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The Temple of Esna. An Evolving Translation: Esna IV

Bay B (406-412)

Esna 406

1ỉȝw n=t(n)
nṯr.w ʿnḫ.w
bȝkty.w ỉmy.w ẖr.t-nṯr
psḏ(.w) m (w)ḫ
r-sȝ hrw.w
(ḥr) sỉȝ wnw.wt
m nʿỉ=sn (r) ỉȝbt.t

sr(.w) ḫp(r)
sʿnḫ(.w) smȝ(.w) sbỉ.w
r mry=sn

psḏ.w m ḥr.t
sṯy(.w) tȝ.wy m nzr.t
sdȝdȝ ḥr.w-nb.w m pr=sn
wnwn.w
wn wn.wt
m tr=sn

1 Praise unto you,
living gods,
working stars within the Necropolis,14
who shine during the night,
after the celestial disks (sun and moon),
making hours perceptible
via their transit to the East.15

Those (stars) who announce what will happen,
who keep alive and massacre enemies
as they desire.

Those who shine in the sky,
who light up the two lands with fire,
at whose emergence everybody trembles:
the running stars (wnwn.w),
at whose appointed times
the hours exist (wn wn.wt).

ỉnḏ 2ḥr=tn
ms.w Rʿ
ḫʿỉ(.w) m ḥtp=f
psḏ.t nt pȝwty.w tpy
pẖr=sn ḥr nmt.t=f rʿ-nb
bȝ.w ʿnḫ.w nw nṯr.w rʿ-nb
pẖr=sn m ỉr.t Rʿ

wpwty.w m nỉw.wt spȝ.wt
sṯy.w šsr.w=sn m r’=sn
r gmḥ=sn wȝ(.w)

sbȝ.w sšd.w mỉ rʿ-nb
nhm(.w) nb=sn
m-ʿ 3ỉḫt nb ḏw
m-ʿ sṯỉ n sbȝ.w
m hrw pn m ȝbd pn
m ȝbd pn m rnp.t tn
m wn.wt=sn nb.w
r-mn mỉn

Greetings 2 to you,
Children of Re,
who appear when he sets.
The Ennead of the First Primeval one,
they encircle his steps, every day;
the Living Bas of the gods, daily,
who go about from the Eye of Re.

The messenger-stars in cities and nomes,
who shoot their arrows from their mouths,
to whomever they glimpse from afar.

The stars who perpetually shine,16
who rescue their lord,
from 3 any evil thing,
and from the shooting of the stars,
on this day in this month,
in this month in this year,
in all their hours,
up until today.

Knm.t ʿpr.tw
tp nṯry.w m pẖr=sn

bȝkty.w ʿnḫ.w
ḥr ỉr(.t) ỉrw=sn m wḫ
r sḫn
m-ḫt sȝḥ ḥnʿ spd.t
ḥr sḫd=f r dwȝ.t
n.t nṯr ʿȝ m ỉmnt.t
r šms=f m-ḫt wrḏ.n=f
r ḥn.ty rʿ-nb

Kenmet is equipped,
heading the divine-stars in their orbit.17

The living- and the working-stars
perform their duties in the night,
until alighting (i.e. culminating)
following Orion and Sothis,
when he descends into the Duat
of the Great God in the West,
to serve him after he became tired,
for the limits of eternity, every day.18

Esna 407

Orion and various decan stars.

Esna 408

wnn Sȝḥ wr
(ḥr) sqd ḥr.t
sȝḥ.n=f p.t tȝ
m ȝw(.t)-ỉb rʿ-nb

psḏ mȝwy=f m nsp
sḫm ỉb=f
sḫr ḫfty.w=f

p(ȝ) nty (m) p.t
bȝ=f m-ḫt=f
sn.t ȝḫ.t m nḏ.t=f
m Spd.t
ḥnw.t ḫȝbs.w

bȝkty.w ỉry
(ḥr) sqd m-sȝ=f
ʿnḫ.w m šms=f rʿ-nb

p(ȝ) nty ỉw ḥtp=f m dwȝ.t
nt sšm n dwȝty
wnn=k ʿnḫ(.w)

Whenever great Orion (Sȝḥ)19
sails across the sky,
he reaches (sȝḥ) heaven and earth
in happiness, every day.

He whose rays shine20 as a knife,
whose heart is powerful,
and who strikes down his enemies.

He who is in the sky,
his Ba following after him,
his excellent sister as his guardian,
as Sothis,
Mistress of the decan-stars.21

The working-stars, for their part,
sail after him,
the living-stars follow him, daily.22

O he who sets in the Duat,
in the form of the Morning star,
may you live!23

Esna 409

Various decan stars, continuing Esna 407.

Esna 410

This section was never inscribed or decorated.

Esna 411

Cartouche of an unknown Roman emperor (Autokrator Caesar), and Khnum Lord of the Field.

Esna 412

1ʿnḫ nṯr nfr
wr mnw m Ỉwny.t
ỉr ȝḫ.w
n Pr-ẖnmw
nb ḫʿ.w
(tymtyns ḫwỉ) | 1 Live the good god,
great of monuments in Iunyt,
who make excellent things
for Per-Khnum,
Lord of Appearances,
(Domitian Augustus)|

2mry ẖnmw-Rʿ nb sḫ.t
Šw zȝ Rʿ
sḫm šps
ʿȝ šfy.t
wsr m ḫʿ=f
3bȝ nṯry
wr bȝw
nfrw=f ṯnỉ(.w)
r nṯr.w
ʿnḫ ʿnḫ.tw ỉm=f

2 Beloved of Khnum-Re Lord of the Field,
Shu, son of Re,
august image,
great of prestige,
mighty during his appearance,
3 divine Ba,
great of power,
whose goodness is most distinguished
of the gods,
life force, from whom one lives.

4mry Nb.t-ww nb(.t) tȝ-sn.t
tfn.t zȝ.t Rʿ
ẖnm(.t) sn=s ẖnmw
mḥn=s ḥr tp=f

4 Beloved of Nebtu, Lady of Esna,
Tefnut, daughter of Re,
who unites (ẖnm) with her brother Khnum (ẖnmw),
as she coils upon his head.