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Chap. XXVIII . THE CHAPTER OF NOT LETTING THE IIEART OF THE DECEASED BE CARRIED AWAY FROM HIM IN THE UNDERWORLD . From the Papyrus of Nu.

Vignette : In some papyri containing the Theban Recension of the Bookof the Dead (e . y ., those of Nu and Amen-neb (Brit . Mus . No . 9,964), this
Chapter has no vignette . In the Papyrus of Nefer-uhcn-f the deceased is
seen holding his heart upon his breast with his left hand, and kneeling
before a tailed monster in human form who holds a knife in his right
hand, and grasps his tail with the left . Another papyrus shows the de-
ceased offering incense to Osiris, who, standing on a pedestal in the form
of Alaat, holds the flail and sceptre in his hands ; in the Brocklehurst
papyrus the deceased is kneeling and holding his heart in his left hand,
which is outstretched (see Naville, Todtenbuch, Bd. i . BL 39) . In the
Turin Papyrus the deceased is adoring his heart, which is placed on a
pedestal, before a seated deity (Lepsius, Todtenbuch, Bl . 15) .

Text : (1) THE CHAPTER OF NOT LETTING THE HEART OF
THE OVERSEER OF THE PALACE, THE CHANCELLOR-IN-CHIEF,
NU, TRIUMPHANT, BE CARRIED AWAY (2) FROM HIM IN THE
UNDERWORLD . He saith :-

"Hail, thou Lion-god! I am the Flower Bush (Unb) . That
"which is an abomination unto me is the divine block . Let not
"this my heart (hdti) be carried away from me by (3) the fight-
ing gods in Annu . Hail, thou who dost wind bandages round
"Osiris and who hast seen Set! Hail, thou who returnest after
"smiting and destroying him before the mighty ones! (4) This
"my heart (ab ; [sitteth] and weepeth for itself before Osiris ; it
"bath made supplication for me . I have given unto him and I
"have decreed unto him the thoughts (5) of the heart in the
"House of the god Usekh-hra,' and I have brought to him
"sand (sic) at the entry to Khemennu (Hermopolis Magna) . Let
"not this my heart (Izati) be carried away from me! I make
"thee to (6) dwell( :) upon his throne, 0 thou who joinest to-
gether hearts (lzatu) [in Sekhet-hetep (with) years] of strength
"against all things that , are an abomination unto thee, and to
"carry off (7) food from among the things which belong unto thee,
"and are in thy grasp by reason of thy two-fold strength . And
"this my heart (hati) is devoted to the decrees of the god Tern
"who leadeth me into the (8) dens of Suti, but let not this my
"heart which hath done its desire before the sovereign princes
"who are in the underworld be given unto him . When they
"find the leg and the swathings (9) they bury them ."

The Source: The Book oDead, the Chapters of Coming Forth by Day
Translated into English by E. A. Wallis Budge, Litt.D., D.Lit
London, 1898.


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Chap. XXVII . THE CHAPTER OF NOT LETTING THE HEART OF A MAN BE TAKEN FROM HIM IN THE UNDERWORLD . From the Papyrus of Ani.