A prayer for the protection of a woman and her child against evil spirits.

1 Let no fiend of evil name draw near this woman.

3 Approach not, come not hitherward. By God's leave I set the healing plant to guard her, that which chases away the fiend of evil name.

5 The black and hairy fiends from this girl we drive away.

6 The sniffer and the feeler, him who eats raw flesh, and him who licks his lips, the evil ones with the tails of dogs, the yellow healing plant hath destroyed.

7 Whoever, in thy brother's shape or father's, comes to thee in sleep,—let the plant rout and chase them away.

8 Whoever steals to thee asleep or thinks to harm thee when awake,—these hath it banished, as the sun travelling round drives shade away.

9 Whoever causeth her to lose her child or bear untimely fruit,—destroy him, O Plant, destroy the slippery fiend who seeks to harm her.

10 Those who at evening, with the bray of asses, dance around the house,—these with thine odour, O Plant, drive far away to every side.

11 Those who dress themselves in hides and skins, who dance about, who raise a wild clamour in the wood, all these we banish far away.

12 All those who cannot bear the sun who warms us yonder from the sky, the evil ones with the smell of goats, malodorous, with bloody mouths, we drive afar.

13 All those who on their shoulders bear a head of monstrous magnitude, who pierce the women's loins with pain,—those demons, O God, drive away!

14 Those, bearing horns upon their hands, who first of all approach the brides; standing in ovens, laughing loud, those who in bushes flash forth light, all these we banish hence away.

15 Those who have retroverted toes, and heels and faces in the front,—drive them, O God, Lord of Prayer, far from this girl with vigilance.

16 Sightless and with distorted eyes be they. O Healing Plant, cast away each who, not her husband, would approach this woman wedded to her lord.

18 If one should touch thy coming babe or kill thine infant newly born, by God's leave the yellow plant with mighty bow shall pierce him even to the heart.

19 Those who kill infants unawares, and lie near the new-made mothers,—let the yellow plant chase them as wind chases cloud.

20 Let it maintain the genial seed: let the laid embryo rest secure. Let both strong healing plants guard the babe.

21 From the devourer, for thy lord's and children's sake, may the yellow plant shield thee well.

22 From the five-footed, fingerless, from the four-eyed, the double-faced, from the close-creeper, from the worm, from the quick-roller guard her well.

23 Those who eat flesh uncooked, and those who eat the bleeding flesh of men, feeders on babes unborn, long-haired, far from this place we banish these.

24 Shy slinkers from the sun, as slinks a woman from her husband's sire,—deep down into the heart of these let the healing plants pierce.

25 Preserve the babe at birth, O Plant, make not the boy a female child. Let not egg-eaters mar the germs: drive the devourers far away.

26 Sterility, and infants' death, and weeping that announceth woe,—lay them on the fiend as thou wouldst pluck a garland from a tree.