Hymn To Osiris

This stele is one of the usual funereal tablets which are found in the
cemeteries at Memphis and Thebes. The upper part of the tablet is round,
and has the two sacred eyes and symbolical signets, which, as well as the
winged globe, almost invariably surmount these sacred inscriptions, and of
which the meaning has not yet been satisfactorily determined.

Immediately below this emblem are two vignettes: in the first a
functionary named Amen-em-ha (“Amen at the beginning”) presents a funereal
offering to his father Amen-mes (“Amen’s son,” or, “born of Amen”) the
steward of the deity’s flocks,(439) beside whom is his deceased wife
Nefer-t-aru and a young boy, his son, Amen-em-ua (“Amen in the bark”). In
the second vignette, a principal priest (_heb_) of Osiris, dressed in the
sacerdotal leopard’s skin, offers incense to the lady Te-bok (“The
servant-maid”); below is a row of kneeling figures, namely: two sons,
Si-t-mau (“Son of the mother”), Amen-Ken (“Amon the warlike”), and four
daughters, Meri-t-ma (“Loving justice”), Amen-Set (“Daughter of Amen”),
Souten-mau (“Royal Mother”), and Hui-em-neter (“Food for god”). As there
is no indication of relationship between the subjects of the two
vignettes, it may be inferred that Te-Bok was a second wife of Amen-em-ha.

The lower portion of the tablet is filled up with the following Hymn to
Osiris, written in twenty-eight lines of hieroglyphics which are very well
preserved except wherever the name of the deity Amen occurs, which has
been hammered out(440) evidently at the time of the religious revolution
in Egypt under the reign of Amenophis IV, who, assuming the name of
Chu-en-aten (“Splendor,” or, “Glory of the solar disk”), overthrew the
worship of the older divinities and principally that of Amen-Rā; a change
which was again overthrown in the period of his successors, who restored
the former letters. From the style of art and other indications it is
almost certain that the monument was erected in the reign of Thothmes I of
the eighteenth dynasty.

The stele is now deposited in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, and has
been published by M. Chabas in the “_Revue Archéologique_,” May-June,
1857, after a paper stamp taken by the late M. Devéria.

A HYMN TO OSIRIS

1 Adoration of Osiris by the Steward of the flocks, Amen-em-ha, Son of the
Lady Nefer-t-ari: he says,

Welcome to thee(441) Osiris, Lord of length of times, King of the gods, of
many names, of holy transformations, of mysterious forms in the temples,
august being, residing in Tattu, Great One contained

2 in Sokhem, Master of invocations in Ant.(442) Principle of abundance in
On; who has the right to command in the place of double justice,
mysterious soul, Lord of Kerer, Holy One of the White Wall, Soul of the
sun, his very body reposing in

3 Souten-Khnen; author of invocations in the region of the tree Ner: whose
soul is existing for vigilance; Lord of the great dwelling in
Sesennou(443) the very awful in Shashotep; Lord of the length of times in
Abydos.

The road to his dwelling is in the To-sar;(444) his name is stable in

4 men’s mouths. He is the _paut-ti_(445) of the world, Atum, feeder of
beings among the gods, beneficent spirit in the abode of spirits.

From him the heavenly Nile(446) derives its waters; from him comes the
wind, and respirable air(447) is in his nostrils, for his satisfaction,
and

5 taste of his heart. For him, the ground brings forth to abundance; in
obedience to him is the upper heaven and its stars, and he opens the great
gates; he is the Master of invocations in the south heavens, and of
adorations in the north heavens: the moving

6 constellations are under the place of his face, they are his dwellings,
as also the reposing constellations. To him Seb orders offerings to be
presented: the gods adore him; those who are in the lower heaven bow to
him, the divine Chiefs(448) doing reverence, all supplicating.

7 They see him, those who are there, the august ones, and stand in awe
from him; the whole earth glorifies him when his holiness proceeds [on the
vault of the sky]: he is a Sahou illustrious among the Sahous, great in
dignity, permanent in empire. He is the excellent master of the gods, fair
and

8 beloved by all who see him. He imposes his fear to all lands so that
they like to exalt his name to the first rank. Through him all are in
abundance; Lord of fame in heaven and on earth. Multiplied (are his)
acclamations in the feast of Ouak; acclamations are made to him by the

9 two worlds unanimously. He is the eldest, the first of his brothers, the
Chief of the gods, he it is who maintains justice in the two worlds, and
who places the son in the seat of his father; he is the praise of his
father Seb, the love of his mother Nou; very valiant, he overthrows the
impure; invincible, he strikes

10 his opponent, he inspires his fear to his enemy; he seizes the wicked
one’s boundaries; firm of heart, his feet are vigilant: he is the
offspring of Seb, ruling the two worlds. He (Seb) has seen his virtues and
has commanded him to conduct

11 the nations by the hand continually.(449) He has made this world with
his hand, its waters, its atmosphere, its vegetation, all its flocks, all
its flying things, all its fish, all its reptiles and quadrupeds. Justice
is rendered to the

12 Son of Nou and the world is at quiet when he ascends the seat of his
father like the sun: he shines at the horizon, he enlightens the darkness,
he illuminates shades by his double plume:(450) he inundates the world
like

13 the sun every morning. His diadem predominates at top of heaven and
accompanies(451) the stars: he is the guide(452) of all the gods.

He is beneficent in will and words: he is the praise of the great gods and
the love of the small gods.

His sister took care of him, by dissipating his enemies,

14 repelling (bad) luck; she sends forth her voice by the virtues(453) of
her mouth: wise of tongue, no word of hers fails. She is beneficent in
will and speech: It is Isis the beneficent, the avenger of her brother:
she unrepiningly sought him:

15 she went the round of the world lamenting him: she stopped not till she
found him: she shadowed with her wings; her wings caused wind, making the
invocation of her brother’s burial;

16 she raised the remains of the god of the resting heart: she extracted
his essence: she had a child, she suckled the baby in (loneliness) secret;
none know where that happened.

The arm (of the child) has become strong in the great dwelling

17 of Seb.(454) The gods are joyous at the arrival of Osiris, son of Horus
intrepid, justified, son of Isis, heir of Osiris. The divine Chiefs join
him: the gods recognize the Universal Lad himself. The Lords of justice
there united

18 to watch over iniquity and sit in Seb’s great dwelling are giving
authority to its Lord.(455) The reign of justice belongs to him. Horus has
found his justification; given to him is the title of his father, he
appears with the royal fillet,

19 by the orders of Seb. He takes the royalty of the two worlds; the crown
of the _superior_ region is fixed on his head. He judges the world as he
likes: heaven and earth are below the place of his face: he commands
mankind; the intelligent beings, the race of the Egyptians, and the
northern barbarians.(456) The circuit

20 of the solar disk is under his management, the winds, the waters, the
wood of the plants and all vegetables. A god of seeds, he gives all herbs
and the abundance of the ground. He affords plentifulness(457) and gives
it to all the earth.

21 All men are in ecstasy, hearts in sweetness, bosoms in joy; everybody
is in adoration. Everyone glorifies his goodness: mild is his love for us;
his tenderness environs (our) hearts: great is his love in all bosoms. The

22 Son of Isis has justice rendered him: his foe falls under his fury, and
the evil-doer at the sound of his voice: the violent is at his final hour,
the Son of Isis, father avenger, approaches him.

23 Sanctifying, beneficent is his name; veneration finds its place:
respect immutable for his laws: the path is open, the footpaths are
opened: both worlds are at rest: evil flies and earth becomes fecundant
peaceably under its Lord. Justice is confirmed

by its Lord who pursues iniquity.

24 Mild is thy heart, O Ounnefer, son of Isis! he has taken the crown of
the Upper region: to him is acknowledged his father’s authority in the
great dwelling of Seb: Phra when speaking, Thoth in writing,

25 the divine Chiefs are at rest.

What thy father Seb has commanded for thee, let that be done according to
his word.

(This Egyptian “So be it” ends the hymn. Below this is the usual formula.)

Oblation to Osiris living in the west, Lord of Abydos: may he allow
funereal gifts: bread, liquor, oxen, geese, clothes, incense, oil, all
gifts of vegetation:

To make the transformations, to enjoy the Nile, to appear as a living
soul, to see the solar disk every morning: to go and to come in the
Ru-sat: that the soul may not be repulsed in the Neter-Kher. To be
gratified(458) among the favored ones, in presence of Ounnefer, to take
the aliments presented on the altars of the great god, to breathe the
delicious air and to drink of the rivers current. To the steward of the
flocks of Ammon, Amen-mes, justified “Son of Lady Hen-t, justified, his
consort, who loves him ...”

(The name of Nefer-t-aru, which ought to end the phrase, has been
completely chiselled out.)