Part 5 (1/2)
Living By Air
[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheet 12).]
THE CHAPTER OF LIVING BY AIR IN THE UNDERWORLD. The scribe Nebseni, the lord to whom veneration is paid, saith:
”[I am the G.o.d Tem], who cometh forth out of Nu into the watery abyss. I have received [my habitation of Amentet, and have given commands] with my words to the [_Khu_s] whose abiding-places are hidden, to the _Khu_s and to the double Lion-G.o.d. I have made journeys round about and I have sung hymns of joy in the boat of Khepera. I have eaten therein, I have gained power therein, and I live therein through the breezes [which are there]. I am the guide in the boat of Ra, and he openeth out for me a path; he maketh a pa.s.sage for me through the gates of the G.o.d Seb. I have seized and carried away those who live in the embrace of the G.o.d Ur (_i.e._, Mighty One); I am the guide of those who live in their shrines, the two brother-G.o.ds Horus and Set; and I bring the n.o.ble ones with me. I enter in and I come forth, and my throat is not slit; I go into the boat of Maat, and I pa.s.s in among those who live in the _Atet_ boat, and who are in the following of Ra, and are nigh unto him in his horizon. I live after my death day by day, and I am strong even as is the double Lion-G.o.d. I live, and I am delivered after my death, I, the scribe Nebseni, the lord of piety, who fill the earth and come forth like the lily of mother-of-emerald, of the G.o.d Hetep of the two lands.”
Living By Air
[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 12).]
THE CHAPTER OF LIVING BY AIR IN THE UNDERWORLD. Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, the son of the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Amen-hetep, triumphant, saith:
”I am the double Lion-G.o.d, the first-born of Ra and Tem of Ha-khebti(?), [the G.o.ds] who dwell in their divine chambers. Those who dwell in their divine abodes have become my guides, and they make paths for me as they revolve in the watery abyss of the sky by the side of the path of the boat of Tem. I stand upon the timbers(?) of the boat of Ra, and I recite his ordinances to the beings who have knowledge, and I am the herald of his words to him whose throat stinketh. I set free my divine fathers at eventide. I close the lips of my mouth, and I eat like unto a living being. I have life in Tattu, and I live again after death like Ra day by day.”
Driving Back Rerek
[From the Papyrus of Mes-em-neter (see Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 53).]
THE CHAPTER OF DRIVING BACK THE SERPENT REREK IN THE UNDERWORLD. Osiris Mes-em-neter saith:
”Get thee back, depart, retreat(?) from [me], O Aaapef, withdraw, or thou shalt be drowned at the Pool of Nu, at the place where thy father hath ordered that thy slaughter shall be performed. Depart thou from the divine place of birth of Ra wherein is thy terror. I am Ra who dwelleth in his terror. Get thee back, Fiend, before the darts of his beams. Ra hath overthrown thy words, the G.o.ds have turned thy face backward, the Lynx hath torn open thy breast, the Scorpion hath cast fetters upon thee; and Maat hath sent forth thy destruction. Those who are in the ways have overthrown thee; fall down and depart, O Apep, thou Enemy of Ra! O thou that pa.s.sest over the region in the eastern part of heaven with the sound of the roaring thunder-cloud, O Ra who openest the gates of the horizon straightway on thy appearance, [Apep] hath sunk helpless under [thy]
gas.h.i.+ngs. I have performed thy will, O Ra, I have performed thy will; I have done that which is fair, I have done that which is fair, I have labored for the peace of Ra. [I] have made to advance thy fetters, O Ra, and Apep hath fallen through thy drawing them tight. The G.o.ds of the south and of the north, of the west and of the east have fastened chains upon him, and they have fettered him with fetters; the G.o.d Rekes hath overthrown him and the G.o.d Hert.i.t hath put him in chains. Ra setteth, Ra setteth; Ra is strong at [his] setting. Apep hath fallen, Apep, the enemy of Ra, departeth. Greater is the punishment [which hath been inflicted on]
thee than the sting(?) which is in the Scorpion G.o.ddess, and mightily hath she, whose course is everlasting, worked it upon thee and with deadly effect. Thou shalt never enjoy the delights of love, thou shalt never fulfil thy desire, O Apep, thou Enemy of Ra! He maketh thee to go back, O thou who art hateful to Ra; he looketh upon thee, get thee back! [He]
pierceth [thy] head, [he] cutteth through thy face, [he] divideth [thy]
head at the two sides of the ways, and it is crushed in his land; thy bones are smashed in pieces, thy members are hacked off thee, and the G.o.d [A]ker hath condemned thee, O Apep, thou enemy of Ra! Thy mariners are those who keep the reckoning for thee, [O Ra, as thou] advancest, and thou restest there wherein are the offerings made to thee [As thou] advancest, [as thou] advancest toward the House the advance which thou hast made toward the House is a prosperous advance; let not any baleful obstacle proceed from thy mouth against me when thou workest on my behalf. I am Set who let loose the storm-clouds and the thunder in the horizon of heaven even as [doth] the G.o.d Netcheb-ab-f.”
” 'Hail,' saith the G.o.d Tem, 'make strong your faces, O soldiers of Ra, for I have driven back the G.o.d Nentcha in the presence of the divine sovereign princes.' 'Hail,' saith the G.o.d Seb, 'make ye firm those who are upon their seats which are in the boat of Khepera, take ye your ways, [grasping] your weapons of war in your hands.' 'Hail,' saith Hathor, 'take ye your armor.' 'Hail,' saith Nut, 'come and repulse the G.o.d Tcha who pursueth him that dwelleth in his shrine and who setteth out on his way alone, namely, Neb-er-tcher, who cannot be repulsed.' 'Hail,' say those G.o.ds who dwell in their companies and who go round about the Turquoise Pool, 'come, O mighty One, we praise and we will deliver the Mighty One [who dwelleth in] the divine Shrine, from whom proceeds the company of the G.o.ds, let commemorations be made for him, let praise be given to him, let words [of praise] be recited before him by you and by me.' 'Hail,' saith Nut to thy Sweet One. 'Hail,' say those who dwell among the G.o.ds, 'he cometh forth, he findeth [his] way, he maketh captives among the G.o.ds, he hath taken possession of the G.o.ddess Nut, and Seb standeth up.' Hail, thou terrible one, the company of the G.o.ds is on the march. Hathor quaketh with terror, and Ra hath triumphed over Apep.”
Repulsing The Eater Of The a.s.s
[From the Papyrus of Ra (see Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 54) and from the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 8).]
THE CHAPTER OF DRIVING BACK THE EATER OF THE a.s.s. Osiris Ra, triumphant, saith:
I. ”Get thee back, Hai, thou impure one, thou abomination of Osiris! Thoth hath cut off thy head, and I have performed upon thee all the things which the company of the G.o.ds ordered concerning thee in the matter of the work of thy slaughter. Get thee back, thou abomination of Osiris, from the _Neshmet_ boat ... which advanceth with a fair wind. Ye are holy, O all ye G.o.ds, and [ye] have cast down headlong the enemies of Osiris; the G.o.ds of Ta-ur shout for joy. Get thee back, O thou Eater of the a.s.s, thou abomination of the G.o.d Haas who dwelleth in the underworld. I know thee, I know thee, I know thee, I know thee. Who art thou? I am...”
II. ”On thy face [O fiend], and devour me not, for I am pure, and I am with the time which cometh of itself. Thou shalt not come to me, O thou that comest(36) without being invoked, and whose [time of coming] is unknown. I am the lord of thy mouth, get thee back, thou and thy desires(?). Hail, Haas, with his stone [knife] Horus hath cut asunder thy members, and thou art destroyed within thy company, and thy bend (or dwelling-place) is destroyed for thee by the company of thy G.o.ds who dwell in the cities of Pe and Tep. He that slayeth [thee] there is in the form of the Eye of Horus, and I have driven thee away as thou wast advancing, and I have vanquished thee by the winds of my mouth. O thou Eater of those who commit sins, who dost plunder and spoil, I have [committed] no sin; therefore, let my palette and the writings with hostile charges [against me upon them] be given unto me. I have done no wrong in the presence of the sovereign princes, therefore shoot not thy [venom] at me. I give, do thou take according to what I order; s.n.a.t.c.h me not away, and eat me not, for I am the lord of life, the Prince (Life, Health, Strength!) of the horizon.”