The Egyptian Book of the dead
_N._ from all things pernicious and evil, from all harm and evil, from
the cruel huntsman and his swords, and from all evil things; and order
what is to be done to him by the men, the glorious ones, and the dead,
in this day, in this night, in this month, and in this year.
Said(4.) by a man, when Rā is put before these gods, painted in green,
and standing on a wooden board, and when they give him the offerings,
and the sustenance which is before them, bread and drink, geese, and
frankincense, and when they present mortuary gifts to the deceased
before Rā.
(The book called) giving sustenance to a deceased in the Netherworld,
delivers a man from all evil things. Thou shalt not read to any other
man than thyself the book of Unnefer. He to whom this has been read, Rā
is his steersman and his protecting power, he will not be attacked by
his enemies in the Netherworld, in the sky, on the earth, and in every
place he goes, for (the book) giving sustenance to the deceased has its
effect regularly.
NOTES.
This chapter in the Turin text begins with a long title which is found
by itself in the papyrus of _Nu_. Dr. Budge considers it as a special
chapter, to which he has given No. 190. But the proof that it is not a
chapter, is that the whole of it is written in red, which means that it
is a title; besides this title is that of one of the hymns which
constitute chapter 15, the hymn to the setting sun (15 B, 3). The
chapter itself begins with the last word in line 7 of the Turin text. We
have a nearly complete version of it in the tomb of Senmut, the
architect of queen Hatshepsu. The text from which I translate is
compiled from several Theban papyri.
1. Renouf translates the word in various ways: “sustenance, nutriment,
dainties, delicacies.”
2. Note the connection between these two ideas which occurs throughout
the chapter: the giving nourishment to the deceased delivers him from
all evil.
3. To be suckled by the divine cows, like Hatshepsu at Der el Bahari, by
Hathor.
4. Several papyri have here the rubric of 30B, with the name of
Mycerinus. The rubric which is here translated is taken from the papyrus
of _Nu_. Lepsius calls 148C the vignettes belonging to this chapter. In
a columned hall stands Osiris, and behind him the cows, the rudders, and
the four gods of the cardinal points. Osiris is sometimes left out. In
the papyrus of Ani the god has his hair painted green, and he stands on
a green basement.
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PLATE LII.
BOOK OF THE DEAD.
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PLATE LIII.
BOOK OF THE DEAD.
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CHAPTER CXLIX.
The first domain. O this domain of the Amenta, where they live upon
bread of the plant _tep seru_. Take off your head dress in my presence,
for I am the great one among you, he who joins his bones and establishes
firmly his limbs. Ahi, the lord of hearts, came to me, he joined my
bones, and as he fixed the diadem of Tmu, he fastened on me the head of
Nehebkau, and established my balance. I am lord among the gods, I am
Amsi the builder.
The second domain.(1.) I am the great proprietor in the garden of Aarru.
O this garden of Aarru, the walls of which are of steel; the height of
its wheat is seven cubits, the ears are two cubits, and the stalks five
cubits. The glorified ones, each of whom is seven cubits in height, reap
them in presence of Harmachis.
I know the inner gate of the garden of Aarru, out of which cometh Rā, in
the East of the sky; the South of it is by the lake of Cha-ru, and the
North of it by the stream of Reu; thence Rā saileth with favouring
gales.
I am the Teller in the divine ship; I am the unresting navigator in the
Bark of Rā.
I know those two sycamores of emerald, between which Rā cometh forth, as
he advanceth over what Tmu hath lifted up (the firmament) to the Eastern
gates of the sky, through which he proceedeth.
I know this garden of Aarru of Rā, the height of its wheat is seven
cubits, the ears are two cubits, the stalks five cubits; the barley is
seven cubits. It is the glorified ones, each of whom is nine cubits in
height, who reap them in presence of the powers of the East.
The third domain.(2.) O this domain of the glorious ones through which
nobody can sail, which contains glorious ones, and the flame of which is
a consuming fire. O this domain of the glorious ones, your faces are
looking down; make straight your ways, and purify your abodes as it was
ordered to you by Osiris the eternal one.
I am the lord of the red crown which is on the head of the shining
one,(3.) he who gives life to mankind from the heat of his mouth, and
who delivers Rā from Apepi.
The fourth domain. O this great and lofty mountain of the Netherworld,
on the highest point of which ends the sky. It is three hundred measures
in length, and ten in width. There is a snake on it, he with sharp
knives is his name, he is seventy cubits in his windings, he lives by
slaughtering the glorious ones and the damned in the Netherworld.
I stand on thy wall,(4.) directing my navigation. I see the way towards
thee. I gather myself together. I am the man who puts a veil on thy
head, and I am uninjured. I am the great magician; thy eyes have been
given me, and I am glorified through them. Who is he who goeth on his
belly? Thy strength is on thy mountain; behold, I march towards it, and
thy strength is in my hand. I am he who lifts the strength. I have come
and I have taken away the serpents(5.) of Rā, when he rests with me at
eventide.
I go round the sky, thou art in thy valley, as was ordered to thee
before.
The fifth domain. O this domain of the glorious ones, which is open to
no one. The glorious ones who are in it have thighs of seven cubits, and
they live on the shades of the motionless.
Open to me the ways, that I may appear before you, that I may reach the
good Amenta, as was ordered me by Osiris, the glorious one, the lord of
all the glorified.
I live of your glory, I observe the first day of the month, and the
half-month on the fifteenth day.
I have gone round with the eye of Horus in my power, following Thoth.
Any god, or damned, who opens his devouring mouth against me on this
day, is struck down on the block.
The sixth domain. O thou Amemhet who art sacred more than the hidden
gods and the glorious ones, and who art dreadful to the gods. The god in
it is called Sechez-at.(6.)
Hail to thee, Amemhet. I have come to see the gods within thee.
Show your faces, and take away your head-dresses in my presence, I have
come to make your bread.
Sechez-at will not be stronger than I; the slaughterers will not come
behind me, the impure ones will not come behind me.
I live upon your offerings.
The seventh domain. O this Ases, too remote to be seen; the heat of
which is that of blazing fire. There is a serpent in it whose name is
Rerek. His backbone is seven cubits, he lives on glorious ones,
destroying their glory.
Get thee behind me, Rerek, who is in Ases, who bites with his mouth; and
who paralyses with his eyes.
Thy teeth are torn away, thy venom is powerless.
Thou shalt not come towards me, thy venom will not penetrate into me.
Thy poison is fallen and thrown down, and thy lips are in a hole.
The white serpent has struck his _ka_, and his _ka_ has struck the white
serpent.(7.)
I shall be protected. His head was cut off by the lynx.(8.)
The eighth domain. O this Hahotep, the very great, the stream of which
nobody takes the water for fear of its roaring.
The god whose name is the lofty one, keeps watch over it, in order that
nobody may come near it.
I(9.) am the vulture which is on the stream without end. I brought the
things of the world to Tmu, at the time when the sailors (of Rā) are
abundantly provided.
I have given my strength to the lords of the shrines, and the awe I
inspire to the lord of all things.
I shall not be taken to the block. The pleasure they take in me will not
be destroyed. I am the guide on the northern horizon.
The ninth domain.(10.) O this Akset which art hidden to the gods, the
name of which the glorious ones are afraid to know. No one goes out who
goes into it, except this venerable god, who inspires fear to the gods
and terror to the glorious ones. Its opening is of fire, its wind
destroys the nostrils. He made it such(11.) for his followers in order
that they may not breathe its wind, except this venerable god who comes
out of his egg.
He made it such, being in it, in order that nobody may come near it,
except Rā who is supreme in his attributes.
Hail to thee, venerable god, who comes out of his egg. I have come to
thee to be in thy following. I go out of, and I come into Akset. Open to
me the doors, that I may inhale its wind, and that I may take the
offerings within it.
The tenth domain.(12.) O this city of the Kahu gods who take hold of the
glorious ones, and who gain mastery over the shades(13.).... Who they
see with their eyes; who have no connection with the earth.
O ye who are in your domain, throw yourselves on your bellies, that I
may pass near you. My glorious nature will not be taken from me. No one
will give mastery over my shade, for I am the divine hawk who has been
rubbed with _anti_ and anointed with incense; libations have been
offered to me; Isis is before me; Nephthys is behind me.
The way has been pointed to me by Nau, the bull of Nut and Nehebkau. I
have come to you, ye gods; deliver me and glorify me of an eternal
glory.
The eleventh domain. O this city in the Netherworld, this cavity which
masters the glorious ones.
No one goes out, of those who went into it, from the dread of the
appearance of him who is in it.
He who sees the god who is in it, face to face, he who sees him dies
there from his blows, except the gods who are there, and who are hidden
to the glorious ones.
O this Atu, in the Netherworld. Grant that I may reach them; I am the
great magician, with his knife; I am issued of Set, (I stand on) my feet
for ever.
I rise, and I am mighty through this eye of Horus; my heart is raised,
after it has fallen low.
I am glorious in heaven, and I am mighty on earth.
I fly like Horus, I cackle like the divine goose.
It was given me to alight near the stream of the lake; I stand near it,
I sit near it, I eat of the food in Sechit Hotepit, I go down to the
islands of the wandering stars.
The doors of the Maāti are open to me; and the gates of the upper waters
are unbolted to me.
I raise my ladder up to the sky to see the gods.
I am one of them, I speak like the divine goose, and I listen to the
gods.
I talk aloud, I repeat the words of Sothis.
The twelfth domain. O this domain of Unt, within Restau, the heat of
which is that of fire. No god goes down into it, and the glorious ones
do not gather into it, for the four snakes would destroy their
names.(14.)
O this domain of Unt! I am the great among the glorious ones within. I
am among the wandering stars. I am not destroyed; my name is not
destroyed.
Come, thou divine scent, say the gods who are in the domain of Unt.
I am with you, I live with you, ye gods who are within the domain of
Unt.
You love me more than your gods. I am with you for ever, in the presence
of the followers of the great god.
The thirteenth domain. O this domain of the water, which none of the