Pyramid Texts from the Pyramid of Pepi I
Pepi I (6th Dynasty) built his pyramid at Saqqara, in the burial chamber were discovered these pyramid texts (although they were in fragments, they have been painstakingly re-assembled by the French Archaeological Saqqara Mission). You can read more about Pepi I's pyramid HERE
Utterance 432 Sarcophagus Chamber, West Wall The king prays to the sky-goddess O Great One who became Sky,
You are strong, you are mighty,
You fill every place with your beauty,
The whole earth is beneath you, you possess it!
As you enfold earth and all things in your arms,
So have you taken this Pepi to you,
An indestructible star within you!
Utterance 440 Sarcophagus Chamber, West Wall The king asks for admittance to the sky If you love life, O Horus, upon his life staff of truth,
Do not lock the gates of heaven,
Do not bolt its bars,
After you have taken Pepi's ka into heaven,
To the god's nobles, the god's friends,
Who lean on their staffs,
Guardians of Upper Egypt,
Clad in red linen,
Living on figs,
Drinking wine,
Anointed with unguent,
That he may speak for Pepi to the great god
And let Pepi ascend to the great god!
Utterance 442 Sarcophagus Chamber, West Wall The king becomes a star Truly, this Great One has fallen on his side,
He who is in Nedyt was cast down.
Your hand is grasped by Re,
Your head is raised by the Two Enneads.
Lo, he has come as Orion,
Lo, Osiris has come as Orion,
Lord of wine at the wag-feast.
"Good one," said his mother,
"Heir," said his father,
Conceived of sky, born of dusk.
Sky conceived you and Orion,
Dusk gave birth to you and Orion.
Who lives lives by the gods' command,
You shall live!
You shall rise with Orion in the eastern sky,
You shall set with Orion in the western sky,
Your third is Sothis, pure of thrones,
She is your guide on sky's good paths,
In the Field of Rushes.Utterance 446 Sarcophagus Chamber, West Wall The sky-goddess protcets the king O Osiris Pepi,
Nut, your mother, spreads herself above you,
She conceals you from all evil,
Nut protects you from all evil,
You, the greatest of her children!Utterance 454 Sarcophagus Chamber, West Wall The king's power embraces sky and earth O Osiris Pepi,
You enfold every god in your arms,
Their lands and all their possessions!
O Osiris Pepi,
You are great and round
Like the ring that circles the islands!Utterance 486 Antechamber, West Wall The king is a primordial god Hail, O waters brought by Shu,
Which the twin springs raised,
In which Geb has bathed his limbs,
So that hearts lost fear, hearts lost dread.
Pepi was born in Nun
Before there was sky,
Before there was earth,
Before there were mountains,
Before there was strife,
Before fear came about through the Horus Eye.Pepi is one of that great group born aforetime in On,
Who are not carried off for a king,
Who are not brought before magistrates,
Who are not made to suffer,
Who are not found guilty.
Such is Pepi: he will not suffer,
He will not be carried off for a king,
He will not be brought before magistrates,
The foes of Pepi will not triumph.
Pepi will not hunger,
His nails will not grow long,
No bone in him will be broken.If Pepi goes down into water,
Osiris will lift him up,
The Enneads will support him,
Re will take Pepi by the hand,
To where a god may be.
If he goes down [to earth]
Geb will lift him up,
The Enneads will support this Pepi,
He will be led by the hand to where a god may be.Utterance 517
Passage to the AntechamberThe king addresses the ferryman O Boatman of the boatless just,
Ferryman of the Field of Rushes!
Pepi is just before heaven and earth,
Pepi is just before this isle of earth,
To which he has swum, to which he has come,
Which is between the thighs of Nut!
He is that pygmy of the dances of god,
Bringer of joy before his great throne!
This is what you heard in the houses,
What you overheard in the streets
On the day Pepi was called to life,
To hear what had been ordained.
Lo, the two on the great god's throne
Who summon Pepi to life, eternal,
They are Well-being and Health!Ferry this Pepi to the Field,
The great god's beautiful throne,
That he may do what is done with the revered:
He commends them to the ka's,
He assigns them to the bird-catch;
Pepi is such a one:
He will assign Pepi to the ka's,
He will assign Pepi to the bird-catch.Utterance 573 Antechamber, West Wall The king prays for admittance to the sky Awake in peace, O Pure One, in peace!
Awake in peace, Horus of-the-East, in peace!
Awake in peace, Soul-of-the-East, in peace!
Awake in peace, Horus-of-Lightland, in peace!
You lie down in the Night-bark,
You awake in the Day-bark,
For you are he who gazes on the gods,
There is no god who gazes on you!
O father of Pepi, take Pepi with you
Living, to you mother Nut!
Gates of sky, open for Pepi,
Gates of heaven, open for Pepi,
Pepi comes to you, make him live!
Command that this Pepi sit beside you,
Beside him who rises in lightland!
O father of Pepi, command to the goddess beside you
To make wide Pepi's seat at the stairway of heaven!
Command the Living One, the son of Sothis,
To speak for this Pepi,
To establish for Pepi a seat in the sky!
Commend this Pepi to the Great Noble,
The beloved of Ptah, the son of Ptah,
To speak for this Pepi,
To make flourish his jar-stands on earth,
For Pepi is one with these four gods:
Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef, Kebhsenuf,
Who live by maat,
Who lean on their staffs,
Who watch over Upper Egypt.He flies, he flies from you men as do ducks,
He wrests his arms from you as a falcon, He tears himself from you as a kite,
Pepi frees himself from the fetters of earth, Pepi is released from bondage!
