Egyptian Literature Part 47

_Section III_

1 O Ament, O Ament, O good, O good, O strong, O strong, O powerful, O powerful, O protecting, O protecting, O mysterious, O mysterious (Ament), the royal Osiris knows thee, he knows thy form, he knows the name of thy companions. Ament, hide my corpse, good Ament, hide my body. O resting-place, let me rest in thee; O strong one, may the royal Osiris be strong with thy strength; O powerful one, may he be powerful with thy power! O Ament, open thy arms to him; O protectress, cover his body; O mysterious being, stretch out thy hand to him. Hail, holy Ament of Osiris with the mysterious names, the most holy of the G.o.ds, thou who art the most hidden of all mysteries. Hail! the royal Osiris wors.h.i.+ps thee; he addresses the great G.o.d who is within thee. Hail! he wors.h.i.+ps thee; open thy mysterious doors to him. Hail! he wors.h.i.+ps thee; (open to him) thy hidden spheres, for he has his dwelling in the heavens like Ra, and his throne is upon the earth like Seb; he is seated upon the throne of Seb, upon the seats of Horchuti; his spirit soars into the heavens, it rests there; his body descends to the earth in the midst of the G.o.ds. He walks with Ra, he follows Tum, he is like Chepra, he lives as thou livest in truth.

2 When this book is read he who reads it purifies himself at the hour when Ra sets, who rests in the Ament of the Ament, when Ra is in the midst of hidden things, completely.

The Book Of Respirations

Translated by P. J. De Horrack

The ma.n.u.script a translation of which here follows belongs to the Museum of the Louvre, in Paris, where it is registered under the No. 3284 (_Deveria, Catalogue des MS. egypt._, p. 132). It probably dates from the epoch of the Ptolemies. It is in hieratic writing and generally known by the name of "Book of Respirations" or "Book of the Breaths of Life,"

according to Mr. Le Page Renouf's ingenious interpretation. This book seems to have been deposited exclusively with the mummies of the priests and priestesses of the G.o.d Ammon-Ra, if we may judge from the t.i.tles inserted into the ma.n.u.scripts.

Dr. Brugsch, in 1851, first directed the attention of Egyptologists to this curious work, by publis.h.i.+ng a transcription in hieroglyphics of a hieratic text in the Berlin Museum, with a Latin translation, under the t.i.tle of "_Sha an Sinsin, sive liber Metempsychosis_," etc. He added to this a copy of a hieratic text of the same book found in Denon ("_Voyage en Egypte_," pl. 136).

A full a.n.a.lysis of this literary composition has also been given by Dr.

Samuel Birch, in his Introduction to the "_Rhind Papyri_," London, 1863.

The Paris ma.n.u.script is as yet unpublished, but a copy of it will be produced ere long by the present translator. A few pa.s.sages corrupted by the ancient scribe have been restored from copies of the same text, which are in the Egyptian Museum of the Louvre.

The "Book of Respirations" has a great a.n.a.logy with that of the "Lamentations of Isis and Nephthys." It not only makes allusion to the _formulae_ and acts by means of which the resurrection is effected, but also treats of the life after death, thus greatly increasing our knowledge of the religious system of the ancient Egyptians.

THE BOOK OF RESPIRATIONS

1 Commencement of the Book of Respirations made by Isis for her brother Osiris, to give life to his soul, to give life to his body, to rejuvenate all his members anew; that he may reach the horizon with his father, the Sun; that his soul may rise to Heaven in the disk of the Moon; that his body may s.h.i.+ne in the stars of Orion on the bosom of Nu-t;(663) in order that this may also happen to the Osiris, divine Father, Prophet of Ammon-Ra, King of the G.o.ds, Prophet of Khem, of Ammon-Ra, bull of his mother, in his great abode, Asar-aau, justified, Son of the Prophet of the same order, Nes-paut-ta-ti, justified, Conceal (it), conceal (it)!

Let it not be read by anyone.

It is profitable to the person who is in the divine Nether-World.

He liveth in reality millions of times anew.

2 Words spoken: Hail to the Osiris N!(664) thou art pure; thy heart is pure, thy fore-part is purified, thy hind-part is cleansed, thy middle is in _Bat_(665) and natron.

No member in thee is faulty.

The Osiris N is (made) pure by the lotions from the Fields of Peace, at the North of the Fields of Sanehem-u.(666) The G.o.ddesses Uati (and) Suben have purified thee at the eighth hour of the night and at the eighth hour of the day.

Come Osiris N!

Thou dost enter the Hall of the Two G.o.ddesses of Truth.

Thou art purified of all sin, of all crime.

Stone of Truth is thy name.

3 Hail to the Osiris N!

Thou, being very pure, dost enter the Lower Heaven.

The Two G.o.ddesses of Justice have purified thee in the Great Hall.

A purification hath been made to thee in the Hall of Seb.

Thy members have been purified in the Hall of Shu.(667) Thou seest Ra in his setting, (as) Atum(668) in the evening.

Ammon is near to thee, to give thee breath, Ptah, to form thy members.

Thou dost enter the horizon with the Sun.

Thy soul is received in the bark Neshem(669) with Osiris.

Thy soul is divinized in the Hall of Seb.

Thou art justified forever and ever.

4 Hail to the Osiris N!

Thine individuality is permanent.

Thy body is durable.

Thy mummy doth germinate.

Thou art not repulsed from heaven, (neither from) earth.

Thy face is illuminated near the Sun.

Thy soul liveth near to Ammon.

Thy body is rejuvenated near to Osiris.

Thou dost breathe forever and ever.

5 Thy soul maketh thee offerings, each day, of bread, of drinks, of oxen, of geese, of fresh water, of condiments.

Thou comest to justify it.

Thy flesh is on thy bones, like unto thy form on earth.

Thou dost imbibe into thy body.

Thou eatest with thy mouth.

Thou receivest bread, with the souls of the G.o.ds.

Anubis doth guard thee.

He is thy protection.

Thou art not repulsed from the gates of the Lower Heaven.

Thoth, the doubly great, the Lord of Sesennu, cometh to thee.

He writeth for thee the Book of Respirations, with his own fingers.

Thy soul doth breathe forever and ever.

Thou dost renew thy form on earth, among the living.

Thou art divinized with the souls of the G.o.ds.

Thy heart is the heart of Ra Thy members are the members of the great G.o.d.(670) Thou livest forever and ever.

6 Hail to the Osiris N!

Ammon is with thee each day to render thee life.

Apheru openeth to thee the right way.

Thou seest with thine eyes; thou hearest with thine ears; thou speakest with thy mouth; thou walkest with thy legs.

Thy soul is divinized in Heaven, to make all the transformations it desireth.

Thou makest the joy of the sacred _Persea_ in An.

Thou awakenest each day.

Thou seest the rays of Ra.

Ammon cometh to thee with the breath of life.

He granteth to thee to breathe in thy coffin.

Thou comest on earth each day, the Book of Respirations of Thoth being thy protection.

Thou breathest by it each day.

Thine eyes behold the rays of the disk.

Truth is spoken to thee before Osiris.

The _formulae_ of justification are on thy body.

Horus, the defender of his father, protecteth thy body.

He divinizeth thy soul as well as (those) of all the G.o.ds.

The soul of Ra giveth life to thy soul.

The soul of Shu filleth thy respiratory organs with soft breath.(671)