As much as I adore the history of the Egyptian temples I have a fascination with the graffitti found on and within them., as these are traces of a human soul, a remembrance of a life, footsteps of a presence in time centuries previous that we are now also standing in,and I often wonder about the person who wrote their graffitti, so to my joy I came across a selection of very old books about Egypt in a charity shop last week, and wonderfully one of the old books records the actual translation in English of the actual piece of Graffiti that had filled me with curiosity since I found it myself on the panel in Kalabsha temple that we visited on our spiritual tour in December, and what a joy of poetic hymn this piece of graffitti is, so moving and spiritual, so I will relate it to you.
TRANSLATION of the GREEK HYMN TO MANDULIS at KALABSHA TEMPLE:
'When I had gone to contemplate this blessed place of peace, to breathe in the air the sweet breath of life, new ideas,strange to my former life, whirled round my spirit on all sides. Since my conscience had no vice with which to reproach me, my nature then called on me to cultivate the mystic works. Then, becoming a scholar, I composed a varied song, thanks to the noble eloquent spirit which the gods bestowed on me. When the muse made me clearly pleasing to the gods, I shook the Bacchi crown adorned with flowering grass, and then a grotto of sleep staling me straight away transported me quickly into a country which is dear to me. For it seemed me that I was bathing my body in the streams of a river, and the sweet abundant waters of the Nile laved me pleasantly. I thought that I was singing a beautiful song in noble words inspired by the muses, in harmony with all the nymphs. Thinking it a dainty left by Greece I have written on the stone this inspiration of my wise heart. After having moved my limbs as one moves in tune, obeying the baton, I called in, to join with the song, the help of this inscription, without knowing whether I was leaving a cause for blame to unsympathetic souls; but the master called me to speak this learned poetry. Then the great Mandulis descended from Olympus. He softened the barbaric style of Ethiopia, and exhorted me to sing in sweet Hellenic verse that, thanks to thee, man's life can vaunt that is is foreseen, that Day and Night adore thee, and all the Hours, they call thee Brieth Mandulis of the same parents, divine stars rising together in one constellation. Thyself, thou badest me to come and inscribe this in thine honour, and to expose these learned writings to the harse judgement of all men'
The actual temple of Kalabsha was created durng the Graeco-Roman period,and took its present form during the reign of the Roman emperor Augustus,its dedicated to Mandulis, From the "Vision of Mandulis" we find the unforced equation of this Nubian solar deity to Egyptian Horus and to the Greek Apollo, which is what also probably inspired the Greek Hymn translated above.
New Kalabsha Island has been re-created itself with many of the sacred sections that stand on it, that were rescued in the same manner as Abu simbel. Here we saw Gerf Hussien and Biet en Wali, where our group held an angel spiritual meditation inside the chamber,this had once been turned into a coptic church,but now has returned to the original state that ramses 11 created.
A glorious kiosk stands proudly on the edge of the rocks looking out to sea, bathing in the warmth and brilliance of the Egyptian sun, to the glory of the Goddess Hathor whose smile greets us and welcome us within her Kiosk, where I experienced a wonderful feeling of love, a blessing from Hathor herself, and as I rested and felt the warmth of Light energy infuse my body, offering me new light energy and inspiration, I remember the beauty of this place surrounded by the sparking Turquoise sea of the Nile that laps around this wonderful Island, I hope my fellow friends of the group have happy memories also of our trip here - Love to you all from Lorraine & Caroline.
To watch our video of the group on Kalabsha:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUC_Zs_hKgE
