EGYPTIAN ART
Ancient Egypt is larger than Egypt today and included
land that is now Suydam in
From: Linnea H. Wren, Perspectives on Western Art (New
York: Harper & Row, 1987), 21-22.
EGYPTIAN
LITERATURE Hymn to the Adoration to
the Adoration to the Hail to thee, O Nile! Who manifesteth thyself
over this land And comest to give life to
Mysterious is thy issuing
forth from the darkness, On this day whereon it is
celebrated! Watering the orchards
created by Re [god of the To cause all the cattle to
live, Thou givest the earth to
drink, inexhaustible one! Path that descendest from
the sky, Loving the bread of Geb
[earth god] and the first-fruits of Nepri [god of grain], Thou causest the workshops
of Ptah [craftsman god] to prosper! Lord of the fish, during
the inundation, No bird alights on the
crops. Thou createst the corn,
thou bringest forth the barley, Assuring perpetuity to the
temples. If thou ceasest thy toil
and thy work, Then all that exists is in
anguish. If the gods suffer in
heaven Then the faces of men
waste away. Then he torments the
flocks of And great and small are in
agony. But all is changed for
mankind when he comes; He is endowed with the
qualities of Nun [god of the primeval waters from which life emerged] If he shines, the earth is
joyous, Every stomach is full of
rejoicing, Every spine is happy, Every jaw-bone crushes its
food. He brings the offerings,
as chief of provisioning; He is the creator of all
good things, As master of energy, full
of sweetness in his choice. If offerings are made it
is thanks to him. He brings forth the
herbage for the flocks, And sees that each god
receives his sacrifices. All that depends on him is
a precious incense. He spreads himself over Filling the granaries,
renewing the marts, Watching over the goods of
the unhappy. O inundation of the Offerings are made unto
thee, Oxen are immolated to
thee, Great festivals are
instituted for thee. Birds are sacrificed to
thee, Gazelles are taken for
thee in the mountain, Pure flames are prepared
for thee. Sacrifice is made to every
god as it is made to the The Its name is not known
beyond the Tuau [underworld?] The god manifests not his
forms, He baffles all conception. Men exalt him like the
cycle of the gods, They dread him who creates
the heat, Even him who has made his
son the universal master In order to give
prosperity to Come and prosper! come and
prosper! O Nile, come and prosper! O thou who makest men to
live through his flocks And his flocks through his
orchards! Come and prosper, come, O Nile, come and prosper!
|
For the most part,