Chapter CLIV

T1he Chapter of not letting the body decay in the Netherworld.

2Hail to thee, my father Osiris. I have come to embalm thee. Do thou embalm this flesh of mine, for I am perfect like my father Chepera, who is my image, he who does not know corruption.

3Come, take hold of my breath of life, lord of the breath, lofty above his equals; vivify me, build me up, thou lord of the funeral chest.

4Grant me to go down into the land of eternity, as thou doest when thou art with thy father Tmu, he whose body never decays, he who does not know destruction.

5I have not done what thou hatest, the command (which I obey) is that which thy ka loveth, I have not transgressed it.

6I have been delivered, being thy follower, O Tmu, from the rottenness which thou allowest to come over every god, every goddess, every animal, every creeping thing which is corruptible.

7After his soul has departed he dies, and when it has gone down he decays; he is all corruption; all his bones are rottenness, putrefaction seizes his limbs and makes his bones break down, his flesh becomes a fetid liquid, his breath is stink, he becomes a multitude of worms.

8(As for me) there are no worms. He is impotent whoever has lost the eye of Shu among all gods and goddesses, all birds and fishes, all snakes and worms, all animals altogether, for I cause them to crawl before me, they recognise me and the fear of me prevails over them, and behold every being is alike dead among all animals, all birds, all fishes, all snakes, all worms, their life is like death.

9Let there be no food for the worms all of them. Let them not come to me when they are born, I shall not be handed over to the destroyer in his cover, who destroys the limbs, the hidden one who causes corruption, who cuts to pieces many dead bodies, who lives from destroying.

10He lives who performs his commands, but I have not been delivered into his fingers, he has not prevailed upon me, for I am under thy command, lord of the gods.

11Hail to thee, my father Osiris! thy limbs are lasting, thou dost not know corruption; there are no worms with thee, thou art not repugnant, thou dost not stink, thou dost not putrefy, thou wilt not become worms.

12I am Chepera, my limbs are lasting for ever. I do not know corruption. I do not rot, I do not putrefy, I do not become worms. I do not lose the eye of Shu.

13I am, I am, I live, I live, I grow, I grow, and when I shall awake in peace, I shall not be in corruption, I shall not be destroyed in my bandages. I shall be free of pestilence, my eye will not be corrupted, my skin (?) will not disappear. My ear will not be deaf, my head will not be taken away from my neck, my tongue will not be torn away, my hair will not be cut off, my eyebrows shall not be shaven off. No grievous harm shall come upon me, my body is firm, it shall not be destroyed. It shall not perish in this earth for ever.