Part 39 (2/2)

5 ”That the Thebaid may be seen like the Delta.

6 That every man be seen bearing his tools, 7 No man left behind his comrade!

8 Let the clothed be unclothed, 9 No adornments for the sons of n.o.bles, 10 No circle of G.o.ds in the night!”

11 The response (of the G.o.d) is refres.h.i.+ng water, 12 Filling all men with fatness.

X.

1 Establisher of justice! men rejoice 2 With flattering words to wors.h.i.+p(499) thee, 3 Wors.h.i.+pped together with the mighty water!

4 Men present offerings of corn, 5 Adoring all the G.o.ds: 6 No fowls fall on the land.(500) 7 Thy hand is adorned with gold,(501) 8 As moulded of an ingot of gold, 9 Precious as pure lapis lazuli,(502) 10 Corn in its state of germination is not eaten.(503)

XI.

1 The hymn is addressed to thee with the harp; 2 It is played with a (skilful) hand to thee!

3 The youths rejoice at thee!

4 Thy own children.

5 Thou hast rewarded their labor.

6 There is a great one adorning the land; 7 An enlightener, a buckler in front of men, 8 Quickening the heart in depression.

9 Loving the increase of all his cattle.

XII.

1 Thou s.h.i.+nest in the city of the King; 2 Then the householders are satiated with good things, 3 The poor man laughs at the lotus.(504) 4 All things are perfectly ordered.

5 Every kind of herb for thy children.

6 If food should fail, 7 All enjoyment is cast on the ground, 8 The land falls in weariness.

XIII.

1 O inundation of Nile, offerings are made to thee: 2 Oxen are slain to thee: 3 Great festivals are kept for thee; 4 Fowls are sacrificed to thee; 5 Beasts of the field are caught for thee 6 Pure flames are offered to thee; 7 Offerings are made to every G.o.d, 8 As they are made unto Nile.

9 Incense ascends unto heaven, 10 Oxen, bulls, fowls are burnt!

11 Nile makes for himself chasms in the Thebaid;(505) 12 Unknown is his name in heaven, 13 He doth not manifest his forms!

14 Vain are all representations!(506)

XIV.

1 Mortals extol (him), and the cycle of G.o.ds!

2 Awe is felt by the terrible ones; 3 His son(507) is made Lord of all, 4 To enlighten all Egypt.(508) 5 s.h.i.+ne forth, s.h.i.+ne forth, O Nile! s.h.i.+ne forth!

6 Giving life to men by his oxen: 7 Giving life to his oxen by the pastures!

8 s.h.i.+ne forth in glory, O Nile.

The Solemn Festal Dirge Of The Egyptians

Translated by C. W. Goodwin, M.A.

This dirge or hymn, which is that alluded to by Herodotus,(509) is contained in one of the ”Harris Papyri” (No. 500), the same from which I have already translated the ”Story of the Doomed Prince.” The first line of the hymn ascribes it to the authors.h.i.+p of King Antuf, one of the Pharaohs of the eleventh dynasty. The papyrus itself is, however, of the time of Thothmes III, eighteenth dynasty, but that is no reason why all the texts in the MSS. should be of the latter date. The translation here given was printed by myself for the first time in the ”Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archaeology,” Vol. III, part 1, but the hieroglyphic text remains yet to be published. A fragment of another copy of this identical hymn is to be found in the ”_Monumens __ du Musee de Leide_,”

part iii, pl. 12, and from it several words which were wanting in the Harris papyrus have been restored.

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