Egyptian Book of the Dead
Chapter CX
The Beginning of the Chapters of the Garden of Hotepit, and of the Chapters of coming forth by day; and of entering and coming forth in the Netherworld, and of arriving at the Garden of Aarru, at the Rise in Hotepit and at the Grand Domain, blest with the breezes: that I may take possession there and be in Glory there: that there I may plough and mow: that there I may eat and drink and love: doing whatsoever things are done upon earth
But for me Sutu releaseth Horus: and the double path which is nigh to Heaven is thrown open by Sutu. And Sutu taketh his portion of the breeze through the Power of his own day, and he delivereth the bowels of Horus from the gods below
The mansion of his stars is again and again renewed. I sail upon its streams that I may come to the domains thereof
For I am in unison with his successive changes and his rules, and his papyrus, and his attendant gods, and his chieftains. He reconcileth the two Warrior gods with those who have the charge of food and the beautiful creation which he raiseth up; and he reconcileth the two Warrior gods with each other
He severeth the mourners from those who quarrel with them: he putteth a stop to them whose hand is violent against those weaker than themselves: he keepeth within bounds the contentions of the Powers
Let me be glorified there, and eat and drink there, and plough there, and reap there, and grind there, and have my fill of love there
I am in possession of that Word of Power of mine which is the most potent one within this body of mine here: and by means of it I make myself either known or unknown
I am there, I am master there, I am in glory there, I eat there; I plant and I reap there; I plough there, and I take my fill of love. I am united there with the god Hotep
I cast my seed there, and I sail upon its stream that I may come to the domains thereof, O Hotep
Lo, my mouth is armed with sharp points. There is given to me the abundance which belongeth to the Ka and to the Glorified
I sail upon its stream, and I range within the Garden of Hotep, for Rā is in the sky, and Hotep is putting together the oblations
I hasten to the land, and I fasten my stole upon me, that I may come forth, and that that may be given to me which hath to be given; that I may have joy and take possession of the wealth which Hotep assigneth to me
Rise in Hotep , I arrive in thee, my soul is with me, and my provision is before the Mistress of the Two Earths, who maketh fast my Words of Power, which recall to mind that which I have forgotten. Let me live free from strife; and be there granted to me enlargement of heart
Rise in Hotep, blest with the Breeze, I arrive in thee, my head is uncovered: Rā sleepeth, but there waketh for me, and there shineth upon me Hesit [the Cow-goddess] who lieth at the confines of Heaven by night
I am the Bull, raised on high in the Blue; the lord of the Bull’s field; which Sothis describeth to me at her successive hours
Uach , I arrive in thee, and I eat my cakes, and take possession of my joints of flesh and meat and fowl
T’efait , I arrive in thee, I put on the stole and fasten upon me the girdle of Rā, whilst he is in heaven, and the gods who are in heaven are following Rā
Rise in Hotep, Lord of the Two Earths , I arrive in thee: I salute the stream of T’eserit . Lo, here am I, and all impurity is far from me. The great one flourisheth ... I net the ducks, and I eat dainties
I take care to net the reptiles; and that which protecteth me is that I know the name of that god who is next to T’eserit (goddess with flowing locks and armed with horns), and who reapeth
It is the Great goddess who hath given me my head, and he who fasteneth my head upon me is the Great god, the Blue-eyed, who doeth according to his own will
Smait , I arrive in thee. My heart is awake: my head is provided with the White crown and I am conveyed over the heavens: and I make those things to prosper which are below me: a joy to the Bull of the gods above, the divine company
Isle of Corn and Barley , divine district, I arrive in thee. I encounter and I bear off that which proceedeth from the head of Rā: the pair of horns which have the force of purification
I make myself fast to the Block of Moorage on the heavenly stream, and I utter my praise to the gods who are in the Garden of Hotepit
The text of this chapter handed down by the Turin papyrus and those which agree with it contains nothing very difficult for a translator, but on being compared with the older copies it is found to consist of a collection of small fragments of the older text put together without any regard to their original order or context. And about three-quarters of the old chapter are suppressed in the new recension
The Gardens of Hotepit and Aarru are the Paradise, Elysian Fields and Islands of the Blessed of the Egyptian imagination. [99] They were supposed to be situated in the neighbourhood of the rising Sun, but certain features were apparently suggested by the islets of the Delta
The usual meaning of the word Ḥotepit , , [100] when written according to the orthography of the Pyramid Texts, is oblations , offerings . This, however, is only a derived meaning. The word really only expresses a predicate of the things offered, as putting together , uniting , reconciling ; Ḥotep might signify Rest , or Peace ; very appropriate names for such a garden. is the name of a god who dwells here. [101] There is also a goddess here called Ḥotepit , mentioned in the Pyramid inscription of Pepi I (line 423), as mother of the great Scarab: and the same name is given to Hathor in the temple of Dendera. The name of Ḥotep (with different determinatives [102] ) belongs to one of the islands of this blissful place
The Pyramid Texts furnish some interesting information not contained in the Book of the Dead. We are told that the approach to the Garden is over the Lake of Putrata (see chapter 40, ), that there is a great lake (? that of Konsit) in the middle of the Garden of Ḥotepit, upon which the great gods alight, and that the Achmiu Sekiu , the starry deities who never set, there feed the departed from the wood of life ( lignum vitæ ) “upon which they themselves live, in order that he too may live.” Shu and Tefnut are mentioned as divinities of this place. But perhaps the most remarkable fact is that Horus had enemies even here, who, however, were annihilated by the divine weapons at the disposal of the departed worthy, who was led there in order that “he might sit among the stars in heaven.”
And here it was that the beatified personage sat upon his throne of steel, which was decorated in front with faces of the lion-god Maaḥes , the feet of it being the hoofs of the great Bull Sma-urà , and extended his hand to the coming generation of men (the ), whilst the gods approached him in submissive attitude, and made offerings to him. It was, perhaps, from these offerings that the Garden derived its name
The Garden of Aarru, is often mentioned in connection with that of Ḥotepit, and may perhaps be considered as the most notable part of it. It is through its Gate that the Sun-god rises up into Heaven
It takes its name from a plant ȧarru (later, , B.M. 551; , Ag , Chapter 17; , [103] Ba , Chapter 110, by phonetic dissimilation of rr into nr ). The usual form in later times is , but we find even shorter forms in , B.M. 32, and . The determinative of a reptile, indicates a creeping , climbing , twining plant, such as the convolvulus, hop, or vine. [104