Hymns To AmenTranslated by C. W. Goodwin, M.A.These beautiful poems are contained in the“Anastasi Papyri”in the collection at the British Museum. They have been mostly translated in French by M. F. Chabas, from whose interpretation I have occasionally found reason to differ.The papyrus itself is considerably mutilated, and bears no date, but from the character of the script there can be little doubt that it is of the period of the nineteenth dynasty.These hymns have been published by myself with exegetical notes in the“Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology,”vol. II, part 2, 1873, p. 353; and, as before mentioned, in French by M. Chabas in the“Mélanges Egyptologiques,”1870, p. 117.[pg 344]Hymn to Amen5171“O Amen, lend thine ear to him2 who is alone before the tribunal,3 he is poor (he is not) rich.4 The court oppresses him;5 silver and gold for the clerks of the book,6 garments for the servants. There is no other Amen, acting as a judge,7 to deliver (one) from his misery;8 when the poor man is before the tribunal,9(making) the poor to go forth rich.”Hymn to Amen5181“I cry, the beginning of wisdom is the way of Amen,5192 the rudder of (truth).3 Thou art he that giveth bread to him who has none,4 that sustaineth the servant of his house.5 Let no prince be my defender in all my troubles.6 Let not my memorial be placed under the power7 of any man who is in the house ... My Lord is (my) defender;8 I know his power, to wit, (he is) a strong defender,9 there is none mighty except him alone.10 Strong is Amen, knowing how to answer,11 fulfilling the desire of him who cries to him;12 the Sun the true King of gods,13the Strong Bull, the mighty lover (of power).”Hymn to Amen5201“Come to me, O thou Sun;2 Horus of the horizon give me (help);3 Thou art he that giveth (help);4 there is no help without thee,5 excepting thou (givest it).6 Come to me Tum,521hear me thou great god.[pg 345]7 My heart goeth forth toward An5228 Let my desires be fulfilled,9 let my heart be joyful, my inmost heart in gladness.10 Hear my vows, my humble supplications every day,11 my adorations by night;12 my (cries of) terror ... prevailing in my mouth,13 which come from my (mouth) one by one.14 O Horus of the horizon there is no other beside like him,15 protector of millions, deliverer of hundreds of thousands,16 the defender of him that calls to him, the Lord of An.52317 Reproach me not524with my many sins.18 I am a youth, weak of body.52519 I am a man without heart.20 Anxiety comes upon me526as an ox upon grass.21 If I pass the night in ...527and I find refreshment,22anxiety returns to me in the time of lying down.”Hymn To Pharaoh[The previous hymns are addressed to the Supreme Being, under the names of Amen, Horus, and Tum, all identical with the Sun. But for the old Egyptians the ruling Pharaoh of the day was the living image and vicegerent of the Sun, and they saw no profanity in addressing the King in terms precisely similar to those with which they worshipped their god. The following address or petition, which also is found in the“Anastasi Papyri,”is a remarkable instance of this:]Hymn to Pharaoh5281“Long live the King!5292 This comes to inform the King3 to the royal hall of the lover of truth,4 the great heaven wherein the Sun is.5 (Give) thy attention to me, thou Sun that risest6 to enlighten the earth with this (his) goodness.7 The solar orb of men chasing the darkness from Egypt.8 Thou art as it were the image of thy father the Sun,[pg 346]9 who rises in heaven. Thy beams penetrate the cavern.10 No place is without thy goodness.11 Thy sayings are the law of every land.12 When thou reposest in thy palace,13 thou hearest the words of all the lands.14 Thou hast millions of ears.15 Bright is thy eye above the stars of heaven,16 able to gaze at the solar orb.17 If anything be spoken by the mouth in the cavern,18 it ascends into thy ears.19 Whatsoever is done in secret, thy eye seeth it,20O Baenra Meriamen,530merciful Lord, creator of breath.”[This is not the language of a courtier. It seems to be a genuine expression of the belief that the King was the living representative of Deity, and from this point of view is much more interesting and remarkable than if treated as a mere outpouring of empty flattery.]The Song Of The HarperTranslated by Ludwig SternThe text of the following song, found in the tomb of Neferhetep at Abd-el-Gurnah, is a good specimen of Egyptian poetry of the eighteenth dynasty. It was first copied by Mr. Dümichen (“Historische Inschriften,”ii. 40), and subsequently by myself. In addition to a translation in the“Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache,”1873, p. 58, I gave some critical observations in the same journal of 1875. Professor Lauth of Munich translated it in an appendix to his essay on the music of the ancient Egyptians.The song is very remarkable for the form of old Egyptian poetry, which like that of the Hebrews delights in a sublimer language, in parallelisms and antitheses, and in the ornament of a burden; no doubt it was sung, and it seems to be even rhythmic, forming verses of equal length—“Ured urui pu mā,Pa shau nefer kheperKhetu her sebt ter rek RāJamāu her at r ast-sen.”[pg 347]Though part of the text is unhappily much mutilated, we yet may gather the general ideas of the poem from thedisjecta membrawhich remain.It is a funeral song, supposed to be sung by the harper at a feast or anniversary in remembrance of the deceased patriarch Neferhetep, who is represented sitting with his sister and wife Rennu-m-ast-neh, his son Ptahmes and his daughter Ta-Khat standing by their side, while the harper before them is chanting. The poet addresses his speech as well to the dead as to the living, assuming in his fiction the former to be yet alive. The room of the tomb, on the walls of which such texts were inscribed, may be thought a kind of chapel appointed for the solemn rites to be performed by the survivors. The song which bears a great resemblance to the“Song of the House of King Antef,”lately translated by the eminent Mr. Goodwin, affords a striking coincidence with the words which Herodotus (ii. 78) asserts to have been repeated on such occasions, while a wooden image of the deceased, probably the figure called“usheb,”was circulating among the guests.“Look upon this!”they said;“then drink and rejoice, for thou shalt be as this is.”The Song of the Harper[Chanted by the singer to the harp who is in the chapel of the Osirian, the Patriarch of Amen, the blessed Neferhotep.]He says:The great one is truly at rest,the good charge is fulfilled.Men pass away since the time of Rā531and the youths come in their stead.Like as Rā reappears every morning,and Tum532sets in the horizon,men are begetting,and women are conceiving.Every nostril inhaleth once the breezes of dawn,but all born of women go down to their places.[pg 348]Make a good day, O holy father!Let odors and oils stand before thy nostril.Wreaths of lotus are on the arms and the bosom of thy sister,dwelling in thy heart, sitting beside thee.Let song and music be before thy face,and leave behind thee all evil cares!Mind thee of joy, till cometh the day of pilgrimage,when we draw near the land which loveth silence.Not ...533peace of heart ...534his loving son.Make a good day, O blessed Neferhotep,thou patriarch perfect and pure of hands!He finished his existence ... (the common fate of men).Their abodes pass away,and their place is not;they are as they had never been bornsince the time of Rā.(They in the shades) are sitting on the bank of the river,thy soul is among them, drinking its sacred water,following thy heart, at peace ...535Give bread to him whose field is barren,thy name will be glorious in posterity for evermore;they will look upon thee ...536(The priest clad in the skin)537of a panther will pour to the ground,and bread will be given as offerings;the singing-women ...538Their forms are standing before Rā,their persons are protected ...539Rannu540will come at her hour,and Shu will calculate his day,thou shalt awake ...541(woe to the bad one!)He shall sit miserable in the heat of infernal fires.Make a good day, O holy father,Neferhotep, pure of hands!No works of buildings in Egypt could avail,[pg 349]his resting-place is all his wealth ...542Let me return to know what remaineth of him!Not the least moment could be added to his life,(when he went to) the realm of eternity.Those who have magazines full of bread to spend,even they shall encounter the hour of a last end.The moment of that day will diminish the valor of the rich ...543Mind thee of the day, when thou too shalt start for the land,to which one goeth to return not thence.Good for thee then will have been (an honest life,)therefore be just and hate transgressions,for he who loveth justice (will be blessed).The coward and the bold, neither can fly, (the grave)the friendless and proud are alike ...Then let thy bounty give abundantly, as is fit,(love) truth, and Isis shall bless the good,(and thou shalt attain a happy) old age.Hymn To Amen-RaTranslated by C. W. Goodwin, M.A.This hymn is inscribed upon a hieratic papyrus, No. 17, in the collection of papyri at the Museum of Boulaq. A fac-simile of the papyrus has been published by M. Marriette (“Les papyrus Egyptiens du Musée de Boulaq,”fo. Paris 1272, pls. 11-13). It is not a very long composition, being contained in eleven pages of moderate size, and consisting of only twenty verses. It has the advantage of being nearly perfect from beginning to end, written in a legible hand, and free from any great difficulties for the translator.From the handwriting of the papyrus it may be judged to belong to the nineteenth dynasty, or about the fourteenth centuryb.c.It purports to be only a copy, and the composition itself may be very much earlier.In the original the beginning of each verse is indicated by rubricated letters; each verse is also divided into short phrases[pg 350]by small red points; these are indicated in the translation by colons.This translation has just been published with exegetical notes in the“Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology,”vol. ii, p. 250.Hymn to Amen-Ra1 Praise to Amen-Rā:the Bull in An544Chief of all gods:the good god beloved:giving life to all animated things:to all fair cattle:Hail to thee Amen-Rā, Lord of the thrones of the earth:Chief in Aptu:545the Bull of his mother in his field:turning his feet toward the land of the South:Lord of the heathen, Prince of Punt:546the Ancient of heaven, the Oldest of the earth:Lord of all existences, the Support of things, the Support of all things.2 The ONE in his works,singleamong the gods:the beautiful Bull of the cycle of gods:Chief of all the gods:Lord of truth, Father of the gods:Maker of men, Creator of beasts:Lord of existences, Creator of fruitful trees:Maker of herbs, Feeder of cattle:Good Being begotten of Ptah, beautiful youth beloved:to whom the gods give honor:Maker of things below and above, Enlightener of the earth:sailing in heaven in tranquillity:King Rā true speaker, Chief of the earth:Most glorious one, Lord of terror:Chief creator of the whole earth.3 Supporter of affairs above every god:in whose goodness the gods rejoice:to whom adoration is paid in the great house:[pg 351]crowned in the house of flame:whose fragrance the gods love:when he comes from Arabia:Prince of the dew, traversing foreign lands:benignly approaching the Holy Land.5474 The gods attend his feet:while they acknowledge his Majesty as their Lord:Lord of terror most awful:greatest of spirits, mighty in ...:bring offerings, make sacrifices:salutation to thee, Maker of the gods:Supporter of the heavens, Founder of the earth.5 Awake in strength Min548Amen:Lord of eternity, Maker everlasting:Lord of adoration, Chief in ...:strong with beautiful horns:Lord of the crown high plumed:of the fair turban (wearing) the white crown:the coronet549and the diadem550are the ornaments of his face:he is invested withAmi-ha:the double crown is his head-gear, (he wears) the red crown:benignly he receives the Atef-crown:on whose south and on whose north is love:the Lord of life receives the sceptre:Lordof the breastplatearmed with the whip.6 Gracious ruler crowned with the white crown:Lord of beams, Maker of light:to whom the gods give praises:who stretches forth his arms at his pleasure:consuming his enemies with flame:whose eye subdues the wicked:551sending forth its dart to the roof of the firmament:sending itsarrowsagainst Naka to consume him.7 Hail to thee Rā Lord of truth:[pg 352]whose command the gods were made:Athom Maker of men:supporting their works, giving them life:distinguishing the color of one from another:listening to the poor who is in distress:gentle of heart when one cries unto him.8 Deliverer of the timid man from the violent:judging the poor, the poor and the oppressed:Lord of wisdom whose precepts are wise:at whose pleasure the Nile overflows:Lord of mercy most loving:at whose coming men live:opener of every eye:proceeding from the firmament:causer of pleasure and light:at whose goodness the gods rejoice:their hearts revive when they see him.9 O Rā adored in Aptu:552high-crowned in the house of the obelisk:553King (Ani) Lord of the New-moon festival:to whom the sixth and seventh days are sacred:Sovereign of life health and strength, Lord of all the gods:who art visible in the midst of heaven:ruler of men ...:whose name is hidden from his creatures:in his name which is Amen.55410 Hail to thee who art in tranquillity:Lord of magnanimity strong in apparel:Lord of the crown high plumed:of the beautiful turban, of the tall white crown:the gods love thy presence:when the double crown is set upon thy head:thy love pervades the earth:thy beamsarise... men are cheered by thy rising:the beasts shrink from thy beams:thy love is over the southern heaven:[pg 353]thy heart is not (unmindful of) the northern heaven:thy goodness ... (all) hearts:love subdues (all) hands:thy creations are fair overcoming (all) the earth:(all) hearts are softened at beholding thee.11 The ONE maker of existences:(creator) of ... maker of beings:from whose eyes mankind proceeded:of whose mouth are the gods:maker of grass for the cattle (oxen, goats, asses, pigs, sheep):fruitful trees for men:causing the fish to live in the river:the birds to fill the air:giving breath to those in the egg:feeding the bird that flies:giving food to the bird that perches:to the creeping thing and the flying thing equally:providing food for the rats in their holes:feeding the flyingthingsin every tree.12 Hail to thee for all these things:the ONE alone with many hands:lying awake while all men lie (asleep):to seek out the good of his creatures:Amen sustainer of all things:Athom Horus of the horizon:555homage to thee in all their voices:salutation to thee for thy mercy unto us:protestations to thee who hast created us.13 Hail to thee say all creatures:salutation to thee from every land:to the height of heaven, to the breadth of the earth:to the depths of the sea:the gods adore Thy Majesty:the spirits thou hast created exalt (thee):rejoicing before the feet of their begetter:they cry out welcome to thee:father of the fathers of all the gods:who raises the heavens who fixes the earth.[pg 354]14 Maker of beings, Creator of existences:Sovereign of life, health, and strength, Chief of the gods:we worship thy spiritwho alonehast made us:we whom thou hast made (thank thee) that thou hast given us birth:we give to thee praises on account of thy mercy to us.15 Hail to thee Maker of all beings:Lord of truth father of the gods:Maker of men creator of beasts:Lord of grains:making food for the beast of the field:Amen the beautiful Bull:beloved in Aptu:556high crowned in the house of the obelisk:557twice turbaned in An:judge of combatants in the great hall:Chief of the great cycle of the gods:16 The ONE alone without peer:Chief in Aptu:King over his cycle of gods:living in truth forever:(Lord) of the horizon, Horus of the East:he who hath created the soil (with) silver and gold:the precious lapis lazuli at his pleasure:spices and incense various for the peoples:fresh odors for thy nostrils:benignly come to the nations:Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the earth:Chief in Aptu:the Sovereignon his throne.17 King alone,singleamong the gods:of many names, unknown is their number:rising in the eastern horizon setting in the western horizon:overthrowing his enemies:dawning on (his) children daily and every day:Thoth raises his eyes:he delights himself with his blessings:the gods rejoice in his goodness who exalts thosewho are lowly:[pg 355]Lord of the boat and the barge:they conduct thee through the firmament in peace.18 Thy servants rejoice:beholding the overthrow of the wicked:his limbs pierced with theswordfire consumes him:his soul and body are annihilated.19 Naka558saveshis feet:the gods rejoice:the servants of the Sun are in peace:An is joyful:the enemies of Athom are overthrown and Aptu is in peace, An is joyful:the giver of life is pleased:at the overthrow of the enemies of her Lord:the gods of Kher-sa make salutations:they of the Adytum prostrate themselves.20 They behold the mighty one in his strength:the image of the gods of truth the Lord of Aptu;in thy name of Doer of justice:Lord of sacrifices, the Bull of offerings:in thy name of Amen the Bull of his mother:maker of men:causing all things which are to exist:in thy name of Athom Chepra:559the great Hawk making (each) body to rejoice:benignly making (each) breast to rejoice:type of creators high crowned:... (Lord) of the wing:Uati560is on his forehead:the hearts of men seek him:when he appears to mortals:he rejoices the earth with his goings forth:Hail to thee Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the world:beloved of his city when he shines forth.561Finished well as it was found.562[pg 356]
Hymns To AmenTranslated by C. W. Goodwin, M.A.These beautiful poems are contained in the“Anastasi Papyri”in the collection at the British Museum. They have been mostly translated in French by M. F. Chabas, from whose interpretation I have occasionally found reason to differ.The papyrus itself is considerably mutilated, and bears no date, but from the character of the script there can be little doubt that it is of the period of the nineteenth dynasty.These hymns have been published by myself with exegetical notes in the“Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology,”vol. II, part 2, 1873, p. 353; and, as before mentioned, in French by M. Chabas in the“Mélanges Egyptologiques,”1870, p. 117.[pg 344]Hymn to Amen5171“O Amen, lend thine ear to him2 who is alone before the tribunal,3 he is poor (he is not) rich.4 The court oppresses him;5 silver and gold for the clerks of the book,6 garments for the servants. There is no other Amen, acting as a judge,7 to deliver (one) from his misery;8 when the poor man is before the tribunal,9(making) the poor to go forth rich.”Hymn to Amen5181“I cry, the beginning of wisdom is the way of Amen,5192 the rudder of (truth).3 Thou art he that giveth bread to him who has none,4 that sustaineth the servant of his house.5 Let no prince be my defender in all my troubles.6 Let not my memorial be placed under the power7 of any man who is in the house ... My Lord is (my) defender;8 I know his power, to wit, (he is) a strong defender,9 there is none mighty except him alone.10 Strong is Amen, knowing how to answer,11 fulfilling the desire of him who cries to him;12 the Sun the true King of gods,13the Strong Bull, the mighty lover (of power).”Hymn to Amen5201“Come to me, O thou Sun;2 Horus of the horizon give me (help);3 Thou art he that giveth (help);4 there is no help without thee,5 excepting thou (givest it).6 Come to me Tum,521hear me thou great god.[pg 345]7 My heart goeth forth toward An5228 Let my desires be fulfilled,9 let my heart be joyful, my inmost heart in gladness.10 Hear my vows, my humble supplications every day,11 my adorations by night;12 my (cries of) terror ... prevailing in my mouth,13 which come from my (mouth) one by one.14 O Horus of the horizon there is no other beside like him,15 protector of millions, deliverer of hundreds of thousands,16 the defender of him that calls to him, the Lord of An.52317 Reproach me not524with my many sins.18 I am a youth, weak of body.52519 I am a man without heart.20 Anxiety comes upon me526as an ox upon grass.21 If I pass the night in ...527and I find refreshment,22anxiety returns to me in the time of lying down.”Hymn To Pharaoh[The previous hymns are addressed to the Supreme Being, under the names of Amen, Horus, and Tum, all identical with the Sun. But for the old Egyptians the ruling Pharaoh of the day was the living image and vicegerent of the Sun, and they saw no profanity in addressing the King in terms precisely similar to those with which they worshipped their god. The following address or petition, which also is found in the“Anastasi Papyri,”is a remarkable instance of this:]Hymn to Pharaoh5281“Long live the King!5292 This comes to inform the King3 to the royal hall of the lover of truth,4 the great heaven wherein the Sun is.5 (Give) thy attention to me, thou Sun that risest6 to enlighten the earth with this (his) goodness.7 The solar orb of men chasing the darkness from Egypt.8 Thou art as it were the image of thy father the Sun,[pg 346]9 who rises in heaven. Thy beams penetrate the cavern.10 No place is without thy goodness.11 Thy sayings are the law of every land.12 When thou reposest in thy palace,13 thou hearest the words of all the lands.14 Thou hast millions of ears.15 Bright is thy eye above the stars of heaven,16 able to gaze at the solar orb.17 If anything be spoken by the mouth in the cavern,18 it ascends into thy ears.19 Whatsoever is done in secret, thy eye seeth it,20O Baenra Meriamen,530merciful Lord, creator of breath.”[This is not the language of a courtier. It seems to be a genuine expression of the belief that the King was the living representative of Deity, and from this point of view is much more interesting and remarkable than if treated as a mere outpouring of empty flattery.]The Song Of The HarperTranslated by Ludwig SternThe text of the following song, found in the tomb of Neferhetep at Abd-el-Gurnah, is a good specimen of Egyptian poetry of the eighteenth dynasty. It was first copied by Mr. Dümichen (“Historische Inschriften,”ii. 40), and subsequently by myself. In addition to a translation in the“Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache,”1873, p. 58, I gave some critical observations in the same journal of 1875. Professor Lauth of Munich translated it in an appendix to his essay on the music of the ancient Egyptians.The song is very remarkable for the form of old Egyptian poetry, which like that of the Hebrews delights in a sublimer language, in parallelisms and antitheses, and in the ornament of a burden; no doubt it was sung, and it seems to be even rhythmic, forming verses of equal length—“Ured urui pu mā,Pa shau nefer kheperKhetu her sebt ter rek RāJamāu her at r ast-sen.”[pg 347]Though part of the text is unhappily much mutilated, we yet may gather the general ideas of the poem from thedisjecta membrawhich remain.It is a funeral song, supposed to be sung by the harper at a feast or anniversary in remembrance of the deceased patriarch Neferhetep, who is represented sitting with his sister and wife Rennu-m-ast-neh, his son Ptahmes and his daughter Ta-Khat standing by their side, while the harper before them is chanting. The poet addresses his speech as well to the dead as to the living, assuming in his fiction the former to be yet alive. The room of the tomb, on the walls of which such texts were inscribed, may be thought a kind of chapel appointed for the solemn rites to be performed by the survivors. The song which bears a great resemblance to the“Song of the House of King Antef,”lately translated by the eminent Mr. Goodwin, affords a striking coincidence with the words which Herodotus (ii. 78) asserts to have been repeated on such occasions, while a wooden image of the deceased, probably the figure called“usheb,”was circulating among the guests.“Look upon this!”they said;“then drink and rejoice, for thou shalt be as this is.”The Song of the Harper[Chanted by the singer to the harp who is in the chapel of the Osirian, the Patriarch of Amen, the blessed Neferhotep.]He says:The great one is truly at rest,the good charge is fulfilled.Men pass away since the time of Rā531and the youths come in their stead.Like as Rā reappears every morning,and Tum532sets in the horizon,men are begetting,and women are conceiving.Every nostril inhaleth once the breezes of dawn,but all born of women go down to their places.[pg 348]Make a good day, O holy father!Let odors and oils stand before thy nostril.Wreaths of lotus are on the arms and the bosom of thy sister,dwelling in thy heart, sitting beside thee.Let song and music be before thy face,and leave behind thee all evil cares!Mind thee of joy, till cometh the day of pilgrimage,when we draw near the land which loveth silence.Not ...533peace of heart ...534his loving son.Make a good day, O blessed Neferhotep,thou patriarch perfect and pure of hands!He finished his existence ... (the common fate of men).Their abodes pass away,and their place is not;they are as they had never been bornsince the time of Rā.(They in the shades) are sitting on the bank of the river,thy soul is among them, drinking its sacred water,following thy heart, at peace ...535Give bread to him whose field is barren,thy name will be glorious in posterity for evermore;they will look upon thee ...536(The priest clad in the skin)537of a panther will pour to the ground,and bread will be given as offerings;the singing-women ...538Their forms are standing before Rā,their persons are protected ...539Rannu540will come at her hour,and Shu will calculate his day,thou shalt awake ...541(woe to the bad one!)He shall sit miserable in the heat of infernal fires.Make a good day, O holy father,Neferhotep, pure of hands!No works of buildings in Egypt could avail,[pg 349]his resting-place is all his wealth ...542Let me return to know what remaineth of him!Not the least moment could be added to his life,(when he went to) the realm of eternity.Those who have magazines full of bread to spend,even they shall encounter the hour of a last end.The moment of that day will diminish the valor of the rich ...543Mind thee of the day, when thou too shalt start for the land,to which one goeth to return not thence.Good for thee then will have been (an honest life,)therefore be just and hate transgressions,for he who loveth justice (will be blessed).The coward and the bold, neither can fly, (the grave)the friendless and proud are alike ...Then let thy bounty give abundantly, as is fit,(love) truth, and Isis shall bless the good,(and thou shalt attain a happy) old age.Hymn To Amen-RaTranslated by C. W. Goodwin, M.A.This hymn is inscribed upon a hieratic papyrus, No. 17, in the collection of papyri at the Museum of Boulaq. A fac-simile of the papyrus has been published by M. Marriette (“Les papyrus Egyptiens du Musée de Boulaq,”fo. Paris 1272, pls. 11-13). It is not a very long composition, being contained in eleven pages of moderate size, and consisting of only twenty verses. It has the advantage of being nearly perfect from beginning to end, written in a legible hand, and free from any great difficulties for the translator.From the handwriting of the papyrus it may be judged to belong to the nineteenth dynasty, or about the fourteenth centuryb.c.It purports to be only a copy, and the composition itself may be very much earlier.In the original the beginning of each verse is indicated by rubricated letters; each verse is also divided into short phrases[pg 350]by small red points; these are indicated in the translation by colons.This translation has just been published with exegetical notes in the“Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology,”vol. ii, p. 250.Hymn to Amen-Ra1 Praise to Amen-Rā:the Bull in An544Chief of all gods:the good god beloved:giving life to all animated things:to all fair cattle:Hail to thee Amen-Rā, Lord of the thrones of the earth:Chief in Aptu:545the Bull of his mother in his field:turning his feet toward the land of the South:Lord of the heathen, Prince of Punt:546the Ancient of heaven, the Oldest of the earth:Lord of all existences, the Support of things, the Support of all things.2 The ONE in his works,singleamong the gods:the beautiful Bull of the cycle of gods:Chief of all the gods:Lord of truth, Father of the gods:Maker of men, Creator of beasts:Lord of existences, Creator of fruitful trees:Maker of herbs, Feeder of cattle:Good Being begotten of Ptah, beautiful youth beloved:to whom the gods give honor:Maker of things below and above, Enlightener of the earth:sailing in heaven in tranquillity:King Rā true speaker, Chief of the earth:Most glorious one, Lord of terror:Chief creator of the whole earth.3 Supporter of affairs above every god:in whose goodness the gods rejoice:to whom adoration is paid in the great house:[pg 351]crowned in the house of flame:whose fragrance the gods love:when he comes from Arabia:Prince of the dew, traversing foreign lands:benignly approaching the Holy Land.5474 The gods attend his feet:while they acknowledge his Majesty as their Lord:Lord of terror most awful:greatest of spirits, mighty in ...:bring offerings, make sacrifices:salutation to thee, Maker of the gods:Supporter of the heavens, Founder of the earth.5 Awake in strength Min548Amen:Lord of eternity, Maker everlasting:Lord of adoration, Chief in ...:strong with beautiful horns:Lord of the crown high plumed:of the fair turban (wearing) the white crown:the coronet549and the diadem550are the ornaments of his face:he is invested withAmi-ha:the double crown is his head-gear, (he wears) the red crown:benignly he receives the Atef-crown:on whose south and on whose north is love:the Lord of life receives the sceptre:Lordof the breastplatearmed with the whip.6 Gracious ruler crowned with the white crown:Lord of beams, Maker of light:to whom the gods give praises:who stretches forth his arms at his pleasure:consuming his enemies with flame:whose eye subdues the wicked:551sending forth its dart to the roof of the firmament:sending itsarrowsagainst Naka to consume him.7 Hail to thee Rā Lord of truth:[pg 352]whose command the gods were made:Athom Maker of men:supporting their works, giving them life:distinguishing the color of one from another:listening to the poor who is in distress:gentle of heart when one cries unto him.8 Deliverer of the timid man from the violent:judging the poor, the poor and the oppressed:Lord of wisdom whose precepts are wise:at whose pleasure the Nile overflows:Lord of mercy most loving:at whose coming men live:opener of every eye:proceeding from the firmament:causer of pleasure and light:at whose goodness the gods rejoice:their hearts revive when they see him.9 O Rā adored in Aptu:552high-crowned in the house of the obelisk:553King (Ani) Lord of the New-moon festival:to whom the sixth and seventh days are sacred:Sovereign of life health and strength, Lord of all the gods:who art visible in the midst of heaven:ruler of men ...:whose name is hidden from his creatures:in his name which is Amen.55410 Hail to thee who art in tranquillity:Lord of magnanimity strong in apparel:Lord of the crown high plumed:of the beautiful turban, of the tall white crown:the gods love thy presence:when the double crown is set upon thy head:thy love pervades the earth:thy beamsarise... men are cheered by thy rising:the beasts shrink from thy beams:thy love is over the southern heaven:[pg 353]thy heart is not (unmindful of) the northern heaven:thy goodness ... (all) hearts:love subdues (all) hands:thy creations are fair overcoming (all) the earth:(all) hearts are softened at beholding thee.11 The ONE maker of existences:(creator) of ... maker of beings:from whose eyes mankind proceeded:of whose mouth are the gods:maker of grass for the cattle (oxen, goats, asses, pigs, sheep):fruitful trees for men:causing the fish to live in the river:the birds to fill the air:giving breath to those in the egg:feeding the bird that flies:giving food to the bird that perches:to the creeping thing and the flying thing equally:providing food for the rats in their holes:feeding the flyingthingsin every tree.12 Hail to thee for all these things:the ONE alone with many hands:lying awake while all men lie (asleep):to seek out the good of his creatures:Amen sustainer of all things:Athom Horus of the horizon:555homage to thee in all their voices:salutation to thee for thy mercy unto us:protestations to thee who hast created us.13 Hail to thee say all creatures:salutation to thee from every land:to the height of heaven, to the breadth of the earth:to the depths of the sea:the gods adore Thy Majesty:the spirits thou hast created exalt (thee):rejoicing before the feet of their begetter:they cry out welcome to thee:father of the fathers of all the gods:who raises the heavens who fixes the earth.[pg 354]14 Maker of beings, Creator of existences:Sovereign of life, health, and strength, Chief of the gods:we worship thy spiritwho alonehast made us:we whom thou hast made (thank thee) that thou hast given us birth:we give to thee praises on account of thy mercy to us.15 Hail to thee Maker of all beings:Lord of truth father of the gods:Maker of men creator of beasts:Lord of grains:making food for the beast of the field:Amen the beautiful Bull:beloved in Aptu:556high crowned in the house of the obelisk:557twice turbaned in An:judge of combatants in the great hall:Chief of the great cycle of the gods:16 The ONE alone without peer:Chief in Aptu:King over his cycle of gods:living in truth forever:(Lord) of the horizon, Horus of the East:he who hath created the soil (with) silver and gold:the precious lapis lazuli at his pleasure:spices and incense various for the peoples:fresh odors for thy nostrils:benignly come to the nations:Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the earth:Chief in Aptu:the Sovereignon his throne.17 King alone,singleamong the gods:of many names, unknown is their number:rising in the eastern horizon setting in the western horizon:overthrowing his enemies:dawning on (his) children daily and every day:Thoth raises his eyes:he delights himself with his blessings:the gods rejoice in his goodness who exalts thosewho are lowly:[pg 355]Lord of the boat and the barge:they conduct thee through the firmament in peace.18 Thy servants rejoice:beholding the overthrow of the wicked:his limbs pierced with theswordfire consumes him:his soul and body are annihilated.19 Naka558saveshis feet:the gods rejoice:the servants of the Sun are in peace:An is joyful:the enemies of Athom are overthrown and Aptu is in peace, An is joyful:the giver of life is pleased:at the overthrow of the enemies of her Lord:the gods of Kher-sa make salutations:they of the Adytum prostrate themselves.20 They behold the mighty one in his strength:the image of the gods of truth the Lord of Aptu;in thy name of Doer of justice:Lord of sacrifices, the Bull of offerings:in thy name of Amen the Bull of his mother:maker of men:causing all things which are to exist:in thy name of Athom Chepra:559the great Hawk making (each) body to rejoice:benignly making (each) breast to rejoice:type of creators high crowned:... (Lord) of the wing:Uati560is on his forehead:the hearts of men seek him:when he appears to mortals:he rejoices the earth with his goings forth:Hail to thee Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the world:beloved of his city when he shines forth.561Finished well as it was found.562[pg 356]
Hymns To AmenTranslated by C. W. Goodwin, M.A.These beautiful poems are contained in the“Anastasi Papyri”in the collection at the British Museum. They have been mostly translated in French by M. F. Chabas, from whose interpretation I have occasionally found reason to differ.The papyrus itself is considerably mutilated, and bears no date, but from the character of the script there can be little doubt that it is of the period of the nineteenth dynasty.These hymns have been published by myself with exegetical notes in the“Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology,”vol. II, part 2, 1873, p. 353; and, as before mentioned, in French by M. Chabas in the“Mélanges Egyptologiques,”1870, p. 117.[pg 344]Hymn to Amen5171“O Amen, lend thine ear to him2 who is alone before the tribunal,3 he is poor (he is not) rich.4 The court oppresses him;5 silver and gold for the clerks of the book,6 garments for the servants. There is no other Amen, acting as a judge,7 to deliver (one) from his misery;8 when the poor man is before the tribunal,9(making) the poor to go forth rich.”Hymn to Amen5181“I cry, the beginning of wisdom is the way of Amen,5192 the rudder of (truth).3 Thou art he that giveth bread to him who has none,4 that sustaineth the servant of his house.5 Let no prince be my defender in all my troubles.6 Let not my memorial be placed under the power7 of any man who is in the house ... My Lord is (my) defender;8 I know his power, to wit, (he is) a strong defender,9 there is none mighty except him alone.10 Strong is Amen, knowing how to answer,11 fulfilling the desire of him who cries to him;12 the Sun the true King of gods,13the Strong Bull, the mighty lover (of power).”Hymn to Amen5201“Come to me, O thou Sun;2 Horus of the horizon give me (help);3 Thou art he that giveth (help);4 there is no help without thee,5 excepting thou (givest it).6 Come to me Tum,521hear me thou great god.[pg 345]7 My heart goeth forth toward An5228 Let my desires be fulfilled,9 let my heart be joyful, my inmost heart in gladness.10 Hear my vows, my humble supplications every day,11 my adorations by night;12 my (cries of) terror ... prevailing in my mouth,13 which come from my (mouth) one by one.14 O Horus of the horizon there is no other beside like him,15 protector of millions, deliverer of hundreds of thousands,16 the defender of him that calls to him, the Lord of An.52317 Reproach me not524with my many sins.18 I am a youth, weak of body.52519 I am a man without heart.20 Anxiety comes upon me526as an ox upon grass.21 If I pass the night in ...527and I find refreshment,22anxiety returns to me in the time of lying down.”Hymn To Pharaoh[The previous hymns are addressed to the Supreme Being, under the names of Amen, Horus, and Tum, all identical with the Sun. But for the old Egyptians the ruling Pharaoh of the day was the living image and vicegerent of the Sun, and they saw no profanity in addressing the King in terms precisely similar to those with which they worshipped their god. The following address or petition, which also is found in the“Anastasi Papyri,”is a remarkable instance of this:]Hymn to Pharaoh5281“Long live the King!5292 This comes to inform the King3 to the royal hall of the lover of truth,4 the great heaven wherein the Sun is.5 (Give) thy attention to me, thou Sun that risest6 to enlighten the earth with this (his) goodness.7 The solar orb of men chasing the darkness from Egypt.8 Thou art as it were the image of thy father the Sun,[pg 346]9 who rises in heaven. Thy beams penetrate the cavern.10 No place is without thy goodness.11 Thy sayings are the law of every land.12 When thou reposest in thy palace,13 thou hearest the words of all the lands.14 Thou hast millions of ears.15 Bright is thy eye above the stars of heaven,16 able to gaze at the solar orb.17 If anything be spoken by the mouth in the cavern,18 it ascends into thy ears.19 Whatsoever is done in secret, thy eye seeth it,20O Baenra Meriamen,530merciful Lord, creator of breath.”[This is not the language of a courtier. It seems to be a genuine expression of the belief that the King was the living representative of Deity, and from this point of view is much more interesting and remarkable than if treated as a mere outpouring of empty flattery.]The Song Of The HarperTranslated by Ludwig SternThe text of the following song, found in the tomb of Neferhetep at Abd-el-Gurnah, is a good specimen of Egyptian poetry of the eighteenth dynasty. It was first copied by Mr. Dümichen (“Historische Inschriften,”ii. 40), and subsequently by myself. In addition to a translation in the“Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache,”1873, p. 58, I gave some critical observations in the same journal of 1875. Professor Lauth of Munich translated it in an appendix to his essay on the music of the ancient Egyptians.The song is very remarkable for the form of old Egyptian poetry, which like that of the Hebrews delights in a sublimer language, in parallelisms and antitheses, and in the ornament of a burden; no doubt it was sung, and it seems to be even rhythmic, forming verses of equal length—“Ured urui pu mā,Pa shau nefer kheperKhetu her sebt ter rek RāJamāu her at r ast-sen.”[pg 347]Though part of the text is unhappily much mutilated, we yet may gather the general ideas of the poem from thedisjecta membrawhich remain.It is a funeral song, supposed to be sung by the harper at a feast or anniversary in remembrance of the deceased patriarch Neferhetep, who is represented sitting with his sister and wife Rennu-m-ast-neh, his son Ptahmes and his daughter Ta-Khat standing by their side, while the harper before them is chanting. The poet addresses his speech as well to the dead as to the living, assuming in his fiction the former to be yet alive. The room of the tomb, on the walls of which such texts were inscribed, may be thought a kind of chapel appointed for the solemn rites to be performed by the survivors. The song which bears a great resemblance to the“Song of the House of King Antef,”lately translated by the eminent Mr. Goodwin, affords a striking coincidence with the words which Herodotus (ii. 78) asserts to have been repeated on such occasions, while a wooden image of the deceased, probably the figure called“usheb,”was circulating among the guests.“Look upon this!”they said;“then drink and rejoice, for thou shalt be as this is.”The Song of the Harper[Chanted by the singer to the harp who is in the chapel of the Osirian, the Patriarch of Amen, the blessed Neferhotep.]He says:The great one is truly at rest,the good charge is fulfilled.Men pass away since the time of Rā531and the youths come in their stead.Like as Rā reappears every morning,and Tum532sets in the horizon,men are begetting,and women are conceiving.Every nostril inhaleth once the breezes of dawn,but all born of women go down to their places.[pg 348]Make a good day, O holy father!Let odors and oils stand before thy nostril.Wreaths of lotus are on the arms and the bosom of thy sister,dwelling in thy heart, sitting beside thee.Let song and music be before thy face,and leave behind thee all evil cares!Mind thee of joy, till cometh the day of pilgrimage,when we draw near the land which loveth silence.Not ...533peace of heart ...534his loving son.Make a good day, O blessed Neferhotep,thou patriarch perfect and pure of hands!He finished his existence ... (the common fate of men).Their abodes pass away,and their place is not;they are as they had never been bornsince the time of Rā.(They in the shades) are sitting on the bank of the river,thy soul is among them, drinking its sacred water,following thy heart, at peace ...535Give bread to him whose field is barren,thy name will be glorious in posterity for evermore;they will look upon thee ...536(The priest clad in the skin)537of a panther will pour to the ground,and bread will be given as offerings;the singing-women ...538Their forms are standing before Rā,their persons are protected ...539Rannu540will come at her hour,and Shu will calculate his day,thou shalt awake ...541(woe to the bad one!)He shall sit miserable in the heat of infernal fires.Make a good day, O holy father,Neferhotep, pure of hands!No works of buildings in Egypt could avail,[pg 349]his resting-place is all his wealth ...542Let me return to know what remaineth of him!Not the least moment could be added to his life,(when he went to) the realm of eternity.Those who have magazines full of bread to spend,even they shall encounter the hour of a last end.The moment of that day will diminish the valor of the rich ...543Mind thee of the day, when thou too shalt start for the land,to which one goeth to return not thence.Good for thee then will have been (an honest life,)therefore be just and hate transgressions,for he who loveth justice (will be blessed).The coward and the bold, neither can fly, (the grave)the friendless and proud are alike ...Then let thy bounty give abundantly, as is fit,(love) truth, and Isis shall bless the good,(and thou shalt attain a happy) old age.Hymn To Amen-RaTranslated by C. W. Goodwin, M.A.This hymn is inscribed upon a hieratic papyrus, No. 17, in the collection of papyri at the Museum of Boulaq. A fac-simile of the papyrus has been published by M. Marriette (“Les papyrus Egyptiens du Musée de Boulaq,”fo. Paris 1272, pls. 11-13). It is not a very long composition, being contained in eleven pages of moderate size, and consisting of only twenty verses. It has the advantage of being nearly perfect from beginning to end, written in a legible hand, and free from any great difficulties for the translator.From the handwriting of the papyrus it may be judged to belong to the nineteenth dynasty, or about the fourteenth centuryb.c.It purports to be only a copy, and the composition itself may be very much earlier.In the original the beginning of each verse is indicated by rubricated letters; each verse is also divided into short phrases[pg 350]by small red points; these are indicated in the translation by colons.This translation has just been published with exegetical notes in the“Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology,”vol. ii, p. 250.Hymn to Amen-Ra1 Praise to Amen-Rā:the Bull in An544Chief of all gods:the good god beloved:giving life to all animated things:to all fair cattle:Hail to thee Amen-Rā, Lord of the thrones of the earth:Chief in Aptu:545the Bull of his mother in his field:turning his feet toward the land of the South:Lord of the heathen, Prince of Punt:546the Ancient of heaven, the Oldest of the earth:Lord of all existences, the Support of things, the Support of all things.2 The ONE in his works,singleamong the gods:the beautiful Bull of the cycle of gods:Chief of all the gods:Lord of truth, Father of the gods:Maker of men, Creator of beasts:Lord of existences, Creator of fruitful trees:Maker of herbs, Feeder of cattle:Good Being begotten of Ptah, beautiful youth beloved:to whom the gods give honor:Maker of things below and above, Enlightener of the earth:sailing in heaven in tranquillity:King Rā true speaker, Chief of the earth:Most glorious one, Lord of terror:Chief creator of the whole earth.3 Supporter of affairs above every god:in whose goodness the gods rejoice:to whom adoration is paid in the great house:[pg 351]crowned in the house of flame:whose fragrance the gods love:when he comes from Arabia:Prince of the dew, traversing foreign lands:benignly approaching the Holy Land.5474 The gods attend his feet:while they acknowledge his Majesty as their Lord:Lord of terror most awful:greatest of spirits, mighty in ...:bring offerings, make sacrifices:salutation to thee, Maker of the gods:Supporter of the heavens, Founder of the earth.5 Awake in strength Min548Amen:Lord of eternity, Maker everlasting:Lord of adoration, Chief in ...:strong with beautiful horns:Lord of the crown high plumed:of the fair turban (wearing) the white crown:the coronet549and the diadem550are the ornaments of his face:he is invested withAmi-ha:the double crown is his head-gear, (he wears) the red crown:benignly he receives the Atef-crown:on whose south and on whose north is love:the Lord of life receives the sceptre:Lordof the breastplatearmed with the whip.6 Gracious ruler crowned with the white crown:Lord of beams, Maker of light:to whom the gods give praises:who stretches forth his arms at his pleasure:consuming his enemies with flame:whose eye subdues the wicked:551sending forth its dart to the roof of the firmament:sending itsarrowsagainst Naka to consume him.7 Hail to thee Rā Lord of truth:[pg 352]whose command the gods were made:Athom Maker of men:supporting their works, giving them life:distinguishing the color of one from another:listening to the poor who is in distress:gentle of heart when one cries unto him.8 Deliverer of the timid man from the violent:judging the poor, the poor and the oppressed:Lord of wisdom whose precepts are wise:at whose pleasure the Nile overflows:Lord of mercy most loving:at whose coming men live:opener of every eye:proceeding from the firmament:causer of pleasure and light:at whose goodness the gods rejoice:their hearts revive when they see him.9 O Rā adored in Aptu:552high-crowned in the house of the obelisk:553King (Ani) Lord of the New-moon festival:to whom the sixth and seventh days are sacred:Sovereign of life health and strength, Lord of all the gods:who art visible in the midst of heaven:ruler of men ...:whose name is hidden from his creatures:in his name which is Amen.55410 Hail to thee who art in tranquillity:Lord of magnanimity strong in apparel:Lord of the crown high plumed:of the beautiful turban, of the tall white crown:the gods love thy presence:when the double crown is set upon thy head:thy love pervades the earth:thy beamsarise... men are cheered by thy rising:the beasts shrink from thy beams:thy love is over the southern heaven:[pg 353]thy heart is not (unmindful of) the northern heaven:thy goodness ... (all) hearts:love subdues (all) hands:thy creations are fair overcoming (all) the earth:(all) hearts are softened at beholding thee.11 The ONE maker of existences:(creator) of ... maker of beings:from whose eyes mankind proceeded:of whose mouth are the gods:maker of grass for the cattle (oxen, goats, asses, pigs, sheep):fruitful trees for men:causing the fish to live in the river:the birds to fill the air:giving breath to those in the egg:feeding the bird that flies:giving food to the bird that perches:to the creeping thing and the flying thing equally:providing food for the rats in their holes:feeding the flyingthingsin every tree.12 Hail to thee for all these things:the ONE alone with many hands:lying awake while all men lie (asleep):to seek out the good of his creatures:Amen sustainer of all things:Athom Horus of the horizon:555homage to thee in all their voices:salutation to thee for thy mercy unto us:protestations to thee who hast created us.13 Hail to thee say all creatures:salutation to thee from every land:to the height of heaven, to the breadth of the earth:to the depths of the sea:the gods adore Thy Majesty:the spirits thou hast created exalt (thee):rejoicing before the feet of their begetter:they cry out welcome to thee:father of the fathers of all the gods:who raises the heavens who fixes the earth.[pg 354]14 Maker of beings, Creator of existences:Sovereign of life, health, and strength, Chief of the gods:we worship thy spiritwho alonehast made us:we whom thou hast made (thank thee) that thou hast given us birth:we give to thee praises on account of thy mercy to us.15 Hail to thee Maker of all beings:Lord of truth father of the gods:Maker of men creator of beasts:Lord of grains:making food for the beast of the field:Amen the beautiful Bull:beloved in Aptu:556high crowned in the house of the obelisk:557twice turbaned in An:judge of combatants in the great hall:Chief of the great cycle of the gods:16 The ONE alone without peer:Chief in Aptu:King over his cycle of gods:living in truth forever:(Lord) of the horizon, Horus of the East:he who hath created the soil (with) silver and gold:the precious lapis lazuli at his pleasure:spices and incense various for the peoples:fresh odors for thy nostrils:benignly come to the nations:Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the earth:Chief in Aptu:the Sovereignon his throne.17 King alone,singleamong the gods:of many names, unknown is their number:rising in the eastern horizon setting in the western horizon:overthrowing his enemies:dawning on (his) children daily and every day:Thoth raises his eyes:he delights himself with his blessings:the gods rejoice in his goodness who exalts thosewho are lowly:[pg 355]Lord of the boat and the barge:they conduct thee through the firmament in peace.18 Thy servants rejoice:beholding the overthrow of the wicked:his limbs pierced with theswordfire consumes him:his soul and body are annihilated.19 Naka558saveshis feet:the gods rejoice:the servants of the Sun are in peace:An is joyful:the enemies of Athom are overthrown and Aptu is in peace, An is joyful:the giver of life is pleased:at the overthrow of the enemies of her Lord:the gods of Kher-sa make salutations:they of the Adytum prostrate themselves.20 They behold the mighty one in his strength:the image of the gods of truth the Lord of Aptu;in thy name of Doer of justice:Lord of sacrifices, the Bull of offerings:in thy name of Amen the Bull of his mother:maker of men:causing all things which are to exist:in thy name of Athom Chepra:559the great Hawk making (each) body to rejoice:benignly making (each) breast to rejoice:type of creators high crowned:... (Lord) of the wing:Uati560is on his forehead:the hearts of men seek him:when he appears to mortals:he rejoices the earth with his goings forth:Hail to thee Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the world:beloved of his city when he shines forth.561Finished well as it was found.562[pg 356]
Hymns To AmenTranslated by C. W. Goodwin, M.A.These beautiful poems are contained in the“Anastasi Papyri”in the collection at the British Museum. They have been mostly translated in French by M. F. Chabas, from whose interpretation I have occasionally found reason to differ.The papyrus itself is considerably mutilated, and bears no date, but from the character of the script there can be little doubt that it is of the period of the nineteenth dynasty.These hymns have been published by myself with exegetical notes in the“Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology,”vol. II, part 2, 1873, p. 353; and, as before mentioned, in French by M. Chabas in the“Mélanges Egyptologiques,”1870, p. 117.[pg 344]Hymn to Amen5171“O Amen, lend thine ear to him2 who is alone before the tribunal,3 he is poor (he is not) rich.4 The court oppresses him;5 silver and gold for the clerks of the book,6 garments for the servants. There is no other Amen, acting as a judge,7 to deliver (one) from his misery;8 when the poor man is before the tribunal,9(making) the poor to go forth rich.”Hymn to Amen5181“I cry, the beginning of wisdom is the way of Amen,5192 the rudder of (truth).3 Thou art he that giveth bread to him who has none,4 that sustaineth the servant of his house.5 Let no prince be my defender in all my troubles.6 Let not my memorial be placed under the power7 of any man who is in the house ... My Lord is (my) defender;8 I know his power, to wit, (he is) a strong defender,9 there is none mighty except him alone.10 Strong is Amen, knowing how to answer,11 fulfilling the desire of him who cries to him;12 the Sun the true King of gods,13the Strong Bull, the mighty lover (of power).”Hymn to Amen5201“Come to me, O thou Sun;2 Horus of the horizon give me (help);3 Thou art he that giveth (help);4 there is no help without thee,5 excepting thou (givest it).6 Come to me Tum,521hear me thou great god.[pg 345]7 My heart goeth forth toward An5228 Let my desires be fulfilled,9 let my heart be joyful, my inmost heart in gladness.10 Hear my vows, my humble supplications every day,11 my adorations by night;12 my (cries of) terror ... prevailing in my mouth,13 which come from my (mouth) one by one.14 O Horus of the horizon there is no other beside like him,15 protector of millions, deliverer of hundreds of thousands,16 the defender of him that calls to him, the Lord of An.52317 Reproach me not524with my many sins.18 I am a youth, weak of body.52519 I am a man without heart.20 Anxiety comes upon me526as an ox upon grass.21 If I pass the night in ...527and I find refreshment,22anxiety returns to me in the time of lying down.”
These beautiful poems are contained in the“Anastasi Papyri”in the collection at the British Museum. They have been mostly translated in French by M. F. Chabas, from whose interpretation I have occasionally found reason to differ.
The papyrus itself is considerably mutilated, and bears no date, but from the character of the script there can be little doubt that it is of the period of the nineteenth dynasty.
These hymns have been published by myself with exegetical notes in the“Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology,”vol. II, part 2, 1873, p. 353; and, as before mentioned, in French by M. Chabas in the“Mélanges Egyptologiques,”1870, p. 117.
Hymn to Amen5171“O Amen, lend thine ear to him2 who is alone before the tribunal,3 he is poor (he is not) rich.4 The court oppresses him;5 silver and gold for the clerks of the book,6 garments for the servants. There is no other Amen, acting as a judge,7 to deliver (one) from his misery;8 when the poor man is before the tribunal,9(making) the poor to go forth rich.”Hymn to Amen5181“I cry, the beginning of wisdom is the way of Amen,5192 the rudder of (truth).3 Thou art he that giveth bread to him who has none,4 that sustaineth the servant of his house.5 Let no prince be my defender in all my troubles.6 Let not my memorial be placed under the power7 of any man who is in the house ... My Lord is (my) defender;8 I know his power, to wit, (he is) a strong defender,9 there is none mighty except him alone.10 Strong is Amen, knowing how to answer,11 fulfilling the desire of him who cries to him;12 the Sun the true King of gods,13the Strong Bull, the mighty lover (of power).”Hymn to Amen5201“Come to me, O thou Sun;2 Horus of the horizon give me (help);3 Thou art he that giveth (help);4 there is no help without thee,5 excepting thou (givest it).6 Come to me Tum,521hear me thou great god.[pg 345]7 My heart goeth forth toward An5228 Let my desires be fulfilled,9 let my heart be joyful, my inmost heart in gladness.10 Hear my vows, my humble supplications every day,11 my adorations by night;12 my (cries of) terror ... prevailing in my mouth,13 which come from my (mouth) one by one.14 O Horus of the horizon there is no other beside like him,15 protector of millions, deliverer of hundreds of thousands,16 the defender of him that calls to him, the Lord of An.52317 Reproach me not524with my many sins.18 I am a youth, weak of body.52519 I am a man without heart.20 Anxiety comes upon me526as an ox upon grass.21 If I pass the night in ...527and I find refreshment,22anxiety returns to me in the time of lying down.”
Hymn to Amen517
1“O Amen, lend thine ear to him2 who is alone before the tribunal,3 he is poor (he is not) rich.4 The court oppresses him;5 silver and gold for the clerks of the book,6 garments for the servants. There is no other Amen, acting as a judge,7 to deliver (one) from his misery;8 when the poor man is before the tribunal,9(making) the poor to go forth rich.”
1“O Amen, lend thine ear to him
2 who is alone before the tribunal,
3 he is poor (he is not) rich.
4 The court oppresses him;
5 silver and gold for the clerks of the book,
6 garments for the servants. There is no other Amen, acting as a judge,
7 to deliver (one) from his misery;
8 when the poor man is before the tribunal,
9(making) the poor to go forth rich.”
Hymn to Amen518
1“I cry, the beginning of wisdom is the way of Amen,5192 the rudder of (truth).3 Thou art he that giveth bread to him who has none,4 that sustaineth the servant of his house.5 Let no prince be my defender in all my troubles.6 Let not my memorial be placed under the power7 of any man who is in the house ... My Lord is (my) defender;8 I know his power, to wit, (he is) a strong defender,9 there is none mighty except him alone.10 Strong is Amen, knowing how to answer,11 fulfilling the desire of him who cries to him;12 the Sun the true King of gods,13the Strong Bull, the mighty lover (of power).”
1“I cry, the beginning of wisdom is the way of Amen,519
2 the rudder of (truth).
3 Thou art he that giveth bread to him who has none,
4 that sustaineth the servant of his house.
5 Let no prince be my defender in all my troubles.
6 Let not my memorial be placed under the power
7 of any man who is in the house ... My Lord is (my) defender;
8 I know his power, to wit, (he is) a strong defender,
9 there is none mighty except him alone.
10 Strong is Amen, knowing how to answer,
11 fulfilling the desire of him who cries to him;
12 the Sun the true King of gods,
13the Strong Bull, the mighty lover (of power).”
Hymn to Amen520
1“Come to me, O thou Sun;2 Horus of the horizon give me (help);3 Thou art he that giveth (help);4 there is no help without thee,5 excepting thou (givest it).6 Come to me Tum,521hear me thou great god.[pg 345]7 My heart goeth forth toward An5228 Let my desires be fulfilled,9 let my heart be joyful, my inmost heart in gladness.10 Hear my vows, my humble supplications every day,11 my adorations by night;12 my (cries of) terror ... prevailing in my mouth,13 which come from my (mouth) one by one.14 O Horus of the horizon there is no other beside like him,15 protector of millions, deliverer of hundreds of thousands,16 the defender of him that calls to him, the Lord of An.52317 Reproach me not524with my many sins.18 I am a youth, weak of body.52519 I am a man without heart.20 Anxiety comes upon me526as an ox upon grass.21 If I pass the night in ...527and I find refreshment,22anxiety returns to me in the time of lying down.”
1“Come to me, O thou Sun;
2 Horus of the horizon give me (help);
3 Thou art he that giveth (help);
4 there is no help without thee,
5 excepting thou (givest it).
6 Come to me Tum,521hear me thou great god.
7 My heart goeth forth toward An522
8 Let my desires be fulfilled,
9 let my heart be joyful, my inmost heart in gladness.
10 Hear my vows, my humble supplications every day,
11 my adorations by night;
12 my (cries of) terror ... prevailing in my mouth,
13 which come from my (mouth) one by one.
14 O Horus of the horizon there is no other beside like him,
15 protector of millions, deliverer of hundreds of thousands,
16 the defender of him that calls to him, the Lord of An.523
17 Reproach me not524with my many sins.
18 I am a youth, weak of body.525
19 I am a man without heart.
20 Anxiety comes upon me526as an ox upon grass.
21 If I pass the night in ...527and I find refreshment,
22anxiety returns to me in the time of lying down.”
Hymn To Pharaoh[The previous hymns are addressed to the Supreme Being, under the names of Amen, Horus, and Tum, all identical with the Sun. But for the old Egyptians the ruling Pharaoh of the day was the living image and vicegerent of the Sun, and they saw no profanity in addressing the King in terms precisely similar to those with which they worshipped their god. The following address or petition, which also is found in the“Anastasi Papyri,”is a remarkable instance of this:]Hymn to Pharaoh5281“Long live the King!5292 This comes to inform the King3 to the royal hall of the lover of truth,4 the great heaven wherein the Sun is.5 (Give) thy attention to me, thou Sun that risest6 to enlighten the earth with this (his) goodness.7 The solar orb of men chasing the darkness from Egypt.8 Thou art as it were the image of thy father the Sun,[pg 346]9 who rises in heaven. Thy beams penetrate the cavern.10 No place is without thy goodness.11 Thy sayings are the law of every land.12 When thou reposest in thy palace,13 thou hearest the words of all the lands.14 Thou hast millions of ears.15 Bright is thy eye above the stars of heaven,16 able to gaze at the solar orb.17 If anything be spoken by the mouth in the cavern,18 it ascends into thy ears.19 Whatsoever is done in secret, thy eye seeth it,20O Baenra Meriamen,530merciful Lord, creator of breath.”[This is not the language of a courtier. It seems to be a genuine expression of the belief that the King was the living representative of Deity, and from this point of view is much more interesting and remarkable than if treated as a mere outpouring of empty flattery.]
[The previous hymns are addressed to the Supreme Being, under the names of Amen, Horus, and Tum, all identical with the Sun. But for the old Egyptians the ruling Pharaoh of the day was the living image and vicegerent of the Sun, and they saw no profanity in addressing the King in terms precisely similar to those with which they worshipped their god. The following address or petition, which also is found in the“Anastasi Papyri,”is a remarkable instance of this:]
Hymn to Pharaoh5281“Long live the King!5292 This comes to inform the King3 to the royal hall of the lover of truth,4 the great heaven wherein the Sun is.5 (Give) thy attention to me, thou Sun that risest6 to enlighten the earth with this (his) goodness.7 The solar orb of men chasing the darkness from Egypt.8 Thou art as it were the image of thy father the Sun,[pg 346]9 who rises in heaven. Thy beams penetrate the cavern.10 No place is without thy goodness.11 Thy sayings are the law of every land.12 When thou reposest in thy palace,13 thou hearest the words of all the lands.14 Thou hast millions of ears.15 Bright is thy eye above the stars of heaven,16 able to gaze at the solar orb.17 If anything be spoken by the mouth in the cavern,18 it ascends into thy ears.19 Whatsoever is done in secret, thy eye seeth it,20O Baenra Meriamen,530merciful Lord, creator of breath.”
Hymn to Pharaoh528
1“Long live the King!5292 This comes to inform the King3 to the royal hall of the lover of truth,4 the great heaven wherein the Sun is.5 (Give) thy attention to me, thou Sun that risest6 to enlighten the earth with this (his) goodness.7 The solar orb of men chasing the darkness from Egypt.8 Thou art as it were the image of thy father the Sun,[pg 346]9 who rises in heaven. Thy beams penetrate the cavern.10 No place is without thy goodness.11 Thy sayings are the law of every land.12 When thou reposest in thy palace,13 thou hearest the words of all the lands.14 Thou hast millions of ears.15 Bright is thy eye above the stars of heaven,16 able to gaze at the solar orb.17 If anything be spoken by the mouth in the cavern,18 it ascends into thy ears.19 Whatsoever is done in secret, thy eye seeth it,20O Baenra Meriamen,530merciful Lord, creator of breath.”
1“Long live the King!529
2 This comes to inform the King
3 to the royal hall of the lover of truth,
4 the great heaven wherein the Sun is.
5 (Give) thy attention to me, thou Sun that risest
6 to enlighten the earth with this (his) goodness.
7 The solar orb of men chasing the darkness from Egypt.
8 Thou art as it were the image of thy father the Sun,
9 who rises in heaven. Thy beams penetrate the cavern.
10 No place is without thy goodness.
11 Thy sayings are the law of every land.
12 When thou reposest in thy palace,
13 thou hearest the words of all the lands.
14 Thou hast millions of ears.
15 Bright is thy eye above the stars of heaven,
16 able to gaze at the solar orb.
17 If anything be spoken by the mouth in the cavern,
18 it ascends into thy ears.
19 Whatsoever is done in secret, thy eye seeth it,
20O Baenra Meriamen,530merciful Lord, creator of breath.”
[This is not the language of a courtier. It seems to be a genuine expression of the belief that the King was the living representative of Deity, and from this point of view is much more interesting and remarkable than if treated as a mere outpouring of empty flattery.]
The Song Of The HarperTranslated by Ludwig SternThe text of the following song, found in the tomb of Neferhetep at Abd-el-Gurnah, is a good specimen of Egyptian poetry of the eighteenth dynasty. It was first copied by Mr. Dümichen (“Historische Inschriften,”ii. 40), and subsequently by myself. In addition to a translation in the“Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache,”1873, p. 58, I gave some critical observations in the same journal of 1875. Professor Lauth of Munich translated it in an appendix to his essay on the music of the ancient Egyptians.The song is very remarkable for the form of old Egyptian poetry, which like that of the Hebrews delights in a sublimer language, in parallelisms and antitheses, and in the ornament of a burden; no doubt it was sung, and it seems to be even rhythmic, forming verses of equal length—“Ured urui pu mā,Pa shau nefer kheperKhetu her sebt ter rek RāJamāu her at r ast-sen.”[pg 347]Though part of the text is unhappily much mutilated, we yet may gather the general ideas of the poem from thedisjecta membrawhich remain.It is a funeral song, supposed to be sung by the harper at a feast or anniversary in remembrance of the deceased patriarch Neferhetep, who is represented sitting with his sister and wife Rennu-m-ast-neh, his son Ptahmes and his daughter Ta-Khat standing by their side, while the harper before them is chanting. The poet addresses his speech as well to the dead as to the living, assuming in his fiction the former to be yet alive. The room of the tomb, on the walls of which such texts were inscribed, may be thought a kind of chapel appointed for the solemn rites to be performed by the survivors. The song which bears a great resemblance to the“Song of the House of King Antef,”lately translated by the eminent Mr. Goodwin, affords a striking coincidence with the words which Herodotus (ii. 78) asserts to have been repeated on such occasions, while a wooden image of the deceased, probably the figure called“usheb,”was circulating among the guests.“Look upon this!”they said;“then drink and rejoice, for thou shalt be as this is.”The Song of the Harper[Chanted by the singer to the harp who is in the chapel of the Osirian, the Patriarch of Amen, the blessed Neferhotep.]He says:The great one is truly at rest,the good charge is fulfilled.Men pass away since the time of Rā531and the youths come in their stead.Like as Rā reappears every morning,and Tum532sets in the horizon,men are begetting,and women are conceiving.Every nostril inhaleth once the breezes of dawn,but all born of women go down to their places.[pg 348]Make a good day, O holy father!Let odors and oils stand before thy nostril.Wreaths of lotus are on the arms and the bosom of thy sister,dwelling in thy heart, sitting beside thee.Let song and music be before thy face,and leave behind thee all evil cares!Mind thee of joy, till cometh the day of pilgrimage,when we draw near the land which loveth silence.Not ...533peace of heart ...534his loving son.Make a good day, O blessed Neferhotep,thou patriarch perfect and pure of hands!He finished his existence ... (the common fate of men).Their abodes pass away,and their place is not;they are as they had never been bornsince the time of Rā.(They in the shades) are sitting on the bank of the river,thy soul is among them, drinking its sacred water,following thy heart, at peace ...535Give bread to him whose field is barren,thy name will be glorious in posterity for evermore;they will look upon thee ...536(The priest clad in the skin)537of a panther will pour to the ground,and bread will be given as offerings;the singing-women ...538Their forms are standing before Rā,their persons are protected ...539Rannu540will come at her hour,and Shu will calculate his day,thou shalt awake ...541(woe to the bad one!)He shall sit miserable in the heat of infernal fires.Make a good day, O holy father,Neferhotep, pure of hands!No works of buildings in Egypt could avail,[pg 349]his resting-place is all his wealth ...542Let me return to know what remaineth of him!Not the least moment could be added to his life,(when he went to) the realm of eternity.Those who have magazines full of bread to spend,even they shall encounter the hour of a last end.The moment of that day will diminish the valor of the rich ...543Mind thee of the day, when thou too shalt start for the land,to which one goeth to return not thence.Good for thee then will have been (an honest life,)therefore be just and hate transgressions,for he who loveth justice (will be blessed).The coward and the bold, neither can fly, (the grave)the friendless and proud are alike ...Then let thy bounty give abundantly, as is fit,(love) truth, and Isis shall bless the good,(and thou shalt attain a happy) old age.
The text of the following song, found in the tomb of Neferhetep at Abd-el-Gurnah, is a good specimen of Egyptian poetry of the eighteenth dynasty. It was first copied by Mr. Dümichen (“Historische Inschriften,”ii. 40), and subsequently by myself. In addition to a translation in the“Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache,”1873, p. 58, I gave some critical observations in the same journal of 1875. Professor Lauth of Munich translated it in an appendix to his essay on the music of the ancient Egyptians.
The song is very remarkable for the form of old Egyptian poetry, which like that of the Hebrews delights in a sublimer language, in parallelisms and antitheses, and in the ornament of a burden; no doubt it was sung, and it seems to be even rhythmic, forming verses of equal length—
“Ured urui pu mā,Pa shau nefer kheperKhetu her sebt ter rek RāJamāu her at r ast-sen.”
“Ured urui pu mā,Pa shau nefer kheperKhetu her sebt ter rek RāJamāu her at r ast-sen.”
“Ured urui pu mā,
Pa shau nefer kheper
Khetu her sebt ter rek Rā
Jamāu her at r ast-sen.”
Though part of the text is unhappily much mutilated, we yet may gather the general ideas of the poem from thedisjecta membrawhich remain.
It is a funeral song, supposed to be sung by the harper at a feast or anniversary in remembrance of the deceased patriarch Neferhetep, who is represented sitting with his sister and wife Rennu-m-ast-neh, his son Ptahmes and his daughter Ta-Khat standing by their side, while the harper before them is chanting. The poet addresses his speech as well to the dead as to the living, assuming in his fiction the former to be yet alive. The room of the tomb, on the walls of which such texts were inscribed, may be thought a kind of chapel appointed for the solemn rites to be performed by the survivors. The song which bears a great resemblance to the“Song of the House of King Antef,”lately translated by the eminent Mr. Goodwin, affords a striking coincidence with the words which Herodotus (ii. 78) asserts to have been repeated on such occasions, while a wooden image of the deceased, probably the figure called“usheb,”was circulating among the guests.“Look upon this!”they said;“then drink and rejoice, for thou shalt be as this is.”
The Song of the Harper[Chanted by the singer to the harp who is in the chapel of the Osirian, the Patriarch of Amen, the blessed Neferhotep.]He says:The great one is truly at rest,the good charge is fulfilled.Men pass away since the time of Rā531and the youths come in their stead.Like as Rā reappears every morning,and Tum532sets in the horizon,men are begetting,and women are conceiving.Every nostril inhaleth once the breezes of dawn,but all born of women go down to their places.[pg 348]Make a good day, O holy father!Let odors and oils stand before thy nostril.Wreaths of lotus are on the arms and the bosom of thy sister,dwelling in thy heart, sitting beside thee.Let song and music be before thy face,and leave behind thee all evil cares!Mind thee of joy, till cometh the day of pilgrimage,when we draw near the land which loveth silence.Not ...533peace of heart ...534his loving son.Make a good day, O blessed Neferhotep,thou patriarch perfect and pure of hands!He finished his existence ... (the common fate of men).Their abodes pass away,and their place is not;they are as they had never been bornsince the time of Rā.(They in the shades) are sitting on the bank of the river,thy soul is among them, drinking its sacred water,following thy heart, at peace ...535Give bread to him whose field is barren,thy name will be glorious in posterity for evermore;they will look upon thee ...536(The priest clad in the skin)537of a panther will pour to the ground,and bread will be given as offerings;the singing-women ...538Their forms are standing before Rā,their persons are protected ...539Rannu540will come at her hour,and Shu will calculate his day,thou shalt awake ...541(woe to the bad one!)He shall sit miserable in the heat of infernal fires.Make a good day, O holy father,Neferhotep, pure of hands!No works of buildings in Egypt could avail,[pg 349]his resting-place is all his wealth ...542Let me return to know what remaineth of him!Not the least moment could be added to his life,(when he went to) the realm of eternity.Those who have magazines full of bread to spend,even they shall encounter the hour of a last end.The moment of that day will diminish the valor of the rich ...543Mind thee of the day, when thou too shalt start for the land,to which one goeth to return not thence.Good for thee then will have been (an honest life,)therefore be just and hate transgressions,for he who loveth justice (will be blessed).The coward and the bold, neither can fly, (the grave)the friendless and proud are alike ...Then let thy bounty give abundantly, as is fit,(love) truth, and Isis shall bless the good,(and thou shalt attain a happy) old age.
The Song of the Harper
[Chanted by the singer to the harp who is in the chapel of the Osirian, the Patriarch of Amen, the blessed Neferhotep.]
He says:
The great one is truly at rest,the good charge is fulfilled.Men pass away since the time of Rā531and the youths come in their stead.Like as Rā reappears every morning,and Tum532sets in the horizon,men are begetting,and women are conceiving.Every nostril inhaleth once the breezes of dawn,but all born of women go down to their places.
The great one is truly at rest,
the good charge is fulfilled.
Men pass away since the time of Rā531
and the youths come in their stead.
Like as Rā reappears every morning,
and Tum532sets in the horizon,
men are begetting,
and women are conceiving.
Every nostril inhaleth once the breezes of dawn,
but all born of women go down to their places.
Make a good day, O holy father!Let odors and oils stand before thy nostril.Wreaths of lotus are on the arms and the bosom of thy sister,dwelling in thy heart, sitting beside thee.Let song and music be before thy face,and leave behind thee all evil cares!Mind thee of joy, till cometh the day of pilgrimage,when we draw near the land which loveth silence.Not ...533peace of heart ...534his loving son.
Make a good day, O holy father!
Let odors and oils stand before thy nostril.
Wreaths of lotus are on the arms and the bosom of thy sister,
dwelling in thy heart, sitting beside thee.
Let song and music be before thy face,
and leave behind thee all evil cares!
Mind thee of joy, till cometh the day of pilgrimage,
when we draw near the land which loveth silence.
Not ...533peace of heart ...534his loving son.
Make a good day, O blessed Neferhotep,thou patriarch perfect and pure of hands!He finished his existence ... (the common fate of men).Their abodes pass away,and their place is not;they are as they had never been bornsince the time of Rā.(They in the shades) are sitting on the bank of the river,thy soul is among them, drinking its sacred water,following thy heart, at peace ...535Give bread to him whose field is barren,thy name will be glorious in posterity for evermore;they will look upon thee ...536(The priest clad in the skin)537of a panther will pour to the ground,and bread will be given as offerings;the singing-women ...538Their forms are standing before Rā,their persons are protected ...539Rannu540will come at her hour,and Shu will calculate his day,thou shalt awake ...541(woe to the bad one!)He shall sit miserable in the heat of infernal fires.
Make a good day, O blessed Neferhotep,
thou patriarch perfect and pure of hands!
He finished his existence ... (the common fate of men).
Their abodes pass away,
and their place is not;
they are as they had never been born
since the time of Rā.
(They in the shades) are sitting on the bank of the river,
thy soul is among them, drinking its sacred water,
following thy heart, at peace ...535
Give bread to him whose field is barren,
thy name will be glorious in posterity for evermore;
they will look upon thee ...536
(The priest clad in the skin)537of a panther will pour to the ground,
and bread will be given as offerings;
the singing-women ...538
Their forms are standing before Rā,
their persons are protected ...539
Rannu540will come at her hour,
and Shu will calculate his day,
thou shalt awake ...541(woe to the bad one!)
He shall sit miserable in the heat of infernal fires.
Make a good day, O holy father,Neferhotep, pure of hands!No works of buildings in Egypt could avail,[pg 349]his resting-place is all his wealth ...542Let me return to know what remaineth of him!Not the least moment could be added to his life,(when he went to) the realm of eternity.Those who have magazines full of bread to spend,even they shall encounter the hour of a last end.The moment of that day will diminish the valor of the rich ...543
Make a good day, O holy father,
Neferhotep, pure of hands!
No works of buildings in Egypt could avail,
his resting-place is all his wealth ...542
Let me return to know what remaineth of him!
Not the least moment could be added to his life,
(when he went to) the realm of eternity.
Those who have magazines full of bread to spend,
even they shall encounter the hour of a last end.
The moment of that day will diminish the valor of the rich ...543
Mind thee of the day, when thou too shalt start for the land,to which one goeth to return not thence.Good for thee then will have been (an honest life,)therefore be just and hate transgressions,for he who loveth justice (will be blessed).The coward and the bold, neither can fly, (the grave)the friendless and proud are alike ...Then let thy bounty give abundantly, as is fit,(love) truth, and Isis shall bless the good,(and thou shalt attain a happy) old age.
Mind thee of the day, when thou too shalt start for the land,
to which one goeth to return not thence.
Good for thee then will have been (an honest life,)
therefore be just and hate transgressions,
for he who loveth justice (will be blessed).
The coward and the bold, neither can fly, (the grave)
the friendless and proud are alike ...
Then let thy bounty give abundantly, as is fit,
(love) truth, and Isis shall bless the good,
(and thou shalt attain a happy) old age.
Hymn To Amen-RaTranslated by C. W. Goodwin, M.A.This hymn is inscribed upon a hieratic papyrus, No. 17, in the collection of papyri at the Museum of Boulaq. A fac-simile of the papyrus has been published by M. Marriette (“Les papyrus Egyptiens du Musée de Boulaq,”fo. Paris 1272, pls. 11-13). It is not a very long composition, being contained in eleven pages of moderate size, and consisting of only twenty verses. It has the advantage of being nearly perfect from beginning to end, written in a legible hand, and free from any great difficulties for the translator.From the handwriting of the papyrus it may be judged to belong to the nineteenth dynasty, or about the fourteenth centuryb.c.It purports to be only a copy, and the composition itself may be very much earlier.In the original the beginning of each verse is indicated by rubricated letters; each verse is also divided into short phrases[pg 350]by small red points; these are indicated in the translation by colons.This translation has just been published with exegetical notes in the“Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology,”vol. ii, p. 250.Hymn to Amen-Ra1 Praise to Amen-Rā:the Bull in An544Chief of all gods:the good god beloved:giving life to all animated things:to all fair cattle:Hail to thee Amen-Rā, Lord of the thrones of the earth:Chief in Aptu:545the Bull of his mother in his field:turning his feet toward the land of the South:Lord of the heathen, Prince of Punt:546the Ancient of heaven, the Oldest of the earth:Lord of all existences, the Support of things, the Support of all things.2 The ONE in his works,singleamong the gods:the beautiful Bull of the cycle of gods:Chief of all the gods:Lord of truth, Father of the gods:Maker of men, Creator of beasts:Lord of existences, Creator of fruitful trees:Maker of herbs, Feeder of cattle:Good Being begotten of Ptah, beautiful youth beloved:to whom the gods give honor:Maker of things below and above, Enlightener of the earth:sailing in heaven in tranquillity:King Rā true speaker, Chief of the earth:Most glorious one, Lord of terror:Chief creator of the whole earth.3 Supporter of affairs above every god:in whose goodness the gods rejoice:to whom adoration is paid in the great house:[pg 351]crowned in the house of flame:whose fragrance the gods love:when he comes from Arabia:Prince of the dew, traversing foreign lands:benignly approaching the Holy Land.5474 The gods attend his feet:while they acknowledge his Majesty as their Lord:Lord of terror most awful:greatest of spirits, mighty in ...:bring offerings, make sacrifices:salutation to thee, Maker of the gods:Supporter of the heavens, Founder of the earth.5 Awake in strength Min548Amen:Lord of eternity, Maker everlasting:Lord of adoration, Chief in ...:strong with beautiful horns:Lord of the crown high plumed:of the fair turban (wearing) the white crown:the coronet549and the diadem550are the ornaments of his face:he is invested withAmi-ha:the double crown is his head-gear, (he wears) the red crown:benignly he receives the Atef-crown:on whose south and on whose north is love:the Lord of life receives the sceptre:Lordof the breastplatearmed with the whip.6 Gracious ruler crowned with the white crown:Lord of beams, Maker of light:to whom the gods give praises:who stretches forth his arms at his pleasure:consuming his enemies with flame:whose eye subdues the wicked:551sending forth its dart to the roof of the firmament:sending itsarrowsagainst Naka to consume him.7 Hail to thee Rā Lord of truth:[pg 352]whose command the gods were made:Athom Maker of men:supporting their works, giving them life:distinguishing the color of one from another:listening to the poor who is in distress:gentle of heart when one cries unto him.8 Deliverer of the timid man from the violent:judging the poor, the poor and the oppressed:Lord of wisdom whose precepts are wise:at whose pleasure the Nile overflows:Lord of mercy most loving:at whose coming men live:opener of every eye:proceeding from the firmament:causer of pleasure and light:at whose goodness the gods rejoice:their hearts revive when they see him.9 O Rā adored in Aptu:552high-crowned in the house of the obelisk:553King (Ani) Lord of the New-moon festival:to whom the sixth and seventh days are sacred:Sovereign of life health and strength, Lord of all the gods:who art visible in the midst of heaven:ruler of men ...:whose name is hidden from his creatures:in his name which is Amen.55410 Hail to thee who art in tranquillity:Lord of magnanimity strong in apparel:Lord of the crown high plumed:of the beautiful turban, of the tall white crown:the gods love thy presence:when the double crown is set upon thy head:thy love pervades the earth:thy beamsarise... men are cheered by thy rising:the beasts shrink from thy beams:thy love is over the southern heaven:[pg 353]thy heart is not (unmindful of) the northern heaven:thy goodness ... (all) hearts:love subdues (all) hands:thy creations are fair overcoming (all) the earth:(all) hearts are softened at beholding thee.11 The ONE maker of existences:(creator) of ... maker of beings:from whose eyes mankind proceeded:of whose mouth are the gods:maker of grass for the cattle (oxen, goats, asses, pigs, sheep):fruitful trees for men:causing the fish to live in the river:the birds to fill the air:giving breath to those in the egg:feeding the bird that flies:giving food to the bird that perches:to the creeping thing and the flying thing equally:providing food for the rats in their holes:feeding the flyingthingsin every tree.12 Hail to thee for all these things:the ONE alone with many hands:lying awake while all men lie (asleep):to seek out the good of his creatures:Amen sustainer of all things:Athom Horus of the horizon:555homage to thee in all their voices:salutation to thee for thy mercy unto us:protestations to thee who hast created us.13 Hail to thee say all creatures:salutation to thee from every land:to the height of heaven, to the breadth of the earth:to the depths of the sea:the gods adore Thy Majesty:the spirits thou hast created exalt (thee):rejoicing before the feet of their begetter:they cry out welcome to thee:father of the fathers of all the gods:who raises the heavens who fixes the earth.[pg 354]14 Maker of beings, Creator of existences:Sovereign of life, health, and strength, Chief of the gods:we worship thy spiritwho alonehast made us:we whom thou hast made (thank thee) that thou hast given us birth:we give to thee praises on account of thy mercy to us.15 Hail to thee Maker of all beings:Lord of truth father of the gods:Maker of men creator of beasts:Lord of grains:making food for the beast of the field:Amen the beautiful Bull:beloved in Aptu:556high crowned in the house of the obelisk:557twice turbaned in An:judge of combatants in the great hall:Chief of the great cycle of the gods:16 The ONE alone without peer:Chief in Aptu:King over his cycle of gods:living in truth forever:(Lord) of the horizon, Horus of the East:he who hath created the soil (with) silver and gold:the precious lapis lazuli at his pleasure:spices and incense various for the peoples:fresh odors for thy nostrils:benignly come to the nations:Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the earth:Chief in Aptu:the Sovereignon his throne.17 King alone,singleamong the gods:of many names, unknown is their number:rising in the eastern horizon setting in the western horizon:overthrowing his enemies:dawning on (his) children daily and every day:Thoth raises his eyes:he delights himself with his blessings:the gods rejoice in his goodness who exalts thosewho are lowly:[pg 355]Lord of the boat and the barge:they conduct thee through the firmament in peace.18 Thy servants rejoice:beholding the overthrow of the wicked:his limbs pierced with theswordfire consumes him:his soul and body are annihilated.19 Naka558saveshis feet:the gods rejoice:the servants of the Sun are in peace:An is joyful:the enemies of Athom are overthrown and Aptu is in peace, An is joyful:the giver of life is pleased:at the overthrow of the enemies of her Lord:the gods of Kher-sa make salutations:they of the Adytum prostrate themselves.20 They behold the mighty one in his strength:the image of the gods of truth the Lord of Aptu;in thy name of Doer of justice:Lord of sacrifices, the Bull of offerings:in thy name of Amen the Bull of his mother:maker of men:causing all things which are to exist:in thy name of Athom Chepra:559the great Hawk making (each) body to rejoice:benignly making (each) breast to rejoice:type of creators high crowned:... (Lord) of the wing:Uati560is on his forehead:the hearts of men seek him:when he appears to mortals:he rejoices the earth with his goings forth:Hail to thee Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the world:beloved of his city when he shines forth.561Finished well as it was found.562
This hymn is inscribed upon a hieratic papyrus, No. 17, in the collection of papyri at the Museum of Boulaq. A fac-simile of the papyrus has been published by M. Marriette (“Les papyrus Egyptiens du Musée de Boulaq,”fo. Paris 1272, pls. 11-13). It is not a very long composition, being contained in eleven pages of moderate size, and consisting of only twenty verses. It has the advantage of being nearly perfect from beginning to end, written in a legible hand, and free from any great difficulties for the translator.
From the handwriting of the papyrus it may be judged to belong to the nineteenth dynasty, or about the fourteenth centuryb.c.It purports to be only a copy, and the composition itself may be very much earlier.
In the original the beginning of each verse is indicated by rubricated letters; each verse is also divided into short phrases[pg 350]by small red points; these are indicated in the translation by colons.
This translation has just been published with exegetical notes in the“Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archæology,”vol. ii, p. 250.
Hymn to Amen-Ra1 Praise to Amen-Rā:the Bull in An544Chief of all gods:the good god beloved:giving life to all animated things:to all fair cattle:Hail to thee Amen-Rā, Lord of the thrones of the earth:Chief in Aptu:545the Bull of his mother in his field:turning his feet toward the land of the South:Lord of the heathen, Prince of Punt:546the Ancient of heaven, the Oldest of the earth:Lord of all existences, the Support of things, the Support of all things.2 The ONE in his works,singleamong the gods:the beautiful Bull of the cycle of gods:Chief of all the gods:Lord of truth, Father of the gods:Maker of men, Creator of beasts:Lord of existences, Creator of fruitful trees:Maker of herbs, Feeder of cattle:Good Being begotten of Ptah, beautiful youth beloved:to whom the gods give honor:Maker of things below and above, Enlightener of the earth:sailing in heaven in tranquillity:King Rā true speaker, Chief of the earth:Most glorious one, Lord of terror:Chief creator of the whole earth.3 Supporter of affairs above every god:in whose goodness the gods rejoice:to whom adoration is paid in the great house:[pg 351]crowned in the house of flame:whose fragrance the gods love:when he comes from Arabia:Prince of the dew, traversing foreign lands:benignly approaching the Holy Land.5474 The gods attend his feet:while they acknowledge his Majesty as their Lord:Lord of terror most awful:greatest of spirits, mighty in ...:bring offerings, make sacrifices:salutation to thee, Maker of the gods:Supporter of the heavens, Founder of the earth.5 Awake in strength Min548Amen:Lord of eternity, Maker everlasting:Lord of adoration, Chief in ...:strong with beautiful horns:Lord of the crown high plumed:of the fair turban (wearing) the white crown:the coronet549and the diadem550are the ornaments of his face:he is invested withAmi-ha:the double crown is his head-gear, (he wears) the red crown:benignly he receives the Atef-crown:on whose south and on whose north is love:the Lord of life receives the sceptre:Lordof the breastplatearmed with the whip.6 Gracious ruler crowned with the white crown:Lord of beams, Maker of light:to whom the gods give praises:who stretches forth his arms at his pleasure:consuming his enemies with flame:whose eye subdues the wicked:551sending forth its dart to the roof of the firmament:sending itsarrowsagainst Naka to consume him.7 Hail to thee Rā Lord of truth:[pg 352]whose command the gods were made:Athom Maker of men:supporting their works, giving them life:distinguishing the color of one from another:listening to the poor who is in distress:gentle of heart when one cries unto him.8 Deliverer of the timid man from the violent:judging the poor, the poor and the oppressed:Lord of wisdom whose precepts are wise:at whose pleasure the Nile overflows:Lord of mercy most loving:at whose coming men live:opener of every eye:proceeding from the firmament:causer of pleasure and light:at whose goodness the gods rejoice:their hearts revive when they see him.9 O Rā adored in Aptu:552high-crowned in the house of the obelisk:553King (Ani) Lord of the New-moon festival:to whom the sixth and seventh days are sacred:Sovereign of life health and strength, Lord of all the gods:who art visible in the midst of heaven:ruler of men ...:whose name is hidden from his creatures:in his name which is Amen.55410 Hail to thee who art in tranquillity:Lord of magnanimity strong in apparel:Lord of the crown high plumed:of the beautiful turban, of the tall white crown:the gods love thy presence:when the double crown is set upon thy head:thy love pervades the earth:thy beamsarise... men are cheered by thy rising:the beasts shrink from thy beams:thy love is over the southern heaven:[pg 353]thy heart is not (unmindful of) the northern heaven:thy goodness ... (all) hearts:love subdues (all) hands:thy creations are fair overcoming (all) the earth:(all) hearts are softened at beholding thee.11 The ONE maker of existences:(creator) of ... maker of beings:from whose eyes mankind proceeded:of whose mouth are the gods:maker of grass for the cattle (oxen, goats, asses, pigs, sheep):fruitful trees for men:causing the fish to live in the river:the birds to fill the air:giving breath to those in the egg:feeding the bird that flies:giving food to the bird that perches:to the creeping thing and the flying thing equally:providing food for the rats in their holes:feeding the flyingthingsin every tree.12 Hail to thee for all these things:the ONE alone with many hands:lying awake while all men lie (asleep):to seek out the good of his creatures:Amen sustainer of all things:Athom Horus of the horizon:555homage to thee in all their voices:salutation to thee for thy mercy unto us:protestations to thee who hast created us.13 Hail to thee say all creatures:salutation to thee from every land:to the height of heaven, to the breadth of the earth:to the depths of the sea:the gods adore Thy Majesty:the spirits thou hast created exalt (thee):rejoicing before the feet of their begetter:they cry out welcome to thee:father of the fathers of all the gods:who raises the heavens who fixes the earth.[pg 354]14 Maker of beings, Creator of existences:Sovereign of life, health, and strength, Chief of the gods:we worship thy spiritwho alonehast made us:we whom thou hast made (thank thee) that thou hast given us birth:we give to thee praises on account of thy mercy to us.15 Hail to thee Maker of all beings:Lord of truth father of the gods:Maker of men creator of beasts:Lord of grains:making food for the beast of the field:Amen the beautiful Bull:beloved in Aptu:556high crowned in the house of the obelisk:557twice turbaned in An:judge of combatants in the great hall:Chief of the great cycle of the gods:16 The ONE alone without peer:Chief in Aptu:King over his cycle of gods:living in truth forever:(Lord) of the horizon, Horus of the East:he who hath created the soil (with) silver and gold:the precious lapis lazuli at his pleasure:spices and incense various for the peoples:fresh odors for thy nostrils:benignly come to the nations:Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the earth:Chief in Aptu:the Sovereignon his throne.17 King alone,singleamong the gods:of many names, unknown is their number:rising in the eastern horizon setting in the western horizon:overthrowing his enemies:dawning on (his) children daily and every day:Thoth raises his eyes:he delights himself with his blessings:the gods rejoice in his goodness who exalts thosewho are lowly:[pg 355]Lord of the boat and the barge:they conduct thee through the firmament in peace.18 Thy servants rejoice:beholding the overthrow of the wicked:his limbs pierced with theswordfire consumes him:his soul and body are annihilated.19 Naka558saveshis feet:the gods rejoice:the servants of the Sun are in peace:An is joyful:the enemies of Athom are overthrown and Aptu is in peace, An is joyful:the giver of life is pleased:at the overthrow of the enemies of her Lord:the gods of Kher-sa make salutations:they of the Adytum prostrate themselves.20 They behold the mighty one in his strength:the image of the gods of truth the Lord of Aptu;in thy name of Doer of justice:Lord of sacrifices, the Bull of offerings:in thy name of Amen the Bull of his mother:maker of men:causing all things which are to exist:in thy name of Athom Chepra:559the great Hawk making (each) body to rejoice:benignly making (each) breast to rejoice:type of creators high crowned:... (Lord) of the wing:Uati560is on his forehead:the hearts of men seek him:when he appears to mortals:he rejoices the earth with his goings forth:Hail to thee Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the world:beloved of his city when he shines forth.561Finished well as it was found.562
Hymn to Amen-Ra
1 Praise to Amen-Rā:the Bull in An544Chief of all gods:the good god beloved:giving life to all animated things:to all fair cattle:Hail to thee Amen-Rā, Lord of the thrones of the earth:Chief in Aptu:545the Bull of his mother in his field:turning his feet toward the land of the South:Lord of the heathen, Prince of Punt:546the Ancient of heaven, the Oldest of the earth:Lord of all existences, the Support of things, the Support of all things.
1 Praise to Amen-Rā:
the Bull in An544Chief of all gods:
the good god beloved:
giving life to all animated things:
to all fair cattle:
Hail to thee Amen-Rā, Lord of the thrones of the earth:
Chief in Aptu:545
the Bull of his mother in his field:
turning his feet toward the land of the South:
Lord of the heathen, Prince of Punt:546
the Ancient of heaven, the Oldest of the earth:
Lord of all existences, the Support of things, the Support of all things.
2 The ONE in his works,singleamong the gods:the beautiful Bull of the cycle of gods:Chief of all the gods:Lord of truth, Father of the gods:Maker of men, Creator of beasts:Lord of existences, Creator of fruitful trees:Maker of herbs, Feeder of cattle:Good Being begotten of Ptah, beautiful youth beloved:to whom the gods give honor:Maker of things below and above, Enlightener of the earth:sailing in heaven in tranquillity:King Rā true speaker, Chief of the earth:Most glorious one, Lord of terror:Chief creator of the whole earth.
2 The ONE in his works,singleamong the gods:
the beautiful Bull of the cycle of gods:
Chief of all the gods:
Lord of truth, Father of the gods:
Maker of men, Creator of beasts:
Lord of existences, Creator of fruitful trees:
Maker of herbs, Feeder of cattle:
Good Being begotten of Ptah, beautiful youth beloved:
to whom the gods give honor:
Maker of things below and above, Enlightener of the earth:
sailing in heaven in tranquillity:
King Rā true speaker, Chief of the earth:
Most glorious one, Lord of terror:
Chief creator of the whole earth.
3 Supporter of affairs above every god:in whose goodness the gods rejoice:to whom adoration is paid in the great house:[pg 351]crowned in the house of flame:whose fragrance the gods love:when he comes from Arabia:Prince of the dew, traversing foreign lands:benignly approaching the Holy Land.547
3 Supporter of affairs above every god:
in whose goodness the gods rejoice:
to whom adoration is paid in the great house:
crowned in the house of flame:
whose fragrance the gods love:
when he comes from Arabia:
Prince of the dew, traversing foreign lands:
benignly approaching the Holy Land.547
4 The gods attend his feet:while they acknowledge his Majesty as their Lord:Lord of terror most awful:greatest of spirits, mighty in ...:bring offerings, make sacrifices:salutation to thee, Maker of the gods:Supporter of the heavens, Founder of the earth.
4 The gods attend his feet:
while they acknowledge his Majesty as their Lord:
Lord of terror most awful:
greatest of spirits, mighty in ...:
bring offerings, make sacrifices:
salutation to thee, Maker of the gods:
Supporter of the heavens, Founder of the earth.
5 Awake in strength Min548Amen:Lord of eternity, Maker everlasting:Lord of adoration, Chief in ...:strong with beautiful horns:Lord of the crown high plumed:of the fair turban (wearing) the white crown:the coronet549and the diadem550are the ornaments of his face:he is invested withAmi-ha:the double crown is his head-gear, (he wears) the red crown:benignly he receives the Atef-crown:on whose south and on whose north is love:the Lord of life receives the sceptre:Lordof the breastplatearmed with the whip.
5 Awake in strength Min548Amen:
Lord of eternity, Maker everlasting:
Lord of adoration, Chief in ...:
strong with beautiful horns:
Lord of the crown high plumed:
of the fair turban (wearing) the white crown:
the coronet549and the diadem550are the ornaments of his face:
he is invested withAmi-ha:
the double crown is his head-gear, (he wears) the red crown:
benignly he receives the Atef-crown:
on whose south and on whose north is love:
the Lord of life receives the sceptre:
Lordof the breastplatearmed with the whip.
6 Gracious ruler crowned with the white crown:Lord of beams, Maker of light:to whom the gods give praises:who stretches forth his arms at his pleasure:consuming his enemies with flame:whose eye subdues the wicked:551sending forth its dart to the roof of the firmament:sending itsarrowsagainst Naka to consume him.
6 Gracious ruler crowned with the white crown:
Lord of beams, Maker of light:
to whom the gods give praises:
who stretches forth his arms at his pleasure:
consuming his enemies with flame:
whose eye subdues the wicked:551
sending forth its dart to the roof of the firmament:
sending itsarrowsagainst Naka to consume him.
7 Hail to thee Rā Lord of truth:[pg 352]whose command the gods were made:Athom Maker of men:supporting their works, giving them life:distinguishing the color of one from another:listening to the poor who is in distress:gentle of heart when one cries unto him.
7 Hail to thee Rā Lord of truth:
whose command the gods were made:
Athom Maker of men:
supporting their works, giving them life:
distinguishing the color of one from another:
listening to the poor who is in distress:
gentle of heart when one cries unto him.
8 Deliverer of the timid man from the violent:judging the poor, the poor and the oppressed:Lord of wisdom whose precepts are wise:at whose pleasure the Nile overflows:Lord of mercy most loving:at whose coming men live:opener of every eye:proceeding from the firmament:causer of pleasure and light:at whose goodness the gods rejoice:their hearts revive when they see him.
8 Deliverer of the timid man from the violent:
judging the poor, the poor and the oppressed:
Lord of wisdom whose precepts are wise:
at whose pleasure the Nile overflows:
Lord of mercy most loving:
at whose coming men live:
opener of every eye:
proceeding from the firmament:
causer of pleasure and light:
at whose goodness the gods rejoice:
their hearts revive when they see him.
9 O Rā adored in Aptu:552high-crowned in the house of the obelisk:553King (Ani) Lord of the New-moon festival:to whom the sixth and seventh days are sacred:Sovereign of life health and strength, Lord of all the gods:who art visible in the midst of heaven:ruler of men ...:whose name is hidden from his creatures:in his name which is Amen.554
9 O Rā adored in Aptu:552
high-crowned in the house of the obelisk:553
King (Ani) Lord of the New-moon festival:
to whom the sixth and seventh days are sacred:
Sovereign of life health and strength, Lord of all the gods:
who art visible in the midst of heaven:
ruler of men ...:
whose name is hidden from his creatures:
in his name which is Amen.554
10 Hail to thee who art in tranquillity:Lord of magnanimity strong in apparel:Lord of the crown high plumed:of the beautiful turban, of the tall white crown:the gods love thy presence:when the double crown is set upon thy head:thy love pervades the earth:thy beamsarise... men are cheered by thy rising:the beasts shrink from thy beams:thy love is over the southern heaven:[pg 353]thy heart is not (unmindful of) the northern heaven:thy goodness ... (all) hearts:love subdues (all) hands:thy creations are fair overcoming (all) the earth:(all) hearts are softened at beholding thee.
10 Hail to thee who art in tranquillity:
Lord of magnanimity strong in apparel:
Lord of the crown high plumed:
of the beautiful turban, of the tall white crown:
the gods love thy presence:
when the double crown is set upon thy head:
thy love pervades the earth:
thy beamsarise... men are cheered by thy rising:
the beasts shrink from thy beams:
thy love is over the southern heaven:
thy heart is not (unmindful of) the northern heaven:
thy goodness ... (all) hearts:
love subdues (all) hands:
thy creations are fair overcoming (all) the earth:
(all) hearts are softened at beholding thee.
11 The ONE maker of existences:(creator) of ... maker of beings:from whose eyes mankind proceeded:of whose mouth are the gods:maker of grass for the cattle (oxen, goats, asses, pigs, sheep):fruitful trees for men:causing the fish to live in the river:the birds to fill the air:giving breath to those in the egg:feeding the bird that flies:giving food to the bird that perches:to the creeping thing and the flying thing equally:providing food for the rats in their holes:feeding the flyingthingsin every tree.
11 The ONE maker of existences:
(creator) of ... maker of beings:
from whose eyes mankind proceeded:
of whose mouth are the gods:
maker of grass for the cattle (oxen, goats, asses, pigs, sheep):
fruitful trees for men:
causing the fish to live in the river:
the birds to fill the air:
giving breath to those in the egg:
feeding the bird that flies:
giving food to the bird that perches:
to the creeping thing and the flying thing equally:
providing food for the rats in their holes:
feeding the flyingthingsin every tree.
12 Hail to thee for all these things:the ONE alone with many hands:lying awake while all men lie (asleep):to seek out the good of his creatures:Amen sustainer of all things:Athom Horus of the horizon:555homage to thee in all their voices:salutation to thee for thy mercy unto us:protestations to thee who hast created us.
12 Hail to thee for all these things:
the ONE alone with many hands:
lying awake while all men lie (asleep):
to seek out the good of his creatures:
Amen sustainer of all things:
Athom Horus of the horizon:555
homage to thee in all their voices:
salutation to thee for thy mercy unto us:
protestations to thee who hast created us.
13 Hail to thee say all creatures:salutation to thee from every land:to the height of heaven, to the breadth of the earth:to the depths of the sea:the gods adore Thy Majesty:the spirits thou hast created exalt (thee):rejoicing before the feet of their begetter:they cry out welcome to thee:father of the fathers of all the gods:who raises the heavens who fixes the earth.
13 Hail to thee say all creatures:
salutation to thee from every land:
to the height of heaven, to the breadth of the earth:
to the depths of the sea:
the gods adore Thy Majesty:
the spirits thou hast created exalt (thee):
rejoicing before the feet of their begetter:
they cry out welcome to thee:
father of the fathers of all the gods:
who raises the heavens who fixes the earth.
14 Maker of beings, Creator of existences:Sovereign of life, health, and strength, Chief of the gods:we worship thy spiritwho alonehast made us:we whom thou hast made (thank thee) that thou hast given us birth:we give to thee praises on account of thy mercy to us.
14 Maker of beings, Creator of existences:
Sovereign of life, health, and strength, Chief of the gods:
we worship thy spiritwho alonehast made us:
we whom thou hast made (thank thee) that thou hast given us birth:
we give to thee praises on account of thy mercy to us.
15 Hail to thee Maker of all beings:Lord of truth father of the gods:Maker of men creator of beasts:Lord of grains:making food for the beast of the field:Amen the beautiful Bull:beloved in Aptu:556high crowned in the house of the obelisk:557twice turbaned in An:judge of combatants in the great hall:Chief of the great cycle of the gods:
15 Hail to thee Maker of all beings:
Lord of truth father of the gods:
Maker of men creator of beasts:
Lord of grains:
making food for the beast of the field:
Amen the beautiful Bull:
beloved in Aptu:556
high crowned in the house of the obelisk:557
twice turbaned in An:
judge of combatants in the great hall:
Chief of the great cycle of the gods:
16 The ONE alone without peer:Chief in Aptu:King over his cycle of gods:living in truth forever:(Lord) of the horizon, Horus of the East:he who hath created the soil (with) silver and gold:the precious lapis lazuli at his pleasure:spices and incense various for the peoples:fresh odors for thy nostrils:benignly come to the nations:Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the earth:Chief in Aptu:the Sovereignon his throne.
16 The ONE alone without peer:
Chief in Aptu:
King over his cycle of gods:
living in truth forever:
(Lord) of the horizon, Horus of the East:
he who hath created the soil (with) silver and gold:
the precious lapis lazuli at his pleasure:
spices and incense various for the peoples:
fresh odors for thy nostrils:
benignly come to the nations:
Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the earth:
Chief in Aptu:
the Sovereignon his throne.
17 King alone,singleamong the gods:of many names, unknown is their number:rising in the eastern horizon setting in the western horizon:overthrowing his enemies:dawning on (his) children daily and every day:Thoth raises his eyes:he delights himself with his blessings:the gods rejoice in his goodness who exalts thosewho are lowly:[pg 355]Lord of the boat and the barge:they conduct thee through the firmament in peace.
17 King alone,singleamong the gods:
of many names, unknown is their number:
rising in the eastern horizon setting in the western horizon:
overthrowing his enemies:
dawning on (his) children daily and every day:
Thoth raises his eyes:
he delights himself with his blessings:
the gods rejoice in his goodness who exalts thosewho are lowly:
Lord of the boat and the barge:
they conduct thee through the firmament in peace.
18 Thy servants rejoice:beholding the overthrow of the wicked:his limbs pierced with theswordfire consumes him:his soul and body are annihilated.
18 Thy servants rejoice:
beholding the overthrow of the wicked:
his limbs pierced with thesword
fire consumes him:
his soul and body are annihilated.
19 Naka558saveshis feet:the gods rejoice:the servants of the Sun are in peace:An is joyful:the enemies of Athom are overthrown and Aptu is in peace, An is joyful:the giver of life is pleased:at the overthrow of the enemies of her Lord:the gods of Kher-sa make salutations:they of the Adytum prostrate themselves.
19 Naka558saveshis feet:
the gods rejoice:
the servants of the Sun are in peace:
An is joyful:
the enemies of Athom are overthrown and Aptu is in peace, An is joyful:
the giver of life is pleased:
at the overthrow of the enemies of her Lord:
the gods of Kher-sa make salutations:
they of the Adytum prostrate themselves.
20 They behold the mighty one in his strength:the image of the gods of truth the Lord of Aptu;in thy name of Doer of justice:Lord of sacrifices, the Bull of offerings:in thy name of Amen the Bull of his mother:maker of men:causing all things which are to exist:in thy name of Athom Chepra:559the great Hawk making (each) body to rejoice:benignly making (each) breast to rejoice:type of creators high crowned:... (Lord) of the wing:Uati560is on his forehead:the hearts of men seek him:when he appears to mortals:he rejoices the earth with his goings forth:Hail to thee Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the world:beloved of his city when he shines forth.561
20 They behold the mighty one in his strength:
the image of the gods of truth the Lord of Aptu;
in thy name of Doer of justice:
Lord of sacrifices, the Bull of offerings:
in thy name of Amen the Bull of his mother:
maker of men:
causing all things which are to exist:
in thy name of Athom Chepra:559
the great Hawk making (each) body to rejoice:
benignly making (each) breast to rejoice:
type of creators high crowned:
... (Lord) of the wing:
Uati560is on his forehead:
the hearts of men seek him:
when he appears to mortals:
he rejoices the earth with his goings forth:
Hail to thee Amen-Rā Lord of the thrones of the world:
beloved of his city when he shines forth.561
Finished well as it was found.562