Hail to thee O Nile! Thou shewest thyself in this land Coming in peace, giving life to Egypt; O Ammon (thou) leadest night into day, A leading that rejoices the heart! Overflowing the gardens created by Ra. Giving life to all animals; Watering the lands without ceasing, The way of heaven descending, Lover of food, bestower of corn, Giving light to every home, O Ptah! Bringer of food! Great Lord of provisions, Creator of all good things! Lord of terrors and of choicest joys! All are combined in him. He produceth grass for the oxen, Providing victims for every god. The choice incense is that which he supplies. Lord in both regions, He filleth the granaries, enricheth the storehouses, He careth for the state of the poor. Thou shinest in the city of the King; Then the householders are satiated with good things, The poor man laughs at the lotus. All things are perfectly ordered. Every kind of herb for thy children, If food should fail, All enjoyment is cast on the ground, The land falls in weariness. O inundation of Nile, offerings are made to thee: Oxen are slain to thee: Great festivals are kept for thee; Fowls of the field are caught for thee, Pure flowers are offered to thee. Offerings are made to every god As they are made unto the Nile. Incense ascends unto heaven, Oxen, bulls, fowls are burnt! Nile makes for himself chasms in the South; Unknown is his name in heaven, He doth not manifest his forms, Vain are all representations! Shine forth, shine forth, O Nile, shine forth Giving life to his oxen by the pastures, Giving life to men by his oxen, Shine forth in glory, O Nile! More natural seems to us the worship of the Nile. There was a certain beauty which we today can still appreciate in the festivals celebrated each year on the banks of the rising water--which alone brought happiness and prosperity to all. Hapi was the god of the Nile and he was worshipped alike throughout Upper and Lower Egypt. Hymns were chanted to him, as it was believed he might be importuned to rise high enough to insure sufficient water, while if neglected, only a partial flood might occur. One of these hymns was something like this: Hail to thee, Hapi Who descendeth upon earth And giveth life unto Egypt. Thou who art hidden in the unknown Whose waters spread upon the fields Which the sun-god hath created; And giveth life to all who are athirst. Thou, the Creator of corn, The Maker of barley---- Do thy waters cease to flow, Then are all mankind in misery; When thou wanest in heaven The gods and all living things perish. It would be useless for us to attempt to become familiar with all the Egyptian divinities. In the age when people conceived and worshipped them, the gods of a given locality were often unknown in a neighboring city, and the animals held to be sacred in one town might be eaten as food in another.