The Egyptian Book of the dead
The gods who are in heaven, they see the Osiris _N_, they present to him
their adorations as to Rā.
He is the Great one, who seeketh the Crown and reckoneth up that which
is needful.
He is the One, who cometh forth this day from the primeval womb of them
who were before Rā, and his coming forth taketh place upon earth and in
the Netherworld. His coming forth is like Rā daily.
Without haste, but unresting, is the Osiris _N_ on this Land of
Eternity.
Twice blessed is he that seeth with his eyes and heareth with his ears.
Right, right is the Osiris _N_: and his future, his future,(7.) is in
Annu.
His oars are lifted as in the service of Nu.
The Osiris _N_ hath not told what he hath seen; he hath not repeated
what he hath heard in the house of the god who hideth his face.
There are hailing and cries of welcome to the Osiris _N_, the divine
body of Rā, on traversing the Nu, and whilst the _ka_ of the god is
being propitiated, according to his pleasure.
The Osiris _N_ is the Hawk, rich in variety of Forms.
The Deceased acquireth might with Rā, and is enabled to possess power
among the gods, for the gods are made to regard him as one of
themselves, and when the Dead ones see him they fall upon their faces.
He is seen in the Netherworld even as the beams of Rā.
_Said over a Boat of four cubits in length, painted green. And let a
starry sky be made, clean and purified with natron and incense. And see
thou make an image of Rā upon a tablet of light green colour at the prow
of the Boat. And see thou make an image of the Deceased whom thou
lovest, that he may be made strong in this boat, and that his voyage be
made in the Bark of Rā, and that Rā himself may look upon him. Do not do
this for any one except for thine own self, thy father and thy son. And
let them be exceedingly cautious for themselves. The Deceased acquireth
might with Rā, and made to possess power among the gods, who regard him
as one of themselves, and when men or the Dead see him they fall upon
their faces. He is seen in the Netherworld as the image of Rā._(8.)
NOTES.
The earliest known text of this chapter is that of the Tomb of
Amenemhait at Thebes (_Ta_), of the time of Thothmes III. It is almost
as inaccurate as that of Nebseni (_Aa_), or the Brockelhurst _Ax_. Nor
is the text of Ani of any use towards clearing up any of the
difficulties.
1. _Acquireth Might._ ⁂⁂ does not signify _wise_, nor has it
anything to do with _instruction_ or _perfection_, as supposed by other
translators. As an adjective it is used to qualify not only animate but
inanimate things, such as an _egg_, _beer_, and _incense_. The
well-known expressions ⁂⁂⁂ and ⁂⁂⁂ exactly
correspond to the Hebrew עד מאד and מאד מאד. The notion implied, as in
the Hebrew אוד, is that of _strength_.
⁂⁂⁂, in the Prisse Papyrus, is not a _wise_ man, but a
_powerful_ one, _a man of rank or influence_, δυνάμενος, δυνατός.
This is the meaning of the word in such passages as
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂ (Rougé, _Inscr. hier._, 80)
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂ (_Inscr. of Una_ repeatedly)
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂ (_Pap. Prisse_ 17,
1). These expressions are the exact equivalents of the Greek δυνάμενος
παρά τῷ βασιλῆι, Herodot. 7, 5.
The might acquired by the deceased is stated in the final rubric and in
all the titles of the chapter in the later recensions to be
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂, with reference to Rā.
2. _Said on the first day of the Month._ These words first appear on the
Papyrus of Ani.
3. _The Twinklers._ The oldest texts in this place have
⁂⁂⁂⁂, though the equivalent and corresponding word a
little further on is ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂, which is the usual reading
here in the later recensions. The same meaning may be made out of both
groups. The stars are manifestly alluded to, as being made to disappear
when the Sun makes his appearance. ⁂, or in reduplicated form
⁂⁂⁂, is the pupil of the eye; ⁂⁂ is to _ogle, far
l’occhiata_. ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂ on the other hand signifies the
_little tremblers_, “tremulo fulgore micantes.” The glance of the eye is
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂.[144] The stars are here considered as so many
eyes, characterised by their tremulous motion.
4. The true text is here quite lost. Some sense might be restored, if we
might read ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂ instead of ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂. The
latter word is absolute nonsense in this place, whatever determinative
it may have, but the former is the well known name of a tree held sacred
at various places in Egypt. The whole passage then might mean “Enjoy the
north wind, and may the Kabasu trees of thine abode refresh thee.”
5. _The golden Form._ The whole of this passage will become clear after
reading the final rubric and examining the Vignettes of the chapter.
6. _Line of measurement_, ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂. An explanation of this
will be found in the pictures and text of the _Book of Hades_. In
Bonomi’s _Sarcoph._, Plates VII in the act of acclamation, and twelve
others carry the line ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂. The use
intended for the line is stated in the text. “The bearers
of the line are those who settle the fields of the Chu,
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂.” They are called upon to take
their line and to fix the ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂, ⲥⲉⲑⲓⲟϩⲓ, ἄρουρα, the
_arable land_ of each allotment. Rā expresses his satisfaction at the
measurement, and tells the gods and the Chu that their domains are
theirs, and that he provides their food.
7. _His future_ ⁂⁂⁂, ⁂⁂⁂⁂.
8. The rubric is taken from _Ax_.
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Footnote 144:
The Egyptian word signifying _tremble_ is written either with ⁂ or
with ⁂.
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CHAPTER CXXXIV.
_Chapter whereby the Deceased acquireth might._
Hail to thee who art in the midst of thine Ark, Oh rising Sun who
risest, and declining(1.) one who declinest: at whose will millions
spring forth, as he turneth his face to the unborn generations of men:
Chepera in the middle of his Bark, who overthroweth Apepi.
Here are the children of Seb who overthrow the adversaries of Osiris and
destroy them from the Bark of Rā.
Horus cutteth off their heads in heaven when in the forms of winged
fowl, their hinder parts on earth when in the forms of quadrupeds or [in
the water] as fishes.
All fiends, male or female, the Osiris _N_ destroyeth them, whether
descending from heaven or coming forth upon the earth, or issuing out of
the water or travelling along with the Stars.
Thoth slaughtereth them, the Son of the Rock, proceeding from the place
of the Two Rocks.(2.)
The Osiris _N_ is dumb and deaf(3.) for the Strong one is Rā, the
puissant of stroke, the Almighty one, who washeth in their blood and
walloweth in their gore.
The Osiris _N_ destroyeth them from the Bark of his father Rā.
The Osiris _N_ is Horus: his mother Isis bringeth him forth, and
Nephthys nurseth him, as they did to Horus, who repelleth the dark ones
of Sutu: who, when they see the Crown fixed upon his brow, fall upon
their faces.
Osiris Unneferu is triumphant over his adversaries in heaven and on
earth, and in the cycle of each god and goddess.
_Said over a Hawk in a Boat, with the White Crown upon its head, and the
figure of Tmu, Shu, Tefnut, Seb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Sutu,(4.) Nephthys,
painted yellowish green on a fresh papyrus placed in this Boat, together
with the figure of the Deceased, anointed with the Heknu oil. Let there
be offered to them incense burning and roast fowl. It is the adoration
of Rā, and his voyage, for it is granted to him to make his appearance
each day with Rā, whithersoever he journeyeth; and it is the Slaughter
of the adversaries of Rā; positively and undeviatingly for times
infinite._
NOTES.
1. _Declining_ ⁂⁂. This word frequently occurs in contrast with
⁂⁂⁂. I understand the latter in all such cases to signify the
shining of the sun on his rising, and the former to signify the shining
of the sun in his afternoon course.
2. _The son of the Rock, proceeding from the place of the Two Rocks._
The only explanation I can think of is derived from the identification
(in chapter 62) of Thoth with the Nile, ⁂⁂⁂⁂. From this
point of view the god is both the son of the Rock and issues from the
place of the Double Rock, ⁂⁂⁂, or of the two Rocks, called in
the time of Herodotus Krophi and Mophi.
3. _Dumb and deaf_, ⁂⁂⁂⁂. It is strange that this meaning
of the passage has so long been misunderstood. The sense of the first
word has long been recognised, and ‘deaf’ is the meaning rightly
assigned to ⁂⁂ in Birch’s Dictionary. One instance like the
following (from _Unas_, 608) is sufficient to settle the
question—⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂, “He is
not so deaf that he should not hear thy voice.”
That the subject of these attributes is the Osiris is seen by reference
to _At_, where instead of ‘the Osiris’ the deceased speaks in the first
person, ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂, “I am dumb, I am deaf.”
4. _Sutu._ This divine name occurs in the text of Amenhait in the reign
of Thothmes III. And I have noted another instance where the name is
written ⁂⁂⁂. Dr. Birch called the papyrus Miss
Brockelhurst’s. It cannot however be the _Ax_ of M. Naville, which does
not contain the chapter.
The disappearance of the god’s name from all other documents is a fatal
argument against their claims to high antiquity.
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CHAPTER CXXXV.
_Another chapter recited when the Moon renews itself on the first day of
the month._
Osiris is enveloped in storm and rain: he is enveloped: but the fair
Horus lendeth succour daily, the Lord of high attributes . . . (1.) he
driveth off the storm from the face of the Osiris _N_.
Behold him coming: he is Rā on his journey: he is the four gods who are
over the upper region.
The Osiris _N_ arriveth at his own time: and by means of his lines is
brought to the light of day.
_If this chapter be known he becometh a Chu of Might in the Netherworld;
he dieth not a second time, in the Netherworld; but he eateth by the
side of Osiris._
_If it be known upon earth he will become like Thoth, so as to be
worshipped by the living: he will not fall a victim to a king’s
wrath(2.) or to the fierce heat of Basit, but will be made to advance to
a most blissful old age._
NOTES.
This chapter is not found in the papyri of the older period.
1. The words ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂ _Offerings of_ (or _to_) _the
Moment_ have the appearance of an interpolated rubrical direction. _See_
next note.
2. _A king’s wrath_ ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂. ⁂⁂ in the cases of
gods and men is an impulse which cannot be stopped, but carries
everything before it.
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CHAPTER CXXXVIA.
_Chapter whereby one is conveyed in the Bark of Rā._
Lo the Light(1.) which riseth up in Cher-āba.(2.)
He is born, he of the strong cord,(3.) his cable(4.) is at an end, and
his rudder(5.) hath been taken in hand.
I poise the divine machinery(6.) by which I raise up the Bark to the
cord above head, by means of which I come forth into Heaven, and am
conveyed to Nut.
I am conveyed by it along with Rā. I am conveyed by it like the Kaf.(7.)
I stop the path at the Uārit of Nut, at the staircase where Seb and Nut
bewail their hearts.
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CHAPTER CXXXVIB.
_Chapter whereby one is conveyed in the Great Bark of Rā to pass through
the orbit of flame._
O bright flame which art behind Rā, and dividest his Crown!
The Bark of Rā feareth the storm.
Ye[145] are bright and ye are exalted.
I come daily with Sek-hra(8.) from his exalted station, so that I may