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The Temple of Esna. An Evolving Translation: Esna IV

Architrave D (431-432)

Esna 431

1nṯr ḥȝy st.wt
ḫʿỉ m sṯn
wbn m Nwn
ʿḫ.n=f wṯz.t
tp dwȝw
dỉ=f sw m ḥr.t
ḥr ʿ.wy sn.ty

ḥfd.n=f bỉȝ.t
m tȝ
ṯȝy.n=f ḥr.t
nmt.n=f Nw.t
r sḫn […]=f
m ẖr.t-hrw

ʿq=f pr=f
m ḫpy šps
mḥn.t ḥnʿ=f
m zȝw=f
m rn=s n Mnḥy.t-Nb.t-ww

1 The god, bright of rays,
who appears in the white crown,
and rises from Nun,
having raised up the sky
in the morning;
he shows himself in the sky,
upon the arms of the Two Sisters.

As he flew up to the firmament
from the earth,
so he seized heaven,
and traversed the sky (Nut),
to unite with his […]
every single day.

He exits and enters (from Nut)
as an august, winged scarab,
his coiled uraeus (mḥn.t) is with him
in his protection,
in her name of Menhyt (Mnḥy.t)-Nebtu.

ẖnm=f ḥm=f rʿ-nb
tȝ-sn.t m ḥb
pr-nṯr m ḥʿʿ
pr Ḥr
ḥr s.t-Gbb
wḥʿ=f sȝḥ=f
r dmy.w

nsw.t-bỉty
ẖnmw-Rʿ nb tȝ-sn.t
ḥtp ḥr mnw pn nfr
ỉr=f dỉ(.w)-ʿnḫ ḏ.t

He unites with his majesty daily.
Esna is in festival,
Per-netjer rejoices,
as Horus comes forth
upon the throne of Geb.
As he loosens, so he lands
at the various harbors.

The King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
Khnum-Re Lord of Esna,
who is pleased with this good monument.
May he perform ‘given life’ eternally.

2nsw.t-bỉty
sḫm šps
ḥry nṯr.w nb
ẖnmw-Rʿ nb tȝ-sn.t

ỉtn wr
wbn m Nw.t
ḏȝỉ p.t m bȝ rʿ-nb
m 4 hr.w ḥr nḥb.t wʿ.t

ỉmn nn rḫ.tw qd=f
pr m Nwn
ḫʿỉ m nbỉ.t

ʿpy wr
nb hȝy.ty
wr bȝw=f r nṯr.w nb
ỉn st.wt=f tȝ.wy
r ḥr.t
wbn p.t m mȝwy
n ỉr.t=f
sḥḏ(.w) tȝ m ȝḫ.ty=f(y)

2 The King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
the august image,
chief of all the gods,
Khnum-Re Lord of Esna.

The great solar disk,
who rises in Nut,
who traverses the sky as a ram, daily,
with four faces on a single neck.

The hidden one, whose form is unknowable,
who emerged from Nun,
and appears equipped with a flame.

The great winged solar disk,
lord of the firmaments,
whose power is greatest of all the gods;
his rays reach over the two lands
up to heaven,
the sky shines from the radiance
of his eye,
and the earth is illumined from his
luminous eyes.

qmȝ.n=f hrw
ṯnỉ=f grḥ
wḏʿ.n=f rnp.wt
ỉr.n=f ȝbd.w
rḫ.n=f wnw.wt

ỉr.n=f ṯȝw
qmȝ.n=f mḥy.t
qd rmṯ.w
ỉr.n=f nṯr.w

ḥʿʿ.n=f m-ḫnt ḥw.t-ỉt
m kȝ.t ỉr(.t) n=f
zȝ-Rʿ
nb ḫʿ.w
(wspsysns nty-ḫwỉ)|
ỉr=f n=f ḥb.w-sd.w ʿšȝ

As he created the day,
so he distinguished the night,
he separated years,
he made months,
and he knows hours.

As he made air,
so he made the north-wind,
he who builds humans,
having made the gods.

He rejoiced within Temple of the Father,
over the works made for him
by the Son of Re,
Lord of Appearances,
(Vespasian Augustus)|.
May he make for him numerous Sed-Festivals.

3nfr.wy ḥr=k
psḏ=k m pr=k
ʿq=k ḥw.t-nṯr=k
m nḏm-ỉb

twt s(y) r ȝḫ.t
dbn ỉtn.wy ỉm=s
m snsn-kȝ.wy

mȝȝ=k mnw pn nfr
ỉr(.w).n=k
nsw.t-bỉty
(ȝwtwkrtwr ksrs)|

How beautiful is your face,
as you shine in your domain,
and enter your temple
in happiness!

It is resembles the Akhet,
in which both disks (sun and moon) revolve
during the Meeting of the Two Bulls.

May you behold this good monument,
which was made for you by
the King of Upper and Lower Egypt
(Autokrator Caesar)|

ḫwz.n=f ḫnty ʿȝ šps
m-rwty ḥw.t-nṯr=k
m ỉnr ḥḏ nfr rwḏ
ȝw=f wsḫ=f r mnḫ
r (tp)-ḥsb

wḫȝ.w=f r zḫn.wt
twȝ(.w) Nw.t
ḫtỉ(.w) m sš.w nw mdw.w-nṯr
ḥr swr šfy.t
n bȝ šps ḫnty Ỉwny.t
nb kȝ m Ỉnb-ḥḏ=f
m tȝ-šmʿ

ḏr-nty s.t-štȝ.t
nt nṯr.w pȝwty.w
pr-hyn pw n qmȝ wnn.t
ʿḥ šps n qd-ỉqd.w

ỉzwy ḫr=f
m ʿḥʿ n Rʿ
ḥr s.t-Ḥr ḏ.t

He constructed a great, august, forecourt
before your temple,
made from beautiful, enduring sandstone.
Its width and breadth are excellent
and exactly correct.

Its papyriform columns are as supports
which lift up Nut,49
inscribed with hieroglyphic texts,
magnifying the prestige,50
of the August Ba within Iunyt,
Lord of Ka in his own Memphis
within Upper Egypt.51

Because (it is) the hidden place
of the primeval gods,
it is the pr-hyn
of He who Created what Exists,52
and the august palace
of the Builder of Builders.53

His reward for this
is the lifetime of Re
upon the throne of Horus, forever.

Esna 432

1ʿnḫ nṯr nfr
ḥnw.t pw
wbn.tw Rʿ-nb
tmȝ.t pw Rʿ
psḏ ỉtn […]
[…] 2[…]
[…].n=k ms.w n p.t
mỉ mȝȝ=f ỉt-ỉt.w pw
[…]

1 Live the good god,
that means the mistress of Re(?),
(of) he who shines every day;
it is the mother of Re
the sundisk shines […]
[…] 2 […]
you […] the children of the sky,
as he sees the father of fathers
[…]

3ʿnḫ nṯr nfr
kȝ psỉ
ỉp wḏȝ.t m ỉrw=f
kȝ-nḫt pw
[…]
[…] 4ḥms-wḥʿ(?)
zȝ-Rʿ pw
ḥry nṯr.w
qdỉ (m) šȝʿ
ỉr ỉḫt nb [ʿnḫ?]

3 Live the good god,
the blazing bull (full moon),
who reckons the wedjat-eye in his form;54
he is the Mighty Bull,55
[…]
[…] 4 while eating,
he is the Son of Re,
chief of the gods,
who built (in) the beginning,
and makes all [living?] things.

5ʿnḫ nṯr nfr
N.t-Ỉmn.t
qmȝ(.t) ḏ.t
šʿ(.t) ḫpr m ḥȝ.t
mw.t-Rʿ pw
ms(.t) nty 6nb
gb.t wr.t
wbn ỉtn.wy ỉm=s

zȝ-Rʿ
nb ḫʿ.w
( )|

5 Live the good god,
Neith-Amunet,
who created the body of god,
who began existence in the beginning;
she is the Mother of Re,
who birthed all that is;
the great firmament,
from whom the two disks rise.

Son of Re,
Lord of Appearances,
(BLANK CARTOUCHE)|

7ʿnḫ nṯr nfr
ẖnmw-Ṯnn
ỉt nṯr.w
ỉrỉ-tȝ ỉsk
ỉr nn r-ȝw
šȝʿ 8ḫp(r) m ḥȝ.t
nb Šȝỉ Rnn.t
nb kȝ.w

nsw.t-bỉty
nb tȝ.wy
(ỉtwkrt[w]rs kysyrs)|

7 Live the good god,
Khnum-Tatenen,
father of the gods,
Irita, moreover,
who made all this in its entirety,
who began 8 existence in the beginning,
Lord of Shai and Renenet,
Lord of Kas.

The King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
Lord of the Two Lands,
(Autokrat[o]ros Caesar)|

9ʿnḫ nṯr nfr
[Nb.t-ww?] wr.t
ḥnwt tȝ.wy
šps.t wsr.t
n(.t) Nb-(r)-ḏr
(ỉ)ʿr.t nfr(.t)
ḥr 10[tp n] ỉt=s
ʿnḫ ḥr.w nb.w
n mȝȝ nfrw=f

zȝ-Rʿ
nb ḫʿ.w
(kw[mwtws] ʿnt[nyns])|

9 Live the good god,
[Nebtu?] the great,
Mistress of the two lands,
august and mighty one
of the All-Lord,
beautiful uraeus
upon 10 [the head of] her father,
everybody lives
from seeing his perfection.

Son of Re,
Lord of Appearances,
(Co[mmodus] Anto[ninus])|

11[ʿnḫ nṯr nfr]
Šw ṯmȝ-ʿ ḫnty Pr-nṯr
ỉwn ʿȝ wr
ỉỉ m p.t r tȝ
bȝ(?) Nw.t
m 12[…] wḏȝ
ḥr wbn ḥtp
r-mn mỉn rʿ-nb

nsw.t-bỉty
nb tȝ.wy
(ȝtwkrtr […])|

11 [Live the good god]
Shu, valiant of arm within Per-netjer,
the very great pillar of air,
who comes from heaven to earth,
the Ba(?) of Nut56
in 12 […] health,
while rising and setting,
until today, and everyday.

The King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
Lord of the Two Lands,
(Autokrator […])|