Part 18 (2/2)

[From the Papyrus of Nu (British Museum No. 10,477, sheet 26).]

THE CHAPTER OF THE FOUR BLAZING FLAMES WHICH ARE MADE FOR THE KHU. Behold, thou shalt make four square troughs of clay, whereon thou shalt scatter incense, and thou shalt fill them with the milk of a white cow, and by means of these thou shalt extinguish the flame. The Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, saith:

”The fire cometh to thy KA, O Osiris, governor of Amenti; the fire cometh to thy KA, O Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant. He that ordereth the night cometh after the day. [The flame cometh to thy KA, O Osiris, governor of those in Amenti](125) and the two sisters(?) of Ra come likewise. Behold, [the flame] riseth in Abtu (Abydos) and it cometh; and I cause it to come [to]

the Eye of Horus. It is set in order upon thy brow, O Osiris, governor of Amenti,(126) and it is fixed within thy shrine and riseth upon thy brow; it is set in order upon thy breast, O Osiris Nu, and it is fixed upon thy brow. The Eye of Horus is protecting thee, O Osiris, governor of Amenti, and it keepeth thee in safety; it casteth down headlong all thine enemies for thee and all thine enemies have fallen headlong before thee. O Osiris Nu, the Eye of Horus protecteth thee, it keepeth thee in safety, and it casteth down headlong all thine enemies. Thine enemies have fallen down headlong before thy KA, O Osiris, governor of Amenti, the Eye of Horus protecteth thee, it keepeth thee in safety, and it hath cast down headlong all thine enemies. Thine enemies have fallen down headlong before thy _Ka_, O Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant, the Eye of Horus protecteth thee, it keepeth thee in safety, it hath cast down headlong for thee all thine enemies, and thine enemies have fallen down headlong before thee. The Eye of Horus cometh, it is sound and well, and it sendeth forth rays like unto Ra in the horizon; it covereth over with darkness the powers of Suti, it taketh possession thereof and it bringeth its flame against him upon [its] feet(?). The Eye of Horus is sound and well, thou eatest the flesh(?) of thy body by means thereof, and thou givest praise(?) thereto. The four flames enter into thy KA, O Osiris, governor of Amenti, the four flames enter into thy _ka_, O Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant. Hail, ye children of Horus, Mesthi, Hapi, Tuamautef and Qebhsennuf, ye have given your protection unto your divine Father Osiris, the governor of Amenti, grant ye your protection to the Osiris Nu, triumphant. Now, therefore, inasmuch as ye have destroyed the opponent[s]

of Osiris, the governor of Amenti, he liveth with the G.o.ds, and he hath smitten Suti, with his hand and arm since light dawned upon the earth, and Horus hath gotten power, and he hath avenged his divine Father Osiris himself; and inasmuch as your divine father hath been made vigorous through the union which ye have effected for him with the _Ka_ of Osiris, the governor of Amenti-now the Eye of Horus hath avenged him, and it hath protected him, and it hath cast down headlong for him all his enemies, and all his enemies have fallen down before him-even so do ye destroy the opponent[s] of the Osiris Nu, the overseer of the palace, the chancellor-in-chief, triumphant. Let him live with the G.o.ds, let him smite down his enemy, let him destroy [him] when light dawneth upon the earth, let Horus gain power and avenge the Osiris Nu, let the Osiris Nu have vigor through the union which ye have effected for him with his _ka_. O Osiris Nu, the Eye of Horus hath avenged thee, it hath cast down headlong all thine enemies for thee, and all thine enemies have fallen down headlong before thee. Hail, Osiris, governor of Amenti, grant thou light and fire to the happy soul which is in Suten-henen (Heracleopolis); and [O ye children of Horus] grant ye power unto the living soul of the Osiris Nu within his flame. Let him not be repulsed and let him not be driven back at the doors of Amentet; oh let his offerings of bread and of linen garments be brought unto him among [those of] the lords of funeral oblations, oh, offer ye praises as unto a G.o.d, to the Osiris Nu, destroyer of his opponent[s] in his form of right and truth and in his attributes of a G.o.d of right and truth.”

EGYPTIAN TALES

Translated from the Papyri

Edited by Wm. Flinders Petrie, Hon. D.C.L., LL.D., Edwards Professor of Egyptology, University College, London.

The Taking Of Joppa

There was once in the time of King Men-kheper-ra a revolt of the servants of his Majesty who were in Joppa; and his Majesty said, ”Let Tahutia go with his footmen and destroy this wicked Foe in Joppa.” And he called one of his followers, and said moreover, ”Hide thou my great cane, which works wonders, in the baggage of Tahutia that my power may go with him.”

Now when Tahutia came near to Joppa, with all the footmen of Pharaoh, he sent unto the Foe in Joppa, and said, ”Behold now his Majesty, King Men-kheper-ra, has sent all this great army against thee; but what is that if my heart is as thy heart? Do thou come, and let us talk in the field, and see each other face to face.” So Tahutia came with certain of his men; and the Foe in Joppa came likewise, but his charioteer that was with him was true of heart unto the King of Egypt. And they spoke with one another in his great tent, which Tahutia had placed far off from the soldiers. But Tahutia had made ready 200 sacks, with cords and fetters, and had made a great sack of skins with bronze fetters, and many baskets: and they were in his tent, the sacks and the baskets, and he had placed them as the forage for the horses is put in baskets. For while the Foe in Joppa drank with Tahutia, the people who were with him drank with the footmen of Pharaoh, and made merry with them. And when their bout of drinking was past, Tahutia said to the Foe in Joppa, ”If it please thee, while I remain with the women and children of thy own city, let one bring of my people with their horses, that they may give them provender, or let one of the Apuro run to fetch them.” So they came, and hobbled their horses, and gave them provender, and one found the great cane of Men-kheper-ra (Tahutmes III), and came to tell of it to Tahutia. And thereupon the Foe in Joppa said to Tahutia: ”My heart is set on examining the great cane of Men-kheper-ra, which is named '... tautnefer.' By the _ka_ of the King Men-kheper-ra it will be in thy hands to-day; now do thou well and bring thou it to me.” And Tahutia did thus, and he brought the cane of King Men-kheper-ra. And he laid hold on the Foe in Joppa by his garment, and he arose and stood up, and said, ”Look on me, O Foe in Joppa; here is the great cane of King Men-kheper-ra, the terrible lion, the son of Sekhet, to whom Amen his father gives power and strength.” And he raised his hand and struck the forehead of the Foe in Joppa, and he fell helpless before him.

He put him in the sack of skins and he bound with gyves the hands of the Foe in Joppa, and put on his feet the fetters with four rings. And he made them bring the 200 sacks which he had cleaned, and made to enter into them 200 soldiers, and filled the hollows with cords and fetters of wood, he sealed them with a seal, and added to them their rope-nets and the poles to bear them. And he put every strong footman to bear them, in all 600 men, and said to them, ”When you come into the town you shall open your burdens, you shall seize on all the inhabitants of the town, and you shall quickly put fetters upon them.”

Then one went out and said unto the charioteer of the Foe in Joppa, ”Thy master is fallen; go, say to thy mistress, 'A pleasant message! For Sutekh has given Tahutia to us, with his wife and his children; behold the beginning of their tribute,' that she may comprehend the two hundred sacks, which are full of men and cords and fetters.” So he went before them to please the heart of his mistress, saying, ”We have laid hands on Tahutia.” Then the gates of the city were opened before the footmen: they entered the city, they opened their burdens, they laid hands on them of the city, both small and great, they put on them the cords and fetters quickly; the power of Pharaoh seized upon that city. After he had rested Tahutia sent a message to Egypt to the King Men-kheper-ra his lord, saying: ”Be pleased, for Amen thy good father has given to thee the Foe in Joppa, together with all his people, likewise also his city. Send, therefore, people to take them as captives that thou mayest fill the house of thy father Amen Ra, king of the G.o.ds, with men-servants and maid-servants, and that they may be overthrown beneath thy feet for ever and ever.”

The Doomed Prince

There once was a king to whom no son was born; and his heart was grieved, and he prayed for himself unto the G.o.ds around him for a child. They decreed that one should be born to him. And his wife, after her time was fulfilled, brought forth a son. Then came the Hathors to decree for him a destiny; they said, ”His death is to be by the crocodile, or by the serpent, or by the dog.” Then the people who stood by heard this, and they went to tell it to his Majesty. Then his Majesty's heart sickened very greatly. And his Majesty caused a house to be built upon the desert; it was furnished with people and with all good things of the royal house, that the child should not go abroad. And when the child was grown, he went up upon the roof, and he saw a dog; it was following a man who was walking on the road. He spoke to his page, who was with him, ”What is this that walks behind the man who is coming along the road?” He answered him, ”This is a dog.” The child said to him, ”Let there be brought to me one like it.” The page went to repeat it to his Majesty. And his Majesty said, ”Let there be brought to him a little pet dog, lest his heart be sad.” And behold they brought to him the dog.

Then when the days increased after this, and when the child became grown in all his limbs, he sent a message to his father saying, ”Come, wherefore am I kept here? Inasmuch as I am fated to three evil fates, let me follow my desire. Let G.o.d do what is in his heart.” They agreed to all he said, and gave him all sorts of arms, and also his dog to follow him, and they took him to the east country, and said to him, ”Behold, go thou whither thou wilt.” His dog was with him, and he went northward, following his heart in the desert, while he lived on all the best of the game of the desert. He went to the chief of Naharaina.

And behold there had not been any born to the chief of Naharaina, except one daughter. Behold, there had been built for her a house; its seventy windows were seventy cubits from the ground. And the chief caused to be brought all the sons of the chiefs of the land of Khalu, and said to them, ”He who reaches the window of my daughter, she shall be to him for a wife.”

And many days after these things, as they were in their daily task, the youth rode by the place where they were. They took the youth to their house, they bathed him, they gave provender to his horses, they brought all kinds of things for the youth, they perfumed him, they anointed his feet, they gave him portions of their own food; and they spake to him, ”Whence comest thou, goodly youth?” He said to them, ”I am son of an officer of the land of Egypt; my mother is dead, and my father has taken another wife. And when she bore children, she grew to hate me, and I have come as a fugitive from before her.” And they embraced him, and kissed him.

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