Chapter CXLIX

T1he first domain. O this domain of the Amenta, where they live upon bread of the plant tep seru. Take off your head dress in my presence, for I am the great one among you, he who joins his bones and establishes firmly his limbs. Ahi, the lord of hearts, came to me, he joined my bones, and as he fixed the diadem of Tmu, he fastened on me the head of Nehebkau, and established my balance. I am lord among the gods, I am Amsi the builder.

2The second domain. I am the great proprietor in the garden of Aarru. O this garden of Aarru, the walls of which are of steel; the height of its wheat is seven cubits, the ears are two cubits, and the stalks five cubits. The glorified ones, each of whom is seven cubits in height, reap them in presence of Harmachis.

3I know the inner gate of the garden of Aarru, out of which cometh Rā, in the East of the sky; the South of it is by the lake of Cha-ru, and the North of it by the stream of Reu; thence Rā saileth with favouring gales.

4I am the Teller in the divine ship; I am the unresting navigator in the Bark of Rā.

5I know those two sycamores of emerald, between which Rā cometh forth, as he advanceth over what Tmu hath lifted up (the firmament) to the Eastern gates of the sky, through which he proceedeth.

6I know this garden of Aarru of Rā, the height of its wheat is seven cubits, the ears are two cubits, the stalks five cubits; the barley is seven cubits. It is the glorified ones, each of whom is nine cubits in height, who reap them in presence of the powers of the East.

7The third domain. O this domain of the glorious ones through which nobody can sail, which contains glorious ones, and the flame of which is a consuming fire. O this domain of the glorious ones, your faces are looking down; make straight your ways, and purify your abodes as it was ordered to you by Osiris the eternal one.

8I am the lord of the red crown which is on the head of the shining one, he who gives life to mankind from the heat of his mouth, and who delivers Rā from Apepi.

9The fourth domain. O this great and lofty mountain of the Netherworld, on the highest point of which ends the sky. It is three hundred measures in length, and ten in width. There is a snake on it, he with sharp knives is his name, he is seventy cubits in his windings, he lives by slaughtering the glorious ones and the damned in the Netherworld.

10I stand on thy wall, directing my navigation. I see the way towards thee. I gather myself together. I am the man who puts a veil on thy head, and I am uninjured. I am the great magician; thy eyes have been given me, and I am glorified through them. Who is he who goeth on his belly? Thy strength is on thy mountain; behold, I march towards it, and thy strength is in my hand. I am he who lifts the strength. I have come and I have taken away the serpents of Rā, when he rests with me at eventide.

11I go round the sky, thou art in thy valley, as was ordered to thee before.

12The fifth domain. O this domain of the glorious ones, which is open to no one. The glorious ones who are in it have thighs of seven cubits, and they live on the shades of the motionless.

13Open to me the ways, that I may appear before you, that I may reach the good Amenta, as was ordered me by Osiris, the glorious one, the lord of all the glorified.

14I live of your glory, I observe the first day of the month, and the half-month on the fifteenth day.

15I have gone round with the eye of Horus in my power, following Thoth.

16Any god, or damned, who opens his devouring mouth against me on this day, is struck down on the block.

17The sixth domain. O thou Amemhet who art sacred more than the hidden gods and the glorious ones, and who art dreadful to the gods. The god in it is called Sechez-at.

18Hail to thee, Amemhet. I have come to see the gods within thee.

19Show your faces, and take away your head-dresses in my presence, I have come to make your bread.

20Sechez-at will not be stronger than I; the slaughterers will not come behind me, the impure ones will not come behind me.

21I live upon your offerings.

22The seventh domain. O this Ases, too remote to be seen; the heat of which is that of blazing fire. There is a serpent in it whose name is Rerek. His backbone is seven cubits, he lives on glorious ones, destroying their glory.

23Get thee behind me, Rerek, who is in Ases, who bites with his mouth; and who paralyses with his eyes.

24Thy teeth are torn away, thy venom is powerless.

25Thou shalt not come towards me, thy venom will not penetrate into me. Thy poison is fallen and thrown down, and thy lips are in a hole.

26The white serpent has struck his ka, and his ka has struck the white serpent.

27I shall be protected. His head was cut off by the lynx.

28The eighth domain. O this Hahotep, the very great, the stream of which nobody takes the water for fear of its roaring.

29The god whose name is the lofty one, keeps watch over it, in order that nobody may come near it.

30I am the vulture which is on the stream without end. I brought the things of the world to Tmu, at the time when the sailors (of Rā) are abundantly provided.

31I have given my strength to the lords of the shrines, and the awe I inspire to the lord of all things.

32I shall not be taken to the block. The pleasure they take in me will not be destroyed. I am the guide on the northern horizon.

33The ninth domain. O this Akset which art hidden to the gods, the name of which the glorious ones are afraid to know. No one goes out who goes into it, except this venerable god, who inspires fear to the gods and terror to the glorious ones. Its opening is of fire, its wind destroys the nostrils. He made it such for his followers in order that they may not breathe its wind, except this venerable god who comes out of his egg.

34He made it such, being in it, in order that nobody may come near it, except Rā who is supreme in his attributes.

35Hail to thee, venerable god, who comes out of his egg. I have come to thee to be in thy following. I go out of, and I come into Akset. Open to me the doors, that I may inhale its wind, and that I may take the offerings within it.

36The tenth domain. O this city of the Kahu gods who take hold of the glorious ones, and who gain mastery over the shades.... Who they see with their eyes; who have no connection with the earth.

37O ye who are in your domain, throw yourselves on your bellies, that I may pass near you. My glorious nature will not be taken from me. No one will give mastery over my shade, for I am the divine hawk who has been rubbed with anti and anointed with incense; libations have been offered to me; Isis is before me; Nephthys is behind me.

38The way has been pointed to me by Nau, the bull of Nut and Nehebkau. I have come to you, ye gods; deliver me and glorify me of an eternal glory.

39The eleventh domain. O this city in the Netherworld, this cavity which masters the glorious ones.

40No one goes out, of those who went into it, from the dread of the appearance of him who is in it.

41He who sees the god who is in it, face to face, he who sees him dies there from his blows, except the gods who are there, and who are hidden to the glorious ones.

42O this Atu, in the Netherworld. Grant that I may reach them; I am the great magician, with his knife; I am issued of Set, (I stand on) my feet for ever.

43I rise, and I am mighty through this eye of Horus; my heart is raised, after it has fallen low.

44I am glorious in heaven, and I am mighty on earth.

45I fly like Horus, I cackle like the divine goose.

46It was given me to alight near the stream of the lake; I stand near it, I sit near it, I eat of the food in Sechit Hotepit, I go down to the islands of the wandering stars.

47The doors of the Maāti are open to me; and the gates of the upper waters are unbolted to me.

48I raise my ladder up to the sky to see the gods.

49I am one of them, I speak like the divine goose, and I listen to the gods.

50I talk aloud, I repeat the words of Sothis.

51The twelfth domain. O this domain of Unt, within Restau, the heat of which is that of fire. No god goes down into it, and the glorious ones do not gather into it, for the four snakes would destroy their names.

52O this domain of Unt! I am the great among the glorious ones within. I am among the wandering stars. I am not destroyed; my name is not destroyed.

53Come, thou divine scent, say the gods who are in the domain of Unt.

54I am with you, I live with you, ye gods who are within the domain of Unt.

55You love me more than your gods. I am with you for ever, in the presence of the followers of the great god.

56The thirteenth domain. O this domain of the water, which none of the glorious ones can possess, for its water is of fire, its stream is burning, and its heat is of blazing flame, so that they may not drink its water in order to quench the thirst which is within them, for their mighty fear, and their great terror.

57The gods and the glorious ones look at its water from afar, they do not quench their thirst, and their heart is not set at rest, because they may not go near it.

58When the river is full and green like the flowing sap which comes out of Osiris, I take its water, I draw from its flood like the great god who is in the domain of the water, and who keeps watch over it for fear that the gods may drink from its water, and who inspires dread to the glorious ones.

59Hail to thee, thou great god, who art in the domain of the water. I have come to thee. Grant me to take of thy water, to take of thy stream, as thou doest to this great god.

60When the Nile will come, when he will give birth to the plants, and cause the herbs to grow; as it is given to the gods, when he appears in peace, grant that the Nile may come to me, and that I may take his plants; for I am thy own son for ever.

61The fourteenth domain. O this domain of Cher-āba, which drives the Nile towards Tattu, and which causes the Nile to go and spend its corn in his course from Rokekmu; thou which presentest offerings to the dead, and mortuary gifts to the glorious ones.

62There is a serpent belonging to it, who comes from the two wells at Elephantine, at the gate of the water. He goes with the water, and stops at the stream of Cher-āba, near the powers of the high flood; he sees his hour of the silent evening.

63Ye gods who live in the water of Cher-āba, ye powers of the high flood, open to me your ponds, open to me your lakes, that I may take of your water, and that I may rest in your stream, that I may eat of your corn, that I may be satisfied with your food.

64I have risen, my heart is high, for I am the great god in Cher-āba.

65Make me offerings. I have been filled with the vital sap coming out of Osiris. I shall not be despoiled of it. The end.