Hymn To Ra-HarmachisTranslated 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; somelacunæare 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-HarmachisAdoration to Rā-Harmachis at the front of the morning.563Say: 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 diademmehenin its place, theurœshath smitten the wicked.O let thy mother Nut embrace thee,564Lord 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 rest565in the moment when thou breakest the strength of the wicked enemies of Rā, to cast him into the fire of Nehaher,566encircling 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 life567to 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,568they 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,569thou 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 ofmafek, 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 theUtaon 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.[pg 360]The Lamentations Of Isis And NephthysTranslated by P. J. De HorrackThis 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 NephthysRecital of the beneficial formulæmade by the two divine Sisters570in 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,[pg 361]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-Tentrut571born 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,573come 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 abodewith 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,574the justified.Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.[pg 362]Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.(O) Urt-het,575come 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.[pg 363]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,577in 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 Rā578each day.Thou shinest upon us like Atum.579Gods 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 brilliancyof the stars of Orion in the firmament,by rising and setting each day.I am the divine Sothis580behind him.I do not separate myself from him.The glorious emanation which proceedeth from thee[pg 364]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,581is 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.582Beautiful Child, do not stay far from her.Come to her nipples; abundance is in them.583Excellent 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.[pg 365]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 Horusas 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 thetwo hemispheresto 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 handsto make libations to thy being.Come to thy companions,Supreme Ruler, our Lord!Do not separate thyself from them.[pg 366]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 principalKhereb-heb585and theSam.586Two women, beautiful in their members,having been introduced,are made to sit down on the groundat the principal door of the Great Hall.587(Then) the names of Isis and Nephthysare inscribed on their shoulders.Crystal vases (full) of waterare placed in their right hands;loaves of bread made in Memphisin their left hands.Let them pay attention to the things doneat the third hour of the day,and also at the eighth hour of the day.Cease not to recite this bookat the hour of the ceremony!It is finished.
Hymn To Ra-HarmachisTranslated 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; somelacunæare 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-HarmachisAdoration to Rā-Harmachis at the front of the morning.563Say: 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 diademmehenin its place, theurœshath smitten the wicked.O let thy mother Nut embrace thee,564Lord 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 rest565in the moment when thou breakest the strength of the wicked enemies of Rā, to cast him into the fire of Nehaher,566encircling 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 life567to 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,568they 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,569thou 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 ofmafek, 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 theUtaon 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.[pg 360]The Lamentations Of Isis And NephthysTranslated by P. J. De HorrackThis 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 NephthysRecital of the beneficial formulæmade by the two divine Sisters570in 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,[pg 361]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-Tentrut571born 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,573come 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 abodewith 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,574the justified.Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.[pg 362]Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.(O) Urt-het,575come 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.[pg 363]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,577in 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 Rā578each day.Thou shinest upon us like Atum.579Gods 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 brilliancyof the stars of Orion in the firmament,by rising and setting each day.I am the divine Sothis580behind him.I do not separate myself from him.The glorious emanation which proceedeth from thee[pg 364]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,581is 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.582Beautiful Child, do not stay far from her.Come to her nipples; abundance is in them.583Excellent 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.[pg 365]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 Horusas 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 thetwo hemispheresto 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 handsto make libations to thy being.Come to thy companions,Supreme Ruler, our Lord!Do not separate thyself from them.[pg 366]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 principalKhereb-heb585and theSam.586Two women, beautiful in their members,having been introduced,are made to sit down on the groundat the principal door of the Great Hall.587(Then) the names of Isis and Nephthysare inscribed on their shoulders.Crystal vases (full) of waterare placed in their right hands;loaves of bread made in Memphisin their left hands.Let them pay attention to the things doneat the third hour of the day,and also at the eighth hour of the day.Cease not to recite this bookat the hour of the ceremony!It is finished.
Hymn To Ra-HarmachisTranslated 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; somelacunæare 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-HarmachisAdoration to Rā-Harmachis at the front of the morning.563Say: 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 diademmehenin its place, theurœshath smitten the wicked.O let thy mother Nut embrace thee,564Lord 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 rest565in the moment when thou breakest the strength of the wicked enemies of Rā, to cast him into the fire of Nehaher,566encircling 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 life567to 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,568they 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,569thou 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 ofmafek, 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 theUtaon 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.[pg 360]The Lamentations Of Isis And NephthysTranslated by P. J. De HorrackThis 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 NephthysRecital of the beneficial formulæmade by the two divine Sisters570in 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,[pg 361]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-Tentrut571born 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,573come 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 abodewith 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,574the justified.Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.[pg 362]Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.(O) Urt-het,575come 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.[pg 363]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,577in 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 Rā578each day.Thou shinest upon us like Atum.579Gods 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 brilliancyof the stars of Orion in the firmament,by rising and setting each day.I am the divine Sothis580behind him.I do not separate myself from him.The glorious emanation which proceedeth from thee[pg 364]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,581is 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.582Beautiful Child, do not stay far from her.Come to her nipples; abundance is in them.583Excellent 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.[pg 365]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 Horusas 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 thetwo hemispheresto 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 handsto make libations to thy being.Come to thy companions,Supreme Ruler, our Lord!Do not separate thyself from them.[pg 366]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 principalKhereb-heb585and theSam.586Two women, beautiful in their members,having been introduced,are made to sit down on the groundat the principal door of the Great Hall.587(Then) the names of Isis and Nephthysare inscribed on their shoulders.Crystal vases (full) of waterare placed in their right hands;loaves of bread made in Memphisin their left hands.Let them pay attention to the things doneat the third hour of the day,and also at the eighth hour of the day.Cease not to recite this bookat the hour of the ceremony!It is finished.
Hymn To Ra-HarmachisTranslated 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; somelacunæare 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-HarmachisAdoration to Rā-Harmachis at the front of the morning.563Say: 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 diademmehenin its place, theurœshath smitten the wicked.O let thy mother Nut embrace thee,564Lord 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 rest565in the moment when thou breakest the strength of the wicked enemies of Rā, to cast him into the fire of Nehaher,566encircling 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 life567to 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,568they 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,569thou 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 ofmafek, 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 theUtaon 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 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; somelacunæare 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-HarmachisAdoration to Rā-Harmachis at the front of the morning.563Say: 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 diademmehenin its place, theurœshath smitten the wicked.O let thy mother Nut embrace thee,564Lord 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 rest565in the moment when thou breakest the strength of the wicked enemies of Rā, to cast him into the fire of Nehaher,566encircling 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 life567to 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,568they 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,569thou 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 ofmafek, 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 theUtaon 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.
Hymn to Ra-Harmachis
Adoration to Rā-Harmachis at the front of the morning.563Say: 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 diademmehenin its place, theurœshath smitten the wicked.
O let thy mother Nut embrace thee,564Lord 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 rest565in the moment when thou breakest the strength of the wicked enemies of Rā, to cast him into the fire of Nehaher,566encircling 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 life567to 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,568they 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,569thou 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 ofmafek, 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 theUtaon 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 NephthysTranslated by P. J. De HorrackThis 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 NephthysRecital of the beneficial formulæmade by the two divine Sisters570in 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,[pg 361]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-Tentrut571born 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,573come 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 abodewith 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,574the justified.Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.[pg 362]Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.(O) Urt-het,575come 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.[pg 363]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,577in 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 Rā578each day.Thou shinest upon us like Atum.579Gods 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 brilliancyof the stars of Orion in the firmament,by rising and setting each day.I am the divine Sothis580behind him.I do not separate myself from him.The glorious emanation which proceedeth from thee[pg 364]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,581is 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.582Beautiful Child, do not stay far from her.Come to her nipples; abundance is in them.583Excellent 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.[pg 365]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 Horusas 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 thetwo hemispheresto 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 handsto make libations to thy being.Come to thy companions,Supreme Ruler, our Lord!Do not separate thyself from them.[pg 366]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 principalKhereb-heb585and theSam.586Two women, beautiful in their members,having been introduced,are made to sit down on the groundat the principal door of the Great Hall.587(Then) the names of Isis and Nephthysare inscribed on their shoulders.Crystal vases (full) of waterare placed in their right hands;loaves of bread made in Memphisin their left hands.Let them pay attention to the things doneat the third hour of the day,and also at the eighth hour of the day.Cease not to recite this bookat the hour of the ceremony!It is finished.
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 NephthysRecital of the beneficial formulæmade by the two divine Sisters570in 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,[pg 361]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-Tentrut571born 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,573come 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 abodewith 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,574the justified.Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.[pg 362]Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.(O) Urt-het,575come 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.[pg 363]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,577in 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 Rā578each day.Thou shinest upon us like Atum.579Gods 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 brilliancyof the stars of Orion in the firmament,by rising and setting each day.I am the divine Sothis580behind him.I do not separate myself from him.The glorious emanation which proceedeth from thee[pg 364]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,581is 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.582Beautiful Child, do not stay far from her.Come to her nipples; abundance is in them.583Excellent 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.[pg 365]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 Horusas 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 thetwo hemispheresto 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 handsto make libations to thy being.Come to thy companions,Supreme Ruler, our Lord!Do not separate thyself from them.[pg 366]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 principalKhereb-heb585and theSam.586Two women, beautiful in their members,having been introduced,are made to sit down on the groundat the principal door of the Great Hall.587(Then) the names of Isis and Nephthysare inscribed on their shoulders.Crystal vases (full) of waterare placed in their right hands;loaves of bread made in Memphisin their left hands.Let them pay attention to the things doneat the third hour of the day,and also at the eighth hour of the day.Cease not to recite this bookat the hour of the ceremony!It is finished.
Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys
Recital of the beneficial formulæmade by the two divine Sisters570in 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,[pg 361]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-Tentrut571born of Takha-aa, who is surnamed Persais the justified.It is profitable to recite them,in conformity with the divine words.
Recital of the beneficial formulæ
made by the two divine Sisters570
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-Tentrut571
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,573come 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 abodewith 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,574the justified.Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.[pg 362]Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.(O) Urt-het,575come 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.
Come to thine abode, come to thine abode!
God An,573come 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 abodewith 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,574the justified.
Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.
Come to thy sister, come to thy wife.
(O) Urt-het,575come 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.
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,577in 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 Rā578each day.Thou shinest upon us like Atum.579Gods 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 brilliancyof the stars of Orion in the firmament,by rising and setting each day.I am the divine Sothis580behind him.I do not separate myself from him.The glorious emanation which proceedeth from thee[pg 364]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.
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 Rā578each 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 Sothis580behind 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,581is 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.582Beautiful Child, do not stay far from her.Come to her nipples; abundance is in them.583Excellent 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.[pg 365]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.
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 Horusas 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 thetwo hemispheresto 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 handsto make libations to thy being.Come to thy companions,Supreme Ruler, our Lord!Do not separate thyself from them.[pg 366]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 principalKhereb-heb585and theSam.586Two women, beautiful in their members,having been introduced,are made to sit down on the groundat the principal door of the Great Hall.587(Then) the names of Isis and Nephthysare inscribed on their shoulders.Crystal vases (full) of waterare placed in their right hands;loaves of bread made in Memphisin their left hands.Let them pay attention to the things doneat the third hour of the day,and also at the eighth hour of the day.Cease not to recite this bookat the hour of the ceremony!
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 thetwo 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 principalKhereb-heb585and theSam.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.