544 MANDAEAN LITERATURE
To make his robe luminous,
to make him strong and stand firm on his feet.
They called on the mists over the brook
and smoke of the ravenous fire
to flow into his torso so he could clench his fist
and spread his arms
and yell and shake himself awake,
to make him strong and stand firm on his feet.
Then the planets spoke, turning to Ptahil,
"Allow us to cast spirit into him,
which you took with you from your father's house."
All the planets urged him,
and the lords^19 of the world urged him,
and though they tried,
they couldn't stand him upright on his feet.^20BRINGING SOUL TO ADAM
In his illuminated state Ptahil rose to the place of light.
He came before the father of light beings, who are
the uthras,
and his father asked him, "What have you done?"
He answered, "Once I worked well, but your image
and mine have failed."
Then the father of light beings got up and hurried
to a secret place.
He found the great Mana, the hidden Adam,^21 and urged him to
light the corruptible, to light every varying coat of the body.^2
Then the father wrapped him in his clean turban
and evoked the name that life gave him.
He seized him at the ends of his turban
and carried him here.- Lord or lords.
20. As in other gnostic texts, at first Adam cannot stand up. - Adakas.
- "Coat" probably refers to the flesh of people.