Part 42 (1/2)
10 Hail to thee who art in tranquillity: Lord of magnanimity strong in apparel: Lord of the crown high plumed: of the beautiful turban, of the tall white crown: the G.o.ds love thy presence: when the double crown is set upon thy head: thy love pervades the earth: thy beams _arise_ ... men are cheered by thy rising: the beasts shrink from thy beams: thy love is over the southern heaven: thy heart is not (unmindful of) the northern heaven: thy goodness ... (all) hearts: love subdues (all) hands: thy creations are fair overcoming (all) the earth: (all) hearts are softened at beholding thee.
11 The ONE maker of existences: (creator) of ... maker of beings: from whose eyes mankind proceeded: of whose mouth are the G.o.ds: maker of gra.s.s for the cattle (oxen, goats, a.s.ses, pigs, sheep): fruitful trees for men: causing the fish to live in the river: the birds to fill the air: giving breath to those in the egg: feeding the bird that flies: giving food to the bird that perches: to the creeping thing and the flying thing equally: providing food for the rats in their holes: feeding the flying _things_ in every tree.
12 Hail to thee for all these things: the ONE alone with many hands: lying awake while all men lie (asleep): to seek out the good of his creatures: Amen sustainer of all things: Athom Horus of the horizon:(555) homage to thee in all their voices: salutation to thee for thy mercy unto us: protestations to thee who hast created us.
13 Hail to thee say all creatures: salutation to thee from every land: to the height of heaven, to the breadth of the earth: to the depths of the sea: the G.o.ds adore Thy Majesty: the spirits thou hast created exalt (thee): rejoicing before the feet of their begetter: they cry out welcome to thee: father of the fathers of all the G.o.ds: who raises the heavens who fixes the earth.
14 Maker of beings, Creator of existences: Sovereign of life, health, and strength, Chief of the G.o.ds: we wors.h.i.+p thy spirit _who alone_ hast made us: we whom thou hast made (thank thee) that thou hast given us birth: we give to thee praises on account of thy mercy to us.
15 Hail to thee Maker of all beings: Lord of truth father of the G.o.ds: Maker of men creator of beasts: Lord of grains: making food for the beast of the field: Amen the beautiful Bull: beloved in Aptu:(556) high crowned in the house of the obelisk:(557) twice turbaned in An: judge of combatants in the great hall: Chief of the great cycle of the G.o.ds:
16 The ONE alone without peer: Chief in Aptu: King over his cycle of G.o.ds: living in truth forever: (Lord) of the horizon, Horus of the East: he who hath created the soil (with) silver and gold: the precious lapis lazuli at his pleasure: spices and incense various for the peoples: fresh odors for thy nostrils: benignly come to the nations: Amen-Ra Lord of the thrones of the earth: Chief in Aptu: the Sovereign _on his throne_.
17 King alone, _single_ among the G.o.ds: of many names, unknown is their number: rising in the eastern horizon setting in the western horizon: overthrowing his enemies: dawning on (his) children daily and every day: Thoth raises his eyes: he delights himself with his blessings: the G.o.ds rejoice in his goodness who exalts those _who are lowly_: Lord of the boat and the barge: they conduct thee through the firmament in peace.
18 Thy servants rejoice: beholding the overthrow of the wicked: his limbs pierced with the _sword_ fire consumes him: his soul and body are annihilated.
19 Naka(558) saves _his feet_: the G.o.ds rejoice: the servants of the Sun are in peace: An is joyful: the enemies of Athom are overthrown and Aptu is in peace, An is joyful: the giver of life is pleased: at the overthrow of the enemies of her Lord: the G.o.ds of Kher-sa make salutations: they of the Adytum prostrate themselves.
20 They behold the mighty one in his strength: the image of the G.o.ds of truth the Lord of Aptu; in thy name of Doer of justice: Lord of sacrifices, the Bull of offerings: in thy name of Amen the Bull of his mother: maker of men: causing all things which are to exist: in thy name of Athom Chepra:(559) the great Hawk making (each) body to rejoice: benignly making (each) breast to rejoice: type of creators high crowned: ... (Lord) of the wing: Uati(560) is on his forehead: the hearts of men seek him: when he appears to mortals: he rejoices the earth with his goings forth: Hail to thee Amen-Ra Lord of the thrones of the world: beloved of his city when he s.h.i.+nes forth.(561)
Finished well as it was found.(562)
Hymn To Ra-Harmachis
Translated by E. L. Lus.h.i.+ngton, LL.D., D.C.L.
The hymn to Amen-Ra-Harmachis (the Sun identified with the Supreme Deity), of which a translation is here attempted, is found, with other compositions of a similar nature, among the Berlin papyri. (No. 5, published in Lepsius, ”_Denkmaler_,” Abth. vi. Bd. 12, pp. 115-117.)
It probably belongs to the Ramesside period; the writing is careful and for the most part very distinct; some _lacunae_ are met with toward the end, and in a few pa.s.sages the characters baffle the present translator's skill in deciphering.
Citations from this hymn occur not unfrequently in the writings of eminent Egyptian scholars, as Brugsch, Deveria, and others; compare especially Chabas, ”_Le Nom de Thebes_,” p. 16, where the long ant.i.thesis of epithets bestowed on Ra and his adversaries is described as ”furnis.h.i.+ng a page of the Egyptian dictionary.”
As far as I am aware, no complete translation of it was published till the appearance of Professor Maspero's ”_Histoire Ancienne_,” Paris, 1875; where the whole is rendered into French, pp. 32-35. My own translation was made before I had the opportunity of seeing this work; since consulting it I have modified my version of one or two pa.s.sages in accordance with M.
Maspero's views.
HYMN TO RA-HARMACHIS
Adoration to Ra-Harmachis at the front of the morning.(563) _Say_: Thou wakest beauteous Amen-Ra-Harmachis, thou watchest in triumph, Amen-Ra, Lord of the horizon. O blessed one beaming in splendor, towed by thy mariners who are of the unresting G.o.ds, sped by thy mariners of the unmoving G.o.ds. Thou comest forth thou ascendest, thou towerest in beauty, thy barge divine careers wherein thou speedest, blest by thy mother Nut each day, heaven embraces thee, thy foes fall as thou turnest thy face to the west of heaven.
Counted are thy bones, collected thy limbs, living thy flesh, thy members blossom, thy soul blossoms, glorified is thy august form, advanced thy state on the road of darkness. Thou listenest to the call of thy attendant G.o.ds behind thy chamber; in gladness are the mariners of thy bark, their heart delighted, Lord of heaven who hast brought joys to the divine chiefs, the lower sky rejoices, G.o.ds and men exult applauding Ra on his standard, blest by his mother Nut; their heart is glad. Ra hath quelled his impious foes, heaven rejoices, earth is in delight, G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses are in festival to make adoration to Ra-Hor, as they see him rise in his bark. He fells the wicked in his season, the abode is inviolate, the diadem _mehen_ in its place, the _urs_ hath smitten the wicked.
O let thy mother Nut embrace thee,(564) Lord Ra, those who are with her tell thy glories. Osiris and Nephthys have uplifted thee at thy coming forth from the womb of thy mother Nut. O s.h.i.+ne Ra-Harmachis, s.h.i.+ne in thy morning as thy noonday brightness, thy cause upheld over thy enemies, thou makest thy cabin speed onward, thou repellest the false one in the moment of his annihilation: he has no rest(565) in the moment when thou breakest the strength of the wicked enemies of Ra, to cast him into the fire of Nehaher,(566) encircling in its hour the children of the profane.
No strength have they, Ra prevails over his insensate foes, yea, putting them to the sword thou makest the false one cast up what he devoured.
Arise O Ra from within thy chamber, strong is Ra, weak the foes: lofty is Ra, down-stricken the foes: Ra living, his foes dead: Ra full of meat and drink, his foes ahungered and athirst: Ra bright, his foes engulfed: Ra good, his foes evil: Ra mighty, his foes puny: Ra hath despoiled Apap.
O Ra thou givest all life(567) to the King, thou givest food for his mouth, drink for his throat, sweet-oil for his hair. O blessed Ra-Harmachis thou careerest by him in triumph, those in thy bark exult to quell and overthrow the wicked. Cries of joy in the great seat, the divine cabin is in gladness, acclamation in the bark of millions of years. Ra's sailors are charmed at heart to see Ra hailed as supreme of the order of great G.o.ds, they gain delight in doing adoration to the great bark, homage in the mysterious chamber. O s.h.i.+ne Amen-Ra-Harmachis self-sprung, thy sister G.o.ddesses stand in Bech,(568) they receive thee, they uplift thee into thy bark, which is perfect in delights before Lord Ra, thou begettest blessings. Come Ra, self-sprung, thou lettest Pharaoh receive plenty in his battlemented house, on the altar of the G.o.d whose name is hidden.