Weighing of the Heart

Open the door, Breaker of Bones!
 
The door did not easily open
I was greeted instead
By a giant scorpion, that
I had to recite rightfully the spell for it
To make it return to its genuine form.
 
I was not a liar, I yelled!
 
Slant light I saw, then
I entered, only to find
Another door
Another giant scorpion
And another incantation I had to recite
And in every after slay, I confessed.
 
If my scribe in me scribbled them on my scroll
                they would appear:
 
I did not cheat
I did not steal
I did not inspire fear!
 
This list could go on to forty-two,  
               --  for the forty-two doors.
 

Finally, I was greeted not by a monster
But by the hawk-headed son of god;
He guided me to the weighing scale
 
    Time to weigh my heart
 
My heart should not be heavier
Nor even lighter than

The single feather of truth

If it will be, I will be devoured by
The half-crocodile-half-lion beast, waiting
At the other side of the wall.
This is the toughest test!
 
I contemplate,
Is it only the heart
That should be put to the test
To have eternal life in paradise,
Because I have lived with wit and 
Not only with a heart.
 

--Based on the Papyrus of Ani 

Author's Note

Papyrus of Ani is claimed to be the most exquisite copy of The Book of The Dead to have ever discovered and preserved. The scroll contains about what the dead person will face in the afterlife, and how he will reach the Field of Reeds. Field of Reeds is our modern concept of Heaven. The poem is based on the last two chapters of the text, from the Hall of Judgment and Hall of Truth, the highly important parts and of course the last stanza is the author’s own contemplation.

The Book of the Dead contains funerary texts, well maybe the first Religious Documents; an account of man’s first vision of The Judgment Day. Man’s first contemplation of the question about life and about the afterlife.

And more, The Book of The Dead contains story of the life during the one of the highest standard of living in Ancient Egypt.

Notes on the Gods of the Tribunal :

The Hawk-Headed Son of God is Horus. He is the begotten son of the Supreme God.
Breaker of Bones is Herakleopolis, the Goddess of Lying
The single feather of truth is from Maat, the Goddess of Truth.


Image is the Weighing of the Heart in the Hall of Truth from Ani's Book of the Dead.

Reviews

[Pax]

“Open the door, Breaker of Bones!”

The opening line really made me think of a spell to cast before you can enter to any enchanted doors. It also made me think, perhaps this is a fantasy poem. Then as I proceed… and I come to finish it, the concept is about “Life after death”, the challenge a soul goes through to go into the paradise like in what inscribe in the “Bible” or like how this was inspired by “The book of the dead”.

I heard of this book before, not sure when was that, it was long time ago. Now I am more intrigue by how much this piece was inspired by that book.

“Time to weigh my heart”

As we die, our heart is part of our soul. So this means that like the concept of the bible, before a soul goes to either heaven or hell, there is judgment. And in this piece judgment is through weighing of the heart.

The concept of the Egyptian mythological creatures are indeed fascinating. Like “half-crocodile-half-lion beast”, it made me think about the Hybrid animal – a mixture of many sorts of animals. Okay, I just want to say that..hehe

As I see, there is no hell on this place, only death, to be devour by a monster. That made me realize even in death, death still awaits for what sins you had done. So you still have to die twice, I guess if you’re not eligible to live in Paradise.

You question is intriguing:

“Is it only the heart
That should be put to the test”

Now let me question you back: After death, what will be our form? Is it a mere entity or soul or a spiritual representation of us? Because as I believe when we die we leave our bodies behind.

In my understanding : Our heart, mind and body are left dead as our soul(as I believed) will travel far to where the Paradise will be. So back to your question, is the heart only be put to test? I am not sure how to answer that, because I haven’t read the book this was inspired with. As I believed in going to paradise, we must be weight as a whole – our everything, the past, present and what’s now – the soul must be weight as one.

“Because I have lived with wit and
Not only with a heart.”

This lines made me think, “wit” – there are two meanings of it – either you are being ingeniously humorous or you have exceptional intelligence. Yet both are perceiving and understanding… So if you have lived with wit, does your heart follows? Sometimes as I believed the heart and the mind battles in who is to be followed. “Sometimes our nature is hard to predict, for what the mind speaks in calm flow, our hearts screams in undying plea.” In that note I incorporated my understanding based on my series: heavy heart, vast space, silent screams. And on the other note – having intelligence I think is a great responsibility because our mind can either harm or help many. So I think that’s why we have a heart, to weight each decisions based on what we feel the truth is for the better or for the worst or for good or for bad.

I did not cheat
I did not steal
I did not inspire fear!

~ I really like those lines, but I think we will not be the one to judge about this and that – its them – the one who will weight our everything based on who we really are.

To end this long essay about this piece, I say thank you for sharing it. And glad to have you back my friend. :)

[Belle]

I admire the attitude, Paxie. It takes time ( to research and to read) and patience to decipher good literary piece ( saying this with all humility) particularly if the poet is alluding to something or to someone, or if the poem is highly connected to other branches of humanity. You have done that here, such a huge compliment and an inspiration for the author to take…As to your perception over the morals that I tried to impart through the poem, I want to leave it that way. I do not want to emphasize over and over my point, showing it once is more than enough for people with equal senses and sensibilities; to deliver the message, to re-connect my readers to this forgotten facts has been serve to you and thank you for acknowledging.

Just a little note, Book of The Dead is not actually a book, it is a name given to the scrolls enthomed into a mummified dead.

[Pax]

oh, it was not a book, I did had a feeling it was a scroll, because ancient times books was not yet a term, right... ancient scroll is much more applicable in that term. :)

and You are so very welcome.... and I thank you too, because you have taken us your readers into the depths of old times. :) Such careful and delicate approach in reaching us, well deserved!

[NeiL ArandA]

Pax that was an awesome review...i'm sure would like to put my 2 cents there...if it matter

[Pax]

smiles, Neil my friend, its very nice to see you, thank you. And you should for me, every opinion matters :)

[NeiL ArandA]

Its truly amazing that even the ancient civilization has already this preconceived idea and belief about the next life. And how much planning and effort and the insane grandeur of colossal magnitude they have embarked in preparation . And how must time and effort they have invested into it to ensure their eternal place and security. Does history repeat itself once more ? I ask my dear fellow writer and poet ? If the ancient people who lacks knowledge and most importantly the " Holy Scripture " at their disposal yet knew and perceived the real value of where the human soul go after its brief earthly travel. Do we as modern society , the most highly advance and most highly educated and most highly informed people take that much effort and extreme to find out where we going ? They missed it . But we don't have excuse. For we have the true Book of Life and its spelled out in this acronym...
B-asic I-nstruction B-efore L-iving E-arth ... This is very thought provoking piece Ms Belle... Thanks for sharing and posting.

[Frieda P]

Awe inspiring story within your poetry Belle, hard to follow Pax, he said it all....love 'the single feather of truth'...and that last stanza is killer. Wit and not only heart. Brava. Great read.

[gabrielle]

the last stanza caught my attention. why would they only weigh the heart when the master of everything we do is the brain not the heart. your writing made me want to read the Book of the Dead. your chosen theme/concept is always interesting and informative. thank you for sharing.

[Belle]

...and thank you as well, Gabs.

[Coyote Poetry]

This is a amazing story in the poem. You need to write these tales down allow your work to be read by many in a book with art. I tried to read writers from other places. We can learn from each other. Each place with their own myth and tale. Thank you for sharing the outstanding poetry.
Coyote

[Belle]

Exactly, we can learn from each other through our verses. When I penned this, huge intention in my mind was to share, reconnect my readers to this forgotten truth from our ancestors, of how they have lived peaceful and harmonious life in the absence of what we call now peacekeepers.

About putting it on a book, I am on the process and I yearned to finish the compilation the soonest.

Thank you, Sir, for your words.

[Coyote Poetry]

I would buy your book. You are a talented writer.

[Belle]

Am taking it as another inspiration, Sir. I will tell when it is done and is available. Thank you so much.

[Sami Khalil]

A wonderful write of Egyptology and its wonderful past in its great grandeur of ancient civilizations. Here you take one aspect of its Papyrus of Ani and you weave a great poem on its details and what it means to us in the modern ages. Good to see you back writing...:)..........

[Belle]

Thank you, my dear Sami, for this warm welcome. When I studied The Book of The Dead, I fell in-love with how the people in the ancient Egypt have lived. I have thought of putting the important parts of how they have lived life in a poem, huge intention is to reconnect my readers to this forgotten fact as we all know poetry is a tool that do not only gives pleasure, but also it serves as a door to a more important...

[Sami Khalil]

I love it. To bring ancient grandeur to life...Pen on and you are on the right path...Always welcome...:).................

[Belle]

I was labeled as an old school. The fact is, if this what connects me to chivalry, what attuned me to morality then I'd be forever an old school.

I have your encouragement, always. Again, thank you.

[Sami Khalil]

^^~^^ :>).......................

[Sami Khalil]

It denotes a person's center for both physical and emotional-intellectual-moral activities; sometimes it is used figuratively for any inaccessible thing.

The Heart as Center of Physical Activity. "Heart" denotes to both ancient and modern peoples the beating chest organ protected by the rib cage. Ancient people, however, understood the heart's physical function differently than moderns. From their viewpoint the heart was the central organ that moved the rest of the body. Ancients ate to strengthen the heart and so revive the body.
And they believed that out of the heart comes all good or evil thoughts. The heart was everything. God dwells in heaven and human hearts( His spirit of course)
Just sharing and complimenting . Bravo

[Belle]

Dear Sami, I remember, in one of our convos we discussed about the importance of the heart. You are definetely right about it, in the ancient belief it is only the heart that is needed to face the eternal paradise.

[Sami Khalil]

Wow. Thank you for sharing this wonderful write...:)....................

[KAin]

Beautiful work, fantastic imagery, drawn from the heart (no pun intended, honest!) of Egyptian mythology.
The critical weighing of the heart that determines the worthiness of the soul to enter the afterlife of Duat. Against the feather of truth, will our hearts be weighed down with falsehoods?
What is measured is purity, of living a good life. But it's strange that the feather is the feather of truth. Honesty, therefore, seems to be the measure by how we should live our lives. Honesty, in thought, word, and action.
Food for thought.
Thank you for sharing, Belle. Good to see you again.