts by means of which the [pg 386] resurrection is effected, but also treats of the life after death, thus greatly increasing our knowledge of the religious system of the ancient Egyptians.
The Book of Respirations
1 Commencement of the Book of Respirations
made by Isis for her brother Osiris,
to give life to his soul,
to give life to his body,
to rejuvenate all his members anew;
that he may reach the horizon with his father, the Sun;
that his soul may rise to Heaven in the disk of the Moon;
that his body may shine in the stars of Orion on the bosom of Nu-t;[663]
in order that this may also happen
to the Osiris, divine Father, Prophet of Ammon-Ra, King of the gods,
Prophet of Khem, of Ammon-Ra, bull of his mother,
in his great abode,
Asar-aau, justified,
Son of the Prophet of the same order, Nes-paut-ta-ti, justified,
Conceal (it), conceal (it)!
Let it not be read by anyone.
It is profitable to the person who is in the divine Nether-World.
He liveth in reality millions of times anew.
2 Words spoken:
Hail to the Osiris N![664] thou art pure;
thy heart is pure,
thy fore-part is purified,
thy hind-part is cleansed,
thy middle is in Bat[665] and natron.
No member in thee is faulty.
The Osiris N is (made) pure by the lotions
from the Fields of Peace, at the North of the Fields of Sanehem-u.[666]
The goddesses Uati (and) Suben have purified thee
at the eighth hour of the night
and at the eighth hour of the day.
Come Osiris N!
Thou dost enter the Hall of the Two Goddesses of Truth.
Thou art purified of all sin, of all crime.
Stone of Truth is thy name.
3 Hail to the Osiris N!
Thou, being very pure, dost enter the Lower Heaven.
The Two goddesses of Justice have purified thee in the Great Hall.
A purification hath been made to thee in the Hall of Seb.
Thy members have been purified in the Hall of Shu.[667]
Thou seest Rā in his setting,
(as) Atum[668] in the evening.
Ammon is near to thee, to give thee breath,
Ptah, to form thy members.
Thou dost enter the horizon with the Sun.
Thy soul is received in the bark Neshem[669] with Osiris.
Thy soul is divinized in the Hall of Seb.
Thou art justified forever and ever.
4 Hail to the Osiris N!
Thine individuality is permanent.
Thy body is durable.
Thy mummy doth germinate.
Thou art not repulsed from heaven, (neither from) earth.
Thy face is illuminated near the Sun.
Thy soul liveth near to Ammon.
Thy body is rejuvenated near to Osiris.
Thou dost breathe forever and ever.
5 Thy soul maketh thee offerings, each day,
of bread, of drinks, of oxen, of geese, of fresh water, of condiments.
Thou comest to justify it.
Thy flesh is on thy bones,
like unto thy form on earth.
Thou dost imbibe into thy body.
Thou eatest with thy mouth.
Thou receivest bread, with the souls of the gods.
Anubis doth guard thee.
He is thy protection.
Thou art not repulsed from the gates of the Lower Heaven.
Thoth, the doubly great, the Lord of Sesennu, cometh to thee.
He writeth for thee the Book of Respirations, with his own fingers.
Thy soul doth breathe forever and ever.
Thou dost renew thy form on earth, among the living.
Thou art divinized with the souls of the gods.
Thy heart is the heart of Rā
Thy members are the members of the great god.[670]
Thou livest forever and ever.
6 Hail to the Osiris N!
Ammon is with thee each day
to render thee life.
Apheru openeth to thee the right way.
Thou seest with thine eyes;
thou hearest with thine ears;
thou speakest with thy mouth;
thou walkest with thy legs.
Thy soul is divinized in Heaven,
to make all the transformations it desireth.
Thou makest the joy of the sacred Persea in An.
Thou awakenest each day.
Thou seest the rays of Rā.
Ammon cometh to thee with the breath of life.
He granteth to thee to breathe in thy coffin.
Thou comest on earth each day,
the Book of Respirations of Thoth being thy protection.
Thou breathest by it each day.
Thine eyes behold the rays of the disk.
Truth is spoken to thee before Osiris.
The formulæ of justification are on thy body.
Horus, the defender of his father, protecteth thy body.
He divinizeth thy soul as well as (those) of all the gods.
The soul of Rā giveth life to thy soul.
The soul of Shu filleth thy respiratory organs with soft breath.[671]
7 Hail to the Osiris N!
Thy soul doth breathe in the place thou lovest.
Thou art in the dwelling of Osiris, who resideth in the West.
Thy person is most pure.
Thou dost arrive in Abydos.
He (Osiris) filleth thy dwelling Hotep with provisions.
8 Hail to the Osiris N!
The gods of all Egypt come to thee.
Thou art guided toward the end of centuries.
Thy soul liveth.
Thou dost follow Osiris.
Thou breathest in Rusta.
Secret care is taken of thee by the Lord of Sati[672]
and by the great god.[673]
Thy body liveth in Tattu (and in) Nifur.
Thy soul liveth in Heaven forever.
9 Hail to the Osiris N!
Sechet prevaileth against what is injurious to thee.
Har-aa-hetu taketh care of thee.
Har-shet doth form thy heart.
Har-maa doth guard thy body.
Thou continuest in life, health (and) strength.
Thou art established upon thy throne in Ta-ser.
Come, Osiris N!
Thou appearest in thy form.
Strengthened by thine ornaments[674]
thou art prepared for life.
Thou remainest in a healthful state;
thou walkest, thou breathest everywhere.[675]
The Sun doth rise upon thine abode.
Like unto Osiris, thou breathest, thou livest by his rays.
Ammon-Ra giveth life to thee.
He doth enlighten thee by the Book of Respirations.
Thou dost follow Osiris and Horus, Lord of the sacred bark.
Thou art as the greatest of the gods among the gods.
Thy beautiful face liveth (in) thy children.
Thy name doth always prosper.
Come to the great temple in Tattu.
Thou wilt see him who resideth in the West,
in the Ka-festival.
Delicious is thy perfume as that of the blessed;
great thy name among the elect.
10 Hail to the Osiris N!
Thy soul liveth by the Book of Respirations.
Thou unitest thyself to the Book of Respirations.
Thou dost enter the Lower Heaven;
thine enemies are not (there).
Thou art a divine soul in Tattu.[676]
Thy heart is thine;
it is (no longer) separated from thee.
Thine eyes are thine;
they open each day.
11a Words spoken by the gods who accompany Osiris, to the Osiris N:
Thou dost follow Ra.
Thou dost follow Osiris.
Thy soul livest forever and ever.
11b Words spoken by the gods who dwell in the Lower Heaven (like) Osiris of the West, to the Osiris N:
Let them open to him at the gates of the Lower Heaven.
He is received[677] in the divine Nether-World,
that his soul may live forever.
He buildeth a dwelling in the divine Nether-World.
He is rewarded.[678]
He hath received the Book of Respirations,
that he may breathe.
12 Royal offering to Osiris who resideth in the West,
great god, Lord of Abydos,
that he may give offerings
of bread, of hak, of oxen, of geese, of wine, of the liquor aket, of bread Hotep,
of good provisions of all kinds,
to the Osiris N.
Thy soul liveth.
Thy body doth germinate,
by order of Rā himself,
without pain, without injury,
like unto Ra forever and ever.
13 O Strider, coming out of An,[679]
the Osiris N hath not committed any sin.
O Mighty of the Moment, coming out of Kerau,
the Osiris N hath not done any evil.
O Nostril, coming out of Sesennu,[680]
the Osiris N hath not been exacting.
O Devourer of the Eye, coming out of Kerti,
the Osiris N hath not obtained anything by theft.
O Impure of visage, coming out of Rusta,
the Osiris N hath not been angry.
O Lion-gods, coming forth from heaven,
the Osiris N hath not committed any sin by reason of hardness of heart(?)
O Fiery-Eyed, coming out of Sechem,
the Osiris N hath not been weak.
14 O ye gods who dwell in the Lower Heaven,
hearken unto the voice of Osiris N.
He is near unto you.
There is no fault in him.
No informer riseth up against him.
He liveth in the truth.
He doth nourish himself with truth.
The gods are satisfied with all that he hath done.
He hath given food to the hungry,
drink to the thirsty,
clothes to the naked.
He hath given the sacred food to the gods,
The funeral repasts to the pure Spirits.
No complaint hath been made against him before any of the gods.
Let him enter (then) into the Lower Heaven
without being repulsed.
Let him follow Osiris, with the gods of Kerti.
He is favored among the faithful,[681]
(and) divinized among the perfected.
Let him live!
Let his soul live!
His soul is received wherever it willeth.
(He) hath received the Book of Respirations,
that he may breathe with his soul,
(with) that of the Lower Heaven,
and that he may make any transformation at his will,
like (the inhabitants) of the West;[682]
that his soul may go wherever it desireth,
living on the earth forever and ever.
He is towed (like) Osiris into the Great Pool of Khons.
When he has retaken possession of his heart[683]
the Book of Respirations is concealed in (the coffin).
It is (covered) with writing upon Suten,
both inside and outside (and)
placed underneath his left arm,
evenly with his heart;...
When the Book has been made for him
then he breathes with the souls of the gods forever and ever.[684]
It is finished.
The Epic Of Penta-Our
Translated by C. W. Goodwin, M.A.
The commencement of the epic of Penta-our is wanting in the papyrus, and the end is also defective, but the date of the composition and the name of the writer have fortunately escaped. It appears to have been written in the ninth year of the King whose valor it celebrates. Champollion saw this papyrus, and had formed some notion of the nature of its contents, but to M. de Rougé belongs the honor of having first given a complete translation of it. This was published in the “Revue Contemporaine,” 1856, p. 389. The scene of the exploit lies in the neighborhood of the city of Katesh,[685] the capital of the Hittites, which stood on the banks of a river named Anrata (or Aranta, as it is sometimes written), perhaps the Syrian Orontes. It appears, from the sculptures and inscriptions of Ibsamboul and the Theban Ramesseum, that Rameses II, in the fifth year of his reign, made an expedition into Asia to suppress a revolt of the Asiatic tribes headed by the Prince of Heth. Arrived near Katesh, upon the south side of the city, certain wandering Arabs came to inform him that the forces of the Hittites had retired toward the south, to the land of the Khirbou. These Arabs were, however, in the service of the enemy, and were sent with the intention of entrapping the Egyptians, the fact being that the Hittites and their allies were assembled in force to the north of the town. Rameses fell into the trap, and advanced to the northwest of Katesh while the body of his army proceeded to the south. Shortly after two Hittite spies were caught and brought to the King, and under the pressure of the bastonnade, confessed the true state of the affair. The prince of the Hittites had in the meantime executed a movement to the south of the city, and thus the King was cut off from the body of his troops, and only escaped destruction by the dashing exploit [pg 396] which his admiring subjects seem to have been never weary of commemorating, and which furnished Penta-our, the court poet, with a brilliant theme. A few extracts from the recital shall be given, based upon M. de Rougé's version, from which I venture in a few respects to deviate. The papyrus begins in the middle of a sentence, at the moment when the King had discovered his mistake.
“[The Prince of] Heth advanced with men and horses well armed [or full of provender?]: there were three men to each chariot.[686] There were gathered together all the swiftest men of the land of the vile Hittites, all furnished with arms ... and waited stealthily to the northwest of the fortress of Katesh. Then they fell upon the bowmen of Pharaoh, into the middle of them, as they marched along and did not expect a battle. The bowmen and the horsemen of his Majesty gave way before them. Behold they were near to Katesh, on the west bank of the river Anrata. Then was [fulfilled?] the saying of his Majesty. Then his Majesty, rising up like the god Mentou [Mars], undertook to lead on the attack. He seized his arms—he was like Bar [Baal] in his hour. The great horse which drew his Majesty his name was Nekhtou-em-Djom, of the stud of Rameses-Meiamen ... His Majesty halted when he came up to the enemy, the vile Hittites. He was alone by himself—there was no other with him in this sortie. His Majesty looked behind him and saw that he was intercepted by 2,500 horsemen in the way he had to go, by all the fleetest men of the prince of the base Hittites, and of many lands which were with him—of Artou [Aradus], of Maausou, of Patasa, of Kashkash, of Aroun, of Kadjawatana, of Khirbou, of Aktra, Katesh, and Raka. There were three men to each chariot, they were ... but there were neither captains, nor squires, nor leaders of bowmen, nor skirmishers [with the King], ‘My archers and my horsemen forsook me, not one of them remained to fight with me.’ Then said his Majesty, ‘Where art thou now, my father Amen? Behold, does a father forget his son? But do I confide in my own strength? Walking or standing, is not my face toward thee? Do I not inquire the counsels of thy mouth? Do I not seek for thy mighty counsels, O thou great lord of Egypt, at whose approach the oppressors of the land are scattered? What now is the hope of these Aamou? Amen shall abase those who know not god. Have I not made for thee many and great buildings of stone? have I not filled thy temple with my spoils, building for thee a temple to last myriads of years? ... The whole earth unites to bring thee offerings ... [to enrich] thy domain. I have sacrificed to thee 30,000 oxen, with all kinds of sweet-scented herbs. Have I not put behind me those who do not thy will? ... I have built thee a house of great stones, erecting for thee [pg 397] eternal groves; I have brought for thee obelisks from Abou [Elephantine]; I have caused the everlasting stones to be fetched, launching for thee boats upon the sea, importing for thee the manufactures of the lands. When was it ever before said that such a thing was done? Confounded is every one who resists thy designs; blessed is every one who obeys thee, O Amen. That which thou doest is dear to my heart[?] I cry to thee, my father, Amen. I am in the midst of many unknown people gathered together from all lands. But I am alone by myself; there is none other with me. My bowmen and my horsemen have forsaken me; they were afraid; not one of them listened when I cried to them. Amen is more helpful to me than myriads of bowmen, than millions of horsemen, than tens of thousands of chosen youths, though they be all gathered together in one place. The arts of men prevail not, Amen is more powerful than they; they follow not the commands of thy mouth, O sun! Have I not sought out thy commands? have I not invoked thee from the ends of the earth?’ ”
This invocation is heard, and the King proceeds to make a vigorous charge against the enemy, who are scattered in all directions. The prince of the Hittites rallies, and succeeds in bringing them again to the combat, but they are repulsed by the King. It will be observed that sometimes the writer himself speaks, but generally the narrative is put into the mouth of the King—a poetical artifice which gives a certain liveliness to the composition—
“ ‘I ran toward them, like the god Mentou, I fleshed my hand upon them in the space of a moment[?]. I smote them, I slew them, so that one of them cried to another, saying, “It is no man” [superhuman]. Mighty was he who was among them, Soutech, the most glorious. Baal was in my limbs; why was every enemy weak? his hand was in all my limbs. They knew not how to hold the bow and the spear. As soon as they saw him, they fled far away with speed, but his Majesty was upon them like a greyhound. He slew them, so that they escaped not.’ ”
The King's squire or armor-bearer is seized with terror, and conjures his master to fly. The King comforts him; and after charging the enemy six times, returns victorious from the field. Rameses, on rejoining his troops, addresses a long tirade to his captains upon their cowardice, and enlarges upon his own valor without any modest scruples. In the evening the rest of the troops came dropping in, and were surprised to find the whole country strewed with the bodies of the dead. [pg 398] The whole army joins in singing the praises of the courageous leader—
“ ‘Hail to the sword, thanks to the bold warrior, strengthener of hearts, who deliverest thy bowmen and thy horsemen, son of Toum, subduing the land of the Hittites with thy victorious sword. Thou art King of victories; there is none like thee, a King fighting for his soldiers in the day of battle. Thou art magnanimous, the first in battle. The whole world joined together cannot resist thee. Thou art the mighty conqueror, in the face of thy army. The whole earth falls down before thee saying homage. Thou rulest Egypt, thou chastisest the foreigners, thou crushest, thou bowest the back of these Hittites forever.’ Then said his Majesty to his bowmen and his horsemen, likewise his captains, ‘Ye who did not fight, behold none of you have done well, in that ye left me alone among the enemy. The captains of the vanguard, the sergeants of the infantry, came not to help me. I fought against the myriads of the land alone. I had the horses Nechtou-em-Djom and Becht-herouta; they were obedient to the guidance of my hand, when I was alone by myself in the midst of the enemy. Therefore I grant to them to eat their corn in the presence of Ra continually, when I am in the gate of the palace, on account of their having been found in the midst of the enemy: and as for the armor-bearer who remained with me, I bestow upon him my arms, together with the things which were upon me, the habiliments of war.’ Behold his Majesty wore them in his great victory, overthrowing myriads assembled together with his conquering sword.”
The battle is renewed the next day, and the Hittites are thoroughly routed. An envoy from the chief is now announced, suing for mercy. Rameses acts the part of a magnanimous conqueror, and grants pardon to the repentant rebels. He then returns peaceably to Egypt, leaving the terror of his arms in all the countries of the East.
At the end of the last page of the manuscript are the date and dedication, unfortunately somewhat mutilated. The writer Penta-our dedicates it, not to the King, but to a chief librarian, probably Amen-em-an, with whom he carried on a correspondence. This poem was so highly appreciated by the King that he caused it to be engraved in hieroglyphics upon the walls of one of his palaces, where some remains of it may be still seen. If the date be correctly read, it would appear to have been written four years after the event it celebrates, and, notwithstanding the exaggerated style of adulation which pervades it, there can be little doubt that some such occurrence as that which it represents really took place.