Egyptian Literature Part 16

35. "Hail, Tem-Sep, who comest forth from Tattu, I have not uttered curses [on the king].

36. "Hail, thou whose heart doth labor, who comest forth from the city of Tebti, I have not fouled(?) water.

37. "Hail, Ahi of the water, who comest forth from Nu, I have not made haughty my voice.

38. "Hail, thou who givest commands to mankind, who comest forth from [Sau(?)], I have not cursed the G.o.d.

39. "Hail, Neheb-nefert, who comest forth from the Lake of Nefer(?), I have not behaved with insolence.

40. "Hail, Neheb-kau, who comest forth from [thy] city, I have not sought for distinctions.

41. "Hail, thou whose head is holy, who comest forth from [thy]

habitations, I have not increased my wealth, except with such things as are [justly] mine own possessions.

42. "Hail, thou who bringest thine own arm, who comest forth from Aukert (underworld), I have not thought scorn of the G.o.d who is in my city."

Address To The G.o.ds Of The Underworld

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 24).]

[THEN SHALL THE HEART WHICH IS RIGHTEOUS AND SINLESS SAY:](101)

The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:

"Homage to you, O ye G.o.ds who dwell in the Hall of double Maati, I, even I, know you, and I know your names. Let me not fall under your knives of slaughter, and bring ye not forward my wickedness unto the G.o.d in whose train ye are; and let not evil hap come upon me by your means. Oh, declare ye me right and true in the presence of Neb-er-tcher, because I have done that which is right and true in Ta-mera (Egypt). I have not cursed G.o.d, and let not evil hap come upon me through the king who dwelleth in my day.

Homage to you, O ye G.o.ds, who dwell in the Hall of double Maati, who are without evil in your bodies, and who live upon right and truth, and who feed yourselves upon right and truth in the presence of the G.o.d Horus, who dwelleth in his divine Disk: deliver ye me from the G.o.d Baba who feedeth upon the entrails of the mighty ones upon the day of the great judgment.

Oh, grant ye that I may come to you, for I have not committed faults, I have not sinned, I have not done evil, I have not borne false witness; therefore let nothing [evil] be done unto me. I live upon right and truth, and I feed upon right and truth. I have performed the commandments of men [as well as] the things whereat are gratified the G.o.ds, I have made the G.o.ds to be at peace [with me by doing] that which is his will. I have given bread to the hungry man, and water to the thirsty man, and apparel to the naked man, and a boat to the [s.h.i.+pwrecked] mariner. I have made holy offerings to the G.o.ds, and sepulchral meals to the _Khu_s. Be ye then my deliverers, be ye then my protectors, and make ye not accusation against me in the presence of [the great G.o.d]. I am clean of mouth and clean of hands; therefore let it be said unto me by those who shall behold me, 'Come in peace; come in peace,' for I have heard that mighty word which the spiritual bodies (_sahu_)(102) spake unto the Cat in the House of Hapt-re. I have been made to give evidence before the G.o.d Hra-f-ha-f (_i.e._, he whose face is behind him), and he hath given a decision [concerning me]. I have seen the things over which the persea tree spreadeth [its branches] within Re-stau. I am he who hath offered up prayers to the G.o.ds and who knoweth their persons. I have come and I have advanced to make the declaration of right and truth, and to set the balance upon what supporteth it within the region of Aukert. Hail, thou who art exalted upon thy standard, thou lord of the _Atefu_ crown, whose name is proclaimed as 'Lord of the winds,' deliver thou me from thy divine messengers who cause dire deeds to happen, and who cause calamities to come into being, and who are without coverings for their faces, for I have done that which is right and true for the Lord of right and truth. I have purified myself and my breast with libations, and my hinder parts with the things which make clean, and my inner parts have been in the Pool of Right and Truth. There is no single member of mine which lacketh right and truth. I have been purified in the Pool of the South, and I have rested in the northern city which is in the Field of the Gra.s.shoppers, wherein the divine sailors of Ra bathe at the second hour of the night and at the third hour of the day. And the hearts of the G.o.ds are gratified(?) after they have pa.s.sed through it, whether it be by night, or whether it be by day, and they say unto me, 'Let thyself come forward.' And they say unto me, 'Who, then, art thou?' And they say unto me, 'What is thy name?' 'I am he who is equipped under the flowers [and I am] the dweller in his olive-tree,' is my name. And they say unto me straightway, 'Pa.s.s thou on'; and I pa.s.sed on by thy city to the north of the olive-tree. What, then, didst thou see there? The leg and the thigh. What, then, didst thou say unto them? Let me see rejoicings in those lands of the Tenkhu.(103) And what did they give unto thee? A flame of fire and a tablet (or sceptre) of crystal. What, then, didst thou do therewith? I buried them by the furrow of Manaat as 'things for the night.' What, then, didst thou find by the furrow of Manaat? A sceptre of flint, the name of which is 'Giver of winds.' What, then, didst thou do to the flame of fire and the tablet (or sceptre) of crystal after thou hadst buried them? I uttered words over them in the furrow, [and I dug them out therefrom];(104) I extinguished the fire, and I broke the tablet (or sceptre), and I created a pool of water. 'Come, then,' [they say,] 'and enter in through the door of this Hall of double Maati, for thou knowest us.' "

" 'We will not let thee enter in through us,' say the bolts of the door, 'unless thou tellest [us] our names;' 'Tongue [of the Balance] of the place of right and truth' is your name. 'I will not let thee enter in by me,' saith the [right] lintel of the door, 'unless thou tellest [me] my name;' 'Balance of the support of right and truth' is thy name. 'I will not let thee enter in by me,' saith the [left] lintel of the door, 'unless thou tellest [me] my name;' ['Balance of] wine' is thy name. 'I will not let thee pa.s.s over me,' saith the threshold of this door, 'unless thou tellest [me] my name;' 'Ox of the G.o.d Seb' is thy name. 'I will not open unto thee,' saith the fastening of this door, 'unless thou tellest [me] my name;' 'Flesh of his mother' is thy name. 'I will not open unto thee,'

saith the socket of the fastening of the door, 'unless thou tellest me my name;' 'Living eye of the G.o.d Sebek, the lord of Bakhau,' is thy name. 'I will not open unto thee [and I will not let thee enter in by me,' saith the guardian of the leaf of] this door, 'unless thou tellest [me] my name;' 'Elbow of the G.o.d Shu when he placeth himself to protect Osiris' is thy name. 'We will not let thee enter in by us,' say the posts of this door, 'unless thou tellest us our names;' 'Children of the uraei-G.o.ddesses'

is your name.(105) 'Thou knowest us,' [they say,] 'pa.s.s on, therefore, by us.'

" 'I will not let thee tread upon me,' saith the floor of the Hall of double Maati, 'because I am silent and I am holy, and because I do not know the name[s] of thy two feet wherewith thou wouldst walk upon me; therefore tell them to me.' 'Traveller(?) of the G.o.d Khas' is the name of my right foot, and 'Staff of the G.o.ddess Hathor' is the name of my left foot. 'Thou knowest me,' [it saith,] 'pa.s.s on therefore over me.' "

" 'I will not make mention of thee,' saith the guardian of the door of this Hall of double Maati, 'unless thou tellest [me] my name;' 'Discerner of hearts and searcher of the reins' is thy name. 'Now will I make mention of thee [to the G.o.d]. But who is the G.o.d that dwelleth in his hour? Speak thou it' (_i.e._, his name). Maau-Taui (_i.e._, he who keepeth the record of the two lands) [is his name]. 'Who then is Maau-Taui?' He is Thoth.

'Come,' saith Thoth. 'But why hast thou come?' I have come, and I press forward that I may be mentioned. What now is thy condition? I, even I, am purified from evil things, and I am protected from the baleful deeds of those who live in their days; and I am not among them. 'Now will I make mention of thee [to the G.o.d].'(106) '[Tell me now,] who is he(107) whose heaven is of fire, whose walls [are surmounted by] living uraei, and the floor of whose house is a stream of water? Who is he? I say.' It is Osiris. 'Come forward, then: verily thou shalt be mentioned [to him]. Thy cakes [shall come] from the Eye of Ra, and thine ale [shall come] from the Eye of Ra, and the sepulchral meals [which shall be brought to thee] upon earth [shall come] from the Eye of Ra. This hath been decreed for the Osiris the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant.' "

(THE MAKING OF THE REPRESENTATION OF WHAT SHALL HAPPEN IN THIS HALL OF DOUBLE MAATI.) THIS CHAPTER SHALL BE SAID [BY THE DECEASED] AFTER HE HATH BEEN CLEANSED AND PURIFIED, AND WHEN HE IS ARRAYED IN APPAREL, AND IS SHOD WITH WHITE LEATHER SANDALS, AND HIS EYES HAVE BEEN PAINTED WITH ANTIMONY, AND [HIS BODY] HATH BEEN ANOINTED WITH UNGUENT OF _ANTI_, AND WHEN HE OFFERETH OXEN, AND FEATHERED FOWL, AND INCENSE, AND CAKES, AND ALE, AND GARDEN HERBS. AND, BEHOLD, THOU SHALT DRAW A REPRESENTATION OF THIS IN COLOR UPON A NEW TILE MOULDED FROM EARTH UPON WHICH NEITHER A PIG NOR OTHER ANIMALS HAVE TRODDEN. AND IF [THOU] DOEST THIS BOOK UPON IT [IN WRITING, THE DECEASED] SHALL FLOURISH, AND HIS CHILDREN SHALL FLOURISH, AND [HIS NAME] SHALL NEVER FALL INTO OBLIVION, AND HE SHALL BE AS ONE WHO FILLETH (_I.E._, SATISFIETH) THE HEART OF THE KING AND OF HIS PRINCES, AND BREAD, AND CAKES, AND SWEETMEATS, AND WINE, AND PIECES OF FLESH SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO HIM UPON THE ALTAR OF THE GREAT G.o.d; AND HE SHALL NOT BE TURNED BACK AT ANY DOOR IN AMENTET, AND HE SHALL BE BROUGHT IN ALONG WITH THE KINGS OF UPPER AND LOWER EGYPT, AND HE SHALL BE IN THE TRAIN OF OSIRIS(108) CONTINUALLY AND REGULARLY FOREVER.

Of The Hour Apes(109)

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 24).]

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, ye four apes who sit in the bows of the boat of Ra, who convey right and truth to Neb-er-tcher, who sit in judgment on my misery and on my strength, who make the G.o.ds to rest contented by means of the flame of your mouths, who offer holy offerings to the G.o.ds and sepulchral meals to the _khu_s, who live upon right and truth, and who feed upon right and truth of heart, who are without deceit and fraud, and to whom wickedness is an abomination, do ye away with my evil deeds, and put ye away my sin [which deserved stripes upon earth, and destroy ye any evil whatsoever that belongeth unto me],(110) and let there be no obstacle whatsoever on my part toward you. Oh, grant ye that I may make my way through the underworld (_ammehet_), let me enter into Re-stau, let me pa.s.s through the hidden pylons of Amentet. Oh, grant that there may be given to me cakes, and ale, and sweetmeats(?), even as [they are given] to the living _khu_s, and grant that I may enter in and come forth from Re-stau."

"[The four apes make answer, saying], 'Come, then, for we have done away with thy wickedness, and we have put away thy sin, along with the [sin deserving of] stripes which thou [didst commit] upon earth, and we have destroyed [all] the evil which belonged to thee upon the earth. Enter, therefore, into Re-stau, and pa.s.s thou through the hidden pylons of Amentet, and there shall be given unto thee cakes, and ale, and sweetmeats(?), and thou shalt come forth and thou shalt enter in at thy desire, even as do those _khu_s who are favored [of the G.o.d], and thou shalt be proclaimed (or called) each day in the horizon.' "

Of The Praise Of The G.o.ds

[From the Tomb of Rameses IV (see Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 141; Lefebure, "Tombeau de Ramses IV," Plate 13).]

THE BOOK OF THE PRAISE OF THE G.o.dS OF THE QERTI(111) WHICH A MAN SHALL RECITE WHEN HE COMETH FORTH BEFORE THEM TO ENTER IN TO SEE THE G.o.d IN THE GREAT TEMPLE OF THE UNDERWORLD. And he shall say:

"Homage to you, O ye G.o.ds of the _Qerti_, ye divine dwellers in Amentet!

Homage to you, O ye guardians of the doors of the underworld, who keep ward over the G.o.d, who bear and proclaim [the names of those who come]

into the presence of the G.o.d Osiris, and who hold yourselves ready, and who praise [him], and who destroy the Enemies of Ra. Oh, send ye forth your light and scatter ye the darkness [which is about] you, and behold ye the holy and divine Mighty One, O ye who live even as he liveth, and call ye upon him that dwelleth within his divine Disk. Lead ye the King of the North and of the South, (Usr-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Amen), the son of the Sun, (Ra-meses-meri-Amen-Ra-heq-Maat), through your doors, may his divine soul enter into your hidden places, [for] he is one among you, and he hath shot forth calamities upon the serpent fiend Apep, and he hath beaten down the obstacles [which Apep set up] in Amentet. Thy word hath prevailed mightily over thine enemies, O great G.o.d, who livest in thy divine Disk; thy word hath prevailed mightily over thine enemies, O Osiris, Governor of Amentet; thy word hath prevailed mightily over thine enemies in heaven and in earth, O thou King of the North and of the South, (Usr-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Amen), the son of the Sun, (Ra-meses-meri-Amen-Ra-heq-Maat), and over the sovereign princes of every G.o.d and of every G.o.ddess, O Osiris, Governor of Amentet; he hath uttered words in the presence [of the G.o.d in] the valley of the dead, and he hath gained the mastery over the mighty sovereign princes. Hail, ye doorkeepers(?), hail, ye doorkeepers, who guard your gates, who punish souls, who devour the bodies of the dead, who advance over them at their examination in the places of destruction, who give right and truth to the soul and to the divine _khu_, the beneficent one, the mighty one, whose throne is holy in Akert, who is endowed with soul like Ra and who is praised like Osiris, lead ye along the King of the North and of the South, (Usr-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Amen), the son of the Sun, (Ra-meses-meri-Amen-Ra-heq-Maat), unbolt ye for him the doors, and open [ye] the place of his _Qerti_ for him. Behold, make ye his word to triumph over his enemies, and indeed let meat-offerings and drink-offerings be made unto him by the G.o.d of the double door, and let him put on the _nemmes_ crown of him that dwelleth in the great and hidden shrine. Behold the image of Heru-khuti (Harmachis), who is doubly true, and who is the divine Soul and the divine and perfect Khu; he hath prevailed with his hands. The two great and mighty G.o.ds cry out to the King of the North and South (Usr-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Amen), the son of the Sun, (Ra-meses-meri-Amen-Ra-heq-Maat), they rejoice with him, they sing praises to him [and clap] their hands, they accord him their protection, and he liveth. The King of the North and South (Usr-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Amen), the son of the Sun, (Ra-meses-meri-Amen-Ra-heq-Maat), riseth like a living soul in heaven. He hath been commanded to make his transformations, he hath made himself victorious before the divine sovereign chiefs, and he hath made his way through the gates of heaven, and of earth, and of the underworld, even as hath Ra. The King of the North and South, (Usr-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Amen), the son of the Sun, (Ra-meses-meri-Amen-Ra-heq-Maat), saith, 'Open unto me the gate[s] of heaven, and of earth, and of the underworld, for I am the divine soul of Osiris and I rest in him, and let me pa.s.s through their halls. Let [the G.o.ds] sing praises unto me [when] they see me; let me enter and let favor be shown unto me; let me come forth and let me be beloved; and let me go forward, for no defect or failure hath been found clinging unto me.' "

Adoration Of The G.o.ds Of The Qerti

[From the Papyrus of Ptah-mes (Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 142).]

A CHAPTER TO BE RECITED ON COMING BEFORE THE DIVINE SOVEREIGN CHIEFS OF OSIRIS TO OFFER PRAISE UNTO THE G.o.dS WHO ARE THE GUIDES OF THE UNDERWORLD.

Osiris, the chief scribe and draughtsman, Ptah-mes, triumphant, saith:

"Homage to you, O ye G.o.ds who dwell in the _Qerti_, ye G.o.ds who dwell in Amentet, who keep ward over the gates of the underworld and are the guardians [thereof], who bear and proclaim [the names of those who come]

into the presence of Osiris, who praise him and who destroy the enemies of Ra. Oh, send forth your light and scatter ye the darkness [which is about]

you, and look upon the face of Osiris, O ye who live even as he liveth, and praise [ye] him that dwelleth in his Disk, and lead [ye] me away from your calamities. Let me come forth and let me enter in through your secret places, for I am a mighty prince among you, for I have done away with evil there, and I have beaten down the obstacles(?) [which have been set up] in Amentet. Thou hast been victorious over thine enemies, O thou that dwellest in thy Disk; thou hast been victorious over thine enemies, O Thoth, who producest(?) statutes; thou hast been victorious over thine enemies, O Osiris, the chief scribe and draughtsman, Ptah-mes, triumphant; thou hast been triumphant over thine enemies, O Osiris, thou Governor of Amentet, in heaven and upon earth in the presence of the divine sovereign chiefs of every G.o.d and of every G.o.ddess; and the food(?) of Osiris, the Governor of Amentet, is in the presence of the G.o.d whose name is hidden before the great divine sovereign chiefs. Hail ye guardians of the doors, ye [G.o.ds] who keep ward over their habitations(?), who keep the reckoning and who commit [souls] to destruction, who grant right and truth to the divine soul which is stablished, who are without evil in the abode of Akert, who are endowed with soul even as is Ra, and who are ... as is Osiris, guide ye Osiris the chief scribe, the draughtsman, Ptah-mes, triumphant, open ye unto him the gates of the underworld, and the uppermost part of his estate and his _Qert_. Behold, make [ye him] to be victorious over his enemies, provide [ye him] with the offerings of the G.o.d of the underworld, make n.o.ble the divine being who dwelleth in the _nemmes_ crown, the lord of the knowledge of Akert. Behold, stablish ...

this soul in right and truth, [and let it become] a perfect soul that hath gained the mastery with its two hands. The great and mighty G.o.ds cry out, 'He hath gotten the victory,' and they rejoice in him, and they ascribe praise unto him with their hands, and they turn unto him their faces. The living one is triumphant, and is even like a living soul dwelling in heaven, and he hath been ordered to perform [his] transformations. Osiris triumphed over his enemies, and Osiris, the chief scribe and draughtsman, Ptah-mes, triumphant, hath gained the victory over his enemies in the presence of the great divine sovereign chiefs who dwell in heaven, and in the presence of the great divine sovereign chiefs who dwell upon the earth."

Hymn Of Praise To Osiris

[From Lepsius, "Todtenbuch," Bl. 51.]

A HYMN OF PRAISE TO OSIRIS. The Osiris Auf-ankh, triumphant, saith:

"Homage to thee, O Osiris Un-nefer, triumphant, thou son of Nut, thou first-born son of Seb, thou mighty one who comest forth from Nut, thou King in the city of Nifu-ur,(112) thou Governor of Amentet, thou lord of Abtu (Abydos), thou lord of souls, thou mighty one of strength, thou lord of the _atef_ crown in Suten-henen, thou lord of the divine form in the city of Nifu-ur, thou lord of the tomb, thou mighty one of souls in Tattu, thou lord of [sepulchral] offerings, thou whose festivals are many in Tattu. The G.o.d Horus exalteth his father in every place (or shrine), and he uniteth [himself] unto the G.o.ddess Isis and unto the G.o.ddess Nephthys; and the G.o.d Thoth reciteth for him the mighty glorifyings which are within him, [and which] come forth from his mouth, and the heart of Horus is stronger than that of all the G.o.ds. Rise up, then, O Horus, thou son of Isis, and avenge thy father Osiris. Hail, O Osiris, I have come unto thee; I am Horus and I have avenged thee, and I feed this day upon the sepulchral meals of oxen, and feathered fowl, and upon all the beautiful things [offered] unto Osiris. Rise up, then, O Osiris, for I have struck down for thee all thine enemies, and I have taken vengeance upon them for thee. I am Horus upon this beautiful day of thy fair rising in thy Soul which exalteth thee along with itself on this day before thy divine sovereign princes. Hail, O Osiris, thy _ka_ hath come unto thee and is with thee, and thou restest therein in thy name of Ka-Hetep. I maketh thee glorious in thy name of Khu, and it maketh thee like unto the Morning Star in thy name of Pehu, and it openeth for thee the ways in thy name of Ap-uat. Hail, O Osiris, I have come unto thee and I have set thine enemies under [thy feet] in every place, and thou art triumphant in the presence of the company of the G.o.ds and of the divine sovereign chiefs. Hail, O Osiris, thou hast received thy sceptre and the place whereon thou art to rest, and thy steps are under thee. Thou bringest food to the G.o.ds, and thou bringest sepulchral meals unto those who dwell in their tombs. Thou hast given thy might unto the G.o.ds and thou hast created the Great G.o.d; thou hast thy existence with them in their spiritual bodies, thou gatherest thyself unto all the G.o.ds, and thou hearest the word of right and truth on the day when offerings to this G.o.d are ordered on the festivals of Uka."