King of the Two Lands,
great upon Your lake,
splendid sharp-horned ram,
all that lives You make.
Lord of Henen-nesu,
master of the land,
Bast comes forth to wake You;
You walk hand in hand
all along the river,
welcoming the day.
Green the new growth rises
where the floods once lay.
Mighty on the hill,
foremost of the field,
where the heart is still,
there You are revealed.
The sun is Your right eye,
the moon is Your left.
Send the winds of new life,
sweetened by Your breath.
Lusty in the springtime,
pure within Your hall,
O soul of the Great Nine,
come and bless us all.
King of the Two Lands,
great upon Your lake,
splendid sharp-horned ram,
all that lives You make.
Heryshef, arise!
Heryshef, awake!
The Eye of Ra has come to You
in beauty on Your lake.
Notes: Written in February 2010 for the Feast of Heryshef. Henen-nesu: the city later known as Heracleopolis, cult center of the ram-headed God Heryshef, whose name means “He who is upon His lake.” The sun is Your right eye…sweetened by Your breath: adapted from/inspired by the stela of Somtutefnakht (in Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, vol. 3).
Renenutet,
lady of the fertile field,
nourish my heart,
feed my souls and body!
Renenutet,
mistress of the sacred flame,
tongue of Ma’at,
You who know my secret name!
May all that I touch be golden as the golden grain.
May all that I touch be golden as Your gaze.
May all that I love be sheltered by the hand of fate.
May all that I love be safe in Your embrace!
Renenutet,
great protector of the king,
generous with
all the blessings that You bring!
Renenutet,
to every home and garden,
come and be glad!
Renenutet, welcome in!
May all that I touch be golden as the golden grain.
May all that I touch be golden as Your gaze.
May all that I love be sheltered by the hand of fate.
May all that I love be safe in Your embrace!
Renenutet,
Renenutet,
Renenutet,
Lady of the fertile field!
Notes: Written in May 2011. Lady of the fertile field: traditional epithet of Renenutet. You who know my secret name: refers to the association of Renenutet with the ren.
Sekhet
O Lady of the Fen
Crowned with reeds
Blue lotus in Your hand
Sekhet
Mysterious and wise
You Who dwell
Where the marsh birds cry
Sekhet
Awaken with the flood
Birthing life
From dark and fertile mud
Sekhet
O Lady of the Fen
Work Your will
So that we live again
Work Your will
That we might live again
Notes: Written in June 2011. Sekhet, the lady of the fens, was a marsh goddess, seen as the consort of Hapy who became fruitful with the arrival of the Inundation.
Yinepu upon Your mountain, come to us!
Lord of the embalming tent, be kind to us!
Take our hands and guide us down this road we’re on.
Stay with us and guard us till the break of dawn.
Yinepu upon Your mountain, come to us!
Lord of the embalming tent, be kind to us!
Where the desert meets the black land,
Where the mountains kiss the river,
You come singing in the twilight,
You come dancing beneath the moon.
You who tend the flesh of Wesir,
Tend my heart and soul and body.
Smile for me, embrace me sweetly,
Open me so that I might live!
Yinepu upon Your mountain, come to us!
Lord of the embalming tent, be kind to us!
Your gentle touch brings comfort in the dark of night.
Set Your hand upon the scales to make things right.
Yinepu upon Your mountain, come to us!
Lord of the embalming tent, be kind to us!
Jackal of the western skyline,
Calling from the edge of nightfall,
Holy child, Your cry is piercing,
Awaking us to the mystery.
Feel my heartbeat leap like fire.
I have lived–may I live again,
Purified of pain and sadness!
Open me so that I might live!
Yinepu upon Your mountain, come to us!
Lord of the embalming tent, be kind to us!
Take our hands and guide us down this road we’re on.
Stay with us and guard us till the break of dawn.
Yinepu upon Your mountain, come to us!
Lord of the embalming tent, be kind to us!
Yinepu upon Your mountain, come to us!
Lord of the embalming tent, be kind to us!
Atemet
Lady of All
Atemet
Mother of All
You who made the land
river, and sea
with water and fire
make the world green
Atemet
Your garden blooms
as Your heart wishes
lovely for You
Lady of Per-Bast
spitting forth life
the power of Sia
lives in Your eye
Nekhbet, Wadjet
Amunet, Nunet
Raet-Temet, Mut, Aset,
Nebet-hetepet
Hethert, Menhyt
Nebt-het and Nit
Rising up in the east
O Lady of Dawn!
Atemet
splendid as Ra
Atemet
You speak like Ptah
All that You desire
shall come to be
May Your ka rejoice
at all You see
Atemet
open the sky
Atemet
O holy Eye!
Atemet
You open the sky
Atemet
O holy Eye!
Notes: Written in July 2011. Atemet is the female version/counterpart to the creator God Tem, here identified with Bast, who was paired with Tem in Her temple at Per-Bast. Inspiration for the song was largely taken from the article “Mut Enthroned” by Lana Troy and from the Henadology page on Hethert, which identified one of Her four faces as Temet who is the Lady of Bubastis (Per-Bast). The Goddesses in the middle verse are all either identified with Temet or have Temet as an epithet, according to either the Lexikon der ägyptischen Götter und Götterbezeichnungen or the Henadology page.
Wep Ronpet, Wep Ronpet
opening the year
Wep Ronpet, Wep Ronpet
dance and sing and cheer
Wep Ronpet, Wep Ronpet
day of Zep Tepi
time of renewal and
possibility
Wep Ronpet, Wep Ronpet
kiss the face of Ra
Wep Ronpet, Wep Ronpet
with great love and awe
Wep Ronpet, Wep Ronpet
honor every God
carried in procession
nourished by ma’at
Wep Ronpet, Wep Ronpet
beautiful as Tem
Wep Ronpet, Wep Ronpet
beginning and end
Wep Ronpet, Wep Ronpet
let the sistra ring
O Netjer, be content
with our offering
O Netjer, bless us all
our nation and king
Notes: Written in July 2011. Wep Ronpet is the Kemetic New Year. (If you aren’t Kemetic Orthodox, feel free to replace the last couplet with a repetition of the previous two lines.)