Description:

240 BC

THE PAPYRUS OF ANI

THE EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD

Translated by E.A. Wallis Budge

 

                        Part 2

  Following is a list of frequently-mentioned geographical

locations, and their commonly-known names:

Abtu                                                    

Abu

Abydos

Anu

Asyut

Bast

Bubastis

Busiris                                                 

Elephantine

Heliopolis

Hensu                                                  

Herakleopolis

Hermopolis

Hermopolis

Het-ka-Ptah                            

Khemenu                                             

Letopolis

Memphis

Panopolis

Per-Menu                                            

Qerrt

Sais

Sau                                                     

Sekhem                                                           

Suat                                                    

Tetu                                                    

Two Lands                                          

Unu

Upper and Lower Egypt

A HYMN OF PRAISE TO RA WHEN HE RISETH IN THE EASTERN PART OF HEAVEN:

Behold, the Osiris Ani, the scribe of the holy offerings of all the

gods, saith: Homage to thee, O thou who hast come as Khepera,

Khepera the creator of the gods, Thou art seated on thy throne, thou

risest up in the sky, illumining thy mother [Nut], thou art seated

on thy throne as the king of the gods. [Thy] mother Nut stretcheth out

her hands, and performeth an act of homage to thee. The domain of Manu

receiveth thee with satisfaction. The goddess Maat embraceth thee at

the two seasons of the day. May Ra give glory, and power, and

thruth-speaking, and the appearance as a living soul so that he may

gaze upon Heru-khuti, to the KA of the Osiris the Scribe Ani, who

speaketh truth before Osiris, and who saith: Hail, O all ye gods of

the House of the Soul, who weigh heaven and earth in a balance, and

who give celestial food [to the dead]. Hail, Tatun, [who art] One,

thou creator of mortals [and] of the Companies of the Gods of the

South and of the North, of the West and of the East, ascribe ye praise

to Ra, the lord of heaven, the KING, Life, Strength, and Health, the

maker of the gods. Give ye thanks unto him in his beneficent form

which is enthroned in the Atett Boat; beings celestial praise thee,

beings terrestial praise thee. Thoth and the goddess Maat mark out thy

course for thee day by day and every day. Thine enemy the Serpent hath

been given over to the fire. The Serpent-fiend Sebau hath fallen

headlong, his forelegs are bound in chains, and his hind legs hath

Ra carried away from him. The Sons of Revolt shall never more rise up.

The House of the Aged One keepeth festival, and the voices of those

who make merry are in the Great Place. The gods rejoice when they

see Ra crowned upon his throne, and when his beams flood the world

with light. The majesty of this holy god setteth out on his journey,

and he goeth onwards until he reacheth the land of Manu; the earth

becometh light at his birth each day; he proceedeth until he

reacheth the place where he was yesterday. O be thou at peace with me.

Let me gaze upon thy beauties. Let me journey above the earth. Let

me smite the Ass. Let me slit asunder the Serpent-fiend Sebau. Let

me destroy Aepep at the moment of his greatest power. Let me behold

the Abtu Fish at his season, and the Ant Fish with the Ant Boat as

it piloteth it in its lake. Let me behold Horus when he is in charge

of the rudder [of the Boat of Ra], with Thoth and the goddess Maat

on each side of him. Let me lay hold of the tow-rope of the Sektet

Boat, and the rope at the stern of the Matett Boat. Let Ra grant to me

a view of the Disk (the Sun), and a sight of Ah (the Moon) unfailingly

each day. Let my Ba-soul come forth to walk about hither and thither

and whithersoever it pleaseth. Let my name be called out, let it be

found inscribed on the tablet which recordeth the names of those who

are to receive offerings. Let meals from the sepulchral offerings be

given to me in the presence [of Osiris], as to those who are in the

following of Horus. Let there be prepared for me a seat in the Boat of

the Sun on the day wheron the god saileth. Let me be received in the

presence of Osiris in the Land of Truth-speaking- the Ka of Osiris

Ani.

  (From the Papyrus of Nekht, Brit. Mus. No. 10471, Sheet 21)

NEKHT, THE CAPTAIN OF SOLDIERS, THE ROYAL SCRIBE, SINGETH A HYMN

OF PRAISE TO RA, and saith:- Homage to thee, O thou glorious Being,

thou who art dowered [with all sovereignty]. O Tem-Heru-Khuti

(Tem-Harmakhis), when thou risest in the horizon of heaven a cry of

joy goeth forth to thee from all people. O thou beautiful Being,

thou dost renew thyself in thy season in the form of the Disk,

within thy mother Hathor. Therefore in every place every heart

swelleth with joy at thy rising for ever. The regions of the South and

the North come to thee with homage, and send forth acclamations at thy

rising on the horizon of heaven, and thou illuminest the Two Lands

with rays of turquoise-[coloured] light. O Ra, who art Heru-Khuti, the

divine man-child, the heir of eternity, self-begotten and self-born,

king of the earth, prince of the Tuat (the Other World), governor of

Aukert, thou didst come from the Water-god, thou didst spring from the

Sky-god Nu, who doth cherish thee and order thy members. O thou god of

life, thou lord of love, all men live when thou shinest; thou art

crowned king of the gods. The goddess Nut embraceth thee, and the

goddess Mut enfoldeth thee at all seasons. Those who are in thy

following sing unto thee with joy, and they bow down their foreheads

to the earth when they meet thee, the lord of heaven, the lord of

the earth, the King of Truth, the lord of eternity, the prince of

everlastingness, thou sovereign of all the gods, thou god of life,

thou creator of eternity, thou maker of heaven wherin thou art

firmly stablished.

  The Company of the Gods rejoice at thy rising, the earth is glad

when it beholdeth thy rays; the people who have been long dead come

forth with cries of joy to behold thy beauties every day. Thou goest

forth each day over heaven and earth, and thou art made strong each

day be thy mother Nut. Thou passest over the heights of heaven, thy

heart swelleth with joy; and the Lake of Testes (the Great Oasis) is

content thereat. The Serpent-fiend hath fallen, his arms are hewn off,

the Knife hath severed his joints. Ra liveth by Maat (Law), the

beautiful! The Sektet Boat advanceth and cometh into port. The South

and the North, and the West and East, turn to praise thee. O thou

First, Great God (PAUTA), who didst come into being of thine own

accord, Isis and Nephthys salute thee, they sing unto thee songs of

joy at thy rising in the boat, they stretch out their hands unto thee.

The Souls of the East follow thee, and the Souls of the West praise

thee. Thou art the Ruler of all the gods. Thou in thy shrine hast joy,

for the Serpent-fiend Nak hath been judged by the fire, and thy

heart shall rejoice for ever. Thy mother Nut is esteemed by thy father

Nu.

HYMN TO OSIRIS UN-NEFER

  A Hymn of Praise to Osiris Un-Nefer, the great god who dwelleth in

Abtu, the king of eternity, the lord of everlastingness, who

traverseth millions of years in his existence. Thou art the eldest son

of the womb of Nut. Thou was begotten by Keb, the Erpat. Thou art

the lord of the Urrt Crown. Thou art he whose White Crown is lofty.

Thou art the King (Ati) of gods [and] men. Thou hast gained possession

of the sceptre of rule, and the whip, and the rank and dignity of

thy divine fathers. Thy heart is expanded with joy, O thou who art

in the kingdom of the dead. Thy son Horus is firmly placed on thy

throne. Thou hast ascended thy throne as the Lord of Tetu, and as

the Heq who dwelleth in Abydos. Thou makest the Two Lands to

flourish through Truth-speaking, in the presence of him who is the

Lord to the Uttermost Limit. Thou drawest on that which hath not yet

come into being in thy name of "Ta-her-sta-nef." Thou governest the

Two Lands by Maat in thy name of "Seker." Thy power is wide-spread,

thou art he of whom the fear is great in thy name of "Usar" (or

"Asar"). Thy existence endureth for an infinite number of double henti

periods in thy name of "Un-Nefer."

  Homage to thee, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, and Prince of

Princes. Thou hast ruled the Two Lands from the womb of the goddess

Nut. Thou hast governed the Lands of Akert. Thy members are of

silver-gold, thy head is of lapis-lazuli, and the crown of thy head is

of turquoise. Thou art An of millions of years. Thy body is all

pervading, O Beautiful Face in Ta-tchesert. Grant thou to me glory

in heaven, and power upon earth, and truth-speaking in the Divine

Underworld, and [the power to] sail down the river to Tetu in the form

of a living Ba-soul, and [the power to] sail up the river to Abydos in

the form of a Benu bird, and [the power to] pass in through and to

pass out from, without obstruction, the doors of the lords of the

Tuat. Let there be given unto me bread-cakes in the House of

Refreshing, and sepulchral offerings of cakes and ale, and

propitiatory offerings in Anu, and a permanent homestead in

Sekhet-Aaru, with wheat and barley therein- to the Double of the

Osiris, the scribe Ani.