Egyptian Literature Part 7

On Coming Forth By Day

[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheets 23 and 24).]

THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH BY DAY IN THE UNDERWORLD. Nebseni, the lord of reverence, saith:

"I am Yesterday, To-day, and To-morrow, [and I have] the power to be born a second time; [I am] the divine hidden Soul who createth the G.o.ds, and who giveth sepulchral meals unto the denizens of the Tuat (underworld), Amentet, and heaven. [I am] the rudder of the east, the possessor of two divine faces wherein his beams are seen. I am the lord of the men who are raised up; [the lord] who cometh forth from out of the darkness, and whose forms of existence are of the house wherein are the dead. Hail, ye two hawks who are perched upon your resting-places, who hearken unto the things which are said by him, who guide the bier to the hidden place, who lead along Ra, and who follow [him] into the uppermost place of the shrine which is in the celestial heights! [Hail,] lord of the shrine which standeth in the middle of the earth. He is I, and I am he, and Ptah hath covered his sky with crystal. [Hail] Ra, thou who art content, thy heart is glad by reason of thy beautiful law of the day; thou enterest in by Khemennu(?) and comest forth at the east, and the divine first-born beings who are in [thy] presence cry out with gladness [unto thee]. Make thou thy roads glad for me, and make broad for me thy paths when I shall set out from earth for the life in the celestial regions. Send forth thy light upon me, O Soul unknown, for I am [one] of those who are about to enter in, and the divine speech is in [my] ears in the Tuat (underworld), and let no defects of my mother be [imputed] unto me; let me be delivered and let me be safe from him whose divine eyes sleep at eventide, when [he]

gathereth together and finisheth [the day] in night. I flood [the land]

with water, and 'Qem-ur' is my name, and the garment wherewith I am clothed is complete. Hail, thou divine prince Ati-she-f, cry out unto those divine beings who dwell in their hair at the season when the G.o.d is [lifted upon] the shoulder, saying: 'Come thou who [dwellest] above thy divine abyss of water, for verily the thigh [of the sacrifice] is tied to the neck, and the b.u.t.tocks are [laid] upon the head of Amentet.' May the Ur-urti G.o.ddesses (_i.e._, Isis and Nephthys) grant [such] gifts unto me when my tears start from me as I see myself journeying with the divine Tena in Abydos, and the wooden fastenings which fasten the four doors above thee are in thy power within thy garment. Thy face is like that of a greyhound which scenteth with his nose the place whither I go on my feet.

The G.o.d Akau transported me to the chamber(?), and [my] nurse is the divine double Lion-G.o.d himself. I am made strong and I come forth like him that forceth a way through the gate, and the radiance which my heart hath made is enduring; 'I know the abysses' is thy name. I work for you, O ye _Khu_s-4,000,000, 600,000, 1,000, and 200 are they-concerning the things which are there. [I am] over their affairs working for hours and days in setting straight the shoulders of the twelve Sah G.o.ds, and joining the hands of their company, each to each; the sixth who is at the head of the abyss is the hour of the defeat of the Fiends. [I] have come there in triumph, and [I am] he who is in the halls (or courtyards) of the underworld, and I am he who is laid under tribute to Shu. I rise as the Lord of Life through the beautiful law of this day, and it is their blood and the cool water of [their] slaughter which make the union of the earth to blossom. I make a way among the horns of all those who make themselves strong against me, and [among] those who in secret make themselves adversaries unto me, and who are upon their bellies. I have come as the envoy of my Lord of lords to give counsel [concerning] Osiris; the eye shall not absorb(39) its tears. I am the divine envoy(?) of the house of him that dwelleth in his possessions, and I have come from Sekhem to Annu to make known to the _Bennu_ bird therein concerning the events of the Tuat (underworld). Hail, thou Aukert (_i.e._, underworld) which hidest thy companion who is in thee, thou creator of forms of existence like the G.o.d Khepera, grant thou that Nebseni, the scribe and designer to the temples of the South and of the North, may come forth to see the Disk, and that his journeyings forth(?) may be in the presence of the great G.o.d, that is to say, Shu, who dwelleth in everlastingness. Let me journey on in peace; let me pa.s.s over the sky; let me adore the radiance of the splendor [which is in] my sight; let me soar like a bird to see the companies(?) of the _Khu_s in the presence of Ra day by day, who vivifieth every human being that walketh upon the regions which are upon the earth. Hail, Hemti (_i.e._, Runner); Hail, Hemti; who carriest away the shades of the dead and the _Khu_s from earth, grant thou unto me a prosperous way to the Tuat (underworld), such as is made for the favored ones [of the G.o.d], because [I am] helpless to gather together the emanations which come from me. Who art thou, then, who consumest in its hidden place? I am the Chief in Re-stau, and 'He that goeth in in his own name and cometh forth in that of Hehi(?), the lord of millions of years, and of the earth,' is my name. The pregnant G.o.ddess hath deposited [upon the earth] her load, and hath given birth to Hit straightway; the closed door which is by the wall is overthrown, it is turned upside down and I rejoice thereat. To the Mighty One hath his eye been given, and it sendeth forth light from his face when the earth becometh light (or at daybreak). I shall not become corrupt, but I shall come into being in the form of the Lion-G.o.d and like the blossoms of Shu; I am the being who is never overwhelmed in the waters. Happy, yea happy is he that looked upon the funeral couch which hath come to its place of rest, upon the happy day of the G.o.d whose heart resteth, who maketh his place of alighting [thereon]. I am he who cometh forth by day; the lord of the bier which giveth life in the presence of Osiris. In very truth the things which are thine are stable each day, O scribe, artist, child of the _Seshet_ chamber, Nebseni, lord of veneration. I clasp the sycamore tree, I myself am joined unto the sycamore tree, and its arm[s]

are opened unto me graciously. I have come and I have clasped the _Utchat_, and I have caused it to be seated in peace upon its throne. I have come to see Ra when he setteth, and I absorb into myself the winds [which arise] when he cometh forth, and both my hands are clean to adore him. I have gathered together [all my members], I have gathered together [all my members]. I soar like a bird and I descend upon the earth, and mine eye maketh me to walk thereon in my footsteps. I am the child of yesterday, and the Akeru G.o.ds of the earth have made me to come into being, and they have made me strong for my moment [of coming forth]. I hide with the G.o.d Aba-aaiu who will walk behind me, and my members shall germinate, and my _khu_ shall be as an amulet for my body and as one who watcheth [to protect] my soul and to defend it and to converse therewith; and the company of the G.o.ds shall hearken unto my words."

IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN [BY THE DECEASED] HE SHALL BE VICTORIOUS BOTH UPON EARTH AND IN THE UNDERWORLD. HE SHALL DO WHATSOEVER A MAN DOETH WHO IS UPON THE EARTH, AND HE SHALL PERFORM ALL THE DEEDS WHICH THOSE DO WHO ARE [ALIVE]. NOW IT IS A GREAT PROTECTION [GIVEN] BY THE G.o.d. THIS CHAPTER WAS FOUND IN THE CITY OF KHE-MENNU INSCRIBED UPON THE BLOCK OF IRON IN LETTERS OF LAPIS-LAZULI WHICH WAS UNDER THE FEET OF THIS G.o.d.

In the rubric to this chapter as found in the Papyrus of Mes-em-neter, the chapter is said to have been "discovered in the foundations of the shrine of the divine Hennu boat by the chief mason in the time of the King of the North and of the South, Hesepti,(40) triumphant," and it is there directed that it shall be recited by one who is ceremonially pure and clean, and who hath not touched women, and who hath not eaten flesh of animals or fish.

Chapter Of Knowledge

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 13).]

THE CHAPTER OF KNOWING THE "CHAPTERS OF COMING FORTH BY DAY" IN A SINGLE CHAPTER. The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Osiris Nu, triumphant, begotten of the overseer of the palace, Amen-hetep, triumphant, saith:

"I am Yesterday and To-morrow; and I have the power to be born a second time. [I am] the divine hidden Soul, who createth the G.o.ds, and who giveth sepulchral meals to the divine hidden beings [in the Tuat (underworld)], in Amenti, and in heaven. [I am] the rudder of the east, the possessor of two divine faces wherein his beams are seen. I am the lord of those who are raised up, [the lord] who cometh forth from out of the darkness.

[Hail,] ye two divine Hawks who are perched upon your resting-places, and who hearken unto the things which are said by him, the thigh [of the sacrifice] is tied to the neck, and the b.u.t.tocks [are laid] upon the head of Amentet. May the Ur-urti G.o.ddesses (_i.e._, Isis and Nephthys) grant such gifts unto me when my tears start from me as I look on. 'I know the abysses' is thy name. [I] work for [you], O ye _Khu_s, who are in number [four] millions, [six] hundred, and 1,000, and 200, and they are [in height] twelve cubits. [Ye] travel on joining the hands, each to each, but the sixth [hour], which belongeth at the head of the Tuat (underworld), is the hour of the overthrow of the Fiend. [I] have come there in triumph, and [I am] he who is in the hall (or courtyard) of the Tuat; and the seven(?) come in his manifestations. The strength which protecteth me is that which hath my _Khu_ under its protection, [that is] the blood, and the cool water, and the slaughterings which abound(?). I open [a way among] the horns of all those who would do harm unto me, who keep themselves hidden, who make themselves adversaries unto me, and those who are upon their bellies. The Eye shall not eat (or absorb) the tears of the G.o.ddess Aukert. Hail, G.o.ddess Aukert, open thou unto me the enclosed place, and grant thou unto me pleasant roads whereupon I may travel. Who art thou, then, who consumest in the hidden places? I am the Chief in Re-stau, and [I] go in and come forth in my name of 'Hehi, the lord of millions of years [and of] the earth'; [I am] the maker of my name. The pregnant one hath deposited [upon the earth] her load. The door by the wall is shut fast, and the things of terror are overturned and thrown down upon the backbone(?) of the _Bennu_ bird by the two _Samait_ G.o.ddesses. To the Mighty One hath his Eye been given, and his face emitteth light when [he] illumineth the earth, [my name is his name].(41) I shall not become corrupt, but I shall come into being in the form of the Lion-G.o.d; the blossoms of Shu shall be in me. I am he who is never overwhelmed in the waters. Happy, yea happy, is the funeral couch of the Still-heart; he maketh himself to alight upon the pool(?), and verily he cometh forth [therefrom]. I am the lord of my life. I have come to this [place], and I have come forth from Re-aa-urt the city of Osiris. Verily the things which are thine are with the _Sariu_ deities. I have clasped the sycamore tree and I have divided(?) it; I have opened a way for myself [among] the _Sekhiu_ G.o.ds of the Tuat. I have come to see him that dwelleth in his divine uraeus, face to face and eye to eye, and [I] draw to myself the winds [which rise] when he cometh forth. My two eyes(?) are weak in my face, O Lion[-G.o.d], Babe, who dwellest in Utent. Thou art in me and I am in thee; and thy attributes are my attributes. I am the G.o.d of the Inundation (_Bah_), and 'Qem-ur-she' is my name. My forms are the forms of the G.o.d Khepera, the hair of the earth of Tem, the hair of the earth of Tem. I have entered in as a man of no understanding, and I shall come forth in the form of a strong _Khu_, and I shall look upon my form which shall be that of men and women forever and forever."

I.(42) [IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN] BY A MAN HE SHALL COME FORTH BY DAY, AND HE SHALL NOT BE REPULSED AT ANY GATE OF THE TUAT (UNDERWORLD), EITHER IN GOING IN OR IN COMING OUT. HE SHALL PERFORM [ALL] THE TRANSFORMATIONS WHICH HIS HEART SHALL DESIRE FOR HIM AND HE SHALL NOT DIE; BEHOLD, THE SOUL OF [THIS] MAN SHALL FLOURISH. AND MOREOVER, IF [HE] KNOW THIS CHAPTER HE SHALL BE VICTORIOUS UPON EARTH AND IN THE UNDERWORLD, AND HE SHALL PERFORM EVERY ACT OF A LIVING HUMAN BEING. NOW IT IS A GREAT PROTECTION WHICH [HATH BEEN GIVEN] BY THE G.o.d. THIS CHAPTER WAS FOUND IN THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE SHRINE OF HENNU BY THE CHIEF MASON DURING THE REIGN OF HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE NORTH AND OF THE SOUTH, HESEPTI, TRIUMPHANT, WHO CARRIED [IT] AWAY AS A MYSTERIOUS OBJECT WHICH HAD NEVER [BEFORE] BEEN SEEN OR LOOKED UPON. THIS CHAPTER SHALL BE RECITED BY A MAN WHO IS CEREMONIALLY CLEAN AND PURE, WHO HATH NOT EATEN THE FLESH OF ANIMALS OR FISH, AND WHO HATH NOT HAD INTERCOURSE WITH WOMEN.

II.(43) IF THIS CHAPTER BE KNOWN [BY THE DECEASED] HE SHALL BE VICTORIOUS BOTH UPON EARTH AND IN THE UNDERWORLD, AND HE SHALL PERFORM EVERY ACT OF A LIVING HUMAN BEING. NOW IT IS A GREAT PROTECTION WHICH [HATH BEEN GIVEN]

BY THE G.o.d.

THIS CHAPTER WAS FOUND IN THE CITY OF KHEMENNU, UPON A BLOCK OF IRON OF THE SOUTH, WHICH HAD BEEN INLAID [WITH LETTERS] OF REAL LAPIS-LAZULI, UNDER THE FEET OF THE G.o.d DURING THE REIGN OF HIS MAJESTY, THE KING OF THE NORTH AND OF THE SOUTH, MEN-KAU-RA (MYCERINUS) TRIUMPHANT, BY THE ROYAL SON HERU-TA-TA-F,(44) TRIUMPHANT; HE FOUND IT WHEN HE WAS JOURNEYING ABOUT TO MAKE AN INSPECTION OF THE TEMPLES. ONE NEKHT(?) WAS WITH HIM WHO WAS DILIGENT IN MAKING HIM TO UNDERSTAND(?) IT, AND HE BROUGHT IT TO THE KING AS A WONDERFUL OBJECT WHEN HE SAW THAT IT WAS A THING OF GREAT MYSTERY, WHICH HAD NEVER [BEFORE] BEEN SEEN OR LOOKED UPON.

THIS CHAPTER SHALL BE RECITED BY A MAN WHO IS CEREMONIALLY CLEAN AND PURE, WHO HATH NOT EATEN THE FLESH OF ANIMALS OR FISH, AND WHO HATH NOT HAD INTERCOURSE WITH WOMEN. AND BEHOLD, THOU SHALT MAKE A SCARAB OF GREEN STONE, WITH A RIM PLATED(?) WITH GOLD, WHICH SHALL BE PLACED IN THE HEART OF A MAN, AND IT SHALL PERFORM FOR HIM THE "OPENING OF THE MOUTH." AND THOU SHALT ANOINT IT WITH _ANTI_ UNGUENT, AND THOU SHALT RECITE OVER IT [THESE] ENCHANTMENTS:(45)

Of Gaining Mastery Over Enemies

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 15).]

THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH BY DAY AND OF GAINING THE MASTERY OVER ENEMIES. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, saith:

"Ra sitteth in his habitation of millions of years, and he hath gathered together the company of the G.o.ds, with those divine beings, whose faces are hidden, who dwell in the Temple of Khepera, who eat the G.o.d Bah, and who drink the drink-offerings which are brought into the celestial regions of light; and conversely. Grant that I may take possession of the captives of Osiris, and never let me have my being among the fiends of Suti! Hail, let me sit upon his folds in the habitation of the G.o.d User-ba (_i.e._, he of the strong Soul)! Grant thou that I may sit upon the throne of Ra, and let me have possession of my body before the G.o.d Seb. Grant thou that Osiris may come forth triumphant over Suti [and over] the night-watchers of Suti, and over the night-watchers of the Crocodile, yea the night-watchers of the Crocodile, whose faces are hidden and who dwell in the divine Temple of the King of the North in the apparel of the G.o.ds on the sixth day of the festival, whose snares are like unto everlastingness and whose cords are like unto eternity. I have seen the G.o.d Abet-ka placing the cord; the child is laid in fetters, and the rope of the G.o.d Ab-ka is drawn tight(?) ... Behold me. I am born, and I come forth in the form of a living _Khu_, and the human beings who are upon the earth ascribe praise [unto me]. Hail, Mer, who doest these things for me, and who art put an end to by the vigor of Ra, grant thou that I may see Ra; grant thou that I may come forth against my enemies; and grant thou that I may be victorious over them in the presence of the sovereign princes of the great G.o.d who are in the presence of the great G.o.d. If, repulsing [me], thou dost not allow me to come forth against my Enemy and to be victorious over him before the sovereign princes, then may Hapi-who liveth upon law and order-not come forth into heaven-now he liveth by Maat-and may Ra-who feedeth upon fish-not descend into the waters! And then, verily shall Ra-who feedeth upon right and order-come forth into heaven, and then, verily, shall Hapi-who feedeth upon fish-descend into the waters; and then, verily, the great day upon the earth shall not be in its season.

I have come against my Enemy, he hath been given unto me, he hath come to an end, and I have gotten possession [of him] before the sovereign princes."

Victory Over Enemies

[From Lepsius, "Todtenbuch," Bl. 25.]

THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH BY DAY AND OF GAINING THE MASTERY OVER ENEMIES.

"Hail, [thou] who shinest from the Moon and who sendest forth light therefrom, thou comest forth among thy mult.i.tudes, and thou goest round about, let me rise," or (as others say), "let me be brought in among the _Khu_s, and let the underworld be opened [unto me]. Behold, I have come forth on this day, and I have become a _Khu_ (or a shining being); therefore shall the _Khu_s let me live, and they shall cause my enemies to be brought to me in a state of misery in the presence of the divine sovereign princes. The divine _ka_ (double) of my mother shall rest in peace because of this, and I shall stand upon my feet and have a staff of gold," or (as others say), "a rod of gold in my hand, wherewith I shall inflict cuts on the limbs [of mine enemy] and shall live. The legs of Sothis are stablished, and I am born in their state of rest."

Coming Forth By Day

[From the Papyrus of Amen-em-heb (Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 78).]

THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH BY DAY. The scribe Mahu saith:

"I have knowledge. I was conceived by the G.o.ddess Sekhet, and the G.o.ddess Neith gave birth to me; I am Horus, and [I have] come forth from the Eye of Horus. I am Uatchit who came forth from Horus. I am Horus and I fly up and perch myself upon the forehead of Ra in the bows of his boat which is in heaven."

Opening The Underworld

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 15).]

THE CHAPTER OF OPENING THE UNDERWORLD. The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:

"The chamber of those who dwell in Nu is opened, and the footsteps of those who dwell with the G.o.d of Light are set free. The chamber of Shu is opened, and he cometh forth; and I shall come forth outside, and I shall advance from my territory(?), I shall receive ... and I shall lay firm hold upon the tribute in the House of the Chief of his dead. I shall advance to my throne which is in the boat of Ra. I shall not be molested, and I shall not suffer shipwreck from my throne which is in the boat of Ra, the mighty one. Hail thou that shinest and givest light from Hent-she!"

Coming Forth By Day

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

THE CHAPTER OF COMING FORTH BY DAY. The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:

"The doors of heaven are opened for me, the doors of earth are opened for me, the bars and bolts of Seb are opened for me, and the first temple hath been unfastened for me by the G.o.d Petra. Behold, I was guarded and watched, [but now] I am released; behold, his hand had tied cords round me and his hand had darted upon me in the earth. Re-hent hath been opened for me and Re-hent hath been unfastened before me, Re-hent hath been given unto me, and I shall come forth by day into whatsoever place I please. I have gained the mastery over my heart; I have gained the mastery over my breast(?); I have gained the mastery over my two hands; I have gained the mastery over my two feet; I have gained the mastery over my mouth; I have gained the mastery over my whole body; I have gained the mastery over sepulchral offerings; I have gained the mastery over the waters; I have gained the mastery over the air; I have gained the mastery over the ca.n.a.l; I have gained the mastery over the river and over the land; I have gained the mastery over the furrows; I have gained the mastery over the male workers for me; I have gained the mastery over the female workers for me in the underworld; I have gained the mastery over [all] the things which were ordered to be done for me upon the earth, according to the entreaty which ye spake for me [saying], 'Behold, let him live upon the bread of Seb.' That which is an abomination unto me, I shall not eat; [nay] I shall live upon cakes [made] of white grain, and my ale shall be [made] of the red grain of Hapi (_i.e._, the Nile). In a clean place shall I sit on the ground beneath the foliage of the date-palm of the G.o.ddess Hathor, who dwelleth in the s.p.a.cious Disk as it advanceth to Annu (Heliopolis), having the books of the divine words of the writings of the G.o.d Thoth. I have gained the mastery over my heart; I have gained the mastery over my heart's place (or breast); I have gained the mastery over my mouth; I have gained the mastery over my two hands; I have gained the mastery over the waters; I have gained the mastery over the ca.n.a.l; I have gained the mastery over the river; I have gained the mastery over the furrows; I have gained the mastery over the men who work for me; I have gained the mastery over the women who work for me in the underworld; I have gained the mastery over [all] the things which were ordered to be done for me upon earth and in the underworld. I shall lift myself up on my left side, and I shall place myself on my right side; I shall lift myself up on my right side, and I shall place myself [on my left side]. I shall sit down, I shall stand up, and I shall place myself in [the path of] the wind like a guide who is well prepared."