The Egyptian Book of the dead
offspring (_Todt._, 42, 19) of Nu and Nut. As a common noun the word
_unbu_ means the Hawthorn or some other kind of flowering bush. This god
is called ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂ ‘the golden Unbu’ in the Pyramid Texts
(Teta 39). We have no means of determining the exact sense of this word,
which as an appellative expresses an attribute possessed both by the Sun
and by the fruit, foliage, or other parts of the tree.
2. _Divine Champions._ ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂ in the earlier papyri,
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂ in the later; and sometimes both readings occur in
the same MS. Such determinatives as ⁂ certainly do not denote very
pugnacious qualities in the divine Champions.
3. _Clothest._ ⁂⁂ is a word of many meanings, and the context
generally determines which is the right one. In the present instance we
have no such help. Some of the more recent MSS. give ⁂, the
determinative of _clothing_.
4. M. Pierret here breaks off his translation of the chapter, with the
note: “La fin de ce chapitre est absolument inintelligible; les
variantes des manuscrits hiératiques ne l’éclaircissent pas.”
Like many other portions of the book this chapter is hopelessly corrupt,
and the scribes did not understand it better than we do. They have
probably mixed up different recensions without regard to grammatical
sense. The deceased addresses gods in the plural ⁂, but immediately
afterwards we have the singular suffix ⁂.
5. _Tablets_ or _records_. ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂ See _Zeitschr._,
1867, 50. The word already occurs in the Pyramid Texts, Pepi I, 364, in
the sense of _memory_, ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂, ‘his
memory for man and his love for the gods.’
But there is another word, ⁂⁂⁂⁂ (_Denkm._, III, 65 _a_),
which signifies a _stand_ upon which objects are placed.
6. The last words of the chapter were extremely puzzling to the scribes
of the later periods, who altered them in ever so many ways. The older
MSS. read ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂.
And this is borrowed from an ancient text, which may be found on the
sarcophagus of Horhotep, line 338. The variants ⁂⁂, ⁂⁂, of
the papyri, and ⁂⁂ of the sarcophagus show that it is the
sacrificial joint which is meant, and not a verb as the scribes of a
later period thought. For this verb they had to discover an object and
accordingly we find ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂ ‘I trod _their
caverns_.’ ⁂⁂⁂⁂ was in like manner converted into a verb.
See the introductory note to chapter 29.
------------------------------------
CHAPTER XXIX.
_Chapter whereby the Heart of a person may not be taken from him in the
Netherworld._
Back thou Messenger(1.) of thy god! Art thou come to carry off by
violence(2.) this Whole Heart of mine, of the Living XYZZY(3.) But I
shall not surrender to thee this Heart of the Living. The gods have
regards to my offerings and fall upon their faces, all together, upon
their own earth.
NOTES.
The two most ancient copies of this chapter are found upon the coffins
of Amamu, Plate XXX, and of Horhotep, _Mission Arch. Française au
Caire_, t. 1, p. 157, lines 335-337. The papyrus of Ani is the only one
of the early period in which it occurs. None of these texts is perfect.
A part of the text of Amamu has been destroyed, but there remains enough
to show that Horhotep has omissions. And in the text of Ani the word
⁂⁂⁂ has slipped in from the 28th chapter, and is entirely out
of place where it now stands.
The scribes of a later period had to exercise their ingenuity on the
subject. They changed ⁂⁂⁂ _ḫenṭu_ into ⁂⁂⁂⁂ _ḫenȧ_,
and this being itself a disagreeable word, they prefixed to it a
negative ⁂ or ⁂⁂⁂.
1. _Messenger_, ⁂⁂⁂⁂, a word used here and elsewhere in
religious texts in the same sense as מַלְאָךְ an angel, ambassador of
God. The later texts have ⁂⁂⁂ ‘every god,’ by the change of
⁂ into ⁂.
2. _By violence_, ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂. _Cf._
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂, Harris Papyrus, 500, _verso_.
3. _The Living_ ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂ and saved, in opposition to
the Dead and damned. This plural form is a mere sign of a common noun.
------------------------------------
CHAPTER XXIXB.
_Another Chapter of the Heart; upon Carnelian._
I am the Heron, the Soul of Râ, who conduct the Glorious ones to the
Tuat.
It is granted to their Souls to come forth upon the Earth to do
whatsoever their Genius willeth.
It is granted to the soul of the Osiris _N_ to come forth upon the Earth
to do whatsoever his Genius willeth.
NOTE.
Certain chapters having reference to the Heart were written upon
gems[45] and served as amulets, the 26th upon Lapis-lazuli, the 27th
upon green Felspar, the 30th upon Serpentine, and the foregoing chapter
upon Carnelian.
M. Naville has called this chapter 29B, as marking its natural place in
the Book of the Dead. It is not often found in the Papyri. M. Naville
found one copy in the Berlin Papyrus of Nechtuamen, and another traced
by Lepsius in Rome from a papyrus now lost. A third copy will be found
in the papyrus of Ani[46] in the British Museum. It differs from the two
others in “conducting the _gods_ to the Tuat,” and by omitting some
words for which there was no room in the space provided.
-----
Footnote 45:
See a charming article by Professor Ebers in the _Zeitschrift_ of
1880, entitled “Einige inedita.”
Footnote 46:
Pl. 33.
------------------------------------
CHAPTER XXXA.
_Chapter whereby the Heart of a person is not kept back from him in the
Netherworld._
Heart mine which is that of my Mother,
Whole Heart mine which was that of my coming upon Earth,
Let there be no estoppel against me through evidence; let not hindrance
be made to me by the Divine Circle;(1.) let there not be a fall of the
scale(2.) against me in presence of the great god, Lord of Amenta.
Hail to thee, Heart mine; Hail to thee, Whole Heart mine, Hail to thee,
Liver(3.) mine!
Hail to you, ye gods who are on the side lock, conspicuous by your
sceptres,(4.) announce my glory to Râ and convey it to Nehebkau.
[And lo, though he be buried in the deep deep Grave, and bowed down to
the region of annihilation, he is glorified there(5.).]
------------------------------------
CHAPTER XXXB.
Heart mine which is that of my Mother,
Whole Heart mine which is that of my birth,
Let there be no estoppel against me through evidence, let no hindrance
be made to me by the divine Circle; fall thou not against me in presence
of him who is at the Balance.
Thou art my Genius, who art by me, the Artist(6.) who givest soundness
to my limbs.
Come forth(7.) to the bliss[47] towards which we are bound;
Let not those Ministrants(8.) who deal with a man according to the
course of his life(9.) give a bad odour to my name.
Pleasant for us, pleasant for the listener, is the joy of the Weighing
of the Words.
Let not lies be uttered in presence of the great god, Lord of the
Amenta.
Lo! how great art thou [as the Triumphant one.(10.)
NOTES.
This chapter is found not only on papyri but upon innumerable scarabs.
The differences of text are very great, but the principal ones may be
considered as represented by M. Naville’s 30A and 30B. They branch off
from each other after the mention of the Balance.
The oldest copy known on a scarab is that of King Sebak-em-saf of the
XIIIth dynasty. It is in the British Museum (No. 7876) and has been
described by Dr. Birch in his study[48] of the “Formulas relating to the
heart.” “This amulet,” he says, “is of unusual shape; the body of the
insect is made of a remarkably fine green jasper carved in shape of the
body and head of the insect. This is inserted into a base of gold in
shape of a tablet.... The legs of the insect are ... of gold and carved
in relief.... The hieroglyphs are incised in outline, are coarse, and
not very legible.”
1. _The Divine Circle_, ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂. This word on the scarab of
Sebak-em-saf is written ⁂⁂⁂, which shows that ⁂ (a wall of
enclosure) is ideographic of the whole word. And this sign in hieratic,
when placed upright ⁂, has given rise to the ⁂, which takes its
place in the later texts.
2. _Fall of the scale_, ⁂⁂⁂ = the Coptic ⲣⲓⲕⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲩⲙⲁϣⲓ or the
Greek ῥοπὴ τοῦ ζυγοῦ.
3. _Liver_; This seems to be the real meaning of ⁂⁂⁂.
4. These gods are mentioned in the Pyramid Texts in a passage closely
resembling this one of the Book of the Dead. “They bring to Unas (line
479) the four Glorious ones who are on the side lock of Horus; who stand
upon the Eastern side of Heaven, and who are conspicuous through their
sceptres ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂. They announce to Râ the glorious name of
Unas, and proclaim (⁂⁂⁂, _cf._ ⲟⲩⲱ, ⲉⲣⲟⲩⲱ) Unas to Neheb-kau.”
The text of Teta is very imperfect in this place.
The word ⁂⁂ appears to have the sense of _insignire_, _designare_.
This sense is a key to every passage in which the word occurs.
5. The few early copies of this paragraph are too fragmentary and too
contradictory to furnish a restoration of the text, which must have
meant something like what is expressed in this translation.
6. _The Artist_, ⁂⁂⁂⁂, which is here a common noun rather
than a proper name.
7. The deceased addresses his heart, and thereupon speaks in the first
person plural, _we_; that is _you and I_.
8. _The Ministrants._ The ⁂⁂⁂⁂ were high officials in the
Egyptian court, but here they minister to Osiris in the Netherworld.
They are apparently the same gods who are addressed in the 27th Chapter
as fashioning the heart of a person according to his deeds when living.
9. The determinative ⁂ shows that ⁂ is here to be taken in the
sense of the duration of human life, and the pronominal suffixes ⁂ or
⁂ show whose life is spoken of. The latter suffix has reference to
⁂⁂⁂⁂, which is accordingly to be translated in the singular.
The plural sign merely indicates a common or collective noun.
10. _As the Triumphant one._ So _Aa_, the papyrus of Nebseni. Another
authority (B.M. 7865) quoted by Dr. Birch has ⁂⁂⁂⁂ like Râ,
the Triumphant One.
The formula “How great art thou!” occurs in other primitive texts; _cf._
_Aelteste Texte_, Pl. 5, lines 7 and 8. In line 8 it occurs twice.
-----
Footnote 47:
⁂⁂⁂⁂.
Footnote 48:
_Zeitschr._, 1870. p. 32.
------------------------------------
CHAPTER XXXI.
_Chapter whereby the Crocodiles are repulsed who come to carry off the
Words of Power from a person in the Netherworld._
Back, in retreat! Back, Crocodile Sui! Come not against me, who live by
the Words of Power.(1.)
I utter(2.) that Name of the great god, who granteth that two of his
Messengers[49] should come; the name of one is Batta(3.), and the name
of the other is _Thine Aspect is Fixed Law_.(4.)
Heaven determineth(5.) its hour; my Word of Power determineth all that
which concerneth it; and my mouth determineth my Word of Power. I eat,
and my teeth are like flint, and my grinders are like the Cliff of
Tuf.(6.)
O thou who art sitting(7.) with a watchful eye against this my Word of
Power; do not thou carry it off, O Crocodile who livest by thine own
Word of Power.
NOTES.
This chapter is but rarely found in the more ancient collections. It was
on the coffin of Queen Mentuhotep, but M. Naville gives the readings of
only two early papyri. The later recensions add a text which we shall
find later on in chapter 69, and which has no connection whatever with
the present chapter.
1. The Words of Power are supplied to the deceased by Thoth in chapter
23.