A Hymn to Ra
By Unknown
Translated by Samson Allal
From the tomb stela of King Wahankh Intef II, pharaoh of the Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt, 2108–2059 BCE
Accept me, Ra, before you go,
before I go,
I pray ...
Do polychromatic dawn threads
coat you,
like the tiny coruscating disks
sewn into a sequin dress?
Bring me to the breast of the night,
let me suckle stars,
cuddle obsidian cosmos ancestors ...
They honor you, Ra,
like I do.
We sing your praises when you rise,
we weep
whenever you duck under the earth.
Embrace me, like a mother, O eternal night!
Fold me,
like a black origami flamingo,
forever protected
by dark paper, dark praise ...
Let all be run by your rule, Ra!
You know I’m your right-hand man, right?
You made me into a microchip,
a code that doesn’t die ...
Hand me over to the hours
of day and night.
Time is my bulletproof vest.
I’m an ankle-tagged newborn
tongue-tied to the nipple of dawn,
the teat of dusk.
A child of the dark,
midnight skies move over my skin,
black-limbed angels of unburdened air,
ardent guardians,
keep me close,
but I fear the bulls with backward horns ...
O hula hoop of light, eye of Ra,
unremitting rage,
you are my 24/7 security squad,
discover me as your gift ...
Translated from the Old Egyptian
Notes:
View the stela hieroglyphs on The Met website
Read the note on this poem by Samson Allal.
Source:
Poetry
(May 2022)