ENLIL AND NAM-ZID-TARA
1-10 Nam-zid-tara walked by Enlil, who said to him: "Where have you come from, Nam-zid-tara?" "From Enlil's temple. My turn of duty is finished. I serve at the place of the gudu priests, with their sheep. I am on my way home. Don't stop me; I am in a hurry. Who are you who asks me questions?"
11-18 "I am Enlil." But Enlil had changed his appearance: he had turned into a raven and was croaking. "But you are not a raven, you really are Enlil!" "How did you recognise that I am Enlil, who decrees the destinies?"
17-18 "When your uncle En-me-cara was a captive, after taking for himself the rank of Enlil, he said: "Now I shall know the fates, like a lord."
19-23 "You may acquire precious metals, you may acquire precious stones, you may acquire cattle or you may acquire sheep; but the day of a human being is always getting closer, so where does your wealth lead? Now, I am indeed Enlil, who decrees the fates. What is your name?"
24-27 "My name is Nam-zid-tara (Well-blessed). " "Your fate shall be assigned according to your name: leave the house of your master, and your heirs shall come and go regularly in my temple."
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,