AND A VULTURE PRESIDES... (My new poem about an artefact in the 'Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs' exhibition at Battersea Power Station, London...)

 And A Vulture Presides…

(A stela from ancient Egypt, from which Ramses II is missing…)

The stela might so easily have been overlooked. Colourless certainly

But no less impressive for that. Its intricate representation

Of the deified Ramses’ funerary procession is depicted 

In three registers, the bottom section showing a joyous lark

Of seven women cavorting with tambourines, sistra and a lyre.

The middle register features eight shaven priests wearing long kilts, proudly 

Shouldering poles which support the barque during its sublime transportation.

Singing hymns and chanting prayers, the protection of gods is solicited,

Whilst hieroglyphs spell out ‘Ramses, beloved of Amun, in his barque’,

Although Ramses’ shrine itself remains empty, lost, or even removed with ancient ire…

The top register is dominated by the barque itself, vividly

Decorated at prow and stern by the King’s shields with sun disks and weseths. The creation

Of a standard at the prow, a sphinx wearing a double plumed headdress seems understated,

But all encompassing within its open wings, a vulture fills the apex of the arc,

With a loop of knotted rope attached to each talon, Ramses’ eternal protection to acquire… 

Pete Ray…

28th May 2026…

A weseth is a collar…

Loved the stela and yet I was intrigued by the missing figure of Ramses in the shine on the barque itself… 

The artefact currently features in the ‘Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs’ exhibition at Battersea Power Station, London…