The Pyramid Texts


The Pyramid Texts are carved on the walls of the royal burial suites insides some of the pyramids of Saqqara. They have been found in the pyramids of: Unas, the last king of the Fifth Dynasty; Kings Teti, Pepi I, Mernere and Pepi II of the Sixth Dynasty; the three queens of Pepy II; and the pyramid of king Ibi of the Eight Dynasty.
The Texts can be divided into utterances, altogether 759. But all of them was never used in the same pyramid.

Pyramid Texts of Pepi I


Utterance 573


Awake in peace, O Pure One, in peace!
Awake in peace, Horus-of-the-East, in peace!
Awake in peace, Soul-of-the-East, in peace!
Awake in peace, Horus-of-Lightland, in peace!
You lie down in the Night-bark,
You awake in the Day-bark,
For you are he who gazes on the gods,
There is no god who gazes on you!

O father of Pepi, take Pepi with you
Living, to your mother Nut!
Gates of sky, open for Pepi,
Gates of heaven, open for Pepi,
Pepi comes to you, make him live!
Command that this Pepi sit beside you,
Beside him who rises in lightland!
O father of Pepi, command to the goddess beside you
To make wide Pepi's seat at the stairway of heaven!

Command the Living One, the son of Sothis,
To speak for this Pepi,
To establish for Pepi a seat in the sky!
Commend this Pepi to the Great Noble,
The beloved of Ptah, the son of Ptah,
To speak for this Pepi,
To make flourish his jar-stands on earth,
For Pepi is one with these four gods:
Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef, Kebhsenuf,
Who live by maat,
Who lean on their staffs,
Who watch over Upper Egypt.

He flies, he flies from you men as do ducks,
He wrests his arms from you as a falcon,
He tears himself from you as a kite,
Pepi frees himself from the fetters of earth,
Pepi is released from bondage!

Lichtheim - Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol I