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Hymn to Ra when he riseth (From the Papyrus of Ani)

Vignette : The scribe Ani standing, with hands raised in adoration, before a table of offerings consisting of haunches of beef, loaves of bread, and cakes, vases of wine and oil, fruits, and flowers . He wears a fringed linen garment and has a wig, necklace, bracelets, etc . Behind him stands his wife Thuthu, a member of the College of Amen-Ra at Thebes ; she is similarly robed and holds a sistrum, a vine branch, and a mendt, or emblem of pleasure, in her hands .

Text : (I) A HYMN OF PRAISE TO RA WHEN HE RISETH IN THE EASTERN PART OF' HEAVEN . Behold Osiris, Ani the scribe of the holy offerings of all the gods, (2) who saith :- "Homage to thee, 0 thou who halt come as Khepera, Khepera "the creator of the gods . Thou risest, thou shinest, (3) thou makest light [in] thy mother [the goddess Nut] ; thou art crowned `king of the gods . [Thv] mother Nut doeth an act of homage unto thee with both her hands . (4) The land of Mann "receiveth thee with satisfaction, and the goddess Maat embraceth thee both at morn and at eve . May he (i . e . Ra) give "glory, and power, and triumph, (5) and a coming forth as a "living soul to see Heru-khuti (i . e ., Horns of the two horizons) "to the double (ka) of Osiris, the scribe Ani, victorious before "Osiris, (6) who saith : Hail, all ye gods of the Temple of "the Soul, who weigh heaven and earth in the balance, and "who provide sepulchral meals I in abundance. Hail, Tatunen, "thou One, (7) thou Creator of mankind and Maker of the "substance of the gods of the south and of the north, of the `west and of the east . 0 come and acclaim ye Ra, the lord "of heaven, (8) the Prince (Life, Health, Strength!), the Creator "of the gods, and adore ye him in his beautiful form at his "rising in the Atet boat . (g) They who dwell in the heights "and they who dwell in the depths 2 worship thee. The god "Thoth and the goddess Maat have written down [thy course] for "thee daily and every day. Thine enemy the serpent hath been "given over to (io) the fire, the serpent-fiend Sebau hath fallen "down headlong ; his arms have been bound in chains, and his "legs hath Ra hacked off from him . The children of (i i) impotent "revolt shall nevermore rise up . The Temple of the Aged One "keepeth festival, and the voice of those who rejoice is in the "mighty dwelling. (12) The gods exult when they see Rd as he "riseth, and when his beams flood the world with light . The "Majesty (13) of the holy god goeth forth and advanceth even "unto the land of Manu ; he maketh brilliant the earth at his "birth each day : he journeyeth on to the place where he was "yesterday . (14) 0 be thou at peace with me, and let me behold "thy beauties ; 4 may I journey forth upon earth, may I smite the "Ass ; may I crush (i5) the serpent-fiend Sebdu ; may I destroy "Apep in his hour ; may I see the Abtu fish at his season, and "the Ant fish [piloting] (z6) the Ant boat in its lake . May I see "Horns acting as steersman, with the god Thoth and the goddess "Maat, one on each side of him ; may I grasp the bows of the "(i7) Sektet boat, and the stern of the Atet boat. May he (i. e ., "Ra) grant unto the double (Ira) of Osiris Ani to behold the disk "of the Sun and to see the Moon-god without ceasing, each and "every day ; and (t8) may my soul come forth and walk hither "and thither (rg) and whithersoever it pleaseth . (20) May my "name be proclaimed (21), and may it be found upon the board "(22) of the table of offerings ; may offerings (23) be made unto Cline in my presence, even as [they are made unto] the followers "(24) of Horus ; may there be made ready for me (25) a seat "in the boat of the Sun on the day when (26) the god goeth "forth ; and may I be received (27) into the presence of Osiris "in the land of victory".




The SourceThe Book of the Dead, 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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