Egyptian Book of the Dead
Chapter CLXXX
coming forth by day, of giving praise to Rā in the Amenta, of paying homage to the inhabitants of the Tuat, of opening the way to the mighty soul in the Netherworld, of letting him walk, lengthen his strides, and go in and out in the Netherworld; and take the form of a living soul
Rā sets as Osiris with all the splendour of the Glorified and of the gods of the Amenta; for he is the one, the marvellous in the Tuat, the exalted soul in the Netherworld, Unneferu who exists for ever and eternally
Hail to thee in the Tuat, thy son Horus rests in thee, thou speakest thy words to him; grant him that he may be resplendent before the inhabitants of the Tuat, that he may be the great star; that he may bring what is his to the Tuat and may travel in it, he, the son of Rā proceeding from Tmu
Hail to thee in the Tuat, god seated upon his throne, who holdest thy sceptre hik , king of the Tuat and lord of Acherta, great prince wearing the double diadem, great god who hides his dwelling, lord of wisdom, chief of his circle of gods
Hail to thee in the Tuat, praises also to what is in thee; hail to thee in the Tuat, the weeping gods cut their hair in thy honour, they clap their hands, they implore thee, they pray thee, they weep before thee. Thy soul rejoices and thy body is glorious
It is exalted, the soul of Rā in the Amenta, his body is blessed there; the powers praise him in the bounds of the Tuat, Teb Temt who rests in his covering
Hail, Osiris, I am the servant of thy temple, the inhabitant of thy divine dwelling, thou speakest to me thy words; give me to shine before the inhabitants of the Tuat like the great star who brings what is his to the Tuat, who journeys in it, he the son of Rā, proceeding from Tmu
I rest in the Tuat, I am the master of the dusk, I enter in there and I come out. The arms of Tatunen receive me, the blessed lift me up. Stretch your arms towards me, for I know your gates, (?) guide me. Praise me, ye blessed ones, praise me, rejoice in me as in Rā, praise me like Osiris, for I have placed before you your offerings and you take possession of your victuals, according to the orders Rā gave me
Ye blessed ones grant that I may enter the Tuat, open me the entrance to the good Amenta. I have presented the sceptre to sahu , and the nemmes to him whose name is hidden
Look at me, ye blessed ones, divine guides in the Tuat; grant that I may receive thy glory, that I may shine like the god of mysteries; deliver me from the gods of the pillory, who fasten to their posts; do not bind me to your posts, do never send me to the place of destruction. I am the heir of Osiris, I receive the nemmes in the Tuat
Look at me, I shine like one who proceeds from you, I become like him who (praises) his father, and who extols him
Look at me, rejoice in me, grant that I may be exalted, that I may become like him who destroys his forms; open the way to my soul, set me on your pedestals; grant that I may rest in the good Amenta, show me my dwelling in the midst of you, open for me your ways, unfasten the bolts
O Rā, who guides this earth, for thou art guiding the powers and following the course of the gods; I am the guardian of his door who tows the navigating gods
I am on my pedestal in the Tuat. I am the possessor among possessors; I am at the far end of the Tuat
I am the blessed one in the Acherta, and I make my resting place in the Amenta, among the powers and among the gods
I am the favourite of Rā; I am the mysterious Bennu who enters in peace in the Tuat and goes out of Nut in peace
I am the lord of the thrones above, traversing the horizon in the train of Rā; the offerings for me are in the sky in the field of Rā, and my portion on earth in the garden of Aarru; I journey in the Tuat like Rā; I weigh the words like Thoth, I march as I will, I hasten in my course like Sahu the mysterious one, and I am born as the two gods
I am the chief of the bearers of offerings to the gods of the Tuat, who gives offerings to the Glorified. I am the brave one who strikes his enemies
O ye gods, O ye Glorified who precede Rā, and who escort his soul, tow me as you tow him, in the same way as you conduct Rā and tow those in the sky. I am the lofty power in the Amenta
The papyri give us four versions of this Chapter. Two of them are in London 9900 Aa , but as they are both copied from the wrong side, they are of little use. Each of them had its own title; one was, “the worshipping of Rā in the good Amenta, the praising of the inhabitants of the Tuat,” and the other, “chapter of towing (the gods)”; the two other copies are, one in a papyrus in Paris and the other at Leyden
This Chapter does not properly belong to the Book of the Dead. It is part of a book engraved at the entrance of nearly all the tombs of the kings, the so-called “Litany of the Sun.” This chapter is taken from the end of the book. The various paragraphs are not always in the same order as in the monumental text. There are abridgments and many omissions, which in the translation have been filled up from the text in the tombs