Part 16 (2/2)

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 24).]

The overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Nu, triumphant, the son of the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, Amen-hetep, triumphant, saith:

”Hail, ye four apes who sit in the bows of the boat of Ra, who convey right and truth to Neb-er-tcher, who sit in judgment on my misery and on my strength, who make the G.o.ds to rest contented by means of the flame of your mouths, who offer holy offerings to the G.o.ds and sepulchral meals to the _khu_s, who live upon right and truth, and who feed upon right and truth of heart, who are without deceit and fraud, and to whom wickedness is an abomination, do ye away with my evil deeds, and put ye away my sin [which deserved stripes upon earth, and destroy ye any evil whatsoever that belongeth unto me],(110) and let there be no obstacle whatsoever on my part toward you. Oh, grant ye that I may make my way through the underworld (_ammehet_), let me enter into Re-stau, let me pa.s.s through the hidden pylons of Amentet. Oh, grant that there may be given to me cakes, and ale, and sweetmeats(?), even as [they are given] to the living _khu_s, and grant that I may enter in and come forth from Re-stau.”

”[The four apes make answer, saying], 'Come, then, for we have done away with thy wickedness, and we have put away thy sin, along with the [sin deserving of] stripes which thou [didst commit] upon earth, and we have destroyed [all] the evil which belonged to thee upon the earth. Enter, therefore, into Re-stau, and pa.s.s thou through the hidden pylons of Amentet, and there shall be given unto thee cakes, and ale, and sweetmeats(?), and thou shalt come forth and thou shalt enter in at thy desire, even as do those _khu_s who are favored [of the G.o.d], and thou shalt be proclaimed (or called) each day in the horizon.' ”

Of The Praise Of The G.o.ds

[From the Tomb of Rameses IV (see Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 141; Lefebure, ”Tombeau de Ramses IV,” Plate 13).]

THE BOOK OF THE PRAISE OF THE G.o.dS OF THE QERTI(111) WHICH A MAN SHALL RECITE WHEN HE COMETH FORTH BEFORE THEM TO ENTER IN TO SEE THE G.o.d IN THE GREAT TEMPLE OF THE UNDERWORLD. And he shall say:

”Homage to you, O ye G.o.ds of the _Qerti_, ye divine dwellers in Amentet!

Homage to you, O ye guardians of the doors of the underworld, who keep ward over the G.o.d, who bear and proclaim [the names of those who come]

into the presence of the G.o.d Osiris, and who hold yourselves ready, and who praise [him], and who destroy the Enemies of Ra. Oh, send ye forth your light and scatter ye the darkness [which is about] you, and behold ye the holy and divine Mighty One, O ye who live even as he liveth, and call ye upon him that dwelleth within his divine Disk. Lead ye the King of the North and of the South, (Usr-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Amen), the son of the Sun, (Ra-meses-meri-Amen-Ra-heq-Maat), through your doors, may his divine soul enter into your hidden places, [for] he is one among you, and he hath shot forth calamities upon the serpent fiend Apep, and he hath beaten down the obstacles [which Apep set up] in Amentet. Thy word hath prevailed mightily over thine enemies, O great G.o.d, who livest in thy divine Disk; thy word hath prevailed mightily over thine enemies, O Osiris, Governor of Amentet; thy word hath prevailed mightily over thine enemies in heaven and in earth, O thou King of the North and of the South, (Usr-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Amen), the son of the Sun, (Ra-meses-meri-Amen-Ra-heq-Maat), and over the sovereign princes of every G.o.d and of every G.o.ddess, O Osiris, Governor of Amentet; he hath uttered words in the presence [of the G.o.d in] the valley of the dead, and he hath gained the mastery over the mighty sovereign princes. Hail, ye doorkeepers(?), hail, ye doorkeepers, who guard your gates, who punish souls, who devour the bodies of the dead, who advance over them at their examination in the places of destruction, who give right and truth to the soul and to the divine _khu_, the beneficent one, the mighty one, whose throne is holy in Akert, who is endowed with soul like Ra and who is praised like Osiris, lead ye along the King of the North and of the South, (Usr-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Amen), the son of the Sun, (Ra-meses-meri-Amen-Ra-heq-Maat), unbolt ye for him the doors, and open [ye] the place of his _Qerti_ for him. Behold, make ye his word to triumph over his enemies, and indeed let meat-offerings and drink-offerings be made unto him by the G.o.d of the double door, and let him put on the _nemmes_ crown of him that dwelleth in the great and hidden shrine. Behold the image of Heru-khuti (Harmachis), who is doubly true, and who is the divine Soul and the divine and perfect Khu; he hath prevailed with his hands. The two great and mighty G.o.ds cry out to the King of the North and South (Usr-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Amen), the son of the Sun, (Ra-meses-meri-Amen-Ra-heq-Maat), they rejoice with him, they sing praises to him [and clap] their hands, they accord him their protection, and he liveth. The King of the North and South (Usr-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Amen), the son of the Sun, (Ra-meses-meri-Amen-Ra-heq-Maat), riseth like a living soul in heaven. He hath been commanded to make his transformations, he hath made himself victorious before the divine sovereign chiefs, and he hath made his way through the gates of heaven, and of earth, and of the underworld, even as hath Ra. The King of the North and South, (Usr-Maat-Ra-setep-en-Amen), the son of the Sun, (Ra-meses-meri-Amen-Ra-heq-Maat), saith, 'Open unto me the gate[s] of heaven, and of earth, and of the underworld, for I am the divine soul of Osiris and I rest in him, and let me pa.s.s through their halls. Let [the G.o.ds] sing praises unto me [when] they see me; let me enter and let favor be shown unto me; let me come forth and let me be beloved; and let me go forward, for no defect or failure hath been found clinging unto me.' ”

Adoration Of The G.o.ds Of The Qerti

[From the Papyrus of Ptah-mes (Naville, op. cit., Bd. I. Bl. 142).]

A CHAPTER TO BE RECITED ON COMING BEFORE THE DIVINE SOVEREIGN CHIEFS OF OSIRIS TO OFFER PRAISE UNTO THE G.o.dS WHO ARE THE GUIDES OF THE UNDERWORLD.

Osiris, the chief scribe and draughtsman, Ptah-mes, triumphant, saith:

”Homage to you, O ye G.o.ds who dwell in the _Qerti_, ye G.o.ds who dwell in Amentet, who keep ward over the gates of the underworld and are the guardians [thereof], who bear and proclaim [the names of those who come]

into the presence of Osiris, who praise him and who destroy the enemies of Ra. Oh, send forth your light and scatter ye the darkness [which is about]

you, and look upon the face of Osiris, O ye who live even as he liveth, and praise [ye] him that dwelleth in his Disk, and lead [ye] me away from your calamities. Let me come forth and let me enter in through your secret places, for I am a mighty prince among you, for I have done away with evil there, and I have beaten down the obstacles(?) [which have been set up] in Amentet. Thou hast been victorious over thine enemies, O thou that dwellest in thy Disk; thou hast been victorious over thine enemies, O Thoth, who producest(?) statutes; thou hast been victorious over thine enemies, O Osiris, the chief scribe and draughtsman, Ptah-mes, triumphant; thou hast been triumphant over thine enemies, O Osiris, thou Governor of Amentet, in heaven and upon earth in the presence of the divine sovereign chiefs of every G.o.d and of every G.o.ddess; and the food(?) of Osiris, the Governor of Amentet, is in the presence of the G.o.d whose name is hidden before the great divine sovereign chiefs. Hail ye guardians of the doors, ye [G.o.ds] who keep ward over their habitations(?), who keep the reckoning and who commit [souls] to destruction, who grant right and truth to the divine soul which is stablished, who are without evil in the abode of Akert, who are endowed with soul even as is Ra, and who are ... as is Osiris, guide ye Osiris the chief scribe, the draughtsman, Ptah-mes, triumphant, open ye unto him the gates of the underworld, and the uppermost part of his estate and his _Qert_. Behold, make [ye him] to be victorious over his enemies, provide [ye him] with the offerings of the G.o.d of the underworld, make n.o.ble the divine being who dwelleth in the _nemmes_ crown, the lord of the knowledge of Akert. Behold, stablish ...

this soul in right and truth, [and let it become] a perfect soul that hath gained the mastery with its two hands. The great and mighty G.o.ds cry out, 'He hath gotten the victory,' and they rejoice in him, and they ascribe praise unto him with their hands, and they turn unto him their faces. The living one is triumphant, and is even like a living soul dwelling in heaven, and he hath been ordered to perform [his] transformations. Osiris triumphed over his enemies, and Osiris, the chief scribe and draughtsman, Ptah-mes, triumphant, hath gained the victory over his enemies in the presence of the great divine sovereign chiefs who dwell in heaven, and in the presence of the great divine sovereign chiefs who dwell upon the earth.”

Hymn Of Praise To Osiris

[From Lepsius, ”Todtenbuch,” Bl. 51.]

A HYMN OF PRAISE TO OSIRIS. The Osiris Auf-ankh, triumphant, saith:

”Homage to thee, O Osiris Un-nefer, triumphant, thou son of Nut, thou first-born son of Seb, thou mighty one who comest forth from Nut, thou King in the city of Nifu-ur,(112) thou Governor of Amentet, thou lord of Abtu (Abydos), thou lord of souls, thou mighty one of strength, thou lord of the _atef_ crown in Suten-henen, thou lord of the divine form in the city of Nifu-ur, thou lord of the tomb, thou mighty one of souls in Tattu, thou lord of [sepulchral] offerings, thou whose festivals are many in Tattu. The G.o.d Horus exalteth his father in every place (or shrine), and he uniteth [himself] unto the G.o.ddess Isis and unto the G.o.ddess Nephthys; and the G.o.d Thoth reciteth for him the mighty glorifyings which are within him, [and which] come forth from his mouth, and the heart of Horus is stronger than that of all the G.o.ds. Rise up, then, O Horus, thou son of Isis, and avenge thy father Osiris. Hail, O Osiris, I have come unto thee; I am Horus and I have avenged thee, and I feed this day upon the sepulchral meals of oxen, and feathered fowl, and upon all the beautiful things [offered] unto Osiris. Rise up, then, O Osiris, for I have struck down for thee all thine enemies, and I have taken vengeance upon them for thee. I am Horus upon this beautiful day of thy fair rising in thy Soul which exalteth thee along with itself on this day before thy divine sovereign princes. Hail, O Osiris, thy _ka_ hath come unto thee and is with thee, and thou restest therein in thy name of Ka-Hetep. I maketh thee glorious in thy name of Khu, and it maketh thee like unto the Morning Star in thy name of Pehu, and it openeth for thee the ways in thy name of Ap-uat. Hail, O Osiris, I have come unto thee and I have set thine enemies under [thy feet] in every place, and thou art triumphant in the presence of the company of the G.o.ds and of the divine sovereign chiefs. Hail, O Osiris, thou hast received thy sceptre and the place whereon thou art to rest, and thy steps are under thee. Thou bringest food to the G.o.ds, and thou bringest sepulchral meals unto those who dwell in their tombs. Thou hast given thy might unto the G.o.ds and thou hast created the Great G.o.d; thou hast thy existence with them in their spiritual bodies, thou gatherest thyself unto all the G.o.ds, and thou hearest the word of right and truth on the day when offerings to this G.o.d are ordered on the festivals of Uka.”

<script>