the prayers of wakh-ʿankh-antef-ʿaa

The Prayers of Wakh-ʿankh-antef-ʿAaAuthor(s): Hans GoedickeSource: Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 50, No. 4 (Oct., 1991), pp. 235-253Published by: The University of Chicago PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/545487 .

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THE PRAYERS OF WAKH-cANKH-ANTEF-cAA

HANS GOEDICKE, The Johns Hopkins University

AMONG the surviving Egyptian texts of the early Eleventh Dynasty is a square- shaped stela of King Wakh-'ankh-Antef. It comes from the king's tomb at el-Tarif, the northernmost part of the Theban West Bank, the so-called Saff el-Qisasiya,' and is now in New York in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (13.182.3). The text was first made known by H. E. Winlock and has been the object of a number of studies.2 In its tenor, as well as in the choice of its wording, the text can rightly be considered a piece of literature of exceptional beauty.3 As it lacks any direct parallels, it should be considered an original creation. Unfortunately, it is impossible to identify its author; King Wakh- cankh-Antef is a potential candidate, but it cannot be corroborated that he had special literary talents. The text consists of two separate parts which are distinguished not only by their purpose, but also by their graphic display, the first one being arranged in horizontal lines, the second in vertical columns. M. Lichtheim considered the first one "an evening song addressed to the setting sun, the second one a song to Hathor." Because of their self-contained nature, the two can be studied separately.

Hymn to Rec-Atum

[The son-of-Rec Antef-'Aa,a who gives a funerary offering of a mea]sure of bread and beer, a measure of fish and fowl, a measure of clothing, a measure of all good thingsb to one honored with Rec-Atum who is in his evening-light and (to) one honored with Hathor, who suckles in the dusk,c he says:

"May you, indeed, proceed, O my father Rec, before you summon me! May, indeed, the height conceal you, before you summon me!d

I Wolfgang Schenkel in Dieter Arnold, Grdiiber des Alten und Mittleren Reiches in

El-Tarif, AVDIK

17 (Mainz am Rhein, 1976), p. 56; PM 1/22, p. 595. 2 H. E. Winlock, "The Eleventh Egyptian Dy-

nasty," JNES 2 (1943): 258 f. and pl. 36; idem, Rise and Fall of the Middle Kingdom in Thebes (New York, 1947), p. 18, pl. 4. The principal edition is J. J. Clere and J. Vandier, Textes de la premibre periode intermidiaire, Bibliotheca Aegyptiaca 10 (Brussels, 1948), no. 15, pp. 9 f. (hereafter TPPI). As for translations, the following will be quoted through-

out this paper: J. A. Wilson in review of S. Schott, Altagyptische Liebeslieder-mit Marchen und Liebes- geschichten (Zurich, 1950), in JNES 12 (1953): 221; Alfred Hermann, Altiigyptische Liebesdichtung (Wies- baden, 1959), pp. 25 f.; Schafik Allam, Beitriige zum Hathorkult bis zum Ende des Mittleren Reiches, MAS 4 (Berlin, 1963), pp. 140 f.; Wolfgang Schenkel, Memphis--Herakleopolis- Theben, Ag. Abh. 12 (Wiesbaden, 1965), no. 70, pp. 96-99; Miriam Licht- heim, Ancient Egyptian Literature (Berkeley, 1973), vol. 1, pp. 94-96.

3 The literary appreciation is, of course, based on modern aesthetic notions and might not necessarily be innate to the Egyptian attitude towards writing. That the Egyptians were not oblivious to literary form and beauty, however, can be extracted from the laments of Kha-kheper-re'-seneb and his desire to be creative in his writing.

[JNES 50 no. 4 (1991)] ? 1991 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 0022-2968/91 / 5004-0001$1.00.

235



236 JOURNAL OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES

Command to the night and those in it, that you may [find me among those who adore] you,

O Rec (namely) those who praise you at your rising and who lament you at your settings.e

When night embraces me and deadly darkness blocks me, may you O Rec, command [that my passing delay forever]f

[because] I am your representative, after you have made me a lord-of-life who does not die.g

Command to the dusk that it exert its protection over me! Command to [the morrow] that it give its protection about [me]!

(as) I am one to be suckled during the morrow.h (As) I am one to be suckled during dusk,

I shall dine during the night and I shall act the life of my father Rec, who is not afraid of potentates who might turn

away the teats.i As the protection about (me) is the red glow of your eye,

may you select me in your approaching [the dusk]."J

Commentary

a. The opening words of the text are missing. They were not accidentally defaced but were apparently obliterated intentionally. This results from the careful delineation of the gap, which can only be explained as a "cosmetic operation." No comments have been made on this obliteration. The edition of the text in TPPI suggested a restoration which had been followed uncritically by all dealing with the text. The suggested restoration envisages the so-called offering formula

- A, in which W. Schenkel4

mentions both Osiris or Anubis, while Lichtheim5 opts for Osiris. This restoration, however, does not suit the context and produces an unlikely state-

ment. There can be no doubt that line I serves as an introduction, while the actual text begins with line 2. It is expressed as a verbal statement as indicated by the opening dd.f, "he says." In order to have a verbal statement introduced in this fashion, however, it is necessary that its source, i.e., the speaker, be identified. None of the earlier translations attempt to identify this speaker. From the accompanying depiction of the king making the offering with the annotation "Horus Wakh-'ankh, the honored one with Osiris Son-of-Rec Antef-'Aa, whom Nfrw bore, as he gives milk and beer to Rec and Hathor (and) as he says that what the (two) always desire," there can be no doubt that the text covering the stela was also his pronouncement. As the restoration of prt-zrw; "invocation-offering," with the ensuing specifications seems certain, there is no place available for the mention of the king's name other than at the very beginning of the line. The restoration might not be absolutely certain in all orthographic details, but, in principle, it should be seen as

(-Kf7 I . Since

dd.fintroduces the king's pronouncement, his association with the "invocation-

offerings" can only be gratifying, that is, the king's name should be followed by a

4 Schenkel, Memphis, p. 98. 5 Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature.



THE PRAYERS OF WAKH- ANKH-ANTEF-CAA 237

participle di. It is uncertain whether a perfective or imperfective participle is to be restored: A or A A.

b. The specifications of the invocation offering (prt-hrw) in the common form of h3 is rendered here as "measure" instead of the customary "thousand." The latter makes no sense, especially when it comes to "flesh" or "steer," but it is equally meaningless with regard to clothing. As for h3, I associate it with the verb h3 "to measure."'6 L is commonly read *Is mnht, "alabaster (and) clothing," which makes it an odd pair. It would seem more natural to understand the two signs as depicting what constitutes a man's clothing, namely, a "piece of material" (mnht) and a "belt" (is).

c. The king's funerary support is intended for im9jhw, "people deserving of permanent care in recognition of their service to society."7 The extra-human status of the im9Iw is, however, in a religious setting.

The eschatological prospects are associated with Re'-Atum8 and Hathor, ajuxtaposi- tion which has its antecedent in the association of Rec and Hathor in the Fifth Dynasty "sun-temple."9 Both deities are qualified, i.e., their invocation concerns one of their specific qualities. As for Re'-Atum, it is imy mrw.f, "who is in his evening-light," as suggested by Allam.'o For Hathor, Schenkel made the splendid restoration snqt m bkkt, "who suckles in the dusk." Bkit, according to O. Neugebauer and R. A. Parker," denotes the early night, the hours between two and four. The term is probably connected with bk3, "to be pregnant," and might reflect certain sexual habits of the ancient Egyptians. For snq, "to suckle," see CT IV 350a. Although there is no clear indication whether Hathor is seen here as human or therimorphous, it is, of course, the earliest reference to the iconography specific to Deir el Bahari, namely, Hathor as a cow suckling the ones in her care.12

d. It was apparently Allam who was the first to render the two sentences as questions "Warum gehst du, mein Vater Re, ohne mir befohlen zu haben-(in deinem Gefolge zu sein)? Warum verhiillt sich der Himmel, ohne mir befohlen zu haben?"'3 In addition to the unwarranted emendation, the presumed questions would imply that Antef is anxious

6 Wb. III 223. 7 Cf. Wolfgang Helck, "Wirtschaftliche Bemer-

kungen zum privaten Grabbesitz im Alten Reich, MDAIK 14 (1956): 63 ff.

8 For unknown reasons Schenkel reads "Atum," disregarding the fact that the deity is actually "Rec- Atum," i.e., "the Rec (of) Atum" (Schenkel, Mem- phis); cf. the discussion in my paper "Unity and Diversity in the Oldest Religion of Ancient Egypt," in Hans Goedicke, ed., Unity and Diversity (Balti- more, 1975), pp. 201 ff.

9 For the association of Hathor and Rec, see Allam, Beitrdge, pp. 113 ff.; Barbara L. Begelsbacher- Fischer, Untersuchungen zur Gitterwelt des Alten Reiches, Orbis Biblicus 37 (Freiburg, 1981), pp. 70 ff.; Peter Kaplony, Die Rollsiegel des Alten Reichs, Monumenta Aegyptiaca 2 (Brussels, 1977), pp. 283 ff.

10 The determinative ,R supports this rendering against Schenkel's "der sich in seinen Abenden befin- det" and Lichtheim's "in his evenings." It refers to the time of the descending sun, when the main meal was served. The need to have some light during eating defines the time.

i" O. Neugebauer and R. A. Parker, Egyptian Astronomical Texts (Providence 1960), vol. 1, p. 35.

12 See my article "Hathor's Cult at Deir el- Bahari," Hathor, estudos de egiptologia 1 (1989): 11-31.

13 Schenkel followed with "Gehst du, mein Vater Re, hinunter, ohne dass du mich anbefohlen hast? Bedeckt dich der Himmel, ohne dass du mich anbefohlen hast?," and Lichtheim (1973) has "Will you depart, father Re, before you commend me? Will the sky conceal you before you commend me?"




to follow Rec into the darkness, although he had not yet been summoned. Although the particle tr occurs in questions, it is not an interrogative in itself. Rather, it conveys a certain stress, which can be affirmative or differentiating.14 It is not clear if it concerns the predicate or the subject; since the second person suffix is followed by an injected vocative, the stress is more likely to be on the former. SdU.k is a perfective sdm.f. '5 As Lichtheim first realized, '---

• , should be read n wd.t.k wi and taken as a negated

sdm.t.f-form.'6 The unspecified transitive use of wd is unusual; it appears to have the meaning "to summon," i.e., "to command someone" through a higher authority.

Hbs, "to conceal," is a recurrent metaphor concerning the deceased;" 7 should denote the region to which Rec passes at his setting. While the "sky" or "heaven" is the appropriate whereabouts of the sun god during the day, it makes little sense that he be "concealed by the sky." A better meaning is arrived at by taking hrt literally as "the height" and by understanding it as a reference to the towering height closing Deir el- Bahari.'s

e. Since the praying king has apparently no desire to join Rec immediately, that is, to die presently, Schenkel's emendation wd (wi) n grh, "Befiehl [mich] der Nacht an" followed by Lichtheim's "Commend (me) to night," is unconvincing. Allam's "Befiehl der Nacht" would seem the only possible reading. It is supported by the parallel formulation wd n bkit in line 4.19

It is worth noting that "the night" and "those in it" are considered things to which Rec can give commands, the "night" being personified. Grh is not only synonymous with darkness but is also a metaphor for death, the condition in the tomb.20 Accordingly, *imyw grh, "those in the night," should be understood as all those in the hereafter and not necessarily as specific demons.

The construction with ih introducing the desired state resulting from the commanding is noteworthy; it occurs again in line 4 (see n. h, p. 240 below).2' B. Grdseloff22 made the restoration 1e/T'q [ Ph ~( , which has been generally accepted. As for sw3? as a religious expression, see Wb. IV 63,23; Urk. VII 56; Urk. IV 2118,6; the term is mainly used in the political arena in expressing homage to the king.23 The invocation of Rec at this point is not an apposition to the preceding personal pronoun, as Allam apparently understood it, but rather, serves here in a disjunctive way, aiming to narrow the circle of "those who adore." It is a case of stylistic finesse that the text qualifies the adorants of Rec as "those who praise you at your risings and who lament you at your

14 Elmar Edel, Altiigyptische Grammatik (Rome, 1964), ? 842; A. H. Gardiner, Egyptian Grammar3 (Oxford, 1957), ?256, renders it "forsooth."

15 See Gardiner, Grammar, ? 450. The verb has a distinctly funerary connotation; see Wb. IV 377, 16; 378,8. The main use in this sense dates from the late Old Kingdom to the Middle Kingdom; see CT I 86; BM 614, 12.

16 Cf. Helmut Satzinger, Die negativen Konstruk- tionen im Alt- und Mitteldgyptischen, MAS 12 (Berlin, 1968), ?? 39-41.

17 See Wb. III 65, 12 ff. 18 Ibid., 143, 13.

19 See n. h, p. 239 below. 20 See E. Liiddeckens, "Untersuchungen Oiber re-

ligi6sen Gehalt, Sprache und Form der igyptischen Totenklagen," MDAIK 11 (1943): 131; Jan Zandee, Death as an Enemy (Leiden 1960), p. 91; Erik Hornung, "Lexicalische Studien II," Z,'S 87 (1962): I16 f.

21 Cf. Gardiner, Grammar, ? 228; Wolfhart Westen- dorf, Grammatik der medizinischen Texte (Berlin, 1962), ? 380.

22 B. Grdseloff, BiOr 5 (1948): 160. 23 Cf. L'Enseingnement loyaliste ? 6, 8.



THE PRAYERS OF WAKH-CANKH-ANTEF-CAA 239

settings" because it defines the praise of Rec to his earthly appearance. In addition, Rec's events are stated as plurals, i.e., his recurrent daily appearance and setting. The choice of the term prt with regard to the cyclical appearance of heavenly bodies appears motivated by the notion of Rec's renewed coming forth from darkness.24 Lichtheim recognized that nbbyw is derived from nbi, "to lament."25 IHtp denotes the setting of the sun.26

f. 8,a81

was taken by Allam and by Schenkel as a defective plural participle, "die sich mit der Nacht vereinen," and considered parallel to dwiw and nfhyw, with which, however, there is no common denominator. Lichtheim reads hnm wi grh, which she rendered hortatively "may night embrace me." Considering the previously stated aver- sity to instant death and to joining Rec in his nightly journey prematurely, such a view would be a blatant contradiction. Instead, I see the wish in wd.k, "may you command," parallel to the preceding imperative formulation wd n grh, "command to the night." Hnm wi grh I take as circumstantial, that is, describing an inevitable situation, when Rec's intercession is desired. Although an exact parallel is lacking, the notion is similar to the embracing of the dead by Nut or the West.27 a iS parallel to the preceding example, as understood by Lichtheim, and describes another dreaded situation.28 W&_w, according to Neugebauer and Parker, denotes the middle hours of the night.29 All translators have disregarded

. ; I see in it the word mt, "death,"

written without a determinative.30 As for hn, I prefer recognizing it as derogatory in nature31 and would thus equate it with the verb hn, "to block," attested in Peasant B 1, 7.32

What is requested of Rec is impossible to determine because of the lack of a parallel. The reading is limited to an initial h. The sign beneath it is not V=I, as TPPI indicates, but, rather, ; this allows the restoration =

--, "death."33 I take hpt as an anticipa-

34 torily stated subject followed by a sdm.fwith prospective meaning. As a guess, I would restore zpt wdf.s r dt, "death, may it wait forever"; for wddf in connection with death, cf. Peasant B 2, 122.

g. The lacuna of one square at the beginning of line 4 has been disregarded except by Schenkel. The non-verbal clause ink sty.k, "I am your representative," seems not to have any context, except when seen as the reason claimed by Antef-'Aa that Rec should act favorably for him. As a result, I propose restoring in the lacuna hr-ntt ( ). For the king as representative of Rec, see Pyr. 1464 c. Iri.n.k wi m nb-cn is relative past to the

24 Cf. Wb. I 521, 15. 25 Cf. ibid., II 305, 13; Peasant B 1, 29 suggests

that it was the mourning for something lost. 26 See Wb. II 192. Allam and Schenkel saw here a

reference to offerings "die deine Opfergaben genies- sen" and "die von deinen Opfergaben fortbestehen," which misses the parallelism in the formulation.

27 Cf. ibid., III 378, 3, 7. 28 Allam and Schenkel rendered "die die tiefste

Nacht durchziehen." 29 Neugebauer and Parker, Astronomical Texts,

p. 35.

30 It is not necessarily a reference to death but could have here a merely qualifying function "deadly darkness."

31 Lichtheim rendered it "midnight shelters me," which has a positive ring to it and which disagrees with the general setting.

32 Other occurrences are Ptahhotep 618; Urk. IV 1818, 7.

33 See Wb. III 259, 2; Cairo 20503; cf. also Zandee, Death as an Enemy, p. 54.

34 Cf. Gardiner, Grammar, ? 227.2.




sentence preceding it. Nb-'nb is principally a designation of gods, primarily Osiris or Horus."3 Its application to the king reflects the immortality evolving from the office.36

h. The imperative wd n, "command to," repeats the formulation of line 2. Different from the earlier passage, this one is directed to hkjft, i.e., "early night," "dusk." It appears to anticipate the time when Antef-cAa enters into the first stage of the Here- after, i.e., the tomb where he is expected to wait for a final elevation into the company of Rec. Curious, however, is the indisputable plurality associated with the term. I wonder if J i should not be taken as "those of the twilight," i.e., those buried in the Deir el-Bahari cemetery.37

As in the parallel request to Rec, he is asked to issue commands to two agents, one singular, one plural, in support of Antef-~Aa. The identity of the second is obscured by a break. Allam assumed a reference to the moon, but Schenkel's notion that bkU, "morrow," was mentioned here is more convincing, especially with Lichtheim's restoration wd n [bki i]di.fs3 .fh(i). The wording di s3 h3 has here its earliest attestation.38

The non-verbal ink snq m bk] is not an independent statement, as has been assumed, nor is it directly paired with the very similar looking ink snq m bk3t. Both have a temporal-circumstantial connotation for the modern reader, but for the ancient Egyp- tian, it was presumably atemporal in the sense of"as long as."39 In other words, the two clauses ink snq serve the same purpose, except that they are used in one case in the conclusion, in the other as an introduction. The first one refers to Antef-cAa's earthly existence, the second to his prospects after death.

The reference to "suckling" at dusk by the deceased might be a reflection of dietary practices of the time, namely, to have a drink of milk as the first repast of the day by the living. Whether or not it is a specifically local tradition of the Eleventh Dynasty has not been looked into.

i. Ink snq m bkit refers here to Antef-cAa's future state, when he expects to be sustained by Hathor. What will happen then is given as mgqg I,-

^ , which, unfor-

tunately, ends in a lacuna. That the passage concerns nourishment was Allam's notion: "Ich bin einer der morgens saugt (zweimal), der abends speist, dessen Leben gemacht .. .." Schenkel assumes a nightly birth or rebirth as "Ich bin einer, der in den frtihen Nachtstunden gesdiugt wird; der geboren wird in der Nacht, dessen Leben gemacht wird [in der tiefsten Nacht (?)]." A similar view was taken by Lichtheim: "I am the nursling of night's early hours, born at night, whose life is made [in darkness]." There are semantic, structural, and grammatical objections to be voiced. In the earliest part, a clear distinction was made between "dusk" and "deep night." In the obviously parallel passage preceding it, the non-verbal ink snq is balanced with a verbal clause. As a result, I assume ?tj to be a prospective

sdm.f first person,40 following Allam's

35 Cf. Wb. I 199, 11 f. 36 For the qualification iwty mni.n.f "who does

not die," see Gardiner, Grammar, ?418. 37 For ih + sdm.f

see above n. e, p. 238; for stp-s.

.hr, see also Wb. IV 339, 17. The basis of the

term is in court service, which would seem appropriate in the given setting.

38 See Wb. 111 415, 11. 39 Comparable is Sinuhe R 2 ink imsw, which for

the modern mind has a past connotation. 40 For the prospective sdmffwith the conspicuous

ending 44 for the first person of IIIae infirmae verbs, see Westendorf, Grammatik, ?? 192 ff.




association of the verb with msyt, "evening meal,"4, thus rendering msy.i m grh, "I shall dine during the night."

Because of the implicit parallelism, - 44 ought to be a prospective sdm.fas well. The problem is the seeming reference to a third person who has not been previously identified but recurs in snd.f. As the context is indisputably a pronouncement in the first person, the suffix .frequires a different explanation. A possible interpretation would be to link .fwith grh, but it seems unlikely that it could exclude "fear" (snd.f). As there is no apparent antecedent for the suffix .f, I propose taking Cnh.f[dt n] snd.f n i wt as verbal clause serving as object of iry.(i).42 A literal translation is "I shall act one: he lives [eternally without] that he is afraid of officials." The denial of fear appears necessitated by the context43 because the personal eschatological outlook should not include nega- tive aspects. In its formulation, it resembles wnm n sbnn.f "a consumer who does not diminish."44 The suggested restoration Cnh.f[dt] suits the available space. An alternative would be to restore iry.i nh [it(.i) RC iwty] snd.fn idwt, "I shall conduct the life of my father Rec who is not afraid of. .. ." The marked emphasis on Rec and his cyclical disappearance as model for the eschatological expectations of Antef-cAa, as well as the statement in line 4, "I am your representative, after you have made me a possessor-of- life for whom there is no dying," would speak for the latter, although it cannot be corroborated.45

IDwt wdbt chw has caused difficulties. Allam rendered it "Wtirdentriger (Geister), deren H6rner gewendet sind"; Schenkel "die Wiirdentriger, die die H6rner umwenden"; and Lichtheim, "herds with back-turned horns," admitting to the obscurity of the words. Wdb, "to turn," has a frequent attestation in the Old Kingdom in conjunction with offerings.46 It appears in itself neutral; it seems to refer to the turning of food into an offering but also implies the opposite, that is, to turn away those offerings after they had been made oblations. In view of the association with "fear," the connotation here should be recognized as being adverse, i.e., the turning away of something.47

What the "officials" envisaged as possibly diverting is denoted as 'hw (a). A reference to "horns" makes no sense whatsoever in the given context. This suggests that -a is used here metaphorically. In view of the emphasis on lactation, I would guess that it denotes the teats on the udder on which the deceased hopes to suckle.

41 For msyt, "evening meal," see Wb. II 152, 11; J. Vandier, Mocalla, BdE 18 (Cairo, 1950), pp. 253 f.; see my The Report about the Dispute of a Man with His Ba (Baltimore, 1970), p. 140.

42 For the use of verbal clauses as object, see Gardiner, Grammar, ? 485; Edel, Altiigyptische Gram- matik, ? 484.

43 Allam rendered "Er ftirchtet sich vor den Wiirdentragern (Geistern)," Schenkel "Dessen Furcht [entstanden ist (?)] durch die Wiirdentriger ...

" and Lichtheim "Whose fear [besets] the herds with back-turned horns."

44 Wb. IV 89, 7. 45 For snd n, "to be afraid of a pe:son," see ibid.,

182, 5. For , as a collective writing for "office holders," see ibid., I 29, 8; Louvre C 2; Firth and Gunn, Teti Pyramid Cemeteries (Cairo, 1926),

p. 100. 46 Hermann Junker, Giza III (Vienna, 1938),

pp. 5 f., 88; see my Die privaten Rechtsinschriften aus dem Alten Reich, BWZKM 6 (Vienna, 1970), p. 106; Tycho Mrsich, Untersuchungen zur Haus- urkunde des Alten Reiches, MAS 13 (Berlin, 1968), p. 136; Gardiner, "The Mansion of Life and the Master of the King's Largess, JEA 24 (1938): 86; Clre, "Brief Communications: La Lecture des Termes

,J z, p • ff 'Virement (d'Offrandes)',"

JEA 25 (1939): 215 f.; Grdseloff, "Deux inscriptions juridiques de 1'Ancien Empire," ASAE 42 (1942): 51 f.

47 The problem is in part a conceptional one, i.e., the offerings would be conceived by a modern person as "turned" to someone ("Zuwendung"), while the ancient appears to have focused on the diversion.




j. The remainder of the hymn consists of two sentences which should be recognized as forming a unit. The first, introduced by iw, I take as a circumstantial clause.48 The "redness" (tinms) does not refer to rays, as Allam suggests but, rather, describes the color of the setting sun.49

The request to be found is addressed to Rec in his setting or following it, i.e., after having entered into the darkness, on the basis of CT VI 395 g, gm.k ntrw b~y m Osf k mi Rc nb-tpw, "May you find the gods jubilating about your approach as they do at Rec's, the lord of chiefs."'50 Schenkel considered emending the Old Perfective

h'.kw, "jubelnd," which, however, as a transitive verb would have a passive meaning. Pyr. 1425 b gm.n sny Nhms.ti m hsf.f, "N found them seated in his approach."5 The particular nuance expressed by gmi is less in the line of discovery than in the sense of selection.52 There is enough left before the final lacuna to establish that the "approaching" (m i sfw) is by Rec in his daily setting and not by Antef-~Aa. At the end, I propose the restoration [hbkt], i.e., the "dusk" where Antef anticipates being when the sun sets in its redness.

The hymn to Rec has two distinctly different aims. In the opening section, it pleads for a continuation in the mundane world and the desire not to follow Rec immediately in his setting. The second part, however, asks for care and protection by Rec after death. The central point holding the two parts together is the statement by King Antef-'Aa: "I am your representative, after you made me a lord-of-life, who does not die." It is the elevation to kingship which is described as the premise for overcoming death and for claiming salvation. These prospects, however, are not innate to Antef-cAa in the sense of a legitimizing claim of divine origin but, rather, flow from his already having become king, which is ascribed to Rec's act.

Hymn to Hathor

O those lords who visit heaven. O those divine ones who visit heaven, O commoners who visit heaven,k

who (always) jubilate at the presence of Hathor and who (always) desire to see and support her beauty!'

Cause that she know, say in her presence

That I am jubilant when I see her hands in (the gesture) 'come to me!'m

48 Allam gave for it "Der Schutz um mich besteht aus den Strahlen deines Auges, wenn ich mich [dir] gegentiber befinde"; Schenkel, "Der Schutz um mich ist die Rote deines Auges, Du findest mich bei deinem Nahen jubelnd"; and Lichtheim, "With your eye's red glow as my protection, You find me [hail- ing] your approach!"

49 For tms with this particular application, cf. CT IV, 107 h.

50 R. O. Faulkner, The Ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts, vol. 2 (Warminster, 1977), p. 295, translated "you will find the gods joyful at meeting you like

Rec, Lord of people." 51 Idem, Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts (Ox-

ford, 1969), p. 220, transposed the passage into the first person and rendered it: "These two have found me, having sat down opposite me," while in his Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian (Oxford, 1986), p. 169, he renders it "near him."

52 Cf. Wb. V. 169, 1. In the quoted Coffin Text the meaning for jubilation follows correctly after hCy. The suggested restoration would require the wording *gm.k wi hCkw m Osfk.




Lc __J~Cb

g ~a n ~ b00 d9=61 Pg $ n~~ ~ ~ rlllrr

4z0

0~- II~-dtj 4 LS T

O 1~1 ) 74 0 Clc I Ibr

-fL"--~f r r7

u'P 4> ~7'L-

^

P n_ Pa6

FIG. I

(My) body, it will say, and my lips, they will repeat sacred music for Hathor,

while millions and hundred thousands make music for me.n Since you (always) desire music making, there are millions of music

makers for your Ka at every place of yours.o (As) I am indeed one who (always) gives arousing, praising, and music-

making to Hathor every day, every hour or whenever she desires, May your heart be satisfied with (my) music-making.P When I proceed to you finally and in peace,

may you be pleased joyously about (my) life and that of a Horus, who always loves you!q

May I dine with you from your offerings, may I eat with you from your food!

May you count me for it every day!r

k. The section in vertical columns was first identified as a hymn to Hathor by J. A. Wilson in what was considered a tentative attempt out of a "feeling that the fervent eagerness of a king deserves note.""5 Although this section was also translated by A. Hermann and other scholars who also tackled the other part of the text, it has not received a detailed commentary.

53 Wilson in his review of Schott, Altdgyptische Liebeslieder, p. 221.




There is no question that the section commences with three invocations, each one introduced by 4 '. The first one has been translated by Wilson as "O ye officials of the west of heaven," followed by Hermann: "O ihr Herren des Westhimmels," and "O diese westlichen Fiirsten des Himmels" by Allam, "O ihr Grossen im Westen des Himmels" by Schenkel and "O you lords of the western sky" by Lichtheim. Despite the variations, none of the translations is grammatically tenable. The universal reading, in part inspired by TPPI, was *j srw ipw imntyw pt, while "Herren des Westhimmels" requires an Egyptian *nbw nw pt imnt. Allam's "diese westlichen Fiirsten des Himmels" would seem the closest to the Egyptian, except that a qualified noun with a demonstrative cannot be part of a direct genitive. Schenkel's "ihr Grossen im Westen des Himmels" seems to be based on a *wrw m imnt nt pt, while Lichtheim agrees with Hermann.

As a starting point, it has to be noted that srw/wrw is determined by 9,',, an indication that the invoked beings were mortals. In the parallel ntrw, no determinative is used which seems appropriate for the term, while hryw-idhw has no determinative whatsoever. Second, the demonstrative ipw,54 makes it clear that everyone is not invoked but, rather, a defined group. Regarding ' V- pt, Pyr, 1469 c mentions "the West of heaven" as the place where Rec or a deceased enters into the Hereafter, but there are neither "officials" nor mortals connected with it.

The crux in the understanding of the three invocations is the word previously read *imntyw. It appears to be a somewhat indistinct writing for wh3

(-<).5 The verb is

well attested in the sense of "exploring" or "visiting" a place or region.56 Since two of the invoked people are indisputably mortals, pt cannot denote here "heaven" or "sky" but has to be recognized as being used metaphorically. Without entering a full discussion, I would propose here that pt can be applied to a holy place, either a sanctuary or a cemetery; cf. the use of pt in the visitors' inscriptions.57 It is possible that pt specifically denotes here the royal burial place from which the stela was taken, either as part of its name or in a metaphorical fashion.

While the first invocation is addressed to living "officials,"58 the second invokes nlrw, "deities." We know little of divine customs of traveling in the country, and it is not at all clear if ntrw is to be understood exclusively in a theistic sense or if it also applied to the glorified dead, i.e., deceased members of the upper class.

The third invocation addressed hryw idbw. Wilson saw in it "those who are upon the banks of the West of heaven," followed closely by Hermann: "die ihr auf den Ufern des Himmels," and Lichtheim: "you who rule the shores of the western sky." Needless to say, ancient Egyptian mythology does not know a western shore of heaven, nor any being dwelling there who might be of significance. In the world view of the ancient Egyptians, the Nile is the central artery of life, and to dwell at its shore is not only a desirable aim, but also the precondition for their livelihood in this agrarian society.

54 For the plural demonstrative ipw, see Edel, Altiigyptische Grammatik, ? 182; Gardiner, Gram- mar, ? 110; Faulkner, The Plural and Dual in Old Egyptian (Brussels, 1929), ? 59; CT III 358 b; 374 b; VI 355 p; etc.

55 It is actually a conflation of the two forms of drill used as hieroglyphs, in so far as the handle at the top is a feature of hmt; cf. Henry G. Fischer, Ancient Egyptian Calligraphy (New York, 1979),

pp. 44 f. 56 Wb. I 290, 4; Cairo 20086; see also P. Piacen-

tini, "11 verbo wb9 in Urk. I 103, 3-5," SEAP 3 (1988): 13 ff.

57 Helck, "Die Bedeutung der igyptischen Be- sucherinschriften," ZDMG 102 (1952): 39 ff.

58 Itj is best recognized as a member of the upper social stratum, a distinction attained either by social pedigree or by office.




IHryw-idb, literally "those on the (river) bank"59 is in parallelism to srw/wrw; while they are determined as mortal beings, hryw-idb lacks any determination, despite the fact that the term refers to beings. In addition, hryw-idb lacks the delineating demonstrative ipw. The initial emphasis on those belonging to the upper layer of society makes it clear that hryw-idb should be understood as "peasants," i.e., those living "on the arable land."60

1. M-hsfw, literally, "at the approach," has here the character of a compound preposi- tion.61 The choice of expression might be a reflection of local cult practices, a procession involving a cult image.62 Such a notion is supported by the parallel clause stating the ardent desire of the invoked people. It concerns two events in connection with the goddess's "beauty,"63 namely, m33 and X . The latter was paralleled by Allam in CT IV 32 c, wt.f q.fm-hnw q3r, "while he is supported, while he is high inside the shrine." The passage concerns the last, and final, procession of the deceased, i.e., his journey in his coffin. Wt is clearly a verb, although its translation is somewhat difficult. Allam understood it here as a noun and rendered it "Grabe" (greatness), while Schenkel translated it "Glanz," considering it a derivate of wti with the meaning "grof3, alt sein."64 The two meanings are not identical, as one concerns the physical and the other the temporal. While a connection with wti is likely, the verb appears to be metathetically related to tw3, "to support,"65 in the specific sense of carrying a divine image in a procession. This equation helps to explain the determinative 1, which it has in common with twi and which is not compatible with the meaning "greatness."

The deity whose image and support is desired is called Hathor but without any further description. The mere fact that the goddess is desired, suggests that she is not usually present but only visits on occasion. Thus the cult of Hathor, which has a permanent place at Deir el-Bahari beginning with the reign of Menthuhotep-Nebhetepre',66 con- sisted originally of divine visitations. Which particular Hathor this was, or where her permanent cult place was, is not indicated. The Hathor of Dendera plays a distinct role since the early years of Menthuhotep-Mebheteprec, as well as under his predecessors.67 The reference to a Hathor visitation suggests that it was the Hathor of Dendera who came on occasion to the west side of Thebes during the early Eleventh Dynasty until a permanent cult place was established for her there.68

m. Since Wilson's time, all translators have taken _0 t ? as a prospective sdm.f and have rendered it accordingly.69 The preceding invocations, however, require that those

59 The plural strokes apparently concern the entire term, which is treated as a compound and not idb as has been assumed. In so far as Egyptian uses a plural idbw, it applies to the plots of land located along the river bank; cf. Wb. I 143, 8.

60 It might be accidental but might also be signifi- cant, that hry-idb has a striking similarity to (hry-wdb), "landowner" or "land-dweller"; see my Kbinigliche Dokumente aus dem Alten Reich, Ag. Abh. 14 (Wiesbaden, 1967), p. 102.

61 Cf. Gardiner, Grammar, ? 178. 62 For the full writing of the imperfective parti-

ciple, see Edel, Altiigyptische Grammatik, ?? 629 f.; Gardiner, Grammar, ? 357.

63 For the singular nfr, "beauty," see Wb. 259, 11. 64 Ibid., I 377, 20. 65 Ibid., V 248, 12. 66 See my "Hathor's Cult at Deir el-Bahari,"

pp. 11-31. 67 See Allam, Beitrage, pp. 57 ff. 68 Such visitations by the goddess could be com-

pared with her much later journeys to Edfu; for this practice, see Franqois Daumas, Les Mammisis des temples ?gyptiens (Paris, 1958), pp. 252 ff.; Maurice Alliot, Le Culte d'Horus a Edfou, BdE 29 (Cairo, 1949), vol. 1, pp. 197 ff.

69 Wilson had "I made her nature known," which Grdseloff, in a review in BiOr, had already corrected




addressed be asked to do something on behalf of Antef-'Aa. Accordingly, it is necessary to take " 4 4 as a plural imperative, just as the verb dd in the parallel clause is also an imperative.70

What Antef-'Aa requests is the support of his subjects, high and low, in conveying to Hathor his positive attitude to her.7 The statement might seem somewhat puzzling but becomes clearer in the context of the king's willingness to submit to his fate, since he expects to be welcome there. There is a fine distinction between Antef-'Aa's exalted outlook and that of the followers invoked. While the latter are "always wishing to see and to praise her beauty," the goal of Antef-'Aa is to be Hathor herself. As it is not permitted for mortals to behold deities, the situation implies Antef's death.

That the section describes his expectations for the time of his demise helps us understand drty m mi n(.i), "hands in 'come to me'!" All translators have assumed that it concerns Antef-'Aa and thus have emended a suffix first person after drty.72 The joining with the goddess Hathor, however, has the connotation of death. Moreover, it is not appropriate for a mortal to greet a deity, but here the roles are rather opposite, that is, the goddess welcomes the mortal. As a result, I understand drty m mi n(.i) as describing the desired gestures of the goddess when he sees her. There is general agreement that mi n(.i) is a gesture of welcome.7 Instead of taking sp 2 as a mark of repetition, I prefer interpreting it as an indication of stress which specifically follows a direct address.74

n. The meeting between Antef-'Aa and Hathor is the setting for the next passage, which consists of two sentences. The first states Antef-cAa's anticipated activity at the time, the second the activity performed for him. It has caused considerable difficulty to previous translators because they tried to fit it into a earthly setting.75 Of particular interest is the construction used with an anticipatorily stated subject. It appears to have here clear

in 1948 because the text reads dy rh.s. Hermann followed, however, with "Ich mache ihr Wesen bekannt"; Allam took o 44 as a participle, rendering "welche veranlassen, daB man ihr Wesen kennt" and separating the second part of the "couplet" from it. Schenkel retained the reading *rh qd.s with "Ich will von ihrem Wesen kunden," considering also the possibility of "lasst mich ihr Wesen kennen," and Lichtheim translated it: "I let her know and stay at her side, that I rejoice in seeing her!"

70 For the form, see Edel, Altiigyptische Gram- matik, ? 607; Gardiner, Grammar, ? 336.

71 For the indirect quote of the desired interven- tion by the addressed people, see my "Quotations in Old Kingdom Inscriptions," Agyptische Studien (FS H. Grapow), Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, Institut ftir Orientforschung, Veriffent- lichung no. 29 (Berlin, 1955), pp. 93 ff.

72 Wilson translated "My hands are in (the attitude) 'Come to me! Come to me!'"; Hermann, "Meine Arme machen (den Gestus): Komm zu mir, komm zu mir!"; Allam, "(Meine) beiden Hande (deuten): Komm zu [mir], komm zu [mir]"; Schenkel, "Meine Hande drticken aus: Komm zu mir! Komm

zu mir!"; and Lichtheim, "My hands do come to me! come to me!"

73 The formulation might be a more personal wording than the usual ii.k m htp and its direct form mi m htp.

74 Cf. Schott, "'Zweimal' als Ausrufungszeichen," ZAS 79 (1954): 54 ff.; F. Hintze, "Miszellen: Zu Siegfried Schott, 'Zweimal' als Anrufungszeichen," ZAS 80 (1955): 76 f.

75 Wilson translated "My body speaks and my two lips repeat-a priest of music-making for Hathor: millions and hundred thousands of music- makings!"; Hermann, "Mein Leib spricht und meine Lippen wiederholen die Hathor-Priestermusik, die Musik der Millionen und Hunderttausenden"; Al- lam, "(Mein) Leib, er sagt, und meine beiden Lip- pen, sie wiederholen: Der reine Ihi der Hathor, Ihi, Million an Schmuck"; Schenkel, "Mein Leib spricht und meine Lippen geben wieder die reine Musik ftir Hathor, Musik, Millionen und Hunderttausende davon!"; and Lichtheim, "My body says, my lips repeat: Holy music for Hathor, music a million times." The various forms of exegesis or omission are telltale symptoms of the difficulties encountered.




prospective connotation, corresponding thus to the grammatical construction of independent pronoun + sdm.f76

While the tenor of the couplet poses no difficulty, as concerns the making of music, there are problems in the details. The couplet falls into two halves, the first concerned with the making of music for Hathor, the second one with the making of music concerning Antef-'Aa.

As for the first part, it is rather illogical to have a reference to "the body" as making music, especially with "the lips" singled out immediately thereafter. If the "body" were saying anything, it would be through the "lips" that whatever sound is generated emerges. There is also reason for principal misgivings about the rendering "body" for ht because the "saying" of music is hardly a bodily function. The upshot of such musings can only be the realization that ht has here a different meaning than the physical "body" of Antef-cAa. This notion is strengthened by the fact that the statement concerns circumstances after Antef-'Aa sees the goddess Hathor face-to-face and her inviting him or attracting him into her realm and care. In this condition, Antef-'Aa would be unlikely to speak with his body. It is thus necessary to see an extended use for ht, "body"; the term is well attested to denote a "body" of people who belong together. Peasant B 1, 190, mk tw m niwt nn hqi -hwt.s mi ht nn wr.s, "Lo, you are a settlement without its administrator, as well as a body (of people) without its chief." Gardiner77 proposed the reading "generation," followed by Wb. III 368, 2. It might seem appropriate in Merikarec XLIII sn.n ht r ht m rmtw, "one body of people surpassed a(nother) body of people among men," but the notion of "generation" comes from the verb rather than from the term ht. There is no clear perception of what constitutes such a "body," but it apparently can be seen as "kin" or "family."78

When ht is taken as denoting Antef-'Aa's kin, the passage becomes clear. It is a reference to the participants in the imagined burial of Antef-'Aa. During it, "the body" (of people), the funerary assembly will "say sacred music for Hathor," while the deceased aspires to have his "lips repeat them."

Ihy web cannot be "a priest of music-making for Hathor" (Wilson) or "der reine ihi der Hathor" (Allam) because it is clearly the object of dd and of whm. Lichtheim's "holy music for Hathor" is appealing, especially when understood as the kind of "music" performed ritually for Hathor.79

While the ceremonial "music making" for Hathor is performed during the funeral, Antef-'Aa anticipates that ihy, "music making," is also performed on his behalf (ir.i). In this second part of the couplet, I take ihy to be a verb (see Wb. I 122). Its performance is attributed to (

• $ •,

which traditionally is rendered "millions and hundred thousands."s80

76 Cf. Battiscombe Gunn, Studies in Egyptian Syn- tax (Vienna, 1924), pp. 45 ff. While the pronominal anticipation is universally accepted (see Edel, Altiigyptische Grammatik, ? 876), the parallel use of the noun is less emphasized.

77 Gardiner, The Admonitions of an Egyptian Sage (Leipzig, 1909), p. 82. Cf. also Ptahhotep 406; 413.

78 See my Private Rechtsinschriften aus dem Alten Reich, p. 188.

79 Ihy web, "ritual music," might invoke notions

of polyphonic church music, but the realities were probably less melodic. Considering the usual determinative for ihy, as well as the significance of the sistrum in the cult of Hathor (especially at Dendera, as demonstrated by the alabaster sistrum for Teti; see Fischer, Dendera in the Third Millennium B.C. [New York, 1968], frontispiece, p. 31), and it should be understood as rattling the sistrum.

80 The magnitude of the seemingly indicated number of people is such that it has to be considered fictitious or metaphorical. Allam's suggestion to




o. The clause introduced by dr, "since," appears to explain the universal "music making" for Hathor, presumably in connection with Antef-~Aa's demise."'

Hh n ihy is either "millions of music" or "million of music-makers," the former being the more likely despite its awkwardness. That the passage is bipartite, i.e., that it forms a couplet, has been disregarded in most previous translations, despite the introductory

iw.82To il iw.82 The plural specification deserves notice; it shows that the worship of Hathor

was not limited to one specific place but that the goddess had many places, where apparently identical or at least similar, rites were performed for her.83

p. The closing part of the prayer to Hathor once more juxtaposes Antef-~Aa's ardent devotion to Hathor while he is still alive with his hope for reward by the goddess in the Hereafter. Each one of these aspects is cast into a couplet of sentences, a point not sufficiently highlighted in the previous translations.84 Although Gardiner sees no differ- ence between wnt and wnnt, a certain emphasis, possibly even prospectivity, might be innate to wnnt.85 The continuity is further conveyed by the imperfective participle &. It is Antef-'Aa's personal commitment which he stresses as a religious deed, rather than a delegation to some priestly functionary because he could not expect any credit for the latter. Grammatically, ddi is followed by three infinitives, srs, dwJ, and ihy.86 DwD cannot be a reference to morning, as has been assumed, because the specification of time follows afterwards in the form of r nb wnwt nbt. For dw?, "to praise," see Wb. V 426 f.; its mention is parallel to srs and is not tautological but apparently differentiates between the religious services in the morning and those performed at any other time. While both appear to reflect prescribed religious duties, ihy might fall outside the established cult requirements and refer to music made spontaneously or on occasions and not part of the cult routine. The three terms thus cover three different aspects of the religious service for

read *hkrw instead of hfnw, rendering it "Million an Schmuck" is unconvincing and has found no acceptance.

81 An occurrence of hr + imperfective sdm.f can be found in JEA 28 (1942): 17, pl. 6. For the conjunction dr, see Rudolf Anthes, "Zur Oberset- zung der Pripositionen und Konjunktionen m und dr," Studies in Honor of John A. Wilson, SAOC 35 (Chicago, 1969), pp. 1 ff. For its use in connection with geminating sdm.f, see Edel, Altiigyptische Grammatik, ? 510.

82 Wilson has the best rendering with "If ever thou desirest music-making, thy ka has a million music-makings at every place of thine"; followed by Hermann, "Denn wenn du (Hathor) Musik wiinschst, so gibt es millionenfache Musik fuir deine Person (Ka) an allen deinen Kultstatten." Allam has as translation "So wie du Ihi liebst, mtige eine Million von Ihi (= Tanzern) ftir deinen Ka an all deinen Orten sein." Schenkel gave for it "Weil du die Musik liebst, eine Million von Musik Deinem Ka an alien deinen Plitzen!," followed by Lichtheim, "Because you love music, million times music to your ka wherever you are!"

83 In the Ptolemaic Period, feasts of Hathor appear to have been celebrated in different parts of the

country at the same date; see Daumas, LA, vol. 2, pp. 1034 ff.

84 As for the first couplet, Wilson rendered it "I am indeed he who causes awakening in the morning, a music-maker for Hathor every day, at all hours that she may wish. May thy heart be satisfied with my music-making!"; Hermann, "Ich bin einer, der veranlaBt, daB der Morgensinger fdir Hathor tiglich Musik erwecke zu allen Stunden, an denen gewiinscht wird, daB sich Dein Herz an Musik erfreue"; Allam, "Ich bin wahrlich einer, der sie bewacht, der den Ihi der Hathor tdiglich und zu jeder Stunde, die sie gerne hat, verehrt, so daB dein Herz Oiber den Ihi gliicklich sei"; Schenkel, "Ich bin ja der, der veran- laBt, daB der Lobsinger Hathor Musik erweckt jeden Tag und zu jeder Stunde, in der sie es wiinscht. Dein Herz sei befriedigt mit Musik!"; Lichtheim, "I am he who makes the singer waken music for Hathor, every day at any hour she wishes. May your heart be at peace with music . . . ."

85 Gardiner, Grammar, ? 249; Edel, Altiigyptische Grammatik, ? 835.

86 As for srs, "to awaken," see Wb. IV 201; Kurt Sethe and A. H. Gardiner, Egyptian Letters to the Dead (London, 1935), p. 16. The infinitive apparently had no ending, as would be expected.




Hathor: the early morning, sometime during the day, and that performed on special occasions. In view of the tripartite reference to service for Hathor, I suggest taking the adjoined qualification rcnb wnwt nb(t) mrrt.s parallel, i.e., also tripartite. Accordingly, mrrt.s should not be attached to wnwt but should be taken as absolute, "that which she desires," in connection with time.

While both Schenkel and Lichtheim see in htp ib.t a wish, the fact that Antef-cAa aspires to the goddess's satisfaction for his religious service for her makes a first person suffix after ihy necessary here.87

q. As stated above, the assurance that Antef-cAa will unfailingly observe his religious duties to Hathor by making music for her is matched with an expression of his hope that his efforts will be appreciated. It also consists of a couplet similar to the preceding one: the first part again concerns the speaker, the second the goddess.

The opening P a )A has been attributed by all translators to the goddess, either as an imperative or a grammatically ambiguous hortative.88 Sd? is used in the earlier prayer to Rec-Atum with the specific nuance of "passing" into the Netherworld.89 There is, indeed, no reason, why Antef-cAa has to admonish the goddess Hathor to proceed to the Netherworld, especially since it is there that he hopes to meet her personally.90 Rather, the text concerns Antef-cAa's eventual passing away, that is, his proceeding to the goddess's care. Since it is obviously not an ardent desire, the sentence has to be taken in a circumstantial sense.

a• I consider to be a pair of adverbs concerning the fashion in which Antef-cAa

hopes to leave the mundane world. It is attested as an addition to m`c-hrw, which corroborates its funerary connotation (see Wb. II 256, 13). The rendering "finally" draws on the use of nfr to express finality, especially since it is hard to picture a passing from life as happening "beautifully."91

What Antef-cAa hopes for when his time comes to go to the goddess is described as

, • •- .-

Wilson took it to describe the consequence of the admonition to the

goddess to "Go thou well," translating it "that thou mayest take pleasure in life and joy, together with Horus, who loves thee." Hermann followed him almost verbatim. A somewhat poetical rendering was provided by Allam "Freue dich am Leben und am Vergntigen, zusammen mit Horus, der (i.e., Hathor und Ihi) liebt." Schenkel translated it: "Michtest du dich des Lebens in Frdhlichkeit erfreuen, zusammen mit Horus, der dich liebt," and Lichtheim: "May you rejoice in life and gladness with Horus who loves you." It would seem rather out of place for Antef-cAa to propose to Hathor to have a good time in the Netherworld. What is desired of the goddess has to be in some way linked to Antef-cAa. Thus I read hkn.t m Cnh(.i) m Jwt-ib, "may you rejoice about (my)

87 For htp m, see Wb. III 188: for the combination htp ib, also Alexandre Piankoff, Le "Coeur" dans les textes egyptiens (Paris, 1930), p. 117. It might not be accidental that the hieroglyph for the goddess's heart has a somewhat different form from the usual.

88 Wilson, "Go thou well and in peace"; Hermann, "Ergehe dich (Hathor) sch6n in Frieden"; Allam,

"Eile doch, erfreut und zufrieden"; Schenkel, "Komm doch schdn und in Frieden!"; Lichtheim, "May you proceed in goodly peace."

89 See n. d, p. 237 above. 90 See n, p, p. 248 above. 91 An alternative would be to render nfr as

"properly."




life joyfully." It apparently expresses the hope that the goddess will be pleased with the life Antef-'Aa has led. Hkn construed with m (Wb. III 178 B) is somewhat difficult to translate in a simple way. To "rejoice" would seem a bit extravagant, "to be joyful" somewhat ambiguous.92 It should be understood here as expressing "full satisfaction," possibly even in an exalted fashion. Equally difficult is translating m ?wt-ib convincingly. "Joyfully" might not be the mood a modern person would apply; it has somewhat the sense of "fullness of heart," "unrestrictedly," "voluntarily."

It was Allam who first suggested that Horus should be taken as a reference to the deceased king. Schenkel and Lichtheim followed him, but their rendering produces the curious notion that Antef-'Aa invites himself as a dinner guest of Hathor, suggesting that he would eat from her offerings and dine from the goddess's food.93 This speaks against linking Horus with the invoked goddess and seeing here a joint action between the two. A more meaningful statement results by joining hnC Hr to Antef-cAa's reference to his own life about which he hopes the goddess will be pleased when he finally reaches her. The coordination by hnc is thus between (i) and Horus, both qualifying Cnh; the reading thus is "(my) life and (that of) a Horus."94 If understood in this fashion, Antef-'Aa is distinguishing between his personal life and his life as king, a distinction between personal and official existence, a distinction going back to the Old Kingdom.95

Because "Horus," as a reference to the holder of Egypt's kingship, is qualified by the imperfective participle mrr tn, "who always loves/desires you," it is rendered here "a Horus," instead of "Horus."

r. The final concern in the prayer is about the conditions in the Hereafter, to which Antef-'Aa hopes to be welcomed by Hathor. In order to gain the right perspective on it, it is necessary to keep in mind that Antef-~Aa is very much alive at the time he makes his prayer and that he shows no signs of eagerness to proceed to the Hereafter. As a result, his statements about nourishment in connection with the goddess can only be prospective aspirations, not existing ones, and not ones associated with Horus, i.e., Antef-'Aa as ruling king, as understood in the earlier translations.96 Consequently, wTb and wnm have to be recognized as hortative

sdm.fwith the first person suffix omitted.

92 Faulkner, Concise Dictionary, p. 179. 93 Wilson rendered it "That thou mayest take

pleasure in life and joy, together with Horus, who loves you, who feeds with thee"; Hermann did not translate the end of the hymn. Allam separated the ensuing reference to eating, while Schenkel took it as a qualification of Horus as "m6chstest du dich des Lebens in Fr6hlichkeit erfreuen zusammen mit Horus, der dich liebt, der sich zusammen mit dir von deinen Opferspeisen nahrt"; similarly, Lichtheim "May you rejoice in life and goodness with Horus who loves you, who feasts with you on your foods."

94 The use of hnc to coordinate a noun with a suffix is not quoted in the grammars, despite the fact that the phenomenon is not exceptional; for example, the expression wdC mdw(.i) hn'.sn

means literally "to investigate my statement and theirs"; see my "Untersuchungen zur altigyptischen Rechts-

sprechung," MIO 8 (1963): 333 ff. 95 See my Die Stellung des Konigs im Alten Reich,

Ag. Abh. 2 (Wieshaden, 1960), pp. 87 ff. It is apparent in the funerary monument of Menthuhotep- Nebheteprec, which consists of the "personal" section, the so-called Sanctuary, and the "official" monument, which displays, among others, scenes depicting political events of the king's reign.

96 Wilson has it participially: "Horus, who loves thee, who feeds with thee on thy offerings, and who eats with thee of thy provisions"; Allam, "Ich esse mit dir von deinen Opfergaben, ich speise mit dir von deiner Nahrung"; Schenkel, "Horus, der dich liebt, der sich zusammen mit dir von deinen Opfer- speisen naihrt, der zusammen mit dir von deinen Speisen iB3t"; Lichtheim, "Horus who loves you, who feasts with you on your foods, who eats with you of the offerings."




Wgb, construed with m, is an old term for partaking of offerings.97 There seems to be

a specific connotation to the term, which might be "partaking of offerings in response to an invitation." Altogether, the distinction between the two parallel wishes is not fully apparent. Htpw, "offerings,"98 denotes here the food which is an oblation for the goddess in religious service for her. Df-w appears to have a more general meaning.99 It does not refer to sustenance presented to the goddess in the course of her worship and to which she has a direct claim but to nourishment provided outside the cult offerings.

The concluding ip.t wi r.s rc-nb is likewise a wish directed to the goddess.'00 It probably concerns the previously expressed desire to "eat food together with" the goddess but has as its main concern the wish for daily sustenance. The formulation with ip, literally "to count," is a reflection of administrative practice, i.e., "to count someone for," a service, including some in the provision plan.1o0

The last line in the vertical arrangement is not part of the hymn but rather identifies the adjacently depicted king. It is the annotation in front of him, 02 to which it serves as the anticipatorily stated subject. The arrangement is not accidental but tries to empha- size the identity of the person hoping for divine grace and thus is the antipode to the initial identification.

As indicated at the very beginning, the text of Antef-cAa is in more than one way an outstanding document. Its literary merits are beyond discussion, and there is every reason to assume that it is an original composition. Who is to be credited for it is another matter and in the end impossible to decide. It might be tempting to assume that Antef-'Aa wrote it himself, but there are no indications that he was particularly gifted in poetry. Beyond the strictly personal question, there is also the fact that in the earlier part of the Eleventh Dynasty, Thebes was still quite a way from becoming the center of all of Egypt. There are ample indications of literary creativity in Egypt's North, as demonstrated especially by the Siut inscriptions and also by some of the Coffin Texts which were created in the part of Egypt under the sway of Heracleopolis.'03 How to account for this literary gem in an otherwise not particularly artistic setting is, at present, a puzzle.

The text, as is also graphically indicated by its format, falls into two sections. The first is, without any doubt, a prayer to Rec-Atum, while the second one has a more complex structure. Although it is ultimately a prayer addressed to Hathor, it is not, however,

97 See Wb. I 371, 3; Pyr. 1357 a, where it is parallel with wnm.

98 Ibid., III 184, 8. The attached suffix would seem to indicate an entitlement.

99 For ddfiw in conjunction with htpw, see ibid., V 570, 5.

100 Wilson translated "Count thou upon it every day!," which does not have any bearing on what precedes it. Allam apparently saw in it a relative form to judge from his rendering "Nahrung, die du mir taiglich zuwendest." As Antef-'Aa has no title to provisioning in the Hereafter, he could only express

a wish that the goddess would support him. Schen- kel's "Michtest du mich jeden Tag dabei beruick- sichtigen" seems to grasp the basic meaning, as does Lichtheim's "May you admit me to it every day."

101 For ip r, "to assign someone to," something, see Wb. I 66, 6; Pyr. 895, ip.n tw psdt c3t imyt lwnw r st.k wrt, "the great ennead which is in Heliopolis has assigned you to your great seat."

102 See n. k, p. 243 above. 103 Cf. Hermann Kees, Totenglauben und Jenseits-

vorstellungen der alten Agypter (Berlin, 1977), pp. 160 ff.




addressed to the goddess directly but, rather, is incorporated into an invocation to prospective visitors to the king's burial place. They are requested to mediate in Antef- cAa's aspirations with the goddess. The formulation might strike one as being curious, until one takes into account that the relationship of Antef-'Aa to Hathor at the time the text was written does not include the essential funerary aspects Hathor provides. While he can speak of his willingness to serve Hathor at present, in compliance with the religious traditions associated with her, any support in the funerary realm requires the help of a mediator. As for the literary form of the two parts of the inscription, the second can be considered a prayer for intercession, although it eventually turns to addressing the goddess directly.

In its structure, the text makes wide use of a form of "couplet," i.e., the expression of an issue in two passages.104 Despite its recurrence, this form of expression is not applied in the mechanical fashion of rhythmic structuring.

The most important information provided by the text concerns religion. What can be extracted falls into two areas: religious practices and religious beliefs. The former have the Theban West side as their specific "Sitz im Leben," and they should be seen as a reflection of practices performed there. Because Antef-'Aa's funerary establishment is at el-Tarif, the indicated rites should be projected to this place. The outstanding one among them is the goddess Hathor's visit there, specifically Saff el-Qisasiya, the king's funeral estate. It seems that Hathor had no permanent cult place established there at the time but that "seeing and supporting her image" was a cherished occasion. Apparently, Hathor, at home in Dendera, paid visits to the Theban West Bank, until a permanent cult was set up for her by Menthuhotep-Nebhepetrec. The visits of the goddess might be organized in the form of a specific feast celebrated once during the year. There is no indication that Amun had anything to do with the Theban West Bank, even less that he visited it. It could be that Hathor visited the site also in connection with funerary activity, especially the burial of the king. The prominent form of cult activity associated with the goddess is "making music" or, more likely, "to play the rattle." This noise- making apparently combines two different aspects, one the enacting of the role of child vis-a-vis the goddess, thus wishing her maternal protection, the other the warding off of potential danger and being reassured during the stressful time before death. In addition to the visit to western Thebes, Hathor apparently also received religious recognition on a daily basis, especially as part of the waking up ritual.

There is no indication at all in the text that Hathor has anything to do with earthly life, especially not as "goddess of love" as has been suggested.105 Her role is, as far as it can be defined in terms resembling a "job description," principally in connection with kingship, specifically in its funerary aspect.

Hathor is depicted as representing the initial caretaker for the dead until one is further into the Hereafter under the auspices of Re'-Atum. In the predominantly funerary role focused on in the text, Hathor can be seen as the personification of the role kingship played in the eschatology. She is the one in charge of "dusk," which is here not part of a

104 See principally John L. Foster, Thought Cou- plets and Clause Sequences in a Literary Text: The Maxims of Ptah-Hotep, SSEA 5 (Toronto, 1977), passim.

105 This notion led to the inclusion of the text

among love songs by Schott, Altiigyptische Liebes- lieder, p. 15; and Hermann, Liebesdichtung, pp. 25 f., who detects in the second part "als ob sich hier eine der Liebe eines menschlichen Liebespaares aihnelnde Spannung gel6st hat."




single day but, rather, of the individual's existence, namely, the transition between the mundane life and an expected and anticipated Hereafter. While the latter is considered beyond human control, and thus assigned to Rec-Atum, Hathor stands for the physical care the institution of kingship provided for those who supported it during their lifetime. One could say that Antef-cAa's Saff-tomb is an architectural rendering of the idea of Hathor, i.e., the "House-of-Horus," the place where those who had fulfilled their service for kingship were received and taken care of in preparation for an ultimate move to a Hereafter.

From a historical standpoint, the text of Antef-cAa provides a major insight in the politico-religious ideas of the early Eleventh Dynasty. The distinction between two eschatological viewpoints is here separated into Hathor and Re'-Atum. While the latter is invoked as a model for or forerunner to the darkness of a Hereafter with, however, an ultimate salvatory prospect as exemplified by the sun's renewed rising in the morning after its passing during the night, Hathor represents the preparatory or transitional stage for this prospect.

This dichotomy has its roots in the Old Kingdom and is most vividly represented in the joint worship of Hathor and Rec in the "sun temples" of the Fifth Dynasty. To find a renewal of this idea in the early Eleventh Dynasty is an indication of how much these rulers attempted to revive or adhere to the concepts governing the institution of kingship in the Old Kingdom. It fits well with the notion of the "royal cemetery," revived at el-Tarif, the setting up of a place in which the king and his followers are assembled for eternity.

What was narrowly, or personally, defined by the Antefs of the earlier Eleventh Dynasty is expanded into an encompassing form by Menthuhotep-Nebhepetrec, especially after his elevation to "Uniter of the Two Lands."'106 What had previously been an architecturally defined complex is cast into an area comprising the entire wadi of Deir el-Bahari. Its axial association with Karnak probably had some influence on this choice. While the principles, that is, the association of the burial of the king and that of his followers are maintained, Deir el-Bahari holds one major new feature which was to exert a lasting influence. It is the setting up of a cult place of Hathor in conjunction with the royal sepulchre. As a result, Hathor was no longer limited to visits to western Thebes but became the dominating divine figure for the burial ground of those interred there as a reward for their service to society. Her role, however, remains specific. She never joins the religious hierarchy at Thebes proper, i.e., she does not join in any way with Amun and his divine entourage. Although Hathor lost some of her original political character in the course of time, she nevertheless retained some of her association with the institution of kingship as divine patroness of the area where those awaiting their ultimate journey into a Hereafter were buried under the care of the "state."

106 See my The Unification of Egypt under Mon- thuhotep Neb-hepet-Rec (2022 B.C.), JSSEA 12

(Toronto, 1982), pp. 157-64.



the prayers of wakh-ʿankh-antef-ʿaa

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