1-16 Grandiloquent lord of heaven and earth,
self-reliant, father
Enki, engendered by a bull, begotten by
a wild bull,
cherished by Enlil the Great
Mountain, beloved by holy
An, king,
mes tree planted in the Abzu,
rising over all lands; great dragon who
stands in Eridug,
whose shadow covers heaven and earth, a
grove of vines extending over the Land, Enki, lord of plenty of the
Anuna gods,
Click to see what the FRUIT growing on this TREE
was.
Nudimmud, mighty one of the E-kur, strong one
of heaven and earth!
Your great house is founded in the
Abzu, the
great mooring-post of heaven and earth. Enki, from whom a single
glance is enough to unsettle the heart of the mountains; wherever
bison are born, where stags are born, where ibex are born, where wild
goats are born, in meadows ......, in hollows in the heart of the
hills, in green ...... unvisited by man, you have fixed your gaze on
the heart of the Land like a halhal reed.
17-31 Counting the days and putting the months
in their houses, so as to complete the years and to submit the
completed years to the assembly for a
decision, taking decisions to
regularise the days:
father Enki, you are the king of
the assembled people.
You have only to open your mouth for everything
to multiply and for plenty to be established.
Your branches ......
green with their fruit ......, ...... do honour to the gods. ...... in its
forests is
like a fleecy garment. Good sheep and good lambs do honour to .......
When ...... the prepared fields, ...... will accumulate stockpiles
and stacks. ...... there is oil, there is milk, produced by the
sheepfold and cow-pen.
The shepherd sweetly sings his rustic song, the cowherd spends the day rocking his churns. Their
products would do honour to the late lunches in the gods' great
dining hall.
32-37 Your word fills the young man's heart
with vigour, so that like a thick-horned bull he butts about in the
courtyard. Your word bestows loveliness on the young woman's head, so
that the people in their settled cities gaze at her in wonder.
2 lines unclear
38-47 Enlil, the Great Mountain, has
commissioned you to gladden the
hearts of lords and rulers and wish
them well. Enki, lord of prosperity, lord of , lord, the beloved of
An, the ornament of Eridug, who establish commands and decisions, who
well understands the decreeing of fates: you close up the days
......, and make the months enter their houses. You bring down
......, you have reached their number. You make the people dwell in
their dwelling places ......., you make them follow their herdsman
.......
2 lines unclear
50-51 You turn weapons away from their
houses ......, you make the people safe in their dwellings .......
52-60 When father Enki goes forth to the
inseminated people, good seed will come forth. When Nudimmud goes forth to
the good pregnant ewes, good lambs will be born; when he goes forth
to the fecund cows, good calves will be born; whe he goes forth to
the good pregnant goats, good kids will be born. If you go forth to
the cultivated fields, to the good germinating fields, stockpiles and
stacks can be accumulated on the high plain. If you go forth to the
parched areas of the Land,
2 lines missing or unclear
61-80 Enki, the king of the
Abzu,
justly praises himself in his majesty: "My father, the king of heaven
and earth, made me famous in heaven and earth. My elder brother, the
king of all the lands, gathered up all
the divine powers and placed them in my
hand.
I brought the arts and crafts from the
E-kur, the house of Enlil, to my Abzu in Eridug. I am the
good semen, begotten by a wild bull, I am the first born of
An. I am a
great storm rising over the great earth, I am the great lord of the
Land.
I am the principal
among all rulers, the father of all the
foreign lands. I am the big brother of the gods, I bring prosperity
to perfection. I am the seal-keeper of heaven and earth. I am the
wisdom and understanding of all the
foreign lands. With An the king, on
An's dais, I oversee justice. With Enlil, looking out over the lands,
I decree good destinies.
He has placed in my hands the decreeing of
fates in the 'Place where the sun
rises'. I am cherished by
Nintud. I
am named with a good name by Ninhursaja. I am the leader of the Anuna
gods. I was born as the firstborn son of
holy An."
81-83 After the lord had proclaimed his
greatness, after the great prince had eulogised himself, the Anuna
gods stood there in prayer and supplication:
84-85 "Praise be to Enki, the much-praised lord
who controls all the arts and crafts, who takes
decisions!"
86-8 8In a state of high delight Enki, the king
of the Abzu, again justly praises himself in his majesty: "I am the
lord, I am one whose word is reliable, I am one who excels in
everything. "
89-99 "At my command, sheepfolds have been
built, cow-pens have been fenced off. When I approach heaven, a rain
of abundance rains from heaven. When I approach earth, there is a
high carp-flood. When I approach the green meadows, at my word
stockpiles and stacks are accumulated. I have built my house, a
shrine, in a pure place, and named it with a good name. I have built
my Abzu, a
shrine, in ......, and decreed a good fate for it. The shade of my
house extends over the ...... pool. By my house the suhur carp dart
among the honey plants, and the ectub carp wave their tails among the
small gizi reeds. The small birds chirp in their nests. "
100-122 "The lords ...... to me. I am
Enki!
They stand before me, praising
me. The abgal priests and abrig
officials who ...... stand before me ...... distant days. The enkum
and ninkum officiants organise ....... They purify the river for me,
they ...... the interior of the shrine for me.
In my Abzu, sacred songs and incantations resound for
me. My barge 'Crown', the 'Stag of the
Abzu', transports me there most delightfully. It glides swiftly for
me through the great marshes to wherever I have decided, it is
obedient to me. The stroke-callers make the oars pull in
perfect unison.
They sing for me
pleasant songs, creating a cheerful
mood on the river. Nijir-sig, the captain of my barge, holds the
golden sceptre for me. I am Enki! He is in command of my boat 'Stag of the
Abzu'. I am the lord! I will travel! I am
Enki! I will go forth into my Land! I, the lord
who determines the fates, ......,"
4 lines unclear
123-130 "I will admire its green cedars. Let
the lands of Meluha, Magan and Dilmun look upon me, upon Enki. Let
the Dilmun boats be loaded (?) with timber.
Let the Magan boats be loaded sky-high. Let the magilum boats of
Meluha transport gold and silver and bring them to Nibru for Enlil,
king of all the lands."
131-133 He presented animals to those who have
no city, to those who have no houses, to the Martu nomads.
134-139 The Anuna
gods address affectionately the great
prince who has travelled in his Land: "Lord who rides upon the great
powers, the pure powers, who controls the great powers, the
numberless powers, foremost in all the breadth of heaven and earth;
who received the supreme powers in Eridug, the holy place, the most
esteemed place, Enki, lord of heaven and earth -- praise!"
140-161 All the lords and rulers, the
incantation-priests of
Eridug and the linen-clad priests of
Sumer, perform the purification rites of the Abzu for the great
prince who has travelled in his land; for father Enki they stand
guard in the holy place, the most esteemed place. They ...... the
chambers ......, they ...... the emplacements, they purify the great
shrine of the Abzu .......
They bring there the
tall juniper, the pure plant. They organise the holy ...... in the
great music room ...... of Enki. Skilfully they build
the main staircase of Eridug on the Good Quay. They prepare the
sacred uzga shrine, where they utter endless prayers.
7 lines missing, damaged or unclear
162-165 For Enki, ...... squabbling together,
and the suhurmac carp dart among the honey plants, again fighting
amongst themselves for the great prince. The ectub carp wave their
tails among the small gizi reeds.
166-181 The lord, the great ruler of the Abzu
issues instructions on board the 'Stag of the Abzu' -- the great
emblem erected in the Abzu, providing protection, its shade extending
over the whole land and refreshing the people, the principal
foundation (?), the pole planted in the ...... marsh, rising high
over all the foreign lands.
The noble captain of the lands, the
son of Enlil, holds in his hand the sacred punt-pole, a
mes
tree ornamented in the Abzu which
received the supreme powers in Eridug, the holy place, the most
esteemed place. The hero proudly lifts his head towards the Abzu.
6 lines missing or unclear
182-187 Sirsir ......, the boatman of the
barge, ...... the boat for the lord. Nijir-sig, the captain of the
barge, holds the holy sceptre for the lord. The fifty lahama deities of
the subterranean waters speak affectionately to him. The
stroke-callers, like heavenly gamgam birds, .......
188-191 The intrepid king, father Enki ......
in the Land. Prosperity was made to burgeon in heaven and on earth
for the great prince who travels in the Land. Enki decreed its fate:
192-209 "Sumer, Great Mountain, land of
heaven and earth, trailing glory, bestowing powers on the people from
sunrise to sunset: your powers are superior powers, untouchable, and
your heart is complex and inscrutable. Like heaven itself, your good
creative force (?), in which gods too can be born, is beyond reach.
Giving birth to kings who put on the good diadem, giving birth to
lords who wear the crown on their heads --
your lord, the honoured lord, sits
with An the king on An's
dais. Your king, the Great Mountain, father
Enlil, the father of all the lands, has blocked you impenetrably (?)
like a cedar tree.
The Anuna, the great gods, have taken up
dwellings in your midst, and consume their food in your giguna
shrines with their single
trees.
Household Sumer, may your
sheepfolds be built and your cattle multiply,
may your giguna touch the skies.
May your good temples
reach up to heaven. May the Anuna
determine the destinies in your midst."
210-211 Then he proceeded to the sanctuary of
Urim.
Enki, lord of the Abzu, decreed its fate:
212-218 "City which possesses all that is
fitting, bathed by water! sturdy bull, altar of abundance that
strides across the mountains, rising like the hills, forest of
hacur cypresses with broad shade, self-confident! May your perfect
powers be well-directed.
The Great Mountain Enlil has
pronounced your name great in heaven and on earth. City whose fate
Enki has decreed, sanctuary of
Urim, you shall rise high to heaven!"
219-220 Then he proceeded to the land of
Meluha. Enki, lord of the Abzu, decreed its fate:
221-237 "Black land, may your trees be great
trees, may your forests be forests of highland mes trees! Chairs made
from them will grace royal palaces! May your reeds be great reeds,
may they ......! Heroes shall ...... them on the battlefield as
weapons! May your bulls be great bulls, may they be bulls of the
mountains! May their bellowing be the bellowing of wild bulls of the
mountains! The great powers of the gods shall be made perfect for
you! May the francolins of the mountains wear cornelian beards! May your
birds all be peacocks! May their cries grace royal palaces! May all
your silver be gold! May all your copper be tin-bronze! Land, may all
you possess be plentiful! May your people ......! May your men go
forth like bulls against their fellow men!"
2 lines unclear
238-247 He cleansed and purified the land of
Dilmun. He
placed Ninsikila in charge of it. He gave ...... for the fish spawn,
ate its ...... fish, bestowed palms on the cultivated land, ate its
dates. ...... Elam and Marhaci ....... ...... to devour ....... The
king endowed with strength by Enlil destroyed their houses,
demolished (?) their walls. He brought their silver and lapis-lazuli,
their treasure, to Enlil, king of all the lands, in Nibru.
248-249 Enki presented animals to those who
have no city, who have no houses, to the Martu nomads.
250-266 After he had turned his gaze from
there, after father Enki had lifted his eyes across the Euphrates, he
stood up full of lust like a rampant bull,
lifted his penis, ejaculated and
filled the Tigris with flowing water.
He was like a wild
cow mooing for its young in the
wild grass, its scorpion-infested cow-pen.
The Tigris ...... at his side like a rampant
bull. By lifting his
penis, he brought a bridal gift. The
Tigris rejoiced in its heart like a great wild bull, when it was born
....... It brought water, flowing water indeed: its wine will be sweet. It
brought barley, mottled barley indeed: the people will eat it. It
filled the E-kur, the house of Enlil, with all sorts of things. Enlil
was delighted with Enki, and Nibru was glad. The lord put on the
diadem as
a sign of lordship, he put on the good crown as a sign of kingship,
touching the ground on his left side. Plenty came forth out of the
earth for him.
267-273 Enki, the lord of the destinies, Enki,
the king of the Abzu,
placed in charge of all this him
who holds a sceptre in his right hand, him who with glorious mouth
submits to verification the devouring force of Tigris and Euphrates, while
prosperity pours forth from the palace like oil -- Enbilulu, the
inspector of waterways.
274-277 He called the marshes and gave them the
various species of carp, he spoke to the reedbeds and bestowed on
them the old and new growths of reeds.
2 lines missing
278-284 He issued a challenge ....... Enki
placed in charge of all this him from whose net no fish escapes, him
from whose trap no living thing escapes, him from whose bird-net no
bird escapes,
1 line unclear
-- ......, who loves fish.
285-298 The lord established a shrine,
a holy shrine, whose interior is elaborately constructed. He
established a shrine in the sea, a holy shrine, whose interior is
elaborately constructed. The shrine, whose interior is a tangled
thread, is beyond understanding. The shrine's emplacement is situated
by the constellation the Field, the holy upper shrine's emplacement
faces towards the Chariot
constellation.
Its terrifying awesomeness is a rising wave,
its splendour is fearsome. The Anuna
gods dare not approach it. ...... to
refresh their hearts, the palace rejoices. The Anuna stand by with
prayers and supplications. They set up a great altar for Enki in the
E-engura, for the lord ....... The great prince ....... ...... the
pelican of the sea.
1 line unclear
299-308 He filled the E-kur, the house of
Enlil, with goods of all sorts. Enlil was delighted with
Enki, and Nibru was glad. Enki placed in charge of all this, over the
wide extent of the sea, her who sets sail ......
in the holy shrine, who induces sexual
intercourse ......, who ...... over the
enormous high flood of the subterranean waters, the terrifying waves,
the inundation of the sea ......, who comes forth from the ......,
the mistress of Sirara, ...... -- Nance.
309-31 He called to the rain of the heavens. He
...... as floating clouds. He made ...... rising at the horizon. He
turned the mounds into fields ....... Enki placed in charge of all
this him who rides on the great
storms, who attacks with lightning
bolts, the holy bar which blocks the entrance to the interior of
heaven, the son of An, the canal inspector of heaven and earth --
Ickur, the
bringer of plenty, the son of An.
318-325 He organised ploughs, yokes and teams.
The great prince Enki bestowed the horned oxen that follow ......, he
opened up the holy furrows, and made the barley grow on the
cultivated fields.
Enki placed in charge of them the
lord who wears the diadem, the ornament of the high plain, him of the
implements, the farmer of Enlil -- Enkimdu, responsible for
ditches and dykes.
326-334 The lord called the cultivated fields,
and bestowed on them mottled barley. Enki made chickpeas, lentils and
...... grow. He heaped up into piles the early, mottled and innuha
varieties of barley. Enki multiplied the stockpiles and stacks, and
with Enlil's help he enhanced the people's prosperity.
Enki placed in charge of all this
her whose head and body are dappled, whose face is covered in syrup,
the mistress who causes sexual
intercourse, the power of the Land, the
life of the black-headed -- Acnan, the good bread of the whole world.
335-340 The great prince fixed a string to the
hoe, and organised brick moulds. He penetrated the ...... like
precious oil. Enki placed in charge of them him whose sharp-bladed
hoe is a corpse-devouring snake that ......, whose brick mould in
place is a tidy stack of hulled grain for the ewes -- Kulla, who ...... bricks
in the Land.
341-348 He tied down the strings and
coordinated them with the foundations, and with the power of the
assembly he planned a house and performed the purification rituals.
The great prince put down the foundations, and laid the bricks. Enki
placed in charge of all this him whose foundations once laid do not
sag, whose good houses once built do not collapse (?), whose vaults
reach up into the heart of the heavens
like a rainbow -- Mucdama, Enlil's master
builder.
349-357 He raised a holy crown over the upland
plain. He fastened a lapis-lazuli beard to the high plain, and made
it wear a lapis-lazuli headdress. He made this good place perfect
with grasses and herbs in abundance.
He multiplied the animals of the
high plain to an appropriate degree, he multiplied the ibex and wild
goats of the pastures, and made them
copulate. Enki placed in charge of them
the hero who is the crown of the high plain, who is the king of the
countryside, the great lion of the high plain, the muscular, the
hefty, the burly strength of Enlil -- Cakkan, the king of the
hills.
358-367 He built the sheepfolds, carried out
their cleaning, made the cow-pens, bestowed on them the best fat and
cream, and brought luxury to the gods' dining places. He made the
plain, created for grasses and herbs, achieve prosperity. Enki placed
in charge of all this the king, the good provider of E-ana, the friend of An,
the beloved son-in-law of the youth Suen, the holy spouse of
Inana the
mistress, the lady of the great powers who allows sexual intercourse
in the open squares of Kulaba -- Dumuzid-ucumgal-ana, the
friend of An.
368-380 He filled the E-kur, the house of
Enlil, with possessions. Enlil was delighted with Enki and Nibru was
glad. He demarcated borders and fixed boundaries. For the Anuna gods,
Enki situated dwellings in cities and disposed agricultural land into
fields.
Enki placed in charge of the whole
of heaven and earth the hero, the bull who comes out of the hacur
forest bellowing truculently, the youth Utu, the bull standing
triumphantly, audaciously, majestically, the father of the Great City
(an expression for the underworld), the great herald in the east of
holy An, the judge who searches out verdicts for the gods, with a
lapis-lazuli beard, rising from the horizon into the holy heavens --
Utu, the
son born by Ningal.
381-386 He picked out the tow from the fibres,
and adapted it for rags (?). Enki greatly perfected the task of
women. For Enki, the people ...... in suluhu garments. Enki
placed in charge of them the honour of the palace, the dignity of the
king -- Uttu, the conscientious woman, the silent one.
387-390 Then, alone lacking any functions, the
great woman of heaven,
Inana, lacking any functions -- Inana came in to
see her father Enki in his house, weeping to him, and making her complaint
to him:
391-394 "Enlil left it in your hands to confirm
the functions of the Anuna, the great gods.
Why did you treat me, the woman, in
an exceptional manner? I am holy
Inana -- where are my functions? "
395-402" Aruru, Enlil's sister,
Nintud,
the lady of giving birth, is to get the holy birth-bricks as her
prerogative. She is to carry off the lancet for umbilical cords, the
special sand and leeks. She is to get the sila-jara bowl of
translucent lapis lazuli (in which to place the afterbirth). She is
to carry off the holy consecrated ala vessel. She is to be the
midwife of the land! The birthing of kings and lords is to be in her
hands."
403-405 "My illustrious sister, holy Nininsina, is to get
the jewellery of cuba stones. She is to be An's mistress. She is to
stand beside An and speak to him whenever she desires. "
406-411 "My illustrious sister, holy
Ninmug, is
to get the golden chisel and the silver burin. She is to carry off
her big flint antasura blade.
She is to be the metal-worker of the Land.
The fitting of the good diadem when a king is born and the crowning
with the crown when a lord is born are to be in her hands. "
412-417 "My illustrious sister, holy
Nisaba, is
to get the measuring-reed. The lapis-lazuli measuring tape is to hang
over her arm. She is to proclaim all the
great powers. She is to demarcate
boundaries and mark borders. She is to be the scribe of the Land. The
planning of the gods' meals is to be in her hands."
418-421 "Nance, the august lady,
who rests her feet on the holy pelican, is to be the fisheries
inspector of the sea. She is to be responsible for accepting
delectable fish and delicious birds from there to go to Nibru for her
father Enlil. "
422-423 "But why
did you treat me, the woman, in an exceptional manner? I am holy
Inana -- where are my functions?"
424-436 Enki answered his daughter, holy
Inana :
"How have I disparaged you? Goddess, how have I disparaged you? How
can I enhance you? Maiden Inana, how have I disparaged you? How can I
enhance you?
I made you speak as a woman with
pleasant voice. I made you go forth ....... I covered ...... with a
garment. I
made you exchange its right side and its left side. I clothed you in
garments of women's
power.
I put women's
speech in your mouth. I placed in your
hands the spindle and the hairpin. I ...... to you women's
adornment.
I settled on you the staff and the
crook,
with the shepherd's stick beside them. "
437-444 "Maiden Inana, how have I disparaged
you? How can I enhance you? Amongst the ominous ocurrences in the
hurly-burly of battle,
I shall make you speak vivifying words; and
in its midst, although you are not an arabu bird (a bird of ill
omen), I shall make you speak ill-omened
words also.
I made you tangle straight threads; maiden
Inana, I made you straighten out tangled threads. I made you put on
garments, I made you dress in linen. I made you pick out the tow from
the fibres, I made you spin with the spindle. I made you colour
tufted (?) cloth with coloured threads."
445-450 "Inana, you heap up human heads like
piles of dust, you sow heads like
seed.
Inana, you destroy what
should not be destroyed;
you create what should not be
created.
You remove the cover from the cem
drum of
lamentations,
Maiden Inana, while shutting up the
tigi and adab instruments in their
homes.
You never grow weary with admirers
looking at you. Maiden Inana, you know nothing of tying the ropes on
deep wells."
451-471 "But now, the heart has overflowed, the
Land is restored; Enlil's heart has overflowed, the Land is restored.
In his overflowing heart of mankind,"
4 lines unclear
"...... lapis-lazuli headdress ...... is your
prerogative, ...... is your prerogative, ......; is your prerogative,
...... is your prerogative."
10 lines unclear
472 Praise be to father Enki.
Gracious permission from:
"Copyright J.A. Black, G. Cunningham, E. Robson, and G. Zlyomi 1998,
1999, 2000. The authors have asserted their moral rights."
Scholarly Versions at their Home Page
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian
Literature, Oxford University,
See how Inanna stole the ME or gifts from Ea or
Enki
Babylonia
Index
-
- Babylonia Glossary
-
- Home
Page
-
-
- 6.23.05 12:26p 2500
-
