Religion
Hymn To The Setting Sun (2)
Translated by E. A. Wallis Budge (in Egyptian Literature, 1901) · From The Book of the Dead (Theban Recension)
The lady Mut-hetep, victorious, singeth hymns of praise to thee [saying]: “O Rā-Tem, in thy splendid progress thou risest, and thou settest as a living being in the glories of the western horizon; thou settest in thy territory which is in Manu. Thy uræus is behind thee, thy uræus is behind thee. Homage to thee, O thou who art in peace, homage to thee, O thou who art in peace. Thou art joined unto the Eye of Tem, and it chooseth its powers of protection [to place] behind thy members. Thou goest forth through heaven, thou travellest over the earth, and thou journeyest onward. O Luminary, the northern and southern halves of heaven come to thee and they bow low in adoration, and they pay homage unto thee, day by day. The gods of Amentet rejoice in thy beauties and the unseen places sing hymns of praise unto thee. Those who dwell in the Sektet boat go round about thee, and the Souls of the East pay homage to thee, and when they meet thy Majesty they cry: ‘Come, come in peace!’ There is a shout of welcome to thee, O lord of heaven and governor of Amentet! Thou art acknowledged by Isis who seeth her son in thee, the lord of fear, the mighty one of terror. Thou settest as a living being in the hidden place. Thy father [Ta-]tunen raiseth thee up and he placeth both his hands behind thee; thou becomest endowed with divine attributes in [thy] members of earth; thou wakest in peace and thou settest in Manu. Grant thou that I may become a being honored before Osiris, and that I may come to thee, O Rā-Tem! I have adored thee, therefore do thou for me that which I wish. Grant thou that I may be victorious in the presence of the company of the gods. Thou are beautiful, O Rā, in thy western horizon of Amentet, thou lord of Maāt, thou mighty one of fear, thou whose attributes are majestic, O thou who art greatly beloved by those who dwell in the Tuat (underworld); thou shinest with thy beams upon the beings that are therein perpetually, and thou sendest forth thy light upon the path of Re-stau. Thou openest up the path of the double Lion-god, thou settest the gods upon [their] thrones, and the Khus in their abiding places. The heart of Naarerf is glad [when] Rā setteth, the heart of Naarerf is glad when Rā setteth.”
“Hail, O ye gods of the land of Amentet who make offerings and oblations unto Rā-Tem, ascribe ye glory [unto him when] ye meet him. Grasp ye your weapons and overthrow ye the fiend Seba on behalf of Rā, and repulse the fiend Nebt on behalf of Osiris. The gods of the land of Amentet rejoice and lay hold upon the cords of the Sektet boat, and they come in peace; the gods of the hidden place who dwell in Amentet triumph.”
“Hail, Thoth, who didst make Osiris to triumph over his enemies, make thou Mut-hetep, victorious, to triumph over her enemies in the presence of the great divine sovereign chiefs who live with Osiris, the lord of life. The great god who dwelleth in his Disk cometh forth, that is, Horus the avenger of his father Unnefer-Rā. Osiris setteth, and the Khus who are in the Tuat (underworld) say: Homage to thee, O thou who comest as Tem, and who comest into being as the creator of the gods. Homage to thee, O thou who comest as the holy Soul of souls, who dwellest in the horizon. Homage to thee who art more glorious than [all] the gods and who illuminest the Tuat with thine Eye. Homage to thee who sailest in thy glory and who goest round about it in thy Disk.”
This translation is printed as prose in its source edition.
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous Egyptian Poets. “Hymn To The Setting Sun (2).” Translated by E. A. Wallis Budge. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-egyptian/4/.
Chicago
Anonymous Egyptian Poets. “Hymn To The Setting Sun (2).” Translated by E. A. Wallis Budge. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-egyptian/4/.
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