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The Temple of Esna. An Evolving Translation: Esna IV

Bay F (450-454)

Esna 450

1wnn zȝ(.w) Sȝḥ
m p.t rsy.t
ḏd-mdw

ỉỉ.tw ʿnḏ.tw
nn ḫfty=k
ỉm(ȝ)-ỉb n Rʿ r=k
zȝ=k Ḥr
m nḏty=k
m wbȝ wȝ.t m-ḥȝ.t(=k)

šm=k m ḥʿʿ
nn snḏ=k
r hȝ(w) Ỉwnw
m s.t-ỉb=k

ẖnm=k
m ỉȝbt.t n.t Ỉtm
ʿnḫ=k rnp=k ỉm=s

1 Orion (sȝḥ) is protected (zȝ)
in the southern sky.
Words spoken:

You have arrived, being healthy,
without your enemy!
Re is gracious towards you;
your son, Horus,
is as your avenger,
opening a path before (you).

May you go in jubilation,
without your fearing,
to the area of Heliopolis,
in your favorite place,

so you might unite
with the left-eye of Atum,
through which you live and rejuvenate.

ʿq=k m tȝ
mỉ Ḫprỉ
pẖr=k dwȝ.t m ḥʿʿ
ʿpy 2bȝ=k m-ḫt Rʿ
zmȝ mȝwy=f m sʿḥ=k

ḫʿỉ=k m dwȝw
ḥtp=k m mšrw
Rʿ pw wn=k ḥwn.w

mỉ r pr=k
qȝ psḏ.t ḥr s.t=sn
mr nṯr.w šzp tw […]

As you enter in the earth,
like Khepri,
so you traverse the Duat in joy,
and your Ba 2 flies up after Re,
as his rays unite with your mummy.

As you rise in the morning,
so you set in the evening:
that means Re, when you are young again.

Come to your temple!
The Ennead is high upon their places,
the gods love to receive you […]

3wnn ḥr.t gnḫ.w m ḥb
hȝy hȝy.ty ỉry-wḥm
ḫft ḏ(d).w=s

sṯ.t ḥȝ Mnḥy.t rn=s
sq(ȝ.t) bȝ.w
ḥqȝ(.t) pw n p(ȝ) bnw r-ȝw=f

wpš(.t) ḥr.t
sḥḏ(.t) ỉmy=s
sqȝ(.t) dwȝw
m Nw.t rsy.t
psš.n=f Nw.t ḥnʿ Rʿ

sqd=s ḥnʿ=f
nn ḥr=s r=f
m Spd.t ḥnw.t ḫȝbs.w

spḥ(.t) msḫtw
m p.t-mḥy.t
tm rdỉ.t sḫd=f r dwȝ.t

3 The sky and stars are in festivals,
the twin-skies (hȝy.ty) and solar course rejoice (hȝy) because of her words, namely:

Sothis, indeed, Menhyt is her name,
she who exalts the Bas,87
she is the ruler of the entire earth!

She who brightens the sky,
and illumines what is inside it,
she who elevates Orion
in the southern sky (Nut),
so he shares Nut along with Re.

She sails along with him,
never leaving him,
as Sothis, Mistress of the decans.

Lassoing the Great Dipper88
in the Northern sky,
not letting him descend to the Duat.

Esna 451

This scene has no carved inscriptions, but Sauneron, Ménassa 1969, p. 69, n. a, already noted one could detect traces of the painted captions. Further cleaning by the join Egyptian-German team will undoubtedly reveal more labels.

Among various figures, one may recognize Orion and Sothis and Anukis on the east side. Two gods of the winds appear on either side, both with ram heads and four wings, but one with a lion’s body (left = South Wind, see Esna II, 105) another with that of a falcon (right = West Wind, see Esna II, 162, 19).

Other astral beings can be compared to depictions on other temple ceilings. New texts concerning some of the elaborate snakes (especially the snake carrying 9 different Ptahs) have recently been published from the 26th Dynasty tomb of Iufaa from Abusir: Landgráfová et al. 2017, Landgráfová, Janák 2017, Landgráfová, Janák 2021. For detailed commentary, consult the works noted in the bibliography.

Esna 452

Cartouches of Septimius Severus before figures of Khnum.

Esna 453

Cartouches of an Emperor (Autokrator Caesar), possibly Septimius Severus (Esna 452) or Domitian (Esna 454).

Esna 454

1ʿnḫ nṯr nfr
ṯḥn ḫʿ(.w) mỉ Ḥr
m nswy.t mn(.w)
ḥr ns.t n Rʿ
ḥqȝ
n nb tȝ.wy
(twmṯyns ḫwỉ)|

1 Live the good god,
scintillating of appearance like Horus
in a kingship established
upon the throne of Re,
and the rule
of the Lord of the Two Lands
(Domitian Augustus)|

2mry ẖnmw-Rʿ
ḥry s.t=f wr.t m Ỉwny.t
nṯr ʿȝ (m) kȝr=f
qȝ šw.ty
nb ḫbzw.t
ḥȝỉ Ḥʿpỉ r-ḫt=f

2 Beloved of Khnum-Re
upon his great throne in Iunyt,
great god (in) his shrine,
tall of double plumes,
lord of a beard,89
at whose order Hapi surges.

3mry Wsỉr (wnn-nfr mȝʿ-ḫrw)|
nsw.t[-nṯr.w]
nsw.t m [p.t]
ḥqȝ m tȝ
ỉty ʿȝ m dwȝ.t
nṯry-nỉwty m spȝ.wt nb.w
nṯr ʿȝ ḥry-ỉb tȝ-sn.t

3 Beloved of Osiris (Wennefer justified)|
King [of the gods];
king in heaven,
ruler on earth,
great sovereign in the Duat;
City God in all nomes,
great god within Esna.

4mry Ḥkȝ p(ȝ) ẖrd
ʿȝ wr tpy n ẖnmw
wr-ḥkȝw kȝ n Rʿ
ḫy(?) wr
ḏfḏ n wḏȝ.t
ỉȝw rnp
zbỉ nḥḥ
wbn rʿ-nb

4 Beloved of Heka the Child
the eldest, first-born of Khnum,
Greatest of Magic, Ka of Re,
great child(?)90,
iris of the wedjat-eye,
old man who rejuvenates,
who traverses eternity,
and shines every day.