The Literature of the Ancient EgyptiansBudge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis), Sir
History
The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians
Budge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis), Sir
Egyptian literature -- History and criticism; Egyptian literature -- Translations into English
"Those who dwell in the heights and those who dwell in the depths
worship thee. Thoth and the goddess Maāt have laid down thy course for
thee daily for ever. Thine Enemy the Serpent hath been cast into the
fire, the fiend hath fallen down into it headlong. His arms have been
bound in chains, and Rā hath hacked off his legs; the Mesu Betshet[4]
shall never more rise up. The Temple of the Aged God [in Anu] keepeth
festival, and the sound of those who rejoice is in the Great House. The
gods shout for joy when they see Rā rising, and when his beams are
filling the world with light. The Majesty of the Holy God goeth forth
and advanceth even unto the Land of Sunset (Manu). He maketh bright the
earth at his birth daily, he journeyeth to the place where he was
yesterday. O be thou at peace with me, and let me behold thy beauties!
Let me appear on the earth. Let me smite [the Eater of] the Ass.[5] Let
me crush the Serpent Seba.[6] Let me destroy Āapep[7] when he is most
strong. Let me see the Abtu Fish in its season and the Ant Fish[8] in
its lake. Let me see Horus steering thy boat, with Thoth and Maāt
standing one on each side of him. Let me have hold of the bows of [thy]
Evening Boat and the stern of thy Morning Boat.[9] Grant thou unto the
Ka of me, the Osiris the scribe Ani, to behold the disk of the Sun, and
to see the Moon-god regularly and daily. Let my soul come forth and walk
hither and thither and whithersoever it pleaseth. Let my name be read
from the list of those who are to receive offerings, and may offerings
be set before me, even as they are set before the Followers of Horus.
Let there be prepared for me a seat in the Boat of Rā on the day when
the god goeth forth. Let me be received into the presence of Osiris, in
the Land where Truth is spoken."
[Footnote 1: The Sky-goddess.]
[Footnote 2: Goddess of Law.]
[Footnote 3: An ancient Earth-god.]
[Footnote 4: The associates of Set, the god of Evil.]
[Footnote 5: The Ass was a form of the Sun-god, and its eater was a
mythological monster-serpent.]
[Footnote 6: Another mythological serpent.]
[Footnote 7: The serpent that tried to swallow the sun each morning, but
the Sun-god cast a spell on it and rendered it powerless.]
[Footnote 8: The Abtu and the Ant were two fishes that swam before the
boat of the sun to warn the god of danger.]
[Footnote 9: _i.e._, Ani wishes to be sure of a seat in both boats.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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