Excerpts From the Pyramid Texts

Excerpts From the Pyramid Texts The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts Translated into English by R. O. Faulkner, Aris & Phillips, Warminster, England, 1969 Hymn 1: I say by Nut, the brilliant, the great: This is my son, my first born, opener of my womb; this is my beloved, with whom I have been satisfied. Hymn 20 O King, I have come in search of you, for I am Horus; I have struck your mouth for you, for I am your beloved son; I have split open your mouth for you. I announce him to his mother when she laments him, I announce him to her who was joined to him. Your mouth is in good order, for I have adjusted your mouth to your bones. Hymn 211 My detestation is hunger, and I will never eat it. My detestation is thirst, and I will never drink it. It is indeed I who will give bread to those who exist, for my fostermother is Iat and it is she who nourishes me, it is indeed she who bore me. I was conceived in the night, I was born in the night, I belong to those who are in the suite of Ra, who are before the Morning Star. I was conceived in the Abyss, I was born in the Abyss; I have come and I have brought to you the bread which I found there. Hymn 217 O Thoth, go and proclaim to the western gods and their spirits: `This King comes indeed, an imperishable spirit, adorned with Anubis on the neck, who presides over the Western Height. He claims hearts, he has power over hearts. Whom he wishes to live will live; whom he wishes to die will die.' Hymn 260 My limbs which were in concealment are reunited, and I join those who are in the Abyss, I put a stop to the affair in On, for I go forth today in the real form of a living spirit, that I may break up the fight and cut off the turbulent ones. I come forth, the guardian of justice, that I may bring it, it being with me; the wrathful ones bustle about for me and those who are in the Abyss assign life to me. Hymn 306 How lovely to see! How pleasing to behold! say they, namely the gods, when this god ascends to the sky, when you ascend to the sky with your power upon you, your terror about you, and your magic at your feet. Geb has acted on your behalf in accordance with the manner in which things should be done for you. Hymn 307 The king declares his right to join the gods: An Onite (character) is in me, O! God; your Onite (character) is in me, O! God; an Onite (character) is in me, O! Ra; your Onite (character) is in me, O! Ra. My mother is an Onite, my father is an Onite, and I myself am an Onite, born in On when Ra was ruler of the Two Enneads and the ruler

of the plebs was Nefertem, (even I) who have no equal, the heir of my father Geb. Hymn 355 O! King, your head is knit to your bones for you, and your bones are knit to your head for you. The doors of the sky are opened to you, the great bolts are drawn back for you, the brick is drawn out of the great tomb for you. Hymn 357 O! Osiris the King, Geb has given you your eyes, that you may be content with the eyes of this Great One in you; Geb has caused that Horus give them to you, so that you may be pleased with them. Isis and Nephthys have seen and found you, Horus has reassembled you, Horus has caused Isis and Nephthys to protect you, they have given you to Horus and he is pleased with you. It goes well with Horus in your company in your name of `Horizon from which Ra goes forth'; in your embrace in your name of `Inmate of the Palace'. You have closed your arms about him, and his bones are in due order, his heart is proud. O! Osiris the King, mount up to Horus, betake yourself to him, do not be far from him. Horus has come that he may recognize you; he has smitten Seth for you bound, and you are his fate. Horus has driven him off for you, for you are greater than he; he swims bearing you; he lifts up one who is greater than he in you, and his followers have seen you, that your strength is greater than his, so that they cannot thwart you. Horus comes and recognizes his father in you, you being young in your name of 'Fresh Water'; Horus has split open your mouth for you. O! King, do not languish, do not groan, for Geb has brought Horus to you that he may claim their hearts for you; he has brought all the gods to you at once, and there is none of them who can escape from him. Horus has protected you, and he will not fail to protect you; Horus has wrested his Eye from Seth and has given it to you, (even) this his sweet Eye. Make it come back to you, assign it to yourself, and may it belong to you. Isis has reassembled you, the heart of Horus is glad about you in this your name of 'Foremost of the Westerners', and it is Horus who will make good what Seth has done to you. Hymn Hymn 364: Horus has reassembled your members for you, and he will not let you perish; he has put you together, and nothing shall be disturbed in you; Horus has set you up, and there shall be no unsteadiness. O! Osiris the King, lift up your heart, be proud, open your mouth, for Horus has protected you and he will not fail to protect you. O! Osiris the King, you are a mighty god, and there is no god like you. Horus has given you his children that they may bear you up; he has given you all the gods that they may serve you, and that you may have power over them; . . . Live, that you may go to and fro every day; be a spirit in your name of `Horizon from which Ra goes up'; be strong, be effective, be a soul, and have power for ever and ever.

Hymn 365: Raise yourself, O! King; run, you who are greatly strong. You shall sit at the head of the gods, you shall do this which Osiris did in the Mansion of the Prince, which is in On. Receive your dignity, for your foot will not be obstructed in the sky, you will not be opposed on earth, for you are a spirit whom Nut bore, whom Nephthys suckled, and they put you together. Arise in your strength and do what formerly you used to do, for you are more spirit-like than all the spirits. You shall got to Pe and find him whom you will meet there; you shall return to Nekhen and find him whom you will meet there; you shall do what Osiris did, for you are he who is upon his throne. Arise, O! spirit, greatly strong, adorned as a great wild bull; you will not be opposed in any place where you walk, your foot will not be obstructed in any place where you desire to be. Hymn 366 O Osiris the King, arise, lift yourself up! Your mother Nut has borne you, Geb has wiped your mouth for you, the Great Ennead protects you and has put your foe under you. Hymn 367 O! Osiris the King, Geb brings Horus to you that he may protect you and bring to you the hearts of the gods; may you neither languish nor groan. Horus has given to you his Eye that you may take possession of the Wrrt-crown by means of it at the head of the gods. Horus has reassembled your limbs and he has put you together, and nothing in you shall be disturbed. Thoth has laid hold of your foe for you, he having been decapitated together with those who are in his following, and he will have no mercy on him. Hymn 412: O! flesh of the King, do not decay, do not rot, do not smell unpleasant. Your foot will not be over passed, your stride will not be over stridden, shall not tread on the corruption of Osiris. You shall reach the sky as Orion, your soul shall be as effective as Sothis; have power, having power; be strong, having strength; may your soul stand among the gods as Horus who dwells Irw. May the terror of you come into being in the hearts of the gods the Nt-crown which is on the King of Lower Egypt, like the Mizwt-crown which is on the King of Upper Egypt, like the tress which is on the vertex of the Mntw-tribesmen. You shall lay hold of the hand of the Imperishable Stars, your bones shall not perish, your flesh shall not sicken, O! King, your members shall not be far from you, because you are one of the gods. Remove yourself from upon your left side, put yourself upon your right side, for your seats among the gods endure and Ra leans on you with his arm. Your scent is as their scent, your sweat is as the sweat of the Two Enneads. You appear in the royal hood, your hand grasps the scepter, your fist grips the mace; stand at the head of the Conclaves, judge the gods, for you belong to the stars who surround Ra, who are before the Morning Star, you are born in your months as the moon, Ra leans upon you

in the horizon. The Great Maiden who dwells in On has placed for you her hands on you, because there is no mother of yours among men who could bear you, because there is no father of yours among men who could beget you. Your mother is the great wild cow who dwells in Nekheb white of head-cloth, long of plumes, and pendulous of breasts; she suckles you and will not wean you. Remove yourself from upon your left side, put yourself upon your right side, for your seat among the gods endures and Ra leans on you with his arm. Hymn 422 O! King, go, that you may be a spirit and have power as a god, as the successor of Osiris; you have your soul within you, you have your power about you, you have your Wrrt-crown upon you, you have your Mizwt-crown upon your shoulder . Your face is before you, worship of you is before you, the followers of the god are behind you, the nobles of the god are in front of you. They recite: `The god comes, the god comes, this King comes on the throne of Osiris, the spirit who is from Nedit comes, the Power who is in the Thinite nome.' Isis speaks to you, Nephthys calls to you, the spirits come to you bowing and they kiss the earth at your feet because of the dread of you, O! King, in the towns of Sia. Ascend to your mother Nut; she will take your hand and give you a road to the horizon, to the place where Ra is. The doors of the sky are opened to you, the doors of the firmament are thrown open to you, and you will find Ra standing as he waits for you; he will take your hand for you and guide you to the two Conclaves of the sky, he will set you on the throne of Osiris . O! King, the Eye of Horus comes to you, it addresses you; your soul which is among the gods comes to you, your power which is among the spirits comes to you. The son has protected his father, Horus has protected Osiris, Horus has protected this King from his foes. May you arise, O! King, protected and provided as a god, equipped with the form of Osiris upon the throne of the Foremost of the Westerners; may you do what he was wont to do among the spirits, the Imperishable Stars; may your son succeed to your throne equipped with your form, and may he do what formerly you were wont to do in the presence of the Foremost of the Living, in accordance with what Ra the great god commanded. May he cultivate barley, may he cultivate emmer, may he present you therewith. O! King, there is given to you what is yours, by Ra; may you speak of yourself when you have received the form of a god; may you be great thereby with the gods who preside over the Lake. O! King, may your soul stand among the gods and among the spirits, for it is fear of you which is on their hearts. O! King, succeed to your throne at the head of the living, for it is the dread of you which is on their hearts . May your name live upon earth, may your name endure upon earth, for you shall not perish, nor shall you be destroyed for ever and ever. Hymn 437:

Awake for Horus ! Arise against Seth! Raise yourself as Osiris, as a spirit, the son of Geb, his first-born! You arise as Anubis who is on the baldachin, the gods tremble at you, the three-day festival is celebrated for you, you are pure for the New Moon, your appearing is for the monthly festival, the Great Mooring-post calls to you as to Him who stands up and cannot tire, who dwells in Abydos . . . The earth speaks: The doors of the earth-god are opened for you, the doors of Geb are thrown open for you, you come forth at the voice of Anubis, he makes a spirit of you like Thoth, you judge the gods, you set bounds to the celestial expanses between the Two Wands in this your spiritualized state which Anubis commanded. If you walk, Horus will walk; if you speak, Seth will speak; betake yourself to the waterway, fare upstream to the Thinite nome, and traverse Abydos. The celestial portal to the horizon is opened to you, and the gods are joyful at meeting you; they take you to the sky with your soul, you having been endowed with a soul through them. You will ascend to the sky as Horus upon the sdsd of the sky in this dignity of yours which issued from the mouth of Ra as Horus who is at the head of the spirits, you being seated upon your iron throne. May you remove yourself to the sky, for the roads of the celestial expanses which lead up to Horus are cleared for you. Seth is brotherly toward you as the Great One of On, for you have traversed the Winding Waterway in the north of the sky as a star crossing the sea which is beneath the sky. The Netherworld has grasped your hand at the place where Orion is, the Bull of the Sky has given you his hand, and you eat of the food of the gods whereof they eat, the savour of Ddwn is on you, (even) of the youth of Upper Egypt who came out of Nubia ; he gives you the incense wherewith the gods are censed. The two daughters of the King of Lower Egypt, his first-born, the two Great Ladies, bore you, Ra has summoned you from the zenith of the sky as Horus who presides over his thigh-offerings, Srtwty Lord of Sbwt, as the Jackal, the Governor of the Bows, as Anubis who presides over the Pure Land. He sets you as the Morning Star in the middle of the Field of Rushes, you being seated on your throne. Your amputated parts are raised up by the Double Crown, Lord of the Bows, your abundance is in the Field of the Gods, whereon they feed. You have your spiritualization, you have your messengers, you have your intelligence, you have your earth-attackers. Hymn 438 Oho! Oho! I will make it for you, this shout of acclaim, O! my father, because you have no human fathers and you have no human mothers; your father is the Great Wild Bull, your mother is the Maiden. Hymn 467 Ra, as for this which you said, O! Ra, `O for a son!'; for you are royal. O! Ra, he having a soul and being mighty and strong, active of arms and far-striding': I here am O! Ra; I am your son, I am a soul, I am strong, I am mighty, active of arms and farstriding. I shine in the East like Ra, I travel in the West like Khoprer, I live on what Horus Lord of the sky lives on by decree of Horus Lord of the sky. I am pure, O! Ra, I go down to my seat, I take my oar, I row Ra when traversing the sky, even a star of gold, the flash of the Bull of the sunshine; a spear of gold which appertains to Him

who traverses the sky. Someone flies up, I fly up from you, O! men; I am not for the earth, I am for the sky. O! you local god of mine, my double is beside you, for I have soared to the sky as a heron, I have kissed the sky as a falcon, I have reached the sky as a locusts which hides the sun. I have not opposed the King, I have not succored Bastet, I will not act the dancer as the great one of the carrying-chair. Hymn 485C O Horus who is upon the sdsd, give me your hand that I may ascend to the heavens. Set your hand on me with life and dominion, that you may assemble my bones and collect my members. May you gather together my bones at . . . there is no limb of mine devoid of God. May I ascend and lift myself up to heaven as the great star in the midst of the East. Hymn 513 My father ascends to the sky among the gods who are in the sky; he stands at the Great Polar Region and learns the speech of the sun-folk. Rep finds you on the banks of the sky as a waterway traveler who is in the sky: `Welcome, O! you who have arrived', say the gods. He sets his hand on you at the zenith of the sky; `Welcome, O! you who know your place, say the gods. Be pure; occupy your seat in the Bark of Raf, row over the sky and mount up to the distant ones; row with the Imperishable Stars, navigate with the Unwearying Stars, receive the freight of the Night-bark. Hymn 519 You shall take me with you to your great field which you have laid down with the help of the gods, and what you eat at night when they are bright is the fullness of the God of Food. I will eat of what you eat, I will drink of what you drink, and you will give satiety to me at the pole, at that which is the foremost of its flagstaffs. You will cause me to sit because of my righteousness and I will stand up because of my blessedness; I will stand up when I have taken possession of my blessedness in your presence, just as Horus took possession of his father's house from his father's brother Seth in the presence of Geb. You shall set me to be a magistrate among the spirits, the Imperishable Stars in the north of the sky, who rule over offerings and protect the reaped corn, who cause this to go down to the most chief of the food-spirits who are in the sky. Hymn 570 I will never swallow the Eye of Horus so that men may say: `He is dead because of it.' I will never swallow a limb of Osiris so that men may say: `He is dead because of it.' I live by grace of my father Atum; protect me, O! Nekhbet. You have protected me, O! Nekhbet, dwelling in the Prince-Mansion which is in On, you have commended me to Him who is in his service that I may be served. He who is in his service has commended me to Him who is in his litter that I may be served. The king is immortal. I escape my day of death just as Seth escaped his day of death. I escape my half-months of death just as Seth escaped his half-months of death. I escape my months of death just as Seth escaped his months of death.

I escape my year of death just as Seth escaped his year of death. Do not break up the ground, O! you arms of mine which lift up the sky as Shu; my bones are iron and my limbs are the Imperishable Stars. I am a star which illumines the sky, I mount up to the god that I maybe protected, for the sky will not be devoid of me and this earth will not be devoid of me for ever. I live beside you, you gods of the Lower Sky, the Imperishable Stars, who traverse the land of Libya, who lean on your drm-staffs; I lean with you on a was-staff and a drm-staff, for I am your fourth. The king is one with the sun-god. Hear it, O! Ra, this word which I say to you; your nature is in me, O! Ra, and your nature is nourished in me, O! Ra. Hymn 571 The king is the son of Atum and is a star The King's mother was pregnant with him, (even he) who was in the Lower Sky, the King was fashioned by his father Atum before the sky existed, before earth existed, before men existed, before the gods were born, before death existed; the King escapes his day of death just as Seth escaped his day of death, this King is bound for your . . . O! you gods of the Lower Sky, who suffer no harm from your foes, this King will suffer no harm from his foes; O! you who die not because of a king, this King will not die because of a king; O! you who die not because of any dead, the King will not die because of any dead, for the King is an Imperishable Star, son of the sky-goddess who dwells in the Mansion of Selket . Ra has taken this King to himself to the sky so that this King may live, just as he who enters into the west of the sky lives when he goes up in the east of the sky; He who is in his service has commended this King to Him who is in his litter that they may serve the King, for the King is a star. The protection of Ra is over this King and the protection of Rat will not be removed from over this King; I Horus has offered this King his arms on his own account and allots this King to Shu, whose arms which are under the sky are upraised. O! Ra, give this King your hand; O! great god, give this king your staff that he may live for ever. Hymn 610 Awake for Horus! Stand up for Seth! Raise yourself, you eldest son of Geb, at whom the Two Enneads tremble! Stand up, O! Herdsman, for whom the three-day festival is celebrated! May you appear for the monthly festival, may you be pure for the New Moon festival. Hymn 682 You are greeted by Sokar, O! King, your face is washed by Dw3-wr. The King soars as a divine falcon, the King flies heavenward like a heron, the King flies up as a goose, the King's wings are those of a divine falcon, the King's wing-feathers are those of a divine falcon. The bones of the embalmed King are raised up, for the King is pure; the King's cloak is on his back, the King's knit-garment is upon him, even his nsdw which belongs to the snp. The King embarks with Ra in this great bark of his, he navigates in it to the horizon in order to rule the gods in it, and Horus navigates in it to the horizon with him, the King rules the gods in it with him in the horizon, for the King is one of them. Hymn 683

The King lives, the King lives, and lives the Eye of Horus which is in On. Hymn 685 The waters of life which are in the sky come, the waters of life which are in the earth come, the sky is aflame for you, the earth quakes at you before the god's birth; the two mountains are split apart, the god comes into being, the god has power in his body ; (so) the two mountains are split apart, this King comes into being, this King has power in his body. Behold this King, his feet are kissed by the pure waters which exist through Atum, which the phallus of Shu makes and which the vagina of Tefenet creates. They have come and have brought to you the pure waters with their father; they cleanse you and make you divine, O! King. You shall support the sky with your hand, you shall lay down the earth with your foot, a libation shall be poured out at this King's gate. When the face of every god is washed, you shall wash your hands, O! Osiris, you shall wash your hands, O! King, you shall be young (again), O! god.