-
- The goddess of Ur seems to be
the mourning or lament leader and, on command,
the people
mourn.
("the goddess of Ur, Ningal, tells how she suffered under
her sense of coming doom.")
-
- When I was grieving for that
day of storm,
- that day of storm, destined
for me, laid upon me, heavy with tears,
- that day of storm, destined
for me, laid upon me heavy with tears, on me, the
queen.
-
- Though I was trembling for
that day of storm,
- that day of storm destined for
me --
- I could not flee before that
day's fatality.
- And of a sudden I espied no
happy days within my reign, no happy days within my
reign.
-
- Though I would tremble for
that night,
- that night of cruel weeping
destined for me,
- I could not flee before that
night's fatality.
- Dread of the storm's floodlike
destruction weighed on me,
- and of a sudden on my
couch at night, upon my couch at night no
dreams were granted me.
- And of a sudden on my couch
oblivion, upon my couch oblivion was not
granted.
-
- Because (this) bitter anguish
had been destined for my land --
- as the cow to the (mired) calf
-- even had I come to help it on the ground,
- I could not have pulled my
people back out of the mire.
-
- Because (this) bitter dolor
had been destined for my city,
- even if I, birdlike, had
stretched my
wings,
- and, (like a bird),
flown to my
city,
- yet my city would have been
destroyed on its foundation,
- yet Ur would have perished
where it lay.
-
- Because that day of storm had
raised its hand,
- and even had I screamed out
loud and cried; "Turn back, O day of storm, (turn) to
(thy) desert,"
- the breast of that storm would
not have been lifted from me.
-
- Then verily, to the
assembly, where the
crowd had not yet risen,
- while the Anunnaki,
binding themselves (to uphold the decision), were
still seated,
- I dragged my feet and I
stretched out my arms,
- truly I shed my tears in front of An.
- Truly I myself mourned in front of
Enlil:
-
- "May my city not be
destroyed!" I said indeed to them.
- "May Ur not be destroyed!" I
said indeed to them.
- "And may its people not be
killed!" I said indeed to them.
- But An never bent towards those
words,
- and Enlil never with an, "It
is pleasing, so be it!" did soothe my heart.
-
- (Behold,) they gave
instruction that the city be destroyed,
- (behold,) they gave
instruction that Ur be destroyed,
- and as its destiny decreed
that its inhabitants be killed.
-
- Enlil (wind god or spirit)
called the storm.
The people
mourn.
- Winds of abundance he took
from the land. The
people mourn.
- Good winds he took away from
Sumer. the people
mourn.
- Deputed evil winds.
The people
mourn.
- Entrusted them to Kingaluda,
tender of storms.
-
- He called the storm that
annihilates the land. The people mourn.
- He called disastrous winds.
The people
mourn.
- Enlil -- choosing Gibil as his
helper --
- called the (great)
hurricane of
heaven. The people mourn.
- The (blinding) hurricane
howling across the skies -- the people mourn --
- the tempest unsubduable like
breaks through levees,
- beats down upon, devours the
city's ships,
- (all these) he gathered at the
base of heaven. The
people mourn.
-
- (Great) fires he lit that
heralded the storm. The
people mourn.
- And lit on either flank of
furious winds the searing heat of the desert.
- Like flaming heat of noon this
fire scorched.
-
- The storm ordered by Enlil in
hate, the storm which wears away the country,
- covered Ur like a cloth,
veiled it like a linen sheet.
-
- On that day did the storm
leave the city; that city was a ruin.
- O father Nanna, that town was
left a ruin. The people
mourn.
- On that day did the storm
leave the country. The
people mourn.
- Its people('s corpses), not
potsherds,
- littered the
approaches.
- The walls were gaping;
- the high gates, the
roads,
- were piled with dead.
- In the wide streets,
where feasting
crowds (once) gathered,
jumbled they lay.
- In all the streets and
roadways bodies lay.
- In open fields that used to
fill with dancers,
- the people lay in
heaps.
-
- The country's blood now filled its holes, like metal in a
mold;
- bodies dissolved -- like
butter left in the sun.
-
- (Nannar,
god of the Moon and spouse of Ningal, appeals to his
father, Enlil)
-
- O my father who engendered me!
What has my city done to you? Why have you turned away
from it?
- O Enlil! What has my city done
to you? Why have you turned away from it?
- The ship of first fruits no
longer brings first fruits to the engendering
father,
- no longer goes in to Enlil in
Nippur with your bread and food portions!
- ......................................................
- O my father who engendered me!
Fold again into your arms my city from its
loneliness!
- O Enlil! Fold again my Ur into
your arms from its loneliness!
- Fold again my (temple)
Ekishnugal into your arms from its loneliness!
- Let renown emerge for you in
Ur! Let the people expand for you:
- let the ways of Sumer, which
have been destroyed,
- be restored for you!
-
- Enlil answered his son Suen
(saying):
- "The heart of the wasted city
is weeping,
reeds (for
flutes) of lament
grow therein,
- its heart is weeping,
reeds (for flutes) of lament grow
therein,
- its people spend the day in
weeping.
- O noble Nanna, be thou
(concerned) about yourself, what truck have you with
tears?
- There is no revoking a
verdict, a decree of the
assembly,
- a command of An and Enlil is
not known ever to have
been changed.
-
- Ur was verily granted a
kingship -- a lasting term it was not granted.
- From days of yore when the
country was first settled, to where it has now
proceeded,
- Who ever saw a term of office
completed?
- Its kingship, its term of
office, has been uprooted. It must worry.
- (You) my Nanna, do you not
worry! Leave your city!"
-
- Thorkild Jacobsen, The
Treasures of Darkness: A History of Mesopotamian
Religion.
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