City, majestic bull
bearing vigor and great awesome splendor, Kulaba, ......, breast of
the storm, where destiny is determined; Unug, great mountain, in the
midst of ....... There the evening meal of the great abode of An was
set. In those days of yore, when the destinies were determined, the
great princes allowed Unug Kulaba's E-ana to lift its head high.
Plenty, and carp floods, and the rain which brings forth dappled
barley were then increased in Unug Kulaba. Before the land of Dilmun
yet existed, the E-ana of Unug Kulaba was well founded, and the holy
jipar of Inanna in brick-built Kulaba shone forth like the silver in
the lode. Before ...... carried ......, before ......, before ......
carried ......, before the commerce was practiced; before gold,
silver, copper, tin, blocks of lapis lazuli, and mountain stones were
brought down together from their mountains, before ...... bathed for
the festival, ......, ...... time passed.
2 lines missing
...... was colorfully
adorned, and ......, the holy place, was ...... with flawless lapis
lazuli, its interior beautifully formed like a white mes tree bearing
fruit. The lord of Aratta placed on his head the golden crown for
Inanna. But he did not please her like the lord of Kulaba. Aratta did
not build for holy Inanna -- unlike the Shrine E-ana, the jipar, the
holy place, unlike brick-built Kulaba.
At that time, the lord
chosen by Inanna in her heart, chosen by Inanna in her holy heart from
the bright mountain, Enmerkar, the son of Utu, made a plea to his
sister, the lady who grants desires, holy Inanna:
"My sister, let
Aratta fashion gold and silver skillfully on my behalf for Unug. Let
them cut the flawless lapis lazuli from the blocks, let them ......
the translucence of the flawless lapis lazuli ....... ...... build a
holy mountain in Unug. Let Aratta build a temple brought down from
heaven -- your place of worship, the Shrine E-ana; let Aratta
skillfully fashion the interior of the holy jipar, your abode; may I,
the radiant youth, may I be embraced there by you. Let Aratta submit
beneath the yoke for Unug on my behalf. Let the people of Aratta bring
down for me the mountain stones from their mountain, build the great
shrine for me, erect the great abode for me, make the great abode, the
abode of the gods, famous for me, make my me prosper in Kulaba, make
the abzu grow for me like a holy mountain, make Eridug gleam for me
like the mountain range, cause the abzu shrine to shine forth for me
like the silver in the lode. When in the abzu I utter praise, when I
bring the me from Eridug, when, in lordship, I am adorned with the
crown like a purified shrine, when I place on my head the holy crown
in Unug Kulaba, then may the ...... of the great shrine bring me into
the jipar, and may the ...... of the jipar bring me into the great
shrine. May the people marvel admiringly, and may Utu witness it in
joy."
Thereupon the splendor of
holy An, the lady of the mountains, the wise, the goddess whose kohl
is for Ama-ucumgal-ana, Inanna, the lady of all the lands, called to
Enmerkar the son of Utu:
"Come, Enmerkar! I
shall offer you advice: let my counsel be heeded. I shall speak words
to you; let them be heard. Choose from the troops as a messenger one
who is eloquent of speech and endowed with endurance. Where and to
whom shall he carry the important message of wise Inanna? Let him
bring it up into the Zubi Mountains, let him descend with it from the
Zubi Mountains. Let Susin and the land of Ancan humbly salute Inanna
like tiny mice. In the great mountain ranges, let the teeming
multitudes grovel in the dust for her. Aratta shall submit beneath the
yoke to Unug. The people of Aratta shall bring down the mountain
stones from their mountains, and shall build the great shrine for you,
and erect the great abode for you, will cause the great abode, the
abode of the gods, to shine forth for you; will make your me flourish
in Kulaba, will make the abzu grow for you like a holy mountain, will
make Eridug shining for you like the mountain range, will cause the
abzu shrine to shine forth for you like the glitter in the lode. When
in the abzu you utter praise, when you bring the me from Eridug, when,
in lordship, you are adorned with the crown like a purified shrine,
when you place on your head the holy crown in Unug Kulaba, then may
the ...... of the great shrine bring you into the jipar, and may the
...... of the jipar bring you into the great shrine. May the people
marvel admiringly, and may Utu witness it in joy. Because ...... shall
carry daily, when ...... in the evening cool ......, -- in the place
of Dumuzid where the ewes, kids and lambs are numerous, the people of
Aratta shall run around for you like the mountain sheep in the akalag
fields, the fields of Dumuzid. Rise like the sun over my holy breast!
You are the jewel of my throat! Praise be to you, Enmerkar, son of
Utu!"
The lord gave heed to the
words of holy Inanna, and chose from the troops as a messenger one who
was eloquent of speech and endowed with endurance. (One ms. adds:
...... to his messenger .......) Where and to whom will he carry the
important message of wise Inanna?
"You shall bring it
up into the Zubi Mountains, you shall descend with it from the Zubi
Mountains. Let Susin and the land of Ancan humbly salute Inanna like
tiny mice. In the great mountain ranges, let the teeming multitudes
grovel in the dust for her. Messenger, speak to the lord of Aratta and
say to him: "Lest I make the people fly off from that city like a
wild dove from its tree, lest I make them fly around like a bird over
its well-founded nest, lest I requite (?) them as if at a current
market rate, lest I make it gather dust like an utterly destroyed
city, lest like a settlement cursed by Enki and utterly destroyed, I
too utterly destroy Aratta; lest like the devastation which swept
destructively, and in whose wake Inanna arose, shrieked and yelled
aloud, I too wreak a sweeping devastation there -- let Aratta pack
nuggets of gold in leather sacks, placing alongside it the kumea ore;
package up precious metals, and load the packs on the donkeys of the
mountains; and then may the Junior Enlil of Sumer have them build for
me, the lord whom Nudimmud has chosen in his sacred heart, a mountain
of a shining me; have them make it luxuriant for me like a boxwood
tree, have them make its shining horns colorful for me as when Utu
comes forth from his chamber, have them make its doorposts gleam
brightly for me." "
"Chant to him the
holy song, the incantation sung in its chambers -- the incantation of
Nudimmud: "On that day when there is no snake, when there is no
scorpion, when there is no hyena, when there is no lion, when there is
neither dog nor wolf, when there is thus neither fear nor trembling,
man has no rival! At such a time, may the lands of Cubur and Hamazi,
the many-tongued, and Sumer, the great mountain of the me of
magnificence, and Akkad, the land possessing all that is befitting,
and the Martu land, resting in security -- the whole universe, the
well-guarded people -- may they all address Enlil together in a single
language! For at that time, for the ambitious lords, for the ambitious
princes, for the ambitious kings, Enki, for the ambitious lords, for
the ambitious princes, for the ambitious kings, for the ambitious
lords, for the ambitious princes, for the ambitious kings -- Enki, the
lord of abundance and of steadfast decisions, the wise and knowing
lord of the Land, the expert of the gods, chosen for wisdom, the lord
of Eridug, shall change the speech in their mouths, as many as he had
placed there, and so the speech of mankind is truly one." "
The lord added further
instructions for the messenger going to the mountains, to Aratta:
"Messenger, by night,
drive on like the south wind! By day, be up like the dew!"
The messenger gave heed to
the words of his king. He journeyed by the starry night, and by day he
traveled with Utu of heaven. Where and to whom will he carry the
important message of Inanna with its stinging tone? He brought it up
into the Zubi Mountains, he descended with it from the Zubi Mountains.
Susin and the land of Ancan humbly saluted Inanna like tiny mice. In
the great mountain ranges, the teeming multitudes groveled in the dust
for her. He traversed five mountains, six mountains, seven mountains.
He lifted his eyes as he approached Aratta. He stepped joyfully into
the courtyard of Aratta, he made known the authority of his king.
Openly he spoke out the words in his heart. The messenger transmitted
the message to the lord of Aratta:
"Your father, my
master, has sent me to you; the lord of Unug, the lord of Kulaba, has
sent me to you." "What is it to me what your master has
spoken? What is it to me what he has said?"
"This is what my
master has spoken, this is what he has said. My king who from his
birth has been fitted for lordship (1 ms. has instead: for the crown),
the lord of Unug, the sajkal snake living in Sumer, who pulverizes
mountains (2 mss. have instead: heads) like flour, the stag of the
tall mountains, endowed with princely antlers, wild cow, kid pawing
the holy soapwort with its hoof, whom the good cow had given birth to
in the heart of the mountains, Enmerkar, the son of Utu, has sent me
to you." (2 mss. add here: (the lord of Aratta speaks):
"What is it to me what your master has spoken? what is it to me
what he has said?") "This is what my master said: "Lest
I make the people fly off from that city like a wild dove from its
tree, lest I make them fly around like a bird over its well-founded
nest, lest I requite (?) them as if at a current market rate, lest I
make it gather dust like an utterly destroyed city, lest like a
settlement cursed by Enki and utterly destroyed, I too utterly destroy
Aratta; lest like the devastation which swept destructively, and in
whose wake Inanna arose, shrieked and yelled aloud, I too wreak a
sweeping devastation there -- let Aratta pack nuggets of gold in
leather sacks, placing alongside it the kumea ore; package up precious
metals, and load the packs on the donkeys of the mountains; and then
may the Junior Enlil of Sumer have them build for me, the lord whom
Nudimmud has chosen in his sacred heart, a mountain of a shining me;
have them make it luxuriant for me like a boxwood tree, have them make
its shining horns colorful for me as when Utu comes forth from his
chamber, have them make its doorposts gleam brightly for me. Chant to
him for me the holy song, the incantation sung in its chambers -- the
Incantation of Nudimmud. " "
"Say whatever you
will say to me, and I shall announce that message in the shrine E-ana
as glad tidings to the scion of him with the glistening beard, whom
his stalwart cow gave birth to in the mountain of the shining me, who
was reared on the soil of Aratta, who was given suck at the udder of
the good cow, who is suited for office in Kulaba, the mountain of
great me, to Enmerkar, the son of Utu; I shall repeat it in his jipar,
fruitful as a flourishing mes tree, to my king, the lord of
Kulaba."
When he had spoken thus to
him, (the lord of Aratta replied): "Messenger, speak to your
king, the lord of Kulaba, and say to him: "It is I, the lord
suited to purification, I whom the huge heavenly neck-stock, the queen
of heaven and earth, the goddess of the numerous me, holy Inanna, has
brought to Aratta, the mountain of the shining me, I whom she has let
bar the entrance of the mountains as if with a great door. How then
shall Aratta submit to Unug? Aratta's submission to Unug is out of the
question!" Say this to him."
When he had spoken thus to
him, the messenger replied to the lord of Aratta: "The great
queen of heaven, who rides upon the awesome me, dwelling on the peaks
of the bright mountains, adorning the dais of the bright mountains --
my lord and master, who is her servant, has had them install her as
the divine queen of E-ana. Aratta shall bow, O lord, in absolute
submission! She has spoken to him thus, in brick-built Kulaba."
Thereupon, the lord became
depressed and deeply troubled. He had no answer; he was searching for
an answer. He stared at his own feet, trying to find an answer. He
found an answer and gave a cry. He bellowed the answer to the message
like a bull to the messenger:
"Messenger! Speak to
your king, the lord of Kulaba, and say to him: "This great
mountain range is a mes tree grown high to the sky; its roots form a
net, and its branches are a snare. It may be a sparrow but it has the
talons of an Anzud bird or of an eagle. The barrier of Inanna is
perfectly made and is impenetrable (?). Those eagle talons make the
blood of the enemy run from the bright mountain. Although in Aratta
there is weeping ......, water libations are offered and flour is
sprinkled; on the mountain, sacrifices and prayers are offered in
obeisance. With fewer than five or ten men, how can mobilized Unug
proceed against the Zubi mountains? Your king is heading in all haste
against my military might, but I am equally eager for a contest. (As
the proverb goes,) he who ignores a rival, does not get to eat
everything up, like the bull which ignores the bull at its side. But
he who acknowledges a contest can be the outright winner, like the
bull which acknowledges the bull at its side -- or does he reject me
in this contest? Like ......, ...... can match no one -- or does he
still reject me in this contest? Again, I have words to say to you,
messenger: I have an artful proposal to make to you ......, may it get
across to you ........ Repeat this to your master, to the lord of
Kulaba, a lion lying on its paws in E-ana, a bull bellowing within it,
within his jipar, fruitful as a flourishing mes tree. The mountain
range is a warrior, ...... high, like Utu going to his abode at
twilight, like one from whose face blood drips; or like Nanna, who is
majestic in the high heavens, like him whose countenance shines with
radiance, who ...... is like the woods in the mountains. " "
""Now if
Enmerkar just makes straight for the ...... of Aratta, for the
benevolent protective spirit of the mountain of holy powers, for
Aratta, which is like a bright crown of heaven, then I shall make my
pre-eminence clear, and he need not pour barley into sacks, nor have
it carted, nor have that barley carried into the settlements, nor
place collectors over the laborers."
"
""But if he were
actually to have barley poured into carrying-nets, and to have it
loaded on the packasses at whose sides reserve donkeys have been
placed, and were to have it heaped up in a pile in the courtyard of
Aratta -- were he really to heap it up in such a manner; and were
Inanna, the luxuriance of the grain pile, who is the 'illuminator of
the lands', the 'ornament of the settlements', who adorns the seven
walls, who is the heroic lady, fit for battle, who, as the heroine of
the battleground, makes the troops dance the dance of Inanna -- were
she actually to cast off Aratta as if to a carrion-pursuing dog, then
in that case I should submit to him; he would indeed have made me know
his preeminence; like the city, I in my smallness would submit to him.
"So say to him."
After he had spoken thus
to him, the lord of Aratta made the messenger repeat the message just
as he himself had said it. The messenger turned on his thigh like a
wild cow; like a sand fly he went on his way in the morning calm. He
set foot joyfully in brick-built Kulaba. The messenger rushed to the
great courtyard, the courtyard of the throne room. He repeated it word
perfect to his master, the lord of Kulaba; he even bellowed at him
like a bull, and Enmerkar listened to him like an ox driver. The king
had him sit ...... at his right side. As he turned his left side to
him, he said: "Does Aratta really understand the implications of
his own stratagem?"
After day had broken and
Utu had risen, the sun god of the Land lifted his head high. The king
combined the Tigris with the Euphrates. He combined the Euphrates with
the Tigris. Large vessels were placed in the open air, and he stood
small vessels beside them, like lambs lying on the grass. ......
vessels were placed in the open air adjacent to them. Then the king,
Enmerkar, the son of Utu, placed wide apart the ecda vessels, which
were of gold. Thereupon, the tablet ......, the pointed stylus of the
assembly, the golden statue fashioned on a propitious day, beautiful
Nanibgal, grown with a fair luxuriance, Nisaba, the lady of broad
wisdom, opened for him her holy house of wisdom. He entered the palace
of heaven, and became attentive. Then the lord opened his mighty
storehouse, and firmly set his great lidga measure on the ground. The
king removed his old barley from the other barley; he soaked the green
malt all through with water; its lip ...... the hirin plant. He
narrowed the meshes of the carrying nets. He measured out in full (?)
the barley for the granary, adding for the teeth of locusts. He had it
loaded on the packasses at whose sides reserve donkeys were placed.
The king, the lord of broad wisdom, the lord of Unug, the lord of
Kulaba, dispatched them directly to Aratta. He made the people go on
to Aratta on their own, like ants out of crevices. Again the lord
added instructions for the messenger going to the mountains, to
Aratta:
"Messenger, speak to
the lord of Aratta and say to him: "The base of my sceptre is the
divine power of magnificence. Its crown provides a protective shade
over Kulaba; under its spreading branches holy Inanna refreshes
herself in the shrine E-ana. Let him snap off a splinter from it and
hold that in his hand; let him hold it in his hand like a string of
cornelian beads, a string of lapis lazuli beads. Let the lord of
Aratta bring that before me." So say to him."
After he had thus spoken
to him, the messenger went on his way to Aratta; his feet raised the
dust of the road, and made the little pebbles of the hills thud; like
a dragon prowling the desert, he was unopposed. After the messenger
reached Aratta, the people of Aratta stepped forward to admire the
packasses. In the courtyard of Aratta, the messenger measured out in
full (?) the barley for the granary, adding for the teeth of locusts.
As if from the rains of heaven and the sunshine, Aratta was filled
with abundance. As when the gods return to their seats (?), Aratta's
hunger was sated. The people of Aratta covered their fields with the
water-soaked green malt. Afterwards, couriers and catam officials
.......
2 lines unclear
The citizens of Aratta
were mindful; he revealed the matter to Aratta. Attentively, in
Aratta, from the hand ....... ...... his hand ...... to the lord of
Unug.
"As for us, in the
direst hunger, in our direst famine, let us prostrate ourselves before
the lord of Kulaba!"
The eloquent elders wrung
their hands in despair, leaning against the wall; indeed, they were
even placing their treasuries (?) at the disposal of the lord. His
sceptre ...... in the palace ....... Openly he spoke out the words in
his heart:
"Your father, my
master, sent me to you. Enmerkar, the son of Utu, sent me to
you."
"What is it to me
what your master has spoken? What is it to me what he has said?"
"This is what my master has spoken, this is what he has said:
"The base of my sceptre is the divine power of magnificence. Its
crown provides a protective shade over Kulaba; under its spreading
branches holy Inanna refreshes herself in the shrine E-Ana. Let him
snap off a splinter from it and hold that in his hand; let him hold it
in his hand like a string of cornelian beads, a string of lapis lazuli
beads. Let the lord of Aratta bring that before me. So say to
him." "
After he had spoken thus
to him, for that reason he went inside the sanctuary ...... and lay
himself down in a fast. Day broke. He discussed the matter at length,
he spoke unspeakable words; he circulated with this matter as if it
were barley eaten by a donkey.
And what did one speak to
another? What did one say to another? What one said to another, so
indeed it was.
"Messenger, speak to
your king, the lord of Kulaba, and say to him: "Let him put in
his hand and contemplate a sceptre that is not of wood, nor designated
as wood -- not ildag wood, nor cim-gig wood, not cedar wood, nor
cypress wood, not hacur cypress, nor palm wood, not hardwood, nor
zabalum wood (ome ms. has instead: -- not ildag wood, nor cim-gig
wood, not hacur cypress, nor palm wood, not cedar wood, nor zabalum
wood, not cypress wood, nor hardwood), not poplar as in a chariot, not
reedwork as in whip handles; not gold, nor copper, not genuine kumea
metal nor silver, not cornelian, nor lapis lazuli -- let him snap off
a splinter from that and hold it in his hand; let him hold it in his
hand like a string of cornelian beads, a string of lapis lazuli beads.
Let the lord of Kulaba bring that before me." So say to
him."
After he had spoken to him
thus, the messenger went off like a young donkey, braying as it is cut
off from the chariot tongue; he trotted like an onager running on dry
land, he filled his mouth with wind; he ran in one track (?) like a
long-woolled sheep butting other sheep in its fury. He set foot
joyfully in brick-built Kulaba. He transmitted the message word for
word to his master, the lord of Kulaba. Now Enki gave Enmerkar wisdom,
and the lord gave instructions to his chief steward. In his house
......, the king received ....... He wrapped it up like ......, and
inspected it. He pounded ...... with a pestle like herbs, he poured it
like oil on the ...... reed. From the sunlight it emerged into the
shade, and from the shade it emerged into the sunlight. After five
years, ten years had passed, he split the ...... reed with an axe. The
lord looked at it, pleased, and poured on ...... fine oil , fine oil
of the bright mountains. The lord placed the sceptre in the hands of
the messenger going to the mountains. The messenger, whose journeying
to Aratta was like a pelican over the hills, like a fly over the
ground, who darted through the mountains as swiftly as carp swim,
reached Aratta. He set foot joyfully in the courtyard of Aratta, and
put the sceptre in ....... He ...... and ...... it. The lord of
Aratta, eying the sceptre, which was ...... in the sanctuary, his holy
dwelling -- he, the lord, called to his catam official:
" Aratta is indeed
like a slaughtered sheep! Its roads are indeed like those of the rebel
lands! Since holy Inanna has given the primacy of Aratta to the lord
of Kulaba, now it seems that holy Inanna is looking with favour on her
man who has sent a messenger to make the severe message as clear as
the light of Utu. So in Aratta where can one go in this crisis? How
long before the yoke-rope becomes bearable? As for us, in the direst
hunger, in our direst famine, are we to prostrate ourselves before the
lord of Kulaba?"
The lord of Aratta
entrusted a message to the messenger as if it were an important
tablet:
"Messenger! Speak to
your master, the lord of Kulaba, and say to him: "A champion who
is not black-colored, a champion who is not white-colored, a champion
who is not brown-colored, a champion who is not red-colored, a
champion who is not yellow-colored, a champion who is not
multi-colored -- let him give you such a champion. My champion will
compete against his champion, and let the more able one prevail!"
Say this to him."
After he had spoken to him
thus, the messenger set off, ulum, alam. In brick-built Kulaba, he was
speechless, like a ....... He gazed like a goat on the mountain
slopes, he ...... as if it were a huge mir snake coming out of a
field. In ...... he lifted his head. ...... of Aratta ....... From his
seat, he addressed him like a raging torrent:
"Messenger! Speak to
the lord of Aratta and say to him: "A garment that is not
black-colored, a garment that is not white-colored, a garment that is
not brown-colored, a garment that is not red-colored, a garment that
is not yellow-colored, a garment that is not multi-colored -- I shall
give him such a garment. My champion is embraced by Enlil. I shall
send him such a champion. My champion will compete against his
champion, and let the more able one prevail!" Say this to him.
Second, speak to him and say: "Let him immediately pass from
subterfuge ....... In his city, let them go before him like sheep. Let
him, like their shepherd, follow behind them. As he goes, let the
mountain of bright lapis lazuli humble itself before him like a
crushed reed. And let them heap up its shining gold and silver in the
courtyard of Aratta for Inanna the lady of E-ana." Third, speak
to him and say: "Lest I make the people fly off from that city
like a wild dove from its tree, lest I smash them like ......, lest I
requite (?) them as if at a current market rate, lest I make ......
them walk in ......, when he goes, let them take the mountain stones,
and rebuild for me the great shrine Eridug, the abzu, the E-nun; let
them adorn its architrave for me ....... Let them make its protection
spread over the Land for me." His speaking ....... Recite his
omen to him. At that time, the lord ......, ...... on the throne
daises and on the chairs, the noble seed, ......."
His speech was
substantial, and its contents extensive. The messenger, whose mouth
was heavy, was not able to repeat it. Because the messenger, whose
mouth was tired, was not able to repeat it, the lord of Kulaba patted
some clay and wrote the message as if on a tablet. Formerly, the
writing of messages on clay was not established. Now, under that sun
and on that day, it was indeed so. The lord of Kulaba inscribed the
message like a tablet. It was just like that. The messenger was like a
bird, flapping its wings; he raged forth like a wolf following a kid.
He traversed five mountains, six mountains, seven mountains. He lifted
his eyes as he approached Aratta. He stepped joyfully into the
courtyard of Aratta, he made known the authority of his king. Openly
he spoke out the words in his heart. The messenger transmitted the
message to the lord of Aratta:
"Your father, my
master, has sent me to you; the lord of Unug, the lord of Kulaba, has
sent me to you." "What is it to me what your master has
spoken? What is it to me what he has said?"
"This is what my
master has spoken, this is what he has said. My king is like a huge
mes tree, ...... son of Enlil; this tree has grown high, uniting
heaven and earth; its crown reaches heaven, its trunk is set upon the
earth. He who is made to shine forth in lordship and kingship,
Enmerkar, the son of Utu, has given me a clay tablet. O lord of
Aratta, after you have examined the clay tablet, after you have
learned the content of the message, say whatever you will say to me,
and I shall announce that message in the shrine E-ana as glad tidings
to the scion of him with the glistening beard, whom his stalwart cow
gave birth to in the mountains of the shining me, who was reared on
the soil of Aratta, who was given suck at the udder of the good cow,
who is suited for office in Kulaba, the mountain of great me, to
Enmerkar, the son of Utu; I shall repeat it in his jipar, fruitful as
a flourishing mes tree, to my king, the lord of Kulaba."
After he had spoken thus
to him, the lord of Aratta received his kiln-fired tablet from the
messenger. The lord of Aratta looked at the tablet. The transmitted
message was just nails, and his brow expressed anger. The lord of
Aratta looked at his kiln-fired tablet. At that moment, the lord
worthy of the crown of lordship, the son of Enlil, the god Ickur,
thundering in heaven and earth, caused a raging storm, a great lion,
in ....... He was making the mountains quake ......, he was convulsing
the mountain range ......; the awesome radiance ...... of his breast;
he caused the mountain range to raise its voice in joy. On Aratta's
parched flanks, in the midst of the mountains, wheat grew of its own
accord, and chickpeas also grew of their own accord; they brought the
wheat which grew of its own accord into the granary of ...... for the
lord of Aratta, and heaped it up before him in the courtyard of
Aratta. The lord of Aratta looked at the wheat. The messenger's eyes
looked askance ....... The lord of Aratta called to the messenger:
" Inanna, the lady of
all the lands, has not run away from the primacy of her city, Aratta,
nor has she stolen it for Unug; she has not run away from her
E-zagina, nor has she stolen it for the shrine E-ana; she has not run
away from the mountain of the shining me, nor has she stolen it for
brick-built Kulaba; she has not run away from the adorned bed, nor has
she stolen it for the shining bed; she has not run away from the
purification for the lord, nor has she stolen it for the lord of Unug,
the lord of Kulaba. Inanna, the lady of all the lands, has surrounded
Aratta, on its right and left, for her like a rising flood. They are
people whom she has separated from other people, they are people whom
Dumuzid has made step forth from other people, who firmly establish
the holy words of Inanna. Let the clever champion and the ...... of
Dumuzid whirl about! Quickly, come now, ....... After the flood had
swept over, Inanna, the lady of all the lands, from her great love of
Dumuzid, has sprinkled the water of life upon those who had stood in
the face of the flood and made the Land subject to them."
The clever champion, when
he came, had covered his head with a colorful turban, and wrapped
himself in a garment of lion skins.
4 lines unclear
Inanna ....... Her song was pleasing to her spouse, Ama-ucumgal-ana.
Since that time, she has made it perfect in the holy ear, the holy ear
of Dumuzid, has sung it and has let the words be known.
When the old woman came to
the mountain of the shining me, she went up to him like a maiden who
in her day is perfect, painted her eyes with kohl, wrapped herself in
a white garment, came forth with the good crown like the moonlight.
She arranged the ...... on her head. She made Enmerkar, her spouse,
occupy the throne-dais with her. She raised up ......, and indeed, for
Aratta, the ewes and their lambs now multiply; indeed, for Aratta, the
mother goats and their kids multiply; indeed, for Aratta, the cows and
their calves multiply; indeed, for Aratta, the donkey mares and their
black, swift-footed foals multiply. In Aratta, they say together:
"Let them heap up and pile up for the grain piles; the abundance
is truly your abundance." After having made ...... for the lord
of Aratta, let him ....... He will ....... He came forth ......, he
set right for her.
3 lines missing
(An unidentified person
speaks:) "...... befitting ......, ...... the ilu song of the
heart, ...... your abundance in his ....... Enlil has granted you
......, and may ...... be made known. ...... his father was not
luxuriantly fertile, and poured forth no semen. Enlil, king of all the
lands ....... In accordance with the tasks which he has now
established, the people of Aratta ...... their task of plying gold,
silver and lapis lazuli; the men who ...... golden fruit, fruit trees,
with their figs and grapes, shall heap the fruit up in great mounds
......; and shall dig out the flawless lapis lazuli from the roots of
the trees, and shall remove the succulent part of the reeds from the
crowns of the trees, and then shall heap them up in a pile in the
courtyard of E-ana for Inanna, the lady of E-ana. "
"Come, my king, I
shall offer you advice: let my counsel be heeded. I shall speak words
to you; let them be heard. Let the people choose a man ...... of the
foreign lands, and let the people of Aratta speak ....... When I go
from here, the ever-sparkling lady gives me my kingship. Jectin-ana
....... In that city ......, festivals were not ....... Daily
......."c.
6 lines missing
