Excerpt from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, 3200 years ago
I am the woman who lights the darkness
I have come to light the darkness
It is twice lit
I have lightened the darkness
I have overthrown the destroyers
I have adored those in darkness
I have lifted up those who weep
who hid their faces
who had sunk down
who looked upon me
I am a woman
Excerpt from the Papyrus of Ani (12th century BCE), Plate XXVIII, Egyptian Book of the Dead
trans. Sir E. A. Wallis Budge (and some modernizations from me that do not effect its nature)
Random geeky sidenote: "Ani" means "I am" in Hebrew. Ani Difranco and all of those who take that name have a lot to live up to between the Hebrew and the Egyptian scribe for whom this papyrus was written.
This is an approximation of the verse in Ancient Egyptian. Budge's pronounciation has seen some updates since his day (1888 and thereabouts), but the nuances are usually pretty mild, so this should do:
Nuk khem seshep kekiu
Ini-nar seshep kekiu
Sut khet sep sen
Seshep-na kekiu
Sekser-na ayshemi
Tua-na amu kekiu
Se-aykhay-na aakebi
amennu khrau-sen
bakai-sen
maa-sen ua ar ten
Nuk khem
the kh is like the first sound in the Hebrew word for Life.
In all of my recent studies of ancient texts, I haven't run across any celebration of woman so heartfelt and poignant as this. It brought tears to my eyes when I read it, so I thought I'd share it. I think I might develop a small 2-candle ritual around it, to remind myself of all of the wonderful women in our lives who remind us to bring light to darkness, and to lift up those lost in it.
I have come to light the darkness
It is twice lit
I have lightened the darkness
I have overthrown the destroyers
I have adored those in darkness
I have lifted up those who weep
who hid their faces
who had sunk down
who looked upon me
I am a woman
Excerpt from the Papyrus of Ani (12th century BCE), Plate XXVIII, Egyptian Book of the Dead
trans. Sir E. A. Wallis Budge (and some modernizations from me that do not effect its nature)
Random geeky sidenote: "Ani" means "I am" in Hebrew. Ani Difranco and all of those who take that name have a lot to live up to between the Hebrew and the Egyptian scribe for whom this papyrus was written.
This is an approximation of the verse in Ancient Egyptian. Budge's pronounciation has seen some updates since his day (1888 and thereabouts), but the nuances are usually pretty mild, so this should do:
Nuk khem seshep kekiu
Ini-nar seshep kekiu
Sut khet sep sen
Seshep-na kekiu
Sekser-na ayshemi
Tua-na amu kekiu
Se-aykhay-na aakebi
amennu khrau-sen
bakai-sen
maa-sen ua ar ten
Nuk khem
the kh is like the first sound in the Hebrew word for Life.
In all of my recent studies of ancient texts, I haven't run across any celebration of woman so heartfelt and poignant as this. It brought tears to my eyes when I read it, so I thought I'd share it. I think I might develop a small 2-candle ritual around it, to remind myself of all of the wonderful women in our lives who remind us to bring light to darkness, and to lift up those lost in it.