Egyptian Literature: Comprising Egyptian tales, hymns, litanies, invocations, the Book of the Dead, and cuneiform writings
Religion
Egyptian Literature: Comprising Egyptian tales, hymns, litanies, invocations, the Book of the Dead, and cuneiform writings
Egyptian literature -- Translations into English
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 passages in accordance with M.
Maspero’s views.
HYMN TO RA-HARMACHIS
Adoration to Rā-Harmachis at the front of the morning.(563) _Say_:
Thou wakest beauteous Amen-Rā-Harmachis, thou watchest in triumph,
Amen-Rā, Lord of the horizon. O blessed one beaming in splendor,
towed by thy mariners who are of the unresting gods, sped by thy
mariners of the unmoving gods. 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 gods 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,
gods and men exult applauding Rā on his standard, blest by his
mother Nut; their heart is glad. Rā hath quelled his impious foes,
heaven rejoices, earth is in delight, gods and goddesses are in
festival to make adoration to Rā-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 _urœs_ hath smitten the
wicked.
O let thy mother Nut embrace thee,(564) Lord Rā, 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 shine
Rā-Harmachis, shine 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 Rā, to cast him into the fire of
Nehaher,(566) encircling in its hour the children of the profane.
No strength have they, Rā prevails over his insensate foes, yea,
putting them to the sword thou makest the false one cast up what
he devoured.
Arise O Rā from within thy chamber, strong is Rā, weak the foes:
lofty is Rā, down-stricken the foes: Rā living, his foes dead: Rā
full of meat and drink, his foes ahungered and athirst: Rā bright,
his foes engulfed: Rā good, his foes evil: Rā mighty, his foes
puny: Rā hath despoiled Apap.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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