The Wisdom of Ptah-Hotep · 28 of 36

Litany

“Homage to thee,—O Lord of—starry deities in Annu, and of heavenly things in Kher-aba; thou god Unti, who art more glorious than the gods who are hidden in Annu; O grant thou unto me a path wherein I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”

“Homage to thee, O An in Antes, (?) Heru-khuti—Harmachis—, with long strides thou stridest over heaven, O Heru-khuti. O grant thou unto me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”

“Homage to thee, O Soul of everlastingness, thou Soul who dwellest in Tattu, Unnefer, son of Nut; thou art lord of Akert. O grant thou unto me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”

“Homage to thee in thy dominion over Tattu; the Ureret crown is established upon thy head; thou art the One who maketh the strength which protecteth himself, and thou dwellest in peace in Tattu. O grant thou unto me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”

“Homage to thee, O lord of the Acacia tree, the Seker boat is set upon its sledge; thou turnest back the Fiend, the worker of evil, and thou causest the Utchat to rest upon its seat. Oh, grant thou unto me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”

“Homage to thee, O thou art mighty in thine hour, thou great and mighty Prince, dweller in An-rut-f, 1 lord of eternity and creator of everlastingness, thou art the lord of Suten-henen—Heracleopolis Magna—. Oh, grant thou unto me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”

“Homage to thee, O thou who restest upon Right and Truth, thou art the lord of Abtu-Abydos—, and thy limbs are joined unto Tatches-ertet; thou art he to whom fraud and guile are hateful. Oh, grant thou unto me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”

“Homage to thee, O thou who art within thy boat, thou bringest Hapi—i.e., the Nile—forth from his course; the light shineth upon thy body and thou art the dweller in Nekhen. 1 Oh, grant thou unto me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true; I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”

“Homage to thee, O creator of the gods, thou King of the North and of the South, O Osiris, victorious one, ruler of the world in thy gracious seasons, thou art the lord of the celestial world. 2 Oh, grant thou unto me a path whereon I may pass in peace, for I am just and true! I have not spoken lies wittingly, nor have I done aught with deceit.”

(From the Papyrus of Ani, British Museum, No. 10,470, sheet 20)

A hymn of praise to Ra when he riseth in the eastern part of heaven. Those who are in his train rejoice, and lo! Osiris Ani, victorious saith:

“Hail thou Disk, thou lord of rays, who risest on the horizon day by day! Shine thou with thy beams of light upon the face of Osiris Ani, who is victorious; for he singeth hymns of praise unto thee at dawn, and he maketh thee to set at eventide with words of adoration. May the soul of Osiris Ani, the triumphant one, come forth with thee into heaven, may he go forth in the Mater boat. May he come into port in the Sekter boat, and may he cleave his path among the never-resting stars in the heavens.”

Footnotes 153:1 The four pillars at the south, north, west, and east of heaven upon which the heavens were believed to rest.

157:1 Or, “I am at peace with the god of the city.”

158:1 “Existence in Peace,” the name of the first section of the Elysian Fields.

158:2 The name of a pool in the second section of the Elysian Fields.

159:1 The name of a pool in the first section of the Elysian Fields.

159:2 He name of a pool in the second section of the Elysian Fields.

159:3 The name of a district in the third section of the Elysian Fields.

160:1 The name of a pool In the first section of the Elysian Fields.

160:2 “Usert,” the name of a pool in the third section of the Elysian Fields.

160:3 “Smam,” the name of a pool in the third section of the Elysian Fields.

161:1 A name of the city of Mendes, the metropolis of the sixteenth nome of Lower Egypt.

162:1 “He ate his heart.” He lost his temper and raged.

175:1 “The place where nothing groweth,” the name of a district in the underworld.

176:1 The name of the sanctuary of the goddess Nekhebet in Upper Egypt.

176:2 The two lands, Atebui, which were situated one on each side of the celestial Nile.