Egyptian Literature Part 9

THE CHAPTER OF JOURNEYING TO ANNU (HELIOPOLIS) AND OF RECEIVING A THRONE THEREIN. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:

"I have come forth from the uttermost parts of the earth, and [I have]

received my apparel(?) at the will(?) of the Ape. I penetrate into the holy habitations of those who are in [their] shrines (or coffins), I force my way through the habitations of the G.o.d Remren, and I arrive in the habitations of the G.o.d Akhsesef, I travel on through the holy chambers, and I pa.s.s into the Temple of the G.o.d Kemken. The Buckle hath been given unto me, it [hath placed] its hands upon me, it hath decreed [to my service] its sister Khebent, and its mother Kehkehet. It placeth me in [the eastern part of heaven wherein Ra riseth and is exalted every day; and I rise therein and travel onward, and I become a spiritual body (_sah_) like the G.o.d, and they set me](49) on that holy way on which Thoth journeyeth when he goeth to make peace between the two Fighting-G.o.ds (_i.e._, Horus and Set). He journeyeth, he journeyeth to the city of Pe, and he cometh to the city of Tepu."

Of Transformation

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 9).]

THE CHAPTER OF A MAN TRANSFORMING HIMSELF INTO WHATEVER FORM HE PLEASETH.

The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:

"I have come into the House of the King by means of the mantis (_abit_) which led me hither. Homage to thee, O thou who fliest into heaven, and dost shine upon the son of the white crown, and dost protect the white crown, let me have my existence with thee! I have gathered together the great G.o.d[s], I am mighty, I have made my way and I have travelled along thereon."

Of Performing Transformations

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

THE CHAPTER OF PERFORMING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO A HAWK OF GOLD. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:

"I have risen, I have risen like the mighty hawk [of gold] that cometh forth from his egg; I fly and I alight like the hawk which hath a back four cubits wide, and the wings of which are like unto the mother-of-emerald of the south. I have come forth from the interior of the _Sektet_ boat, and my heart hath been brought unto me from the mountain of the east. I have alighted upon the _Atet_ boat, and those who were dwelling in their companies have been brought unto me, and they bowed low in paying homage unto me and in saluting me with cries of joy. I have risen, and I have gathered myself together like the beautiful hawk of gold, which hath the head of a _Bennu_ bird, and Ra entereth in day by day to hearken unto my words; I have taken my seat among those first-born G.o.ds of Nut. I am stablished, and the divine Sekhet-hetep is before me, I have eaten therein, I have become a _khu_ therein, I have an abundance therein-as much as I desire-the G.o.d Nepra hath given to me my throat, and I have gained the mastery over that which guardeth (or belongeth to) my head."

Of Transformation Into A Hawk

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheets 13 and 14).]

THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO A DIVINE HAWK. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:

"Hail, Great G.o.d, come now to Tattu! Make thou smooth for me the ways and let me go round about [to visit] my thrones; I have renewed(?) myself, and I have raised myself up. O grant thou that I may be feared, and make thou me to be a terror. Let the G.o.ds of the underworld be afraid of me, and may they fight for me in their habitations which are therein. Let not him that would do me harm draw nigh unto me, or injure(?) me, in the House of Darkness, that is, he that clotheth and covereth the feeble one, and whose [name] is hidden; and let not the G.o.ds act likewise toward me. [Hail], ye G.o.ds, who hearken unto [my] speech! Hail, ye rulers, who are among the followers of Osiris! Be ye therefore silent, O ye G.o.ds, when one G.o.d speaketh unto another, for he hearkeneth unto right and truth; and what I speak unto [him] do thou also speak for me then, O Osiris. Grant thou that I may journey round about [according to] that which cometh forth from thy mouth concerning me, and grant that I may see thine own Form (or forms), and the dispositions of thy Souls. Grant thou that I may come forth, and that I may have power over my legs, and that I may have my existence there like unto that of Neb-er-tcher who is over [all]. May the G.o.ds of the underworld fear me, and may they fight for me in their habitations. Grant thou that I may move along therein together with the divine beings who journey onward, and may I be stablished upon my resting-place like the Lord of Life. May I be joined unto Isis the divine lady, and may she protect me from him that would do an injury unto me; and let not anyone come to see the divine one naked and helpless. May I journey on, may I come into the uttermost parts of heaven. I exchange speech with the G.o.d Seb, I make supplication for divine food from Neb-er-tcher; the G.o.ds of the underworld have fear of me, and they fight for me in their habitations when they see that thou hast provided me with food, both of the fowl of the air and of the fish of the sea. I am one of those _Khu_s who dwell with the divine _Khu_, and I have made my form like unto his divine Form, when he cometh forth and maketh himself manifest in Tattu. [I am] a spiritual body (_sah_) and possess my soul, and will speak unto thee the things which concern me. O grant thou that I may be feared, and make thou me to be a terror; let the G.o.ds of the underworld be afraid of me, and may they fight for me in their habitations. I, even I, am the _Khu_ who dwelleth with the divine _Khu_, whom the G.o.d Tem himself hath created, and who hath come into being from the blossom (_i.e._, the eyelashes) of his eye; he hath made to have existence, and he hath made to be glorious (_i.e._, to be _Khu_s), and he hath made mighty thereby those who have their existence along with him. Behold, he is the only One in Nu, and they sing praises (or do homage) unto him [when] he cometh forth from the horizon, and the G.o.ds and the _Khu_s who have come into being along with him ascribe [the lordship of] terror unto him."

"I am one of those worms(?) which the eye of the Lord, the only One, hath created. And behold, when as yet Isis had not given birth to Horus, I had germinated, and had flourished, and I had become aged, and I had become greater than those who dwelt with the divine _Khu_, and who had come into being along with him. And I had risen up like the divine hawk, and Horus made for me a spiritual body containing his own soul, so that I might take possession of all that belonged unto Osiris in the underworld. The double Lion-G.o.d, the governor of the things which belong to the Temple of the _nemmes_ crown, who dwelleth in his secret abode, saith [unto me]: 'Get thee back to the uttermost parts of heaven, for behold, inasmuch as through thy form of Horus thou hast become a spiritual body, (_sah_) the _nemmes_ crown is not for thee; but behold, thou hast the power of speech even to the uttermost parts of heaven.' And I, the guardian, took possession of the things of Horus [which belonged] unto Osiris in the underworld, and Horus told aloud unto me the things which his divine father Osiris spake unto him in years [gone by] on the day of his own burial. I have given unto thee(50) the _nemmes_ crown through the double Lion-G.o.d that thou mayest pa.s.s onward and mayest come to the heavenly path, and that those who dwell in the uttermost parts of the horizon may see thee, and that the G.o.ds of the underworld may see thee and may fight for thee in their habitations. And of them is the Auhet.(51) The G.o.ds, each and all of them, who are the warders of the shrine of the Lord, the only One, have fallen before my words. Hail! He that is exalted upon his tomb is on my side, and he hath bound [upon my head] the _nemmes_ crown, by the decree of the double Lion-G.o.d on my behalf, and the G.o.d Auhet hath prepared a way for me. I, even I, am exalted in my tomb, and the double Lion-G.o.d hath bound the _nemmes_ crown upon my [head], and he hath also given unto me the double hairy covering of my head. He hath stablished my heart through his own backbone, he hath stablished my heart through his own great and exceeding strength, and I shall not fall through Shu. I make my peace with the beautiful divine Brother, the lord of the two uraei, adored be he! I, even I, am he who knoweth the roads through the sky, and the wind thereof is in my body. The bull which striketh terror [into men]

shall not drive me back, and I shall pa.s.s on to the place where lieth the shipwrecked mariner on the border of the Sekhet-neheh (_i.e._, Field of illimitable time), and I shall journey on to the night and sorrow of the regions of Amenti. O Osiris, I shall come each day into the House of the double Lion-G.o.d, and I shall come forth therefrom into the House of Isis, the divine lady. I shall behold sacred things which are hidden, and I shall be led on to the secret and holy things, even as they have granted unto me to see the birth of the Great G.o.d. Horus hath made me to be a spiritual body through his soul, [and I see what is therein. If I speak near the mighty ones of Shu they repulse my opportunity. I am the guardian and I] take possession of the things which Horus had from Osiris in the underworld. I, even I, am Horus who dwelleth in the divine _Khu_. [I] have gained power over his crown, I have gained power over his radiance, and I have travelled over the remote, illimitable parts of heaven. Horus is upon his throne, Horus is upon his royal seat. My face is like unto that of the divine hawk, my strength is like unto that of the divine hawk, and I am one who hath been fully equipped by his divine Lord. I shall come forth to Tattu, I shall see Osiris, I shall pay homage to him on the right hand and on the left, I shall pay homage unto Nut, and she shall look upon me, and the G.o.ds shall look upon me, together with the Eye of Horus who is without sight(?). They (_i.e._, the G.o.ds) shall make their arms to come forth unto me. I rise up [as] a divine Power, and [I] repulse him that would subject me to restraint. They open unto me the holy paths, they see my form, and they hear that which I speak. [Down] upon your faces, ye G.o.ds of the Tuat (underworld), who would resist me with your faces and oppose me with your powers, who lead along the stars which never rest, and who make the holy paths unto the Hemati abode [where is] the Lord of the exceedingly mighty and terrible Soul. Horus hath commanded that ye lift up your faces so that I may look upon you. I have risen up like the divine hawk, and Horus hath made for me a spiritual body, through his own soul, to take possession of that which belongeth to Osiris in the Tuat (underworld). I have bound up the G.o.ds with divine tresses, and I have travelled on to those who ward their Chambers, and who were on both sides of me. I have made my roads and I have journeyed on and have reached those divine beings who inhabit their secret dwellings, and who are warders of the Temple of Osiris. I have spoken unto them with strength, and have made them to know the most mighty power of him that is provided with two horns [to fight] against Suti; and I make them to know concerning him that hath taken possession of the divine food, and who is provided with the Might of Tem. May the G.o.ds of the underworld [order] a prosperous journey for me! O ye G.o.ds who inhabit your secret dwellings, and who are warders of the Temple of Osiris, and whose numbers are great and mult.i.tudinous, grant ye that I may come unto you. I have bound up and I have gathered together the powers of Kesemu-enenet," or (as others say), "Kesemiu-enenet; and I have made holy the Powers of the paths of those who watch and ward the roads of the horizon, and who are the guardians of the horizon of Hemati which is in heaven. I have stablished habitations for Osiris, I have made the ways holy for him, I have done that which hath been commanded, I have come forth to Tattu, I have seen Osiris, I have spoken unto him concerning the matters of his first-born son whom he loveth and concerning the wounding of the heart of Suti, and I have seen the divine one who is without life.

Yea, I have made them to know concerning the counsels of the G.o.ds which Horus carried out while his father Osiris was not [with him]. Hail, Lord, thou most mighty and terrible Soul! Verily, I, even I, have come, look thou upon me, and do thou make me to be exalted. I have made my way through the Tuat (underworld), and I have opened up the paths which belong to heaven and also those which belong to earth, and I have suffered no opposition therein. Exalted [be thou] upon thy throne, O Osiris! Thou hast heard fair things, O Osiris! Thy strength is vigorous, O Osiris. Thy head is fastened unto thee, O Osiris. Thy brow is stablished, O Osiris. Thy heart is glad, [O Osiris]. Thy speech(?) is stablished, [O Osiris], and thy princes rejoice. Thou art stablished like the Bull of Amentet. Thy son Horus hath risen like the sun upon thy throne, and all life is with him.

Millions of years minister unto him, and millions of years hold him in fear; the company of the G.o.ds are his servants, and the company of the G.o.ds hold him in fear. The G.o.d Tem, the Governor and only One of the G.o.ds, hath spoken [these things], and his word pa.s.seth not away. Horus is both the divine food and the sacrifice. [He] hath pa.s.sed on(?) to gather together [the members of] his divine father; Horus is [his] deliverer, Horus is [his] deliverer. Horus hath sprung from the water of his divine father and [from his] decay. He hath become the Governor of Egypt. The G.o.ds labor for him, and they toil for him for millions of years; and he hath made to live millions of years through his Eye, the only One of its Lord (or Neb-s), Nebt-er-tcher."

Of Transformation Into A Governor

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheets 8 and 9).]

THE CHAPTER OF BEING TRANSFORMED INTO THE GOVERNOR OF THE SOVEREIGN PRINCES. The chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, saith:

"I am the G.o.d Tem, the maker of heaven, the creator of things which are, who cometh forth from the earth, who maketh to come into being the seed which is sown, the lord of things which shall be, who gave birth to the G.o.ds; [I am] the great G.o.d who made himself, the lord of life, who maketh to flourish the company of the G.o.ds. Homage to you, O ye lords of divine things (or of creation), ye pure beings whose abodes are hidden! Homage to you, O ye everlasting lords, whose forms are hidden and whose shrines are hidden in places which are unknown! Homage to you, O ye G.o.ds, who dwell in the Tenait(?)! Homage to you, O ye G.o.ds of the circuit of the flooded lands of Qebhu! Homage to you, O ye G.o.ds who live in Amentet! Homage to you, O ye company of the G.o.ds who dwell in Nut! Grant ye that I may come unto you, for I am pure, I am divine, I am a _khu_, I am strong, I am endowed with a soul (or I am mighty), and I have brought unto you incense, and sweet-smelling gums, and natron; I have made an end of the spittle which floweth from your mouth upon me. I have come, and I have made an end of the evil things which are in your hearts, and I have removed the faults which ye kept [laid up against me]. I have brought to you the things which are good, and I make to come into your presence Right and Truth. I, even I, know you, and I know your names, and I know your forms, which are unknown, and I come into being along with you. My coming is like unto that of the G.o.d who eateth men and who liveth upon the G.o.ds. I am mighty with you like the G.o.d who is exalted upon his resting-place; the G.o.ds come to me in gladness, and G.o.ddesses make supplication unto me when they see me.

I have come unto you, and I have risen like your two divine daughters. I have taken my seat in the horizon, and I receive my offerings upon my tables, and I drink drink-offerings at eventide. My coming is [received]

with shouts of joy, and the divine beings who dwell in the horizon ascribe praises unto me, the divine spiritual body (_Sah_), the lord of divine beings. I am exalted like the holy G.o.d who dwelleth in the Great Temple, and the G.o.ds rejoice when they see me in my beautiful coming forth from the body of Nut, when my mother Nut giveth birth unto me."

Of Transformation Into A G.o.d

[From the Papyrus of Ani (British Museum No. 10,470, sheet 28).]

[THE CHAPTER OF] MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO THE G.o.d WHO GIVETH LIGHT [IN] THE DARKNESS. Saith Osiris, the scribe Ani, triumphant:

"I am the girdle of the robe of the G.o.d Nu, which shineth and sheddeth light upon that which belongeth to his breast, which sendeth forth light into the darkness, which uniteth the two fighting deities who dwell in my body through the mighty spell of the words of my mouth, which raiseth up him that hath fallen-for he who was with him in the valley of Abtu (Abydos) hath fallen-and I rest. I have remembered him. I have taken possession of the G.o.d Hu in my city, for I found him therein, and I have led away captive the darkness by my might. I have rescued the Eye [of the Sun] when it waned at the coming of the festival of the fifteenth day, and I have weighed Sut in the celestial houses against the Aged one who is with him. I have endowed Thoth [with what is needful] in the Temple of the Moon-G.o.d for the coming of the fifteenth day of the festival. I have taken possession of the _Ureret_ crown; Maat (_i.e._, right and truth) is in my body; its mouths are of turquoise and rock-crystal. My homestead is among the furrows which are [of the color of] lapis-lazuli. I am Hem-Nu(?) who sheddeth light in the darkness. I have come to give light in the darkness, which is made light and bright [by me]. I have given light in the darkness, and I have overthrown the destroying crocodiles. I have sung praises unto those who dwell in the darkness, I have raised up those who wept, and who had hidden their faces and had sunk down in wretchedness; and they did not look then upon me. [Hail, then,] ye beings, I am Hem-Nu(?), and I will not let you hear concerning the matter. [I] have opened [the way], I am Hem-Nu(?), [I] have made light the darkness, I have come, having made an end of the darkness, which hath become light indeed."

Transformation Into A Lotus

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 11).]

THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO A LOTUS. The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, saith:

"I am the pure lotus which springeth up from the divine splendor that belongeth to the nostrils of Ra. I have made [my way], and I follow on seeking for him who is Horus. I am the pure one who cometh forth out of the Field."

Transformation Into A Lotus

[From the Papyrus of Paqrer (see Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 93).]

THE CHAPTER OF MAKING THE TRANSFORMATION INTO A LOTUS. Saith Osiris Paqrer:

"Hail, thou lotus, thou type of the G.o.d Nefer-Temu! I am the man that knoweth you, and I know your names among [those of] the G.o.ds, the lords of the underworld, and I am one of you. Grant ye that [I] may see the G.o.ds who are the divine guide in the Tuat (underworld), and grant ye unto me a place in the underworld near unto the lords of Amentet. Let me arrive at a habitation in the land of Tchesert, and receive me, O all ye G.o.ds, in the presence of the lords of eternity. Grant that my soul may come forth whithersoever it pleaseth, and let it not be driven away from the presence of the great company of the G.o.ds."