Hymn To The Setting Sun

[From the Papyrus of Mut-hetep (British Museum No, 10,010, sheet 5).]

[ANOTHER CHAPTER OF] THE MYSTERY OF THE TUAT (UNDERWORLD) AND OF PASSING
THROUGH THE UNSEEN NETHERWORLD, and of seeing the Disk when he setteth in
Amentet, [when] he is adored by the gods and by the _Khu_s in the
underworld, and [when] the Soul which dwelleth in Rā is made perfect. He
is made mighty before Tem; he is made great before Osiris; he setteth his
terror before the company of the gods who are the guides of the
netherworld; he maketh long (?) his steps and he maketh his face to enter
(?) [with that of] the great god. Now every _Khu_, for whom these words
shall have been said, shall come forth by day in any form which he is
pleased to take; he shall gain power among the gods of the Tuat
(underworld), and they shall recognize him as one of themselves; and he
shall enter in at the hidden gate with power.

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.(9) 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.(10) 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 _Khu_s in their abiding places. The heart of
Naarerf(11) 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 _Khu_s 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.”

The following variant of the above hymn is translated from the text in the
Papyrus of Nekhtu-Amen (Naville, “Todtenbuch,” Bd. II. p. 23).

ANOTHER CHAPTER OF THE MYSTERY OF THE TUAT (UNDERWORLD) AND OF TRAVERSING
THE UNSEEN PLACES OF THE UNDERWORLD, of seeing the Disk when he setteth in
Amentet, [when] he is adored by the gods and by the _Khu_s of the Tuat
(underworld), and [when] the divine _Khu_ which dwelleth within Rā is made
perfect. He setteth his might before Rā, he setteth his power before Tem,
[he setteth his strength] before Khenti-Amentet, and he setteth his terror
before the company of the gods. The Osiris of the gods goeth as leader
through the Tuat (underworld), he crasheth through mountains, he bursteth
through rocks, he maketh glad (?) the heart of every _Khu_. This
composition shall be recited by the deceased when he cometh forth and when
he goeth in with the gods, among whom he findeth no opposition; then shall
he come forth by day in all the manifold and exceedingly numerous forms
which he may be pleased to take. [The Osiris ... saith:]

“A hymn of praise to Rā at eventide [when] he setteth as a living being in
Baakha.(12) The great god who dwelleth in his Disk riseth in his two
eyes(13) and all the _Khu_s of the underworld receive him in his horizon
of Amentet; they shout praises unto Heru-khuti (Harmachis) in his form of
Tem, and they sing hymns of joy to Rā when they have received him at the
head of his beautiful path of Amentet.”

He (_i.e._, the deceased) saith: “Praise be unto thee, O Rā, praise be
unto thee, O Tem, in thy splendid progress. Thou hast risen and thou hast
put on strength, and thou settest like a living being amid thy glories in
the horizon of Amentet, in thy domain which is in Manu. Thy uræus-goddess
is behind thee; thy uræus-goddess is behind thee. Hail to thee, in peace;
hail to thee, in peace. Thou joinest thyself unto the Eye of Horus, and
thou hidest thyself within its secret place; it destroyeth for thee all
the convulsions of thy face, it maketh thee strong with life, and thou
livest. It bindeth its protecting amulets behind thy members. Thou sailest
forth over heaven, and thou makest the earth to be stablished; thou
joinest thyself unto the upper heaven, O Luminary. The two regions of the
East and West make adoration unto thee, bowing low and paying homage unto
thee, and they praise thee day by day; the gods of Amentet rejoice in thy
splendid beauties. The hidden places adore thee, the aged ones make
offerings unto thee, and they create for thee protecting powers. The
divine beings who dwell in the eastern and western horizons transport
thee, and those who are in the _Sektet_ boat convey thee round and about.
The Souls of Amentet cry out unto thee and say unto thee when they meet
thy majesty (Life, Health, Strength!), ‘All hail, all hail!’ When thou
comest forth in peace there arise shouts of delight to thee, O thou lord
of heaven, thou Prince of Amentet. Thy mother Isis embraceth thee, and in
thee she recognizeth her son, the lord of fear, the mighty one of terror.
Thou settest as a living being within the dark portal. Thy father Tatunen
lifteth thee up and he stretcheth out his two hands behind thee; thou
becomest a divine being in the earth. Thou wakest as thou settest, and thy
habitation is in Manu. Grant thou that I may be venerated before Osiris,
and come thou [to me], O Rā-Tem. Since thou hast been adored [by me] that
which I wish thou shalt do for me day by day. Grant thou victory [unto me]
before the great company of the gods, O Rā who art doubly beautiful in thy
horizon of Amentet, thou lord of Maāt who dwellest in the horizon. The
fear of thee is great, thy forms are majestic, and the love of thee is
great among those who dwell in the underworld.”