Twice great is the lord of his city, above a million arms: as for other rulers of men, they are but common folk.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a dyke, damming the stream in its water flood.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a cool lodge, letting every man repose unto full daylight.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a bulwark, with walls built of the sharp stones of Kesem.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a place of refuge, excluding the marauder.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were an asylum, shielding the terrified from his foe.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a shade, the cool vegetation of the flood-time in the season of harvest.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a corner warm and dry in time of winter.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a rock barring the blast in time of tempest.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were Sekhemt to foes who tread upon his boundary.
Twice great is the lord of his city, above a million arms: as for other rulers of men, they are but common folk.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a dyke, damming the stream in its water flood.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a cool lodge, letting every man repose unto full daylight.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a bulwark, with walls built of the sharp stones of Kesem.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a place of refuge, excluding the marauder.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were an asylum, shielding the terrified from his foe.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a shade, the cool vegetation of the flood-time in the season of harvest.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a corner warm and dry in time of winter.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were a rock barring the blast in time of tempest.Twice great is the lord of his city: he is as it were Sekhemt to foes who tread upon his boundary.
He hath come to us, that he may take the land of the South Country: the Double Crown[212]hath been placed upon his head.He hath come, he hath united the two lands: he hath joined the Reed to the Hornet.[213]He hath come, he hath ruled the people of the Black Land: he hath placed the Red Land in his power.[214]He hath come, he hath protected the two lands: he hath tranquillized the two regions.He hath come, he hath made the people of Egypt to live: he hath destroyed its afflictions.He hath come, he hath made the Pat to live: he hath opened the throat of the Rekhyt.[215]He hath come, he hath trampled on the nations: he hath smitten the Anu who knew not his terror.He hath come, he hath secured his frontier: he hath delivered him who was stolen away.He hath come: ... he granteth reward-in-old-age by what his mighty arm bringeth to us.He hath come, we nurture our children: we bury our aged ones[216]by his good favor.
He hath come to us, that he may take the land of the South Country: the Double Crown[212]hath been placed upon his head.He hath come, he hath united the two lands: he hath joined the Reed to the Hornet.[213]He hath come, he hath ruled the people of the Black Land: he hath placed the Red Land in his power.[214]He hath come, he hath protected the two lands: he hath tranquillized the two regions.He hath come, he hath made the people of Egypt to live: he hath destroyed its afflictions.He hath come, he hath made the Pat to live: he hath opened the throat of the Rekhyt.[215]He hath come, he hath trampled on the nations: he hath smitten the Anu who knew not his terror.He hath come, he hath secured his frontier: he hath delivered him who was stolen away.He hath come: ... he granteth reward-in-old-age by what his mighty arm bringeth to us.He hath come, we nurture our children: we bury our aged ones[216]by his good favor.
Translation of F. Ll. Griffith.
The following hymn addressed by King Akhenaten (B.C. 1450) to his one god, the visible Sun itself, was perhaps originally written in ten-line stanzas like the 'Hymn to Usertesen III.,' but the known texts of it are all too mutilated and uncertain for us to attempt any thorough restoration of the composition at present. A good edition of the hymn has been published by Professor Breasted of Chicago, and his text is here followed.King Akhenaten was one of the most original minds known to us in Egyptian history. His bringing up was probably far more favorable to awakening powers of thought than was usually the case with the Pharaohs. Through his mother, Queen Tiy, he had been in close contact with the religions of Mesopotamia, perhaps even with Israelite monotheism; suddenly he cast off the traditions of his own country and all its multitudinous deities of heaven, earth, and the underworld, and devoted himself to the worship of one god, visible and exalted, before whom all else seemed either petty, gross, or unreal. His motto, as Professor Petrie has remarked, was "living in truth"; and according to his lights he lived up to it. Fervently he adored his god; and we may well believe that the words of this hymn are those which flowed from his own heart as he contemplated the mighty and beneficent power of the Sun.This heretical doctrine roused the passions of the orthodox, who, triumphing over Akhenaten's reform, condemned his monuments to systematic destruction.
The following hymn addressed by King Akhenaten (B.C. 1450) to his one god, the visible Sun itself, was perhaps originally written in ten-line stanzas like the 'Hymn to Usertesen III.,' but the known texts of it are all too mutilated and uncertain for us to attempt any thorough restoration of the composition at present. A good edition of the hymn has been published by Professor Breasted of Chicago, and his text is here followed.
King Akhenaten was one of the most original minds known to us in Egyptian history. His bringing up was probably far more favorable to awakening powers of thought than was usually the case with the Pharaohs. Through his mother, Queen Tiy, he had been in close contact with the religions of Mesopotamia, perhaps even with Israelite monotheism; suddenly he cast off the traditions of his own country and all its multitudinous deities of heaven, earth, and the underworld, and devoted himself to the worship of one god, visible and exalted, before whom all else seemed either petty, gross, or unreal. His motto, as Professor Petrie has remarked, was "living in truth"; and according to his lights he lived up to it. Fervently he adored his god; and we may well believe that the words of this hymn are those which flowed from his own heart as he contemplated the mighty and beneficent power of the Sun.
This heretical doctrine roused the passions of the orthodox, who, triumphing over Akhenaten's reform, condemned his monuments to systematic destruction.
Beautiful is thy resplendent appearing on the horizon of heaven,O living Aten, thou who art the beginning of life.When thou ascendest in the eastern horizon thou fillest every land with thy beauties;Thou art fair and great, radiant, high above the earth;Thy beams encompass the lands to the sum of all that thou hast created.Thou art the Sun; thou catchest them according to their sum;Thou subduest them with thy love.Though thou art afar, thy beams are on the earth;Thou art in the sky, and day followeth thy steps.When thou settest on the western horizon of heaven,The land is in darkness like unto death;They sleep in their chambers;Their heads are covered, their nostrils are closed, the eye seeth not his fellow;All their goods are stolen from under their heads, and they know it not.Every lion cometh forth out of its cave,All creeping things bite.The earth is silent, and he that made them resteth on his horizon.At dawn of day thou risest on the horizon and shinest as Aten by day.Darkness flees, thou givest forth thy rays, the two lands are in festival day by day;They wake and stand upon their feet, for thou hast raised them up;Their limbs are purified, they clothe themselves with their garments;Their hands are uplifted in adoration at thy rising.The whole land goeth about its several labors.Flocks rest in their pastures;Trees and plants grow green;Birds fly forth from their nests,—Their wings are adoring thyKa.[218]All flocks leap upon their feet;All flying things and all hovering things, they live when thou risest upon them.Ships pass down-stream, and pass up-stream likewise,Every way is open at thy rising.The fishes on the river leap up before thee;Thy rays are within the great waters.It is thou who causest women to be fruitful, men to beget.Thou quickenest the child in its mother's womb;Thou soothest it that it cry not;Thou dost nurture it within its mother's womb,Thou givest breath to give life to all its functions.It cometh forth from the womb upon the day of its birth.Thou openest its mouth, that it may speak;Thou providest for its wants.When there is a chick within an egg, cheeping as it were within a stone,Thou givest it breath therein to cause thy handiwork to live;It is full-formed when it breaketh through the shell.It cometh out of the egg when it cheepeth and is full-formed;It runneth on its feet when it cometh out thence.How manifold are thy works,... O one god who hast no fellow!Thou createdst the earth according to thy will, when thou wast alone,—[Its] people, its herds, and all flocks;All that is upon earth going upon feet,All that is on high and flieth with wings,The countries of Syria, of Ethiopia, of Egypt.Thou settest each person in his place.Thou providest for their wants,Each one his circumstances and the duration of his life,Tongues distinct in their speech,Their kinds according to their complexions—O distinguisher who distinguishest the races of mankind.Thou makest the Nile in the deep,Thou bringest it at thy pleasure,That if may give life to men, even as thou hast made them for thyself—O Lord of them all who art outwearied for them!O Lord of earth who risest for them!O Aten of day that awest all distant countries!Thou makest their life;Thou placest the Nile in heaven, that it may descend to them,That it may rise in waves upon the rocks like the sea,Watering their fields in their villages.How excellent are thy ways, O Lord of Eternity!A Nile in heaven poureth down for nations,For all manner of animals that walk upon feet.[But] the Nile cometh from the deep to the land of EgyptThy rays nourish every field;Thou risest and they live for thee.[219]Thou makest the seasons to bring into existence all that thou hast made:The winter season to refresh them, the heat [to warm them].Thou madest the heaven afar off, that thou mightest rise therein,That thou mightest see all thou didst make when thou wast alone,When thou risest in thy form as the living Aten,Splendid, radiant, afar, beauteous—[Thou createdst all things by thyself]Cities, villages, camps, by whatsoever river they be watered.Every eye beholdeth thee before it;Thou art the Aten of day above the earth.
Beautiful is thy resplendent appearing on the horizon of heaven,O living Aten, thou who art the beginning of life.When thou ascendest in the eastern horizon thou fillest every land with thy beauties;Thou art fair and great, radiant, high above the earth;Thy beams encompass the lands to the sum of all that thou hast created.Thou art the Sun; thou catchest them according to their sum;Thou subduest them with thy love.Though thou art afar, thy beams are on the earth;Thou art in the sky, and day followeth thy steps.
When thou settest on the western horizon of heaven,The land is in darkness like unto death;They sleep in their chambers;Their heads are covered, their nostrils are closed, the eye seeth not his fellow;All their goods are stolen from under their heads, and they know it not.Every lion cometh forth out of its cave,All creeping things bite.The earth is silent, and he that made them resteth on his horizon.
At dawn of day thou risest on the horizon and shinest as Aten by day.Darkness flees, thou givest forth thy rays, the two lands are in festival day by day;They wake and stand upon their feet, for thou hast raised them up;Their limbs are purified, they clothe themselves with their garments;Their hands are uplifted in adoration at thy rising.The whole land goeth about its several labors.
Flocks rest in their pastures;Trees and plants grow green;Birds fly forth from their nests,—Their wings are adoring thyKa.[218]All flocks leap upon their feet;All flying things and all hovering things, they live when thou risest upon them.
Ships pass down-stream, and pass up-stream likewise,Every way is open at thy rising.The fishes on the river leap up before thee;Thy rays are within the great waters.
It is thou who causest women to be fruitful, men to beget.Thou quickenest the child in its mother's womb;Thou soothest it that it cry not;Thou dost nurture it within its mother's womb,Thou givest breath to give life to all its functions.It cometh forth from the womb upon the day of its birth.Thou openest its mouth, that it may speak;Thou providest for its wants.
When there is a chick within an egg, cheeping as it were within a stone,Thou givest it breath therein to cause thy handiwork to live;It is full-formed when it breaketh through the shell.It cometh out of the egg when it cheepeth and is full-formed;It runneth on its feet when it cometh out thence.
How manifold are thy works,... O one god who hast no fellow!Thou createdst the earth according to thy will, when thou wast alone,—[Its] people, its herds, and all flocks;All that is upon earth going upon feet,All that is on high and flieth with wings,The countries of Syria, of Ethiopia, of Egypt.Thou settest each person in his place.Thou providest for their wants,Each one his circumstances and the duration of his life,Tongues distinct in their speech,Their kinds according to their complexions—O distinguisher who distinguishest the races of mankind.
Thou makest the Nile in the deep,Thou bringest it at thy pleasure,That if may give life to men, even as thou hast made them for thyself—O Lord of them all who art outwearied for them!
O Lord of earth who risest for them!O Aten of day that awest all distant countries!Thou makest their life;Thou placest the Nile in heaven, that it may descend to them,That it may rise in waves upon the rocks like the sea,Watering their fields in their villages.How excellent are thy ways, O Lord of Eternity!A Nile in heaven poureth down for nations,For all manner of animals that walk upon feet.[But] the Nile cometh from the deep to the land of EgyptThy rays nourish every field;Thou risest and they live for thee.[219]
Thou makest the seasons to bring into existence all that thou hast made:The winter season to refresh them, the heat [to warm them].Thou madest the heaven afar off, that thou mightest rise therein,That thou mightest see all thou didst make when thou wast alone,When thou risest in thy form as the living Aten,Splendid, radiant, afar, beauteous—[Thou createdst all things by thyself]Cities, villages, camps, by whatsoever river they be watered.Every eye beholdeth thee before it;Thou art the Aten of day above the earth.
Thou art in my heart,There is none other that knoweth thee but thy son, Fairest of the Forms of Ra, the Only One of Ra[220];Thou causest him to be exercised in thy methods and in thy might.The whole earth is in thy hand even as thou hast made them;At thy rising all live, at thy setting they die.
Thou art in my heart,There is none other that knoweth thee but thy son, Fairest of the Forms of Ra, the Only One of Ra[220];Thou causest him to be exercised in thy methods and in thy might.The whole earth is in thy hand even as thou hast made them;At thy rising all live, at thy setting they die.
Translation of F. Ll. Griffith.
The following collection of hymns to Amen Ra is from the orthodox worship of the New Kingdom; that is to say, it dates from the period beginning in the XVIIth Dynasty, about 1700 B.C. The series is contained in a papyrus now preserved in the museum at Gîzeh and in very perfect condition.
In the original, the lines are punctuated with red dots, and the stanzas are marked by rubrics, a very valuable clue being thus provided both as to meanings and form.
The first hymn is divided into five stanzas of seven lines each,[222]but the fourth stanza contains an error of punctuation which has perhaps prevented this arrangement from being noticed hitherto. The other hymns do not appear to be so divisible.
The text presents several instances of embellishment by far-fetched, and to our minds very feeble, puns and punning assonances. It is impossible to reproduce these to the English reader, but some lines in which they occur are here marked with asterisks indicating the words in question.
Although these hymns have been much admired, it must be confessed that they are somewhat arid in comparison with the simple expression of Akhenaten's devotion in the 'Hymn to the Aten.' To the Egyptians, however, the mythological references were full of meaning, while to us they are never fully intelligible. Such an enumeration as that of the symbols and insignia of divine royalty which we find in the second hymn, is as empty to us as references to the Stars and Stripes, the White House, the Spread Eagle, the Union Jack, the Rose, the Shamrock, and the Thistle may be to the lords of the world in 5000 to 6000 A.D.
Praise of Amen Ra!The bull in Heliopolis, the chief of all the gods,The beautiful and beloved godWho giveth life to all warm-blooded things,To all manner of goodly cattle!
Praise of Amen Ra!The bull in Heliopolis, the chief of all the gods,The beautiful and beloved godWho giveth life to all warm-blooded things,To all manner of goodly cattle!
Hail to thee, Amen Ra! lord of the thrones of the two lands,Thou who dwellest in the sanctuary of Karnak.Bull of his mother, he who dwelleth in his fields,Wide-ranging in the Land of the South.Lord of the Mezau[223], ruler of Punt,Prince of heaven, heir of earth,Lord of all things that exist!Alone in his exploits even amongst the gods,The goodly bull of the Ennead[224]of the gods,Chiefest of all the gods,Lord of truth, father of the gods,Maker of men, creator of animals,Lord of the things which are, maker of fruit-trees,Maker of pasture, who causeth the cattle to live!Image made by Ptah[225], youth fair of love!The gods give praise unto him;Maker of things below and of things above, he illuminateth the two lands:He traverseth the sky in peace.King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Ra the Justified, chief of the two lands.Great one of valor, lord of awe;Chief, making the earth in its entirety!Nobler in thy ways than any god,The gods rejoice in his beauties!To him are given acclamations in the Great House,Glorious celebrations in the House of Flame;The gods love his odor when he cometh from Punt.Prince of the dew, he entereth the land of the Mezau!Fair of face, coming to the Divine Land[226]!The gods gather as dogs at his feet,Even as they recognize his majesty as their lord.Lord of fear, great one of terror,Great of soul, lordly in manifestations,Flourishing of offerings, maker of plenty,Acclamations to thee, maker of the gods,Thou who dost upraise the sky, and press down the ground!
Hail to thee, Amen Ra! lord of the thrones of the two lands,Thou who dwellest in the sanctuary of Karnak.Bull of his mother, he who dwelleth in his fields,Wide-ranging in the Land of the South.Lord of the Mezau[223], ruler of Punt,Prince of heaven, heir of earth,Lord of all things that exist!Alone in his exploits even amongst the gods,The goodly bull of the Ennead[224]of the gods,Chiefest of all the gods,Lord of truth, father of the gods,Maker of men, creator of animals,Lord of the things which are, maker of fruit-trees,Maker of pasture, who causeth the cattle to live!Image made by Ptah[225], youth fair of love!The gods give praise unto him;Maker of things below and of things above, he illuminateth the two lands:He traverseth the sky in peace.King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Ra the Justified, chief of the two lands.Great one of valor, lord of awe;Chief, making the earth in its entirety!Nobler in thy ways than any god,The gods rejoice in his beauties!To him are given acclamations in the Great House,Glorious celebrations in the House of Flame;The gods love his odor when he cometh from Punt.Prince of the dew, he entereth the land of the Mezau!Fair of face, coming to the Divine Land[226]!The gods gather as dogs at his feet,Even as they recognize his majesty as their lord.Lord of fear, great one of terror,Great of soul, lordly in manifestations,Flourishing of offerings, maker of plenty,Acclamations to thee, maker of the gods,Thou who dost upraise the sky, and press down the ground!
Wake in health, Min-Amen!Lord of the everlasting, maker of eternity,Lord of adorations, dwelling in [Khemmis],Established of two horns, fair of face,Lord of the uraeus crown with lofty double plume,Beautiful of diadem, with lofty white crown,The kingly coif with the two uraei are on his forehead.He is adorned within the palace,With the Sekhet crown, the Nemes cap, and the Khepersh helmet.Fair of face, he taketh the Atef crown,Loving its south and its north.Lord of the Sekhemt sceptre, receiving the Ames sceptre,Lord of the Meks sceptre, holding the Nekhekh,Beautiful Ruler, crowned with the white crown!Lord of rays, making light!The gods give praises unto himWho giveth his two hands [for aid] to him that loveth him,Who casteth his enemies in the fire;His eye it is which overthroweth the wicked;It casteth its lance at the devourer of Nu;It causeth the serpent Nak to cast up that which it swallowed.Hail to thee, Ra, lord of truth,Whose sanctuary is hidden! lord of the gods,Khepera in the midst of his bark,He gave command, and the gods were created.Tum, maker of the Rekhyt,Distinguishing their kinds, making their lives,Distinguishing their complexions one from another.Hearing the complaint of him who is oppressed,Kindly of heart when called upon.He delivereth the timid from him who is of a froward heart,He judgeth the cause of the weak and the oppressed.Lord of Understanding, Taste is on his lips,The Nile cometh at his desire.Lord of sweetness, great one of love,He maketh the Rekhyt to live,He giveth keenness to every eye.He is made out of Nu,Creating the rays of light.The gods rejoice in his beauties,Their hearts live when they behold him.
Wake in health, Min-Amen!Lord of the everlasting, maker of eternity,Lord of adorations, dwelling in [Khemmis],Established of two horns, fair of face,Lord of the uraeus crown with lofty double plume,Beautiful of diadem, with lofty white crown,The kingly coif with the two uraei are on his forehead.He is adorned within the palace,With the Sekhet crown, the Nemes cap, and the Khepersh helmet.Fair of face, he taketh the Atef crown,Loving its south and its north.Lord of the Sekhemt sceptre, receiving the Ames sceptre,Lord of the Meks sceptre, holding the Nekhekh,Beautiful Ruler, crowned with the white crown!Lord of rays, making light!The gods give praises unto himWho giveth his two hands [for aid] to him that loveth him,Who casteth his enemies in the fire;His eye it is which overthroweth the wicked;It casteth its lance at the devourer of Nu;It causeth the serpent Nak to cast up that which it swallowed.Hail to thee, Ra, lord of truth,Whose sanctuary is hidden! lord of the gods,Khepera in the midst of his bark,He gave command, and the gods were created.Tum, maker of the Rekhyt,Distinguishing their kinds, making their lives,Distinguishing their complexions one from another.Hearing the complaint of him who is oppressed,Kindly of heart when called upon.He delivereth the timid from him who is of a froward heart,He judgeth the cause of the weak and the oppressed.Lord of Understanding, Taste is on his lips,The Nile cometh at his desire.Lord of sweetness, great one of love,He maketh the Rekhyt to live,He giveth keenness to every eye.He is made out of Nu,Creating the rays of light.The gods rejoice in his beauties,Their hearts live when they behold him.
Ra, exalted in Karnak!Great of splendor in the House of the ObeliskAni, lord of the New Moon festival,To whom are celebrated the festival of the sixth day and of the quarter month.Liege lord, to whom Life, Prosperity, Health! lord of all the gods,Who see him[?] in the midst of the horizon,Chief over the Pat and Hades,His name is more hidden* than his birth,In his name of Amen,* the hidden One.Hail to thee who art in peace!Lord of enlargement of heart, lordly in manifestations,Lord of the uræus crown, with lofty double plume;Fair of diadem, with lofty white crown!The gods love the sight of thee,The Sekhemt* crown is established upon thy forehead.Thy loveliness is shed* abroad over the two lands;Thy rays shine forth in the eyes of men; fair for the Pat and the Rekhyt is thy rising,Weary are the flocks when thou art radiant.Thy loveliness is in the southern sky, thy sweetness in the northern sky,Thy beauties conquer hearts,Thy loveliness maketh arms to droop,Thy beautiful form maketh hands to fail;Hearts faint at the sight of thee.Sole figure, who didst make all that is!One and only one, maker of all that are,From whose eyes mankind issued,By whose mouth the gods were created,Who makest the herbage, and makest to live the cattle, goats, swine, and sheep,The fruit-trees for the Henememt.He maketh the life of fishes in the river,The fowl of the air,Giving breath to that which is in the egg;Making the offspring of the serpent to live;Making to live therewith the flies,The creeping things, and the leaping things, and the like.Making provision for the mice in their holes;Making to live the birds in every tree,Hail to thee, maker of all these!One and only one, with many arms!At night wakeful while all sleep,Seeking good for his flock.Amen,* who *establishest all things!Tum Horus of the horizon!Praises be to thee in that all say,"Acclamations to thee, for that thou outweariest thyself with us!Obeisance to thee for that thou didst make us!"Hail to thee, from all animals!Acclamations to thee from every land,To the height of heaven, to the breadth of earth,To the depth of the great waters!The gods bow before thy majesty,Exalting the mighty spirit that formed them;They rejoice at the coming of him who begat them;They say unto thee:—"Come, come in peace!Father of the fathers of all the gods,Thou who dost upraise the sky and press down the ground."Maker of that which is, former of those which have being,Liege lord—to whom Life, Prosperity, Health!—chief of the gods,We adore thy mighty spirit even as thou madest us;Who were made for thee when thou fashionedst us.We give praises unto thee for that thou outweariest thyself with us.Hail to thee who didst make all that is!Lord of truth, father of the gods,Maker of men, fashioner of animals,Lord of corn,Making to live the animals of the desert.Amen, bull fair of face,Beloved in Thebes,Great one of splendors in the House of the Obelisk,Twice crowned in Heliopolis,Thou who judgest between the twain in the Great Hall!Chief of the great Ennead of the gods,One and only one, without his peer,Dwelling in Thebes,Ani in his divine Ennead,He liveth on truth every day.God of the horizon, Horus of the East,Who hath made the hills that have silver, gold,Real lapis lazuli, at his pleasure:Gums and incense are mingled for the Mezau,Fresh incense for thy nostrils.Fair of face he cometh to the Mezau,Amen Ra, lord of the throne of the two lands,He who dwelleth in Thebes,Ani in his sanctuary.
Ra, exalted in Karnak!Great of splendor in the House of the ObeliskAni, lord of the New Moon festival,To whom are celebrated the festival of the sixth day and of the quarter month.Liege lord, to whom Life, Prosperity, Health! lord of all the gods,Who see him[?] in the midst of the horizon,Chief over the Pat and Hades,His name is more hidden* than his birth,In his name of Amen,* the hidden One.Hail to thee who art in peace!Lord of enlargement of heart, lordly in manifestations,Lord of the uræus crown, with lofty double plume;Fair of diadem, with lofty white crown!The gods love the sight of thee,The Sekhemt* crown is established upon thy forehead.Thy loveliness is shed* abroad over the two lands;Thy rays shine forth in the eyes of men; fair for the Pat and the Rekhyt is thy rising,Weary are the flocks when thou art radiant.Thy loveliness is in the southern sky, thy sweetness in the northern sky,Thy beauties conquer hearts,Thy loveliness maketh arms to droop,Thy beautiful form maketh hands to fail;Hearts faint at the sight of thee.Sole figure, who didst make all that is!One and only one, maker of all that are,From whose eyes mankind issued,By whose mouth the gods were created,Who makest the herbage, and makest to live the cattle, goats, swine, and sheep,The fruit-trees for the Henememt.He maketh the life of fishes in the river,The fowl of the air,Giving breath to that which is in the egg;Making the offspring of the serpent to live;Making to live therewith the flies,The creeping things, and the leaping things, and the like.Making provision for the mice in their holes;Making to live the birds in every tree,Hail to thee, maker of all these!One and only one, with many arms!At night wakeful while all sleep,Seeking good for his flock.Amen,* who *establishest all things!Tum Horus of the horizon!Praises be to thee in that all say,"Acclamations to thee, for that thou outweariest thyself with us!Obeisance to thee for that thou didst make us!"Hail to thee, from all animals!Acclamations to thee from every land,To the height of heaven, to the breadth of earth,To the depth of the great waters!The gods bow before thy majesty,Exalting the mighty spirit that formed them;They rejoice at the coming of him who begat them;They say unto thee:—"Come, come in peace!Father of the fathers of all the gods,Thou who dost upraise the sky and press down the ground."Maker of that which is, former of those which have being,Liege lord—to whom Life, Prosperity, Health!—chief of the gods,We adore thy mighty spirit even as thou madest us;Who were made for thee when thou fashionedst us.We give praises unto thee for that thou outweariest thyself with us.Hail to thee who didst make all that is!Lord of truth, father of the gods,Maker of men, fashioner of animals,Lord of corn,Making to live the animals of the desert.Amen, bull fair of face,Beloved in Thebes,Great one of splendors in the House of the Obelisk,Twice crowned in Heliopolis,Thou who judgest between the twain in the Great Hall!Chief of the great Ennead of the gods,One and only one, without his peer,Dwelling in Thebes,Ani in his divine Ennead,He liveth on truth every day.God of the horizon, Horus of the East,Who hath made the hills that have silver, gold,Real lapis lazuli, at his pleasure:Gums and incense are mingled for the Mezau,Fresh incense for thy nostrils.Fair of face he cometh to the Mezau,Amen Ra, lord of the throne of the two lands,He who dwelleth in Thebes,Ani in his sanctuary.
Sole King is he, even in the midst of the gods;Many are his names, none knoweth their number.He riseth on the horizon of the east, he is laid to rest on the horizon of the west.He overthroweth his enemiesIn the daily task of every day;In the morning he is born each day;Thoth raiseth his eyes,And propitiateth him with his benefits;The gods rejoice in his beauties,Exalting him who is in the midst of adorers!Lord of the Sekti and of the Madet bark,Which traverse for thee Nu in peace!Thy crew rejoiceWhen they see the overthrow of the wicked one,Whose members taste the knife;The flame devoureth him;His soul is more punished than his body;That Nak serpent, he is deprived of movement.The gods are in exultation,The crew of Ra are in peace,Heliopolis is in exultation,The enemies of Turn are overthrown.Karnak is in peace, Heliopolis is in exultation.The heart of the uræus goddess is glad,The enemies of her lord are overthrown;The gods of Kheraha are in acclamation,The dwellers in the sanctuaries are in obeisance;They behold him mighty in his power.Mighty prince of the gods!Great one of Justice*, lord of Karnak,In this thy name, "Doer of Justice*,"Lord of Plenty, Peaceful Bull*;In this thy name, "Amen, Bull of his Mother,"Making mankind*, creating* all that is,In this thy name of "Tum* Khepera*,"Great hawk, adorning the breast!Fair of face adorning the bosom.Figure lofty of diadem.The two uræi fly on wings before him,The hearts of men run up to him [like dogs],The illuminated ones turn towards him.Adorning the two lands by his coming forth,Hail to thee, Amen Ra, lord of the throne of the two lands!His city loveth his rising.This is the end,in peace,as it was found.
Sole King is he, even in the midst of the gods;Many are his names, none knoweth their number.He riseth on the horizon of the east, he is laid to rest on the horizon of the west.He overthroweth his enemiesIn the daily task of every day;In the morning he is born each day;Thoth raiseth his eyes,And propitiateth him with his benefits;The gods rejoice in his beauties,Exalting him who is in the midst of adorers!Lord of the Sekti and of the Madet bark,Which traverse for thee Nu in peace!Thy crew rejoiceWhen they see the overthrow of the wicked one,Whose members taste the knife;The flame devoureth him;His soul is more punished than his body;That Nak serpent, he is deprived of movement.The gods are in exultation,The crew of Ra are in peace,Heliopolis is in exultation,The enemies of Turn are overthrown.Karnak is in peace, Heliopolis is in exultation.The heart of the uræus goddess is glad,The enemies of her lord are overthrown;The gods of Kheraha are in acclamation,The dwellers in the sanctuaries are in obeisance;They behold him mighty in his power.Mighty prince of the gods!Great one of Justice*, lord of Karnak,In this thy name, "Doer of Justice*,"Lord of Plenty, Peaceful Bull*;In this thy name, "Amen, Bull of his Mother,"Making mankind*, creating* all that is,In this thy name of "Tum* Khepera*,"Great hawk, adorning the breast!Fair of face adorning the bosom.Figure lofty of diadem.The two uræi fly on wings before him,The hearts of men run up to him [like dogs],The illuminated ones turn towards him.Adorning the two lands by his coming forth,Hail to thee, Amen Ra, lord of the throne of the two lands!His city loveth his rising.
This is the end,in peace,as it was found.
Translation of F. Ll. Griffith.
[Frequently in the tombs is figured a scene in which a harper plays before the deceased. His song is ever on the same theme: Enjoy life while it lasts, for all things pass away, and are succeeded by others which also perish in their turn. Such were the encouragements to conviviality which the Egyptians put into the mouths of their minstrels.One of these songs was apparently engraved in front of the figure of a harper in the tomb or pyramid of King Antef (of the XIth or perhaps XIIIth Dynasty, not less than 2000 B.C.), and a copy of it has been handed down to us on a papyrus of the XVIIIth Dynasty: fragments of the same song are moreover preserved at Leyden on slabs from a tomb of the same period.Part of another song of the same kind may be read on the walls of the fine tomb of Neferhetep at Thebes (temp.XVIIIth Dynasty). This song was a long one, but the latter part of it is now mutilated and hopelessly destroyed; yet enough of the sequel remains to show that it rose to a somewhat higher level of teaching than the first song, and counseled men to feed the poor and to win a good name to leave behind them after death.The songs seem to fall naturally into stanzas of ten lines each, though the inscriptions and papyri on which they are preserved to us are not punctuated to indicate these divisions. In the first song the ten lines fall readily into pairs, thus producing five-line stanzas.]
[Frequently in the tombs is figured a scene in which a harper plays before the deceased. His song is ever on the same theme: Enjoy life while it lasts, for all things pass away, and are succeeded by others which also perish in their turn. Such were the encouragements to conviviality which the Egyptians put into the mouths of their minstrels.
One of these songs was apparently engraved in front of the figure of a harper in the tomb or pyramid of King Antef (of the XIth or perhaps XIIIth Dynasty, not less than 2000 B.C.), and a copy of it has been handed down to us on a papyrus of the XVIIIth Dynasty: fragments of the same song are moreover preserved at Leyden on slabs from a tomb of the same period.
Part of another song of the same kind may be read on the walls of the fine tomb of Neferhetep at Thebes (temp.XVIIIth Dynasty). This song was a long one, but the latter part of it is now mutilated and hopelessly destroyed; yet enough of the sequel remains to show that it rose to a somewhat higher level of teaching than the first song, and counseled men to feed the poor and to win a good name to leave behind them after death.
The songs seem to fall naturally into stanzas of ten lines each, though the inscriptions and papyri on which they are preserved to us are not punctuated to indicate these divisions. In the first song the ten lines fall readily into pairs, thus producing five-line stanzas.]
Happy is this good lord! | A goodly fate is spoiled.One body passeth | and others are set up since the time of the ancestors.The gods[227]who were aforetime | rest in their sepulchres,So also the nobles glorified | buried in their sepulchres.Palaces are built and their places are not | behold what hath been done with them!I have heard the words of Imhetep and Herdedef | who spake thus continually in their sayings:"Behold their places, their walls are ruined | their places are not, as though they had not been.None cometh thence to tell their lot | to tell their estate,To strengthen our hearts | until ye approach the place to which they have gone."Be thou of good cheer thereat | [as for me] my heart faileth me in singing thy dirge.Follow thy heart so long as thou existest | put frankincense on thy head;Be clothed in fine linen, be anointed with pure ben oil | things fit for a god.Enjoy thyself beyond measure | let not thy heart faint.Follow thy desire and thy happiness while thou art on earth | fret not thy heart till cometh to thee that day of lamentations.The Still-of-Heart heareth not their lamentations | the heart of a man in the pit taketh no part in mourning.With radiant face, make a good day,[228]And rest not on it.Behold, it is not given to a man to carry his goods with him!Behold, there is none who hath gone,And cometh back hither again!
Happy is this good lord! | A goodly fate is spoiled.One body passeth | and others are set up since the time of the ancestors.The gods[227]who were aforetime | rest in their sepulchres,So also the nobles glorified | buried in their sepulchres.Palaces are built and their places are not | behold what hath been done with them!
I have heard the words of Imhetep and Herdedef | who spake thus continually in their sayings:"Behold their places, their walls are ruined | their places are not, as though they had not been.None cometh thence to tell their lot | to tell their estate,To strengthen our hearts | until ye approach the place to which they have gone."Be thou of good cheer thereat | [as for me] my heart faileth me in singing thy dirge.
Follow thy heart so long as thou existest | put frankincense on thy head;Be clothed in fine linen, be anointed with pure ben oil | things fit for a god.Enjoy thyself beyond measure | let not thy heart faint.Follow thy desire and thy happiness while thou art on earth | fret not thy heart till cometh to thee that day of lamentations.The Still-of-Heart heareth not their lamentations | the heart of a man in the pit taketh no part in mourning.
With radiant face, make a good day,[228]And rest not on it.Behold, it is not given to a man to carry his goods with him!Behold, there is none who hath gone,And cometh back hither again!
O how weary! Truly a prince was he!That good fate hath come to pass.Bodies pass away since the time of God,The youthful come in their place.Ra presenteth himself every morning,Tum[230]setteth in the Mountain of the West,Men beget and women conceive;Every nostril tasteth the breath of sunrise;Those whom they bring forth—all of them—They come in their stead.Make holiday, O divine father!Set gums and choice unguents of every kind for thy nose,Garlands of lotuses on the shoulders,And on the breast of thy sister, who is in thy heart,Who sitteth at thy side.Set singing and music before thy face,Put all sorrow behind thee,Bethink thyself of joys,Until there cometh that day on which thou moorest at the land that loveth silence,Before the heart of the son whom thou lovest is still.Make holiday, O Neferhetep, Justified! | the excellent divine father, pure of hands!There are heard all the things | that have happened to the ancestors who were aforetime;Their walls are ruined | their places are not;They are as though they had never been | since the time of the god.May thy walls be established | may thy trees flourish on the bank of thy pond!May thy soul sit beneath them | that it drink their waters!Follow thy heart greatly | while thou art on earth.Give bread to him | who is without plot of land.Mayest thou gain a good name | for the eternal future!Mayest thou....
O how weary! Truly a prince was he!That good fate hath come to pass.Bodies pass away since the time of God,The youthful come in their place.Ra presenteth himself every morning,Tum[230]setteth in the Mountain of the West,Men beget and women conceive;Every nostril tasteth the breath of sunrise;Those whom they bring forth—all of them—They come in their stead.
Make holiday, O divine father!Set gums and choice unguents of every kind for thy nose,Garlands of lotuses on the shoulders,And on the breast of thy sister, who is in thy heart,Who sitteth at thy side.Set singing and music before thy face,Put all sorrow behind thee,Bethink thyself of joys,Until there cometh that day on which thou moorest at the land that loveth silence,Before the heart of the son whom thou lovest is still.
Make holiday, O Neferhetep, Justified! | the excellent divine father, pure of hands!There are heard all the things | that have happened to the ancestors who were aforetime;Their walls are ruined | their places are not;They are as though they had never been | since the time of the god.May thy walls be established | may thy trees flourish on the bank of thy pond!May thy soul sit beneath them | that it drink their waters!Follow thy heart greatly | while thou art on earth.Give bread to him | who is without plot of land.Mayest thou gain a good name | for the eternal future!Mayest thou....
Translation of F. Ll. Griffith.
[In the British Museum there is a memorial tablet of Ptolemaic date for a lady of highest sacerdotal descent, on her mother's side as well as on her father's. She was married to the chief priest of Ptah, and on her death she addresses her male relations and friends among the priests of chief rank with words and sentiments very different from the orthodox prayers and formulæ which cover the funerary stelæ of Pharaonic times; though much the same line of thought found utterance in the songs of the harpers.]
[In the British Museum there is a memorial tablet of Ptolemaic date for a lady of highest sacerdotal descent, on her mother's side as well as on her father's. She was married to the chief priest of Ptah, and on her death she addresses her male relations and friends among the priests of chief rank with words and sentiments very different from the orthodox prayers and formulæ which cover the funerary stelæ of Pharaonic times; though much the same line of thought found utterance in the songs of the harpers.]
O brother, husband, friend, thy desire to drink and to eat hath not ceased, [therefore] be drunken, enjoy the love of women, make holiday. Follow thy desire by night and by day. Put not care within thine heart. Lo! are not these the years of thy life upon earth? For as for Amenti, it is a land of slumber and of heavy darkness, a resting-place for those who have passed within it. Each sleepeth [there] in his own form; they never more awake to see their fellows, they behold not their fathers nor their mothers, their heart is careless of their wives and children.
The water of life with which every mouth is moistened is corruption to me, the water that is by me corrupteth me; I know not what to do[231]since I came into this valley. Give me runningwater; say to me: "Water shall not cease to be brought to thee." Turn my face to the north wind upon the edge of the water. Verily thus shall my heart be cooled, refreshed from its pain.[232]
Verily I think on him whose name is "Come!" All who are called of him come to him instantly, their hearts terrified with fear of him. There is none whom he regardeth among gods or men; with him the great are as the small. His hand cannot be held back from aught that he desireth; he snatcheth the child from its mother, as well as the aged who are continually meeting him on his way. All men fear and pray before him, but he heedeth them not. None cometh to gaze on him in wonder; he hearkeneth not unto them who adore him. He is not seen[233]that propitiatory offerings of any kind should be made to him.
Translation of F. Ll. Griffith.
[The following is found on a papyrus of the XIIth Dynasty, preserved at Berlin. After some obscure arguments the man apparently admits that the present life is full of dissatisfaction, and proceeds.]
[The following is found on a papyrus of the XIIth Dynasty, preserved at Berlin. After some obscure arguments the man apparently admits that the present life is full of dissatisfaction, and proceeds.]
Death is ever before me [?] like the healing of a sick man, or like a rise in life after a fall.Death is ever before me like the smell of frankincense, or like sitting under an awning on a day of cool breeze.[234]Death is ever before me like the scent of lotuses, like sitting on the bank of the Land of Intoxication.[235]Death is ever before me like a road watered [?], or as when a man cometh from a campaign to his home.Death is ever before me like the unveiling of the sky, or as when a man attaineth to unexpected fortune.Death is ever before me like as a man desireth to see his house when he hath spent many years in pulling [the oars?].[236]Verily he that is therein is as a living god punishing the error of the evil-doer.Verily he that is therein standeth in the boat of Ra and causeth choice viands to be given thence to the temples.[237]Verily he that is therein is as a wizard; he is not prevented from complaining to Ra even as he would speak.
Death is ever before me [?] like the healing of a sick man, or like a rise in life after a fall.Death is ever before me like the smell of frankincense, or like sitting under an awning on a day of cool breeze.[234]Death is ever before me like the scent of lotuses, like sitting on the bank of the Land of Intoxication.[235]Death is ever before me like a road watered [?], or as when a man cometh from a campaign to his home.Death is ever before me like the unveiling of the sky, or as when a man attaineth to unexpected fortune.Death is ever before me like as a man desireth to see his house when he hath spent many years in pulling [the oars?].[236]Verily he that is therein is as a living god punishing the error of the evil-doer.Verily he that is therein standeth in the boat of Ra and causeth choice viands to be given thence to the temples.[237]Verily he that is therein is as a wizard; he is not prevented from complaining to Ra even as he would speak.
My soul said unto me:[238]"Lay aside [?] mourning, O Nessu my brother, that thou mayest offer upon the altar even as thou fightest for life, as thou sayest, 'Love me continually.' Thou hast refused the grave; desire then that thou mayest reach the grave, that thy body may join the earth, that I may hover [over thee] after thou art weary. Let us then make a dwelling together."
Translation of F. Ll. Griffith.
[It may be thought that the fundamental ideas of Egyptian morality would be most succinctly expressed in the so-called 'Negative Confession' contained in the 'Book of the Dead.' When the deceased appeared before Osiris he was supposed to recite this confession, in which he alleged his freedom from a long catalogue of sins: he repeated it in two forms. After the XVIIIth Dynasty, B.C. 1500, it was considered as perhaps the most essential of all the texts deposited in the tomb with the mummy, for the guidance of the deceased person before his fate was finally settled. It is therefore to be found in thousands of copies, but unfortunately this much-worn text is as corrupt as most of the other sections of the Book of the Dead. The hack scribes and calligraphists were content to copy without understanding it, often bungling or wresting the sense according to their very imperfect lights. It is seldom that different copies agree precisely in their readings: often the differences are very material and leave the true sense altogether uncertain. Again, even where the reading seems comparatively sure, the meaning remains obscure, owing to the occurrence of rare words or expressions. All the phrases begin with the negative "not."]
[It may be thought that the fundamental ideas of Egyptian morality would be most succinctly expressed in the so-called 'Negative Confession' contained in the 'Book of the Dead.' When the deceased appeared before Osiris he was supposed to recite this confession, in which he alleged his freedom from a long catalogue of sins: he repeated it in two forms. After the XVIIIth Dynasty, B.C. 1500, it was considered as perhaps the most essential of all the texts deposited in the tomb with the mummy, for the guidance of the deceased person before his fate was finally settled. It is therefore to be found in thousands of copies, but unfortunately this much-worn text is as corrupt as most of the other sections of the Book of the Dead. The hack scribes and calligraphists were content to copy without understanding it, often bungling or wresting the sense according to their very imperfect lights. It is seldom that different copies agree precisely in their readings: often the differences are very material and leave the true sense altogether uncertain. Again, even where the reading seems comparatively sure, the meaning remains obscure, owing to the occurrence of rare words or expressions. All the phrases begin with the negative "not."]
I have not done injury to men.I have not oppressed those beneath me.[239]I have not acted perversely [prevaricated?], instead of straightforwardly.I have not known vanity.[240]I have not been a doer of mischief.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I have not done what the gods abominate.I have not turned the servant against his master.I have not caused hunger.I have not caused weeping.I have not murdered.I have not commanded murder.I have not caused suffering to men.I have not cut short the rations of the temples.I have not diminished the offerings of the gods.I have not taken the provisions of the blessed dead.I have not committed fornication nor impurity in what was sacred to the god of my city.I have not added to nor diminished the measures of grain.I have not diminished the palm measure.I have not falsified the cubit of land.I have not added to the weights of the balance.I have not nullified the plummet of the scales.I have not taken milk from the mouth of babes.I have not driven cattle from their herbage.[241]I have not trapped birds, the bones of the gods.I have not caught fish in their pools.[?]I have not stopped water in its season.I have not dammed running water.I have not quenched fire when burning.[242]I have not disturbed the cycle of gods when at their choice meats.I have not driven off the cattle of the sacred estate.I have not stopped a god in his comings forth.
I have not done injury to men.I have not oppressed those beneath me.[239]I have not acted perversely [prevaricated?], instead of straightforwardly.I have not known vanity.[240]I have not been a doer of mischief.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .I have not done what the gods abominate.I have not turned the servant against his master.I have not caused hunger.I have not caused weeping.I have not murdered.I have not commanded murder.I have not caused suffering to men.I have not cut short the rations of the temples.I have not diminished the offerings of the gods.I have not taken the provisions of the blessed dead.I have not committed fornication nor impurity in what was sacred to the god of my city.I have not added to nor diminished the measures of grain.I have not diminished the palm measure.I have not falsified the cubit of land.I have not added to the weights of the balance.I have not nullified the plummet of the scales.I have not taken milk from the mouth of babes.I have not driven cattle from their herbage.[241]I have not trapped birds, the bones of the gods.I have not caught fish in their pools.[?]I have not stopped water in its season.I have not dammed running water.I have not quenched fire when burning.[242]I have not disturbed the cycle of gods when at their choice meats.I have not driven off the cattle of the sacred estate.I have not stopped a god in his comings forth.