-A HYMN OF PRAISE TO RA WHEN HE RISETH UPON THE
HORIZON, AND WHEN
HE SETTETH IN THE LAND OF LIFE. Osiris the scribe Ani saith:-
Homage to thee, O Ra, when thou risest as Tem-Heru-Khuti. Thou
art to be adored. Thy beauties are before mine eyes, [thy] radiance
is upon my body. Thou goest forth to thy setting in the Sektet
Boat with [fair] winds, and thy heart is glad; the heart of the
Matet Boat rejoiceth. Thou stridest over the heavens in peace,
and all thy foes are cast down; the stars which never rest sing
hymns of praise unto thee, and the stars which are imperishable
glorify thee as thou sinkest to rest in the horizon of Manu, O
thou who art beautiful at morn and at eve, O thou lord who livest,
and art established, O my Lord! Homage to thee, O thou who art
Ra when thou risest, and who art Tem when thou settest in beauty.
Thou risest and thou shinest on the back of thy mother [Nut],
O thou who art crowned the king of the gods! Nut welcometh thee,
and payeth homage unto thee, and Maat, the everlasting and never-changing
goddess, embraceth thee at noon and at eve. Thou stridest over
the heavens, being glad at heart, and the Lake of Testes is content.
The Sebau-fiend hath fallen to the ground, his fore-legs and his
hind-legs have been hacked off him, and the knife hath severed
the joints of his back. Ra hath a fair wind, and the Sektet Boat
setteth out on its journey, and saileth on until it cometh into
port. The gods of the South, the gods of the North, the gods of
the West, and the gods of the East praise thee, O thou Divine
Substance, from whom all living things came into being. Thou didst
send forth the word when the earth was submerged with silence,
O thou Only One, who didst dwell in heaven before ever the earth
and the mountains came into being. Hail, thou Runner, Lord, Only
One, thou maker of the things that are, thou hast fashioned the
tongue of the Company of the Gods, thou hast produced whatsoever
cometh forth from the waters, thou springest up out of them above
the submerged land of the Lake of Horus. Let me breathe the air
which cometh forth from thy nostrils, and the north wind which
cometh forth from thy mother Nut. Make thou my Spirit-soul to
be glorious, O Osiris, make thou my Heart-soul to be divine. Thou
art worshipped as thou settest, O Lord of the gods, thou art exalted
by reason of thy wondrous works. Shine thou with the rays of light
upon my body day by day, upon me, Osiris the scribe, the assessor
of the divine offerings of all the gods, the overseer of the granary
of the Lords of Abydos, the real royal scribe who loveth thee,
Ani, whose word is truth, in peace. Praise be unto thee, O Osiris,
the Lord of Eternity, Un-Nefer, Heru-Khuti (Harmakhis), whose
forms are manifold, whose attributes are majestic [Praise be unto
thee], O thou who art Ptah-Seker-Tem in Anu, thou Lord of the
hidden shrine, thou Creator of the House of the KA of Ptah (Het-ka-Ptah)
and of the gods [therein], thou Guide of the Tuat, who art glorified
when thou settest in Nu (the Sky). Isis embraceth thee in peace,
and she driveth away the fiends from the entrances of thy paths.
Thou turnest thy face towards Amentet, and thou makest the earth
to shine as with refined copper. Those who have lain down in death
rise up to see thee, they breathe the air, and they look upon
thy face when the disk riseth on the horizon. Their hearts are
at peace since they behold thee, o thou who art Eternity and Everlastingness.
THE SOLAR LITANY
Homage to you, O ye gods of the Dekans in Anu, and to you, O ye
Hememet-spirits in Kher Aha, and to thee, O Unti, who art the
most glorious of all the gods who are hidden in Anu, O grant thou
unto me a path whereover I may pass in peace, for I am just and
true; I have not spoken falsehood wittingly, nor have I done aught
with deceit.
Homage to thee, O An in Antes, Heru-khuti, who dost with long
strides march across the heavens, O grant thou unto me a path
whereover I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have
not spoken falsehood wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.
Homage to thee, O Everlasting Soul, thou Soul who dwellest in
Tetu, Un-Nefer, the son of Nut, who art the Lord of Akert, O grant
thou unto me a path whereover I may pass in peace, for I am just
and true; I have not spoken falsehood wittingly, nor have done
aught with deceit.
Homage to thee in thy dominion over Tetu, upon whose brow the
Urrt Crown is established, thou One who createst the strength
to protect thyself, and who dwellest in peace, O grant thou unto
me a path whereover I may pass in peace, for I am just and true;
I have not spoken falsehood wittingly, nor have I done aught with
deceit.
Homage to thee, O Lord of the Acacia Tree, whose Seker Boat is
set upon its sledge, who turnest back the Fiend, the Evildoer,
and dost cause the Eye of Ra (utchat) to rest upon its seat, O
grant thou unto me a path whereover I may pass in peace, for I
am just and true; I have not spoken falsehood wittingly, nor have
I done aught with deceit.
Homage to thee, O thou who art mighty in thine hour, thou great
and mighty Prince who dost dwell in Anrutef, thou Lord of Eternity
and Creator of the Everlastingness, thou Lord of Hensu, O grant
thou unto me a path whereover I may pass in peace, for I am just
and true; I have not spoken falsehood wittingly, nor have I done
aught with deceit.
Homage to thee, O thou who restest upon Truth, thou Lord of Abtu,
whose limbs form the substance of Ta-tchesert, unto whom fraud
and deceit are abominations, O grant thou unto me a path whereover
I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken
falsehood wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.
Homage to thee, O thou who dwellest in thy boat, who dost bring
Hapi (the Nile) forth from his cavern, whose body is the light,
and who dwellest in Nekhen, O grant thou unto me a path whereover
I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken
falsehood wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.
Homage to thee, O thou Creator of the gods, thou King of the South
and North, Osiris, whose word is truth, who rulest the world by
thy gracious goodness, thou Lord of the Atebui, O grant thou unto
me a path whereover I may pass in peace, for I am just and true;
I have not spoken falsehood wittingly, nor have I done aught with
deceit.
APPENDIX (From the Saite Recension, ed. Lepsius, Bl. V)
Homage to thee, O thou who comest as Tem, who didst come into
being to create the Company of the Gods. Homage to thee, O thou
who comest as the Soul of Souls, the Holy One in Amentet. Homage
to thee, O President of the Gods, who illuminest the Tuat with
thy beauties. Homage to thee, O thou who comest as the Light-god,
who travellest in thy Disk. Homage to thee, O thou greatest of
all gods, who are crowned King in heaven, Governor in the Tuat.
Homage to thee, O thou who makest a way through the Tuat, who
dost lead the way through all doors. Homage to thee, O thou who
art among the gods, who dost weigh words in Khert-Neter. Homage
to thee, O thou who dwellest in thy secret places, who dost fashion
the Tuat with thy might. Homage to thee, O great one, O mighty
one, thine enemies have fallen in places where they were smitten.
Homage to thee, O thou who hast hacked the Sebau-fiends in pieces,
and hast annihilated Aapep. Grant thou the sweet breeze of the
north wind to the Osiris Auf-ankh, whose word is truth.
A HYMN OF PRAISE TO RA WHEN HE RISETH IN THE EASTERN PART OF
HEAVEN.
Those who are in his following rejoice, and the Osiris, the scribe
Ani, whose word is truth, saith:- Hail, thou Disk, thou lord of
rays, who risest on the horizon day by day. Shine thou with thy
beams of light upon the face of the Osiris Ani, whose word is
truth, for he singeth hymns of praise to thee at dawn, and he
maketh thee to sit at eventide [with words of adoration]. May
the soul of the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, come forth with
thee into heaven! May he set out with thee in the Matet Boat [in
the morning], may he come into port in the Sektet Boat [in the
evening], and may he cleave his path among the stars of heaven
which never rest. The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, being at
peace [with his god], maketh adoration to his Lord, the Lord of
Eternity, and saith:- Homage to thee, O Heru-khuti, who art the
god Khepera, the self-created. When thou risest on the horizon
and sheddest thy beams of light upon the Lands of the South and
of the North, thou art beautiful, yea beautiful, and all the gods
rejoice when they behold thee, the king of heaven. The goddess,
the Lady of the Hour, is stablished upon thy head, her Uraei of
the South and of the North are upon thy brow, and she taketh up
her place before thee. The god Thoth is stablished in the bows
of thy boat to destroy utterly all thy foes. Those who dwell in
the Tuat come forth to meet thee, and they bow to the earth in
homage as they come towards thee, to look upon thy beautiful Form.
And I, Ani, have come into thy presence, so that I may be with
thee, and may behold thy Disk every day. Let me not be kept captive
[by the tomb], and let me not be turned back [on my way]. Let
the members of my body be made new again when I contemplate thy
beauties, even as are the members of all thy favoured ones, because
I am one of those who worshipped thee upon earth. Let me arrive
in the Land of Eternity, let me enter into the Land of Everlastingness.
This, O my Lord, behold thou shalt ordain for me. AND MOREOVER,
THE OSIRIS ANI, WHOSE WORD IS TRUTH, IN PEACE, THE TRUTH-SPEAKER,
SAITH:- Homage to thee, O thou who risest on thy horizon in the
form of Ra, who restest upon Law, [which can neither be changed
nor altered]. Thou passest over the sky, and every face, watcheth
thee and thy course, for thou thyself art hidden from their gaze.
Thou dost show thyself [to them] at dawn and at eventide each
day. The Sektet Boat, wherein Thy Majesty dwelleth, setteth forth
on its journey with vigour. Thy beams [fall] upon all faces, thy
light with its manifold colours is incomprehensible [to man],
and thy brilliant rays cannot be reported. The Lands of the Gods
see thee, they could write [concerning thee]; the Deserts of Punt
could count thee. Thy creation is hidden. It is one by the opening
of thy mouth. Thy form is the head of Nu. May he (Ani) advance,
even as thou dost advance, without cessation, even as Thy Majesty
[ceaseth not to advance] even for a moment. With great strides
thou dost in one little moment pass over limitless distances which
would need millions and hundreds of thousands of years [for a
man to pass over; this] thou doest, and then thou sinkest to rest.
Thou bringest to an end the hours of the night, even as thou stridest
over them. Thou bringest them to an end by thine own ordinance,
and dawn cometh on the earth. Thou settest thyself before thy
handiwork in the form of Ra, and thou rollest up on the horizon.......
Thou sendest forth light when thy form raiseth itself up, thou
ordainest the increase of thy splendours. Thou mouldest thy limbs
as thou advancest, thou bringest them forth, thou who wast never
brought forth, in the form of Ra, who rolleth up into the height
of heaven. Grant thou that I may reach the heaven of eternity,
and the region where thy favoured ones dwell. May I unite with
those holy and perfect Spirit-souls of Khert-Neter. May I come
forth with them to behold thy beauties as thou rollest on at eventide,
as thou journeyest to thy mother Nut (the Night-sky), and dost
place thyself at the right hand (in the West). My two hands are
raised to thee in praise and thanksgiving when thou settest in
life. Behold, thou art the Creator of Eternity, who art adored
when thou settest in Nu. I have set thee in my heart, without
wavering, O thou who art more divine than the gods. The Osiris
Ani, whose word is truth, saith:- Praise and thanksgiving be unto
thee, O thou who rollest on like unto gold, thou Illuminer of
the Two Lands on the day of thy birth. Thy mother brought thee
forth on her hand, and thou didst light up with splendour the
circle which is travelled over by the Disk. O Great Light who
rollest across Nu, thou dost raise up the generations of men from
the deep source of thy waters, and dost make to keep festivals
all districts and cities, and all habitations. Thou protectest
[them] with thy beauties. Thy KA riseth up with the celestial
food hu and tchefau. O thou mightily victorious one, thou Power
of Powers, who makest strong thy throne against the sinful ones,
whose risings on thy throne in the Sektet Boat are mighty, whose
strength is widespread in the Atett Boat, make thou the Osiris
Ani to be glorious by virtue of his word, which is truth, in Khert-Neter.
Grant thou that he may be in Amentet free from evil, and let [his]
offences be [set] behind thee. Grant thou that he may [live there]
a devoted slave of the Spirit-souls. Let him mingle among the
Heart-souls who live in Ta-tchesert (the Holy Land). Let him travel
about in the Sekhet-Aaru (the Elysian Fields), conformably to
[thy] decree with joy of heart- him the Osiris Ani, whose word
is truth. [And the god maketh answer]:--Thou shalt come forth
into heaven, thou shalt sail over the sky, and thou shalt hold
loving intercourse with the Star-gods. Praises shall be made to
thee in the Boat. Thy name shall be proclaimed in the Atett Boat.
Thou shalt look upon Ra within his shrine. Thou shalt make the
Disk to set [with prayer] every day. Thou shalt see the Ant Fish
in his transformations in the depths of the waters of turquoise.
Thou shalt see the Abtu Fish in his time. It shall be that the
Evil One shall fall when he deviseth a plan to destroy thee, and
the joints of his neck and back shall be hacked asunder. Ra saileth
with a fair wind, and the Sektet Boat progresseth and cometh into
port. The mariners of Ra rejoice, and the heart of the Lady of
the Hour is glad, for the enemy of her Lord hath been cast to
the ground. Thou shalt behold Horus standing on the pilot's place
in the Boat, and Thoth and Maat shall stand one on each side of
him. All the gods shall rejoice when they behold Ra coming in
peace to make the hearts of the Spirit-souls to live, and the
Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, the assessor of the holy offerings
of the Lords of Thebes, shall be with them!
THE CHAPTER OF THE NEW MOON
THE FOLLOWING IS TO BE RECITED ON THE DAY OF THE MONTH (NEW MOON
DAY). The Osiris the scribe Ani, whose word is truth, in peace,
whose word is truth, saith:- Ra ascendeth his throne on his horizon,
and the Company of his Gods follow in his train. The God cometh
forth from his hidden place, [and] tchefau food falleth from the
eastern horizon of heaven at the word of Nut. They (the gods)
rejoice over the paths of Ra, the Great Ancestor [as] he journeyeth
round about. Therefore art thou exalted, O Ra, the dweller in
thy Shrine. Thou swallowest the winds, thou drawest into thyself
the north wind, thou eatest up the flesh of thy seat on the day
when thou breathest truth. Thou dividest [it among] the gods who
are [thy] followers. [Thy] Boat saileth on travelling among the
Great Gods at thy word. Thou countest thy bones, thou gatherest
together thy members, thou settest thy face towards Beautiful
Amentet, and thou comest there, being made new every day. Behold,
thou art that Image of Gold, thou hast the unitings of the disks
of the sky, thou hast quakings, thou goest round about, and art
made new each day. Hail! There is rejoicing in the horizon! The
gods who dwell in the sky descend the ropes [of thy Boat] when
they see the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, they ascribe praise
unto him as unto Ra. The Osiris Ani is a Great Chief. [He] seeketh
the Urrt Crown. His provisions are apportioned to him- the Osiris
Ani, whose word is truth. [His] fate is strong from the exalted
body of the Aamu gods, who are in the presence of Ra. The Osiris
Ani, whose word is truth, is strong on the earth and in Khert-Neter.
O Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, wake up, and be strong like
unto Ra every day. The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, shall
not tarry, he shall not remain motionless in this land for ever.
Right well shall he see with his two eyes, right well shall he
hear with his two ears, the things which are true, the things
which are true. The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, is in Anu,
the Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, is as Ra, and he is exalted
by reason of [his] oars among the Followers of Nu. The Osiris
Ani, whose word is truth, cannot tell what he hath seen [or] narrate
[what he hath heard] in the House of the God of Mysteries. Hail!
Let there be shouts of acclamation of the Osiris Ani, whose word
is truth, the divine body of Ra in the Boat of Nu, who beareth
propitiatory offerings for the KA of the god of that which he
loveth. The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, in peace, whose word
is truth, is like Horus, the mighty one of transformations.
RUBRIC: This Chapter is to be recited over a boat seven cubits
long, made of green stone of the Tchatchau. Make a heaven of stars,
and purify it and cleanse it with natron and incense. Make then
a figure of Ra upon a tablet of new stone in paint, and set it
in the bows of the boat. Then make a figure of the deceased whom
thou wilt make perfect, [and place it] in the boat. Make it to
sail in the Boat of Ra, and Ra himself shall look upon it. Do
not these things in the presence of any one except thyself, or
thy father, or thy son. Then let them keep guard over their faces,
and they shall see the deceased in Khert-Neter in the form of
a messenger of Ra.
