Page:Egyptian Literature (1901).djvu/111

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OF KNOWING THE SOULS OF THE EAST
87

is at the canal of the geese whereout Rā cometh with winds which make him to advance. I am he who is concerned with the tackle(?) [which is] in the divine bark, I am the sailor who ceaseth not in the boat of Rā. I, even I, know the two sycamores of turquoise between which Rā showeth himself when he strideth forward over the supports of Shu[1] toward the gate of the lord of the East through which Rā cometh forth. I, even I, know the Sektet-Aarru of Rā, the walls of which are of iron. The height of the wheat therein is five cubits, of the ears thereof two cubits, and of the stalks thereof three cubits. The barley therein is [in height] seven cubits, the ears thereof are three cubits, and the stalks thereof are four cubits. And behold, the Khus, each one of whom therein is nine cubits in height, reap it near the divine Souls of the East. I, even I, know the divine Souls of the East, that is to say, Heru-khuti (Harmachis), and the Calf of the goddess Khera, and the Morning Star[2] [daily. A divine city hath been built for me, I know it, and I know the name thereof; ‘Sekhet-Aarru’ is its name].”[3]


OF SEKHET-HETEPET

[From the Papyrus of Nebseni (British Museum No. 9,900, sheet 17).]

Here begin the chapters of Sekhet-Hetepet, and the Chapters of Coming forth by Day; of going into and of coming out from the underworld; of coming to Sekhet-Aaru; of being in Sekhet-hetepet, the mighty land, the lady of winds; of having power there; of becoming a khu there; of ploughing there; of reaping there; of eating there; of drinking there; of making love there; and of doing everything even as a man doeth upon earth. Behold the scribe and artist of the Temple of Ptah, Nebseni, who saith:

“Set hath taken possession of Horus, who looked with the two eyes upon the building(?) round Sekhet-hetep, but I have unfettered Horus [and taken him from] Set, and Set hath

  1. I.e., the four pillars at the south, north, west, and east of heaven upon which the heavens were believed to rest.
  2. In the Saite Recension this chapter is about twice as long as it is in the Theban Recension.
  3. The words in brackets are from the Papyrus of Nebseni.