A HYMN TO AMEN AND ATEN

HER AND SUTI, OVERSEERS OF WORKS AT THEBES, IN THE REIGN OF AMENHETEP III

[British Museum Stele No. 475-9 ¹]

1. A Hymn of Praise to Amen when he riseth as Horus of the Two Horizons by Suti, the, Overseer of the Works of Amen, [and by] Her (Horus), the Overseer of the Works of Amen. They say:--Homage to thee, Ra, Beautiful (or Beneficent) One of every day! Thou shootest up

2. at sunrise (or dawn) without fail, ² Khepera, ³

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great one of works. Thy radiance is in thy face, [thou] Unknown. [As for] shining metal ¹ it doth not resemble thy splendours.

3. Being designed ² thou didst mould into form thy members; giving birth, but he was not born; One by himself by reason of his power or abilities), Traverser of Eternity, He who is over (or Chief of) the ways of millions of years, maintaining his Divine Form.

4. As are the beauties of the celestial regions even so are thy beauties. More brilliant is thy complexion than that of heaven. Thou sailest across the heavens, all faces (i.e., mankind) look at thee as thou goest, though thou thyself art hidden from their faces.

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5. Thou showest thyself at break of day in beams of light, strong is thy Seqet Boat under Thy Majesty. In a little day thou journeyest over a road of millions and hundreds of thousands

6. of minutes (or moments). Thy (?) day with thee passeth, [thou] settest.

The hours of the night likewise thou dost make to fulfil themselves. No interruption taketh place in thy toil. All eyes (i.e., mankind, or all peoples)

7. direct their gaze upon thee, they cease not to do so. When Thy Majesty setteth, thou makest haste (?) to rise up early in the morning, ¹ thy sparkling rays flash in the eyes (or penetrate the eyes).

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8. Thou settest in Manu, whereupon [men] sleep after the manner of the dead.

Hail to thee, O ATEN of the day, thou Creator of mortals [and] Maker of their life (i.e., that on which they live)! [Hail]

9. thou Great Hawk whose feathers are many-coloured, thou god Kheprer, who didst raise thyself up [from non-existence]! He created himself, he was not born, Horus the Elder (or the Old Hawk), dweller in Nut (the sky). [Men] cry out joyfully at

10. his rising [and] at his setting likewise. [He is] the fashioner [of what] the ground produceth, Khnem Amen of the Henmemet, ¹ conqueror of the Two Lands, from the great one to the little one. [Thou] Mother splendid of

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11. Gods and men, artificer, gracious one, exceedingly great, progressing (or flourishing) in her work. The cattle (?) cannot be counted. The strong herdsman, driving his strong beasts, thou art their byre. He

12. provideth their life (i.e., sustenance), springing up, traversing the course (?) of Khepera, planning (?) his birth, raising up his beautiful [form] in the womb of Nut. He illumineth the Two Lands (Egypt) with his Aten (or Disk), [he is] the primeval substance (or plasma) of the Two Lands. He made himself.

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13. He looketh on what he hath made, the Lord ONE, bringing along into captivity countless lands every day, observing those who walk about upon the earth; shining (or shooting up) in the sky [he performeth] transformations by day (or, as Ra). He maketh the seasons from the months. He loveth the heat of summer.

14. He loveth the cold of winter. He maketh every member of the body to droop. He embraceth every land. The ape[s cry out] in adoration of him when he riseth daily.

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15. Suti, overseer of works, [and] Her, overseer of works, [each] saith, "I was the director of thy throne [and] overseer of works in thy sanctuary [which], as was right thy beloved son, the Lord of the Two Lands, Nebmaatra, the giver of life, made for thee. My Lord appointed me to be the officer in charge of thy monuments.

16. I kept watch diligently, I served the office of director of thy monuments strenuously, performing the laws of thy heart. I knew how to make thee to rest upon Truth, making thee great to do it upon the earth.

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17. I was performing it [and] thou didst make me great. Thou didst set the favours [or praises] of me on the earth in the Apts (Karnak). I was among thy followers when thou didst ascend the throne. I am truth who abominateth false words and deeds.

18. I never took pleasure in any conversation wherein were words of exaggeration and lies. My brother was like myself. I took pleasure in his affairs; he came forth from the womb with me on this (i.e., the same) day.

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19. Suti, the overseer of the works of Amen in the Southern Apt (i.e., Luxor), and Her [the overseer of works], say:--I was director over the western side, and he was director over the eastern side; we two were directors of the great monuments

20. in the Apt, more particularly those of Thebes, the City of Amen. Grant thou to me an old age in thy city, and in thy beneficence make me a burial in Amentt, that place of rest of heart.

21. Let me be placed among thy favoured ones, departing in peace. Grant thou to me sweet air when . . . . [and] the wearing (or bearing) of bandlets on the day of the festival of Ug.

Footnotes

46:1 This monument has been published by Pierret, Recueil, tome I., p. 20 and by Birch, Trans. Soc. Bibl. Arch., Vol. VIII: p. 143 ff.

46:2 Literally, "he maketh not cessation."

46:3 Or "Creator." Here Amen is identified with the ancient god of Creation.

47:1 Tcham, perhaps gilded copper, or even gold itself. The caps of the obelisks; were covered with it.

47:2 Meaning perhaps, thou didst design thine own form."

48:1 The text is probably corrupt here; the writer meant to say "When Thy Majesty setteth, thou shinest and risest upon the Tuat" (the Underworld).

49:1 A class of celestial beings.