Egyptian Literature Part 11

THE CHAPTER OF CAUSING THE SOUL TO BE UNITED TO ITS BODY IN THE UNDERWORLD. The Osiris Ani, triumphant, saith:

"Hail, thou G.o.d Anniu (_i.e._, Bringer)! Hail, thou G.o.d Pehrer (_i.e._, Runner), who dwellest in thy hall! [Hail,] great G.o.d! Grant thou that my soul may come unto me from wheresoever it may be. If [it] would tarry, then let my soul be brought unto me from wheresoever it may be, for thou shalt find the Eye of Horus standing by thee like unto those beings who are like unto Osiris, and who never lie down in death. Let not the Osiris Ani, triumphant, lie down in death among those who lie down in Annu, the land wherein souls are joined unto their bodies even in thousands. Let me have possession of my _ba_ (soul), and of my _khu_, and let me triumph therewith in every place wheresoever it may be. [Observe these things which [I] speak, for it hath staves with it];(55) observe then, O ye divine guardians of heaven, my soul [wheresoever it may be].(56) If it would tarry, do thou make my soul to look upon my body,(57) for thou shalt find the Eye of Horus standing by thee like those [beings who are like unto Osiris]."

"Hail, ye G.o.ds, who tow along the boat of the lord of millions of years, who bring [it] above the underworld and who make it to travel over Nut, who make souls to enter into [their] spiritual bodies, whose hands are filled with your ropes and who clutch your weapons tight, destroy ye the Enemy; thus shall the boat of the sun be glad and the great G.o.d shall set out on his journey in peace. And behold, grant ye that the soul of Osiris Ani, triumphant, may come forth before the G.o.ds and that it may be triumphant along with you in the eastern part of the sky to follow unto the place where it was yesterday; [and that it may have] peace, peace in Amentet. May it look upon its material body, may it rest upon its spiritual body; and may its body neither perish nor suffer corruption forever."

[THESE] WORDS ARE TO BE SAID OVER A SOUL OF GOLD INLAID WITH PRECIOUS STONES AND PLACED ON THE BREAST OF OSIRIS.

Of Evil Recollections

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 8).]

THE CHAPTER OF DRIVING EVIL RECOLLECTIONS FROM THE MOUTH. The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, the son of the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Amen-hetep, triumphant, saith:

"Hail, thou that cuttest off heads, and slittest brows, thou being who puttest away the memory of evil things from the mouth of the _Khu_s by means of the incantations which they have within them, look not upon me with the [same] eyes with which thou lookest upon them. Go thou round about on thy legs, and let thy face be [turned] behind thee so that thou mayest be able to see the divine slaughterers of the G.o.d Shu who are coming up behind thee to cut off thy head, and to slit thy brow by reason of the message of violence [sent] by thy lord, and to see(?) that which thou sayest. Work thou for me so that the memory of evil things shall dart from my mouth; let not my head be cut off; let not my brow be slit; and let not my mouth be shut fast by reason of the incantations which thou hast within thee, according to that which thou doest for the _Khu_s through the incantations which they have within themselves. Get thee back and depart at the [sound of] the two speeches which the G.o.ddess Isis uttered when thou didst come to cast the recollection of evil things into the mouth of Osiris by the will of Suti his enemy, saying, 'Let thy face be toward the privy parts, and look upon that face which cometh forth from the flame of the Eye of Horus against thee from within the Eye of Tem,'

and the calamity of that night which shall consume thee. And Osiris went back, for the abomination of thee was in him; and thou didst go back, for the abomination of him is in thee. I have gone back, for the abomination of thee is in me; and thou shalt go back, for the abomination of me is in thee. Thou wouldst come unto me, but I say that thou shalt not advance to me so that I come to an end, and [I] say then to the divine slaughterers of the G.o.d Shu, 'Depart.' "

Of Rescue

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 6).]

THE CHAPTER OF NOT LETTING THE SOUL OF NU, TRIUMPHANT, BE CAPTIVE IN THE UNDERWORLD. He saith:

"Hail, thou who art exalted! [Hail,] thou who art adored! O thou mighty one of Souls, thou divine Soul, thou possessor of terrible power, who dost put the fear of thyself into the G.o.ds, thou who art crowned upon thy throne of majesty, I pray thee to make a way for the _ba_ (soul), and for the _khu_, and for the _khaibit_ (shade) of the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant [and let him be] provided therewith. I am a perfect _khu_, and I have made [my] way unto the place wherein dwell Ra and Hathor."

IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN [BY THE DECEASED] HE SHALL BE ABLE TO TRANSFORM HIMSELF INTO A _KHU_ PROVIDED [WITH HIS SOUL AND WITH HIS SHADE] IN THE UNDERWORLD, AND HE SHALL NEVER BE HELD CAPTIVE AT ANY DOOR IN AMENTET, IN ENTERING IN OR IN COMING OUT.(58)

Of Opening The Tomb

[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheet 6).]

THE CHAPTER OF OPENING THE TOMB TO THE SOUL [AND] TO THE SHADE OF OSIRIS the scribe Nebseni, the lord of reverence, born of the lady of the house Mut-restha, triumphant, SO THAT HE MAY COME FORTH BY DAY AND HAVE DOMINION OVER HIS FLEET. [He saith:]

"That which was shut fast hath been opened, that is to say, he that lay down in death [hath been opened]. That which was open hath been shut to my soul through the command of the Eye of Horus, which hath strengthened me and which maketh to stand fast the beauties which are upon the forehead of Ra, whose strides are long as [he] lifteth up [his] legs [in journeying].

I have made for myself a way, my members are mighty and are strong. I am Horus the avenger of his divine father. I am he who bringeth along his divine father, and who bringeth along his mother by means of his sceptre(?). And the way shall be opened unto him who hath gotten dominion over his feet, and he shall see the Great G.o.d in the Boat of Ra, [when]

souls are counted therein at the bows, and when the years also are counted up. Grant that the Eye of Horus, which maketh the adornments of light to be firm upon the forehead of Ra, may deliver my soul for me, and let there be darkness upon your faces, O ye who would hold fast Osiris. Oh, keep not captive my soul, Oh, keep not ward over my shade, but let a way be opened for my soul [and] for my shade, and let [them] see the Great G.o.d in the shrine on the day of the judgment of souls, and let [them] recite the utterances of Osiris, whose habitations are hidden, to those who guard the members of Osiris, and who keep ward over the _Khu_s, and who hold captive the shades of the dead who would work evil against me, so that they shall [not] work evil against me. May a way for thy double (_ka_) along with thee and along with [thy] soul be prepared by those who keep ward over the members of Osiris, and who hold captive the shades of the dead. Heaven shall [not] keep thee, the earth shall [not] hold thee captive, thou shalt not have thy being with the divine beings who make slaughter, but thou shalt have dominion over thy legs, and thou shalt advance to thy body straightway in the earth [and to] those who belong to the shrine and guard the members of Osiris."

Of Not Sailing To The East

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 6).]

THE CHAPTER OF NOT SAILING TO THE EAST IN THE UNDERWORLD. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:

"Hail, phallus of Ra, who departest from thy calamity [which ariseth]

through opposition(?), the cycles have been without movement for millions of years. I am stronger than the strong, I am mightier than the mighty. If I sail away or if I be s.n.a.t.c.hed away to the east through the two horns,"

or (as others say), "if any evil and abominable thing be done unto me at the feast of the devils, the phallus of Ra shall be swallowed up, [along with] the head of Osiris. And behold me, for I journey along over the fields wherein the G.o.ds mow down those who make reply unto [their words]; now verily the two horns of the G.o.d Khepera shall be thrust aside; and verily pus shall spring into being in the eye of Tem along with corruption if I be kept in restraint, or if I have gone toward the east, or if the feast of devils be made in my presence, or if any malignant wound be inflicted upon me."(59)

Of The Ink-Pot And Palette

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 12).]

THE CHAPTER OF PRAYING FOR AN INK-POT AND FOR A PALETTE. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:

"Hail, aged G.o.d, who dost behold thy divine father and who art the guardian of the book of Thoth, [behold I have come; I am endowed with glory, I am endowed with strength, I am filled with might, and I am supplied with the books of Thoth], and I have brought [them to enable me]

to pa.s.s through the G.o.d Aker who dwelleth in Set. I have brought the ink-pot and the palette as being the objects which are in the hands of Thoth; hidden is that which is in them. Behold me in the character of a scribe! I have brought the offal of Osiris, and I have written thereon. I have made (_i.e._, copied) the words of the great and beautiful G.o.d each day fairly. O Heru-khuti, thou didst order me and I have made (_i.e._, copied) what is right and true, and I do bring it unto thee each day."

Of Being Nigh Unto Thoth

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 7).]

THE CHAPTER OF BEING NIGH UNTO THOTH. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:

"I am he who sendeth forth terror into the powers of rain and thunder, and I ward off from the great divine lady the attacks of violence. [I have smitten like the G.o.d Shat (_i.e._, the G.o.d of slaughter), and I have poured out libations of cool water like the G.o.d Ashu, and I have worked for the great divine lady [to ward off] the attacks of violence], I have made to flourish [my] knife along with the knife which is in the hand of Thoth in the powers of rain and thunder."

Of Being Nigh Unto Thoth

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheets 19 and 20).]

THE CHAPTER OF BEING NIGH UNTO THOTH AND OF GIVING GLORY UNTO A MAN IN THE UNDERWORLD. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:

"I am the G.o.d Her-ab-maat-f (_i.e._, 'he that is within his eye'), and I have come to give right and truth to Ra; I have made Suti to be at peace with me by means of offerings made to the G.o.d Aker and to the Tesheru deities, and by [making] reverence unto Seb."