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The Temple of Esna. An Evolving Translation: Esna IV

Row C (414-421)

Esna 414

1gb.t ỉʿ.tw
nn ḥȝtỉ ỉm=s

ỉw ḏd šps
ḥr wbn m-ḫnt=s

zmȝ-mȝʿ.t ḫʿỉ.tw
r mtr.w n smd.t
kȝ [psỉ] pw
ỉp wḏȝ.t
m dbḥ.w=s

ỉwn-ḥʿʿ pw
sḥḏ grḥ m ỉrw=f

ỉȝbt.t bd šnʿ
m ḫʿỉ=f
grḥ nṯry m 2ḥb

1 The night sky is purified,
without any cloud cover in it.

The August Djed-pillar
shines within it.

The Companion of Maat (Shu) appears
at the proper time of the full moon,
that means the [blazing] bull,
who reckons the wedjat-eye
with its constituent parts.

He is the moon,
who illumines the night with his form.

The left eye which shines through clouds
at his appearance,
the divine night in 2 festival.

wyn wbn.tw
stw.t=f (ḥr) psḏ tȝ.wy ỉry

ỉw nṯr ʿȝ m ẖnw
ḥr nšm.t

nfr.wy ḫʿỉ=k
m ḥry-ỉb Nwn
[ỉnỉ?] Ḥʿpỉ wsr
(n) nty ḥr mw=f

sqd sbȝ.w m skt.t
ỉzy.t mʿnḏ.t m šms=k
ḥr ẖnw ẖr=k
m grḥ wr

Light has arisen,
and its rays illumine all the lands.

The great (lunar) god is sailing
upon the neshmet-bark.

How beautiful is your appearance,
within Nun,
[o he who brings?] the mighty Inundation
to whomever is loyal to him.

The stars sail in the day bark,
the crew of the night bark serve you,
sailing in front of you
during the great night.

ỉḫm.w-3-sk.w
m-ʿb ỉḫm.w-wrḏ.w
(ḥr) ỉr(.t) gs.wy
m wỉȝ=k n ḥḥ

nṯr.w nb m ẖnw ḥr sʿqȝ
(ḥr) smḥ [sȝḥ] tȝ
m-ʿ n ḫnty-ẖty

šms.w nw Rʿ
šnwy.t nw Ỉtm
ỉw=w n=k m sqd […]

The imperishable 3 stars,
with the indefatigable stars,
serve as the flanks
in your Bark of Millions.

All gods are sailing correctly,
setting off and [reaching?] land
together with Khenty-Khety.

The followers of Re,
the entourage of Atum,
they belong to you while sailing […]

Esna 415

wnn ỉȝ.t-ṯȝ.wy
ḥts.tw r ȝḫ.t
ẖr ỉwn wr
ḏsr.tw r Nw.t
ẖr ḫnty-ỉtr.ty šmʿ
psḏ.n=s
ḫnty-ỉtr.ty mḥw
m-ḫnt=s
mỉ ỉtn.wy

gnẖ.wy ỉry
(ḥr) sqd m-ḫt=f
ḥr šms=f r-mn mỉn

ḫȝbs.w m pẖr=f
ḥr ỉr(.t) n=f bȝk=sn

So the Mound of the Chicks,
is adorned like the Akhet
bearing the Great Pillar (Khnum);
it is made sacred like Nut,
bearing Foremost of the Southern Chapel;
it shines
while Foremost of the Northern Chapel
is within it,
just like the two disks.24

The stars, meanwhile,
sail after him,
serving him even until today.

The decan stars surround him,
performing their work for him.

rmn(.t)-ḥr.t
mḥn=s ḥr tp=f
ẖr(.t)-hrw
m rn=s n Mnḥy.t

rmn(.t)-ẖr.t
sšd=s m dwȝ.t=k
m ỉsb.t wr.t
m rn=s n Nb.t-ww

wbn=k ḥtp=k ỉm=w
rʿ-nb

nsw.t-bỉty
nb tȝ.wy
(ỉtwkrtyrs kysyrs)|
ʿnḫ(.w) ḏ.t nḥḥ

The Upper Shoulder,
she coils upon his head,
every day,
in her name of Menhyt.

The Lower Shoulder,
she shines in your Duat,
as the great uraeus serpent,
in her name of Nebtu.25

As you rise, so you set through them,
every day.

King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
Lord of the Two Lands,
(Autokrator Caesar)|
living for all eternity!

Esna 416

1 Bark with child inside solar disk (morning sun) (Color photograph).

1nsw.t-bỉty
nfr-ḥr
ḫʿ.tw ḥr srḫ
(ḥr) bd(.t) st.wt
m-ḫt pr=f

1 The King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
beautiful of face,
appears upon the serekh,
emitting his rays
after he comes forth.

2 Adoring rekhyt figures (Color photograph).

2rḫy(.t) nb.w
m ʿy m ḥr=k
ḥr dwȝ=k rʿ-nb

2 All rekhyt-people
are in jubilation before you,
worshipping you every day.

3 First six hours of the day (Color photograph)

4-5 Bark with Khnum inside a solar disk (midday sun), worshipped by three gods (the Bas of Pe) (Color photograph)

Text over the bark:

3swḥ n ʿnḫ
ỉw m p.t r tȝ
mn m ẖ.t

3 The breath of life,
who comes from the sky to the earth,
and dwells within the body.

Text over the Bas of Pe (not copied by Sauneron or Mendel):

[…] ỉb
ḥr dwȝ=sn nṯr
twt(.w) ḥr šms=f
rʿ-nb

[…] of heart,
as they praise god,
being united in his service,
every day.

6 Last six hours of the day (Color photograph).

7-8 Bark with old man inside a solar disk (evening sun), worshipped by three gods (the Bas of Nekhen).

Over the bark:

4Ḫprỉ
ỉȝw rnp
zbỉ ḏ.t
ḥtp m dwȝ.t
m ẖ.t Nw.t

4 Khepri,
the old man who rejuvenates,
who traverses eternity,
and rests within the Duat,
through the belly of Nut.

Over the Bas of Nekhen (text only in Mendel):

[…]
ḫnty n ẖr.t-nṯr
ḥr ỉr(.t) ỉȝw n [nb=sn?]
m dwȝ.t štȝ.t

[…]
foremost of the Necropolis,
making praise for [their lord?]
in the mysterious Duat.

Esna 417

wnn wnm.t mḥ.tw
ỉȝb.t gsgs.tw
ȝḫ.ty ȝḫ.tw
nn šnʿ ỉm=s

kȝ-psỉ pw
ỉp dbḥ.w wḏȝ.t
m-ʿqȝ=f kȝ-nḫt pw
psḏ.tw r mtr n smd.t

Rʿ Wsỉr ḫp(r).tw
m snsn kȝ.wy
n(t)sn m ḥb
ḥr.w nb.w ʿbȝ(.w)
(m) wbḫ=sn ḏ.t
ḏ.t=f ẖ.t=f

ỉtn […]
[…] nḥḥ m Rʿ
wḥm.n=f ms.w
(ḥr) ʿq pr r-mn mỉn

Ỉs.t ḥr wnm.t
Nb.t-ḥw.t ḥr ỉȝbt.t
sn.ty rs-wḏȝ r-ḥn.ty

zȝ Rʿ nb ḫʿ.w
(qʿmʿts ʿntnns nty-ḫwỉ)|
ʿnḫ(.w) ḏ.t nḥḥ

The right eye is filled,
the left eye restored,
the akhet-eyes are made luminous,
without cloud cover.

Here is the Blazing Bull (the full moon),
who reckons the pieces of the wedjat-eye;
across from him is the Mighty Bull (the sun),
shining at the moment of Day 15.

Re and Osiris have become manifest
during the Union of the Two Bulls,
they are in festival,
and every face is illumined
(through) their perpetual shining,
day and night.

The sun disk […]
[…] eternity as Re,
having repeated births,
entering and exiting until today.

Isis is on the right,
Nephthys is on the left,
the two sisters of Res-wedja forever!

The Son of Re, Lord of appearances,
(Commodus Antoninus Augustus)|
living forever and ever.

Esna 418

1-3 Three jackals tow a bark containing the moon, in which Osiris sits. Only fragments of the captions are preserved in painted decoration: Mendel 2022, pp. 435-436.

4-6 Bark with solar disk, in which Re sits. Preceded and followed by hours of the night (painted stars are on their heads: Color photograph)

Text over the bark:

nsw.t-bỉty
bȝ šps […]
štȝ ms.wt
ms nṯr.w dwȝ.t(?)

The King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
the august Ba […]
mysterious of births,
who births the gods of the Duat(?).

7-8 Bark with scarab inside a solar disk (morning sun), worshipped by four baboons (Color photograph).

Text over Khepri (painted, only partially in Sauneron and Mendel):

ḫprr wr
[ʿp]y(?) rʿ-nb
wsn pw
ỉr nḏmnḏm m nḥḥ

The great scarab,
who [fli]es(?) up every day;
he is the lusty (ram),
who makes sexual pleasure for eternity.

Text over baboons (pained, see Mendel 2022, p. 434):

Ỉsdn wr
ỉp wḏȝ.t m ḫprw=f
dwȝ ỉt=f Rʿ
m ỉrw=f n hṯt

Great Isden,
who reckons the wedjat-eye in his manifestation,
who praises his father, Re,
in his visible form of a chattering baboon.

Esna 419

Cartouches of Commodus, with Khnum of Esna and Khnum Lord of the Field.

Esna 420

Cartouches of unknown Roman emperor (Autokrator Caesar), with Khnum of Esna and Khnum Lord of the Field.

Esna 421

1ʿnḫ nṯr nfr
ỉwʿʿ n Rʿ
rr n mw.t=f N.t
nsw.t-bỉty
(twmtyns nt-ḫwỉ)|

1 Live the good god,
heir of Re,
nursed by his mother, Neith,
King of Upper and Lower Egypt
(Domitian Augustus)|

2N.t wr.t
mw.t-nṯr nb(.t) tȝ-sn.t
qmȝ(.t) stw.t
ḫrs(.t) kkw

3ḥbs(.t) ỉtn
m šsp=s
wbn=s sḥḏ.n=s
ḥḏḏ.w=s (ḥr) rdỉ(.t)
sỉȝ wʿ snw=f

4Nw.t pw n.t ȝḫty
wbn=f ḥtp=f ỉm=s
ỉwty ỉḏr=s
nỉ rḫ.tw ḥn.ty=s

2 Neith the great,
Mother of god, Lady of Esna,
who creates rays of light,
and dispels darkness;

3 She who clothes the sun disk
with her radiance,
as she rises, so she illumined,
and her luminosity allows
one to perceive another.

4 She is Nut of Akhty,
he rises and he sets in her;
being infinite,
her limits are unknowable.