Poem of Utu-hejal

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Enlil, the king of all the lands, entrusted Utu-hejal, the mighty man, the king of Unug, the king of the four quarters, the king whose orders cannot be countermanded, with wiping out the name of Gutium, the fanged (?) snake of the mountains, who acted with violence against the gods, who carried off the kingship of Sumer to foreign lands, who filled Sumer with wickedness, who took away spouses from the married and took away children from parents, who made wickedness and violence normal in the Land.

He went to his lady, Inana, and prayed to her: "My lady, lioness in the battle, who butts the foreign lands, Enlil has entrusted me with bringing back the kingship to Sumer. May you be my help!"

The enemy troops established themselves everywhere. Tirigan, the king of Gutium ...... the mouths of the channels (?). Nobody came out of his city to face him; he already occupied both part of the Tigris. In the south, in Sumer, he blocked the water from the fields, in the uplands he closed off the roads. Because of him the grass grew high on the highways of the land.

But the king, endowed with power by Enlil, chosen by Inana with her (1 ms. adds: holy) heart -- Utu-hejal, the mighty man, came out from Unug to face him and set up camp (?) at the temple of Ickur. He addressed a speech to the citizens of his city: " Enlil has given Gutium to me and my lady Inana will be my help! Dumuzid Ama-ucumgal-ana has declared "It is a matter for me!" and assigned Gilgamec, the son of Nin-sun to me as a constable!" The citizens of Unug and Kulaba rejoiced and followed him with one accord. He lined up his elite troops.

After departing from the temple of Ickur, on the fourth day he set up camp (?) in Najsu on the Surungal canal, and on the fifth day he set up camp (?) at the shrine at Ili-tapp He captured Ur- Nin-azu and Nabi- Enlil, generals of Tirigan sent as envoys to Sumer, and put them in handcuffs.

After departing from the shrine at Ili-tapp on the sixth day he set up camp (?) at Karkara. He went to Ickur and prayed to him: "O Ickur, Enlil has provided me with weapons, may you be my help!" In the middle of that night, ...... he departed (?) and above Adab he went to the rising (?) Utu and prayed to him: "O Utu, Enlil has given Gutium to me, may you be my help!" He laid a trap (?) there behind the Gutian. Utu-hejal, the mighty man, defeated their generals.

Then Tirigan the king of Gutium ran away alone on foot. He thought himself safe in Dabrum, where he fled to save his life; but since the people of Dabrum knew that Utu-hejal was a king endowed with power by Enlil, they did not let Tirigan go, and an envoy of Utu-hejal arrested Tirigan together with his wife and children in Dabrum. He put handcuffs and a blindfold on him. Before Utu, Utu-hejal made him lie at his feet and placed his foot on his neck. He made Gutium, the fanged (?) snake of the mountains drink again from the crevices (?), he ......, he ...... and he ...... boat.

He brought back the kingship of Sumer.

A praise poem of Shulgi

From: Ancient Near East (Babylonia) Glossary and Texts

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Shulgi, the son of Ur-Nammu, military commander, temple builder, patron of Instrumental Music in worship and Song praising himself.

Shulgi, too, called himself king of the four quarters of the earth. Although he resided in Ur, another important centre was in Nippur, whence--according to the prevailing ideology-- Enlil, the chief god in the Sumerian state pantheon, had bestowed on Shulgi the royal dignity. Shulgi and his successors enjoyed divine honours, as Naram-Sin of Akkad had before them; by now, however, the process of deification had taken on clearer outlines in that sacrifices were offered and chapels built to the king and his throne, while the royal determinative turned up in personal names. Along with an Utu-hegal ("The Sun God Is Exuberance") there appears a Shulgi-hegal ("Shulgi Is Exuberance")

2060 B.C., king of the ancient city of Ur, sometimes called Zur-Nammu or Ur-Engur. He founded a new Sumerian dynasty, the third dynasty of Ur, that lasted a century. Ur-Nammu was the promulgator of the oldest code of law yet known, older by about three centuries than the code of Hammurabi. It consists of a prologue and seven laws; the prologue describes Ur-Nammu as a divinely appointed king who established justice throughout the land. This code is of great importance to the study of biblical law, which it predates by about five centuries. The two most famous monuments of Ur-Nammu's reign are the great ziggurat (temple) at Ur and his stele, of which fragments remain.

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To make his name famous for all time until distant days, and to transmit to posterity and the days to come the praise poems of his power, the songs of his might, and the lasting fame of his exceptional intelligence, King Culgi, king of Urim, has brought the songs' latent wisdom before the mighty son of Ninsumun.

He praises his own power in song, and lauds his own superior native intelligence: I am a king, offspring begotten by a king and borne by a queen. I, Culgi the noble, have been blessed with a favourable destiny right from the womb. When I was small, I was at the academy, where I learned the scribal art from the tablets of Sumer and Akkad. None of the nobles could write on clay as I could. There where people regularly went for tutelage in the scribal art, I qualified fully in subtraction, addition, reckoning and accounting. The fair Nanibgal, Nisaba, provided me amply with knowledge and comprehension. I am an experienced scribe who does not neglect a thing.

When I sprang up, muscular as a young lion, galloping like a spirited ass at full gallop, the favour of An brought me joy; to my delight Enlil spoke favourably about me, and they gave me the sceptre because of my righteousness. I place my foot on the neck of the foreign lands; the fame of my weapons is established as far as the south, and my victory is established in the highlands. When I set off for battle and strife to a place that Enlil has commanded me, I go ahead of the main body of my troops and I clear the terrain for my scouts. I have a positive passion for weapons. Not only do I carry lance and spear, I also know how to handle slingstones with a sling. The clay bullets, the treacherous pellets that I shoot, fly around like a violent rainstorm. In my rage I do not let them miss.

I sow fear and confusion in the foreign land. I look to my brother and friend, youthful Utu, as a source of divine encouragement. I, Culgi, converse with him whenever he rises over there; he is the god who keeps a good eye on my battles. The youth Utu, beloved in the mountains, is the protective deity of my weapons; by his words I am strengthened and made pugnacious (?). In those battles, where weapon clashes on weapon, Utu shines on me. Thus I broke the weapons of the highlands over my knees, and in the south placed a yoke on the neck of Elam. I make the populations of the rebel lands -- how could they still resist my weapons? -- scatter like seed-grain over Sumer and Akkad.

Let me boast of what I have done. The fame of my power is spread far and wide. My wisdom is full of subtlety. Do not my achievements surpass all qualifications?

I stride forward in majesty, trampling endlessly through the esparto grass and thickets, capturing elephant after elephant, creatures of the plain; and I put an end to the heroic roaring in the plains of the savage lion, dragon of the plains, wherever it approaches from and wherever it is going. I do not go after them with a net, nor do I lie in wait for them in a hide; it comes to a confrontation of strength and weapons. I do not hurl a weapon; when I plunge a bitter-pointed lance in their throats, I do not flinch at their roar. I am not one to retreat to my hiding-place but, as when one warrior kills another warrior, I do everything swiftly on the open plain. In the desert where the paths play out, I reduce the roar at the lair to silence. In the sheepfold and the cattle-pen, where heads are laid to rest (?), I put the shepherd tribesmen at ease. Let no one ever at any time say about me, "Could he really subdue them all on his own?" The number of lions that I have dispatched with my weapons is limitless; their total is unknown.

Let me boast of what I have done. The fame of my power is spread far and wide. My wisdom is full of subtlety. Do not my achievements surpass all qualifications?

I am Culgi, god of manliness, the foremost of the troops. When I stretch the bowstring on the bow, when I fit a perfect arrow to it, I shoot the bow's arrow with the full strength of my arms. The great wild bull, the bull of heaven, the wild cow and the bison bellow. As they pass across the foothills of the mountains, I shoot barbed arrows at them with my powerful strength.

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As they collapse (?) on the plain, I topple them like old towers. I make their heads plunge to the ground like crushing pestles. For the wild asses I set no snares, dig no pits, shoot no arrows against them. But I race after them as against my own rivals; I do not try to surround them to kill their young, as people kill slim ass foals.

When a burly wild boar (?) is running across the plain, I pierce its lungs with an arrow. With only one shot of mine I bring it to the ground; no single clansman from my regiments can surpass me in archery. I am a man with sharp eyes. When I lead the ...... of the crack troops, I know best of all how to cast the throwstick, running as quick as light radiating from heaven. What I hit no longer rises from its place.

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I can throw an ellag (a weapon) as high in the air as if it is a rag. I can bring down quadrupeds lightning-quick with the sling. I, Culgi, can catch a goat with a quick pace; nothing checks my power. ...... has been given to me. Wherever I direct my steps, I always achieve something; when I return from the desert, I always bring something more for her -- for Ninsumun, my own mother, I am her son of five things, of ten things (= of everything) .

Let me boast of what I have done. The fame of my power is spread far and wide. My wisdom is full of subtlety. Do not my achievements surpass all qualifications?, the king, am the Land's most excellent fighter against the enemy. I, Culgi, am respected for my immense bodily strength. I am mighty; nothing resists me; I know no setbacks. My barges on the river do not sink (?) under me (alludes to a Evidencerb (?)) ; my teams of asses do not collapse under me. Striding forward like my brother and friend, the youth Utu, as if with the legs of a lion, I am the good groom of my dust-making asses that bray like lions roaring. Like that of a stallion, my strength is unwavering during the running-race; I come first in the race, and my knees do not get tired. I am fearless; I dance with joy. My words shall never be forgotten.

Praise for me because of my reliable judgments is on everyone's lips.

I am a ritually pure interpreter of omens. I am the very Nintud (creator deity) of the collections of omens.

These words of the gods are of pre-eminent value for the exact performance of hand-washing and purification rites, for eulogy of the en priestess or for her enthronement in the jipar, for the choosing of the lumah and nindijir priests by sacred extispicy, for attacking the south or for defeating the uplands, for the opening of the emblem house, for the washing of lances in the "water of battle" (blood) , for the taking of subtle decisions about the rebel lands.

After I have determined a sound omen through extispicy from a white lamb and a sheep, water and flour are libated at the place of invocation. Then, as I prepare the sheep with words of prayer, my diviner watches in amazement like an idiot. The prepared sheep is placed at my disposal, and I never confuse a favourable sign with an unfavourable one. I myself have a clear intuition, and I judge by my own eyes.

In the insides of just one sheep I, the king, can find the indications for everything and everywhere.

Let me boast of what I have done. The fame of my power is spread far and wide. My wisdom is full of subtlety. Do not my achievements surpass all qualifications?

I, Culgi, king of Urim, have also devoted myself to the art of music. Nothing is too complicated for me; I know the full extent of the tigi and the adab, the perfection of the art of music. When I fix the frets on the lute, which enraptures my heart, I never damage its neck; I have devised rules for raising and lowering its intervals.

On the gu-uc lyre I know the melodious tuning.

I am familiar with the sa-ec and with drumming on its musical soundbox.

I can take in my hands the miritum, which ....... I know the finger technique of the aljar and sabitum, royal creations.

In the same way I can produce sounds from the urzababitum, the harhar, the zanaru, the ur-gula and the dim-lu-magura.

Even if they bring to me, as one might to a skilled musician, a musical instrument that I have not played previously, when I strike it up I make its true sound known; I am able to handle it just like something that has been in my hands before. Tuning, stringing, unstringing and fastening are not beyond my skills.

I do not make the reed pipe sound like a rustic pipe, and on my own initiative I can wail a sumunca or make a lament as well as anyone who does it regularly.

I bestow joy and gladness, and I pass my days in pomp and splendour. But people should consider for themselves -- it is a matter to keep in one's sights -- that at the inescapable end of life, no one will be spared the bitter gall of the land of oppression.

But I am one who is powerful enough to trust in his own power.

He who trusts in his own exalted name may carry out great things. Why should he do less? Since it was for my true mother Ninsumun that my mother together with her actually bore me to bestow joy and gladness, lovingly she cherished my unborn fruit. She did not endure scandal from anyone's mouth. Before she released her little one, this lady passed her time in my palace in the greatest joy.

Before Utu son of Ningal, I, Culgi, declare that in my long life in which I have achieved great things since the day that my kingly destiny was determined, in my life in which everything was richly provided in contentment, I have never lacked anything.

Until the distant future may this song bless the name of me, the king, with a life of long days.

As I am musical, as I am eloquent, I am a heavenly star of steadfastness. It is an awe-inspiring brow that establishes palaces, just as a peg and a measuring cord are the builders of cities.

With the awesomeness that radiates from my forehead, which I make the foreign lands wear like a nose-rope, and the fear-inspiring lustre, my personal weapon, which I impose on the Land like a neck-stock, I am able to root out and undo crime. I have the ability to reconcile great matters with one word.

When I ...... like a torrent with the roar of a great storm, in the capture of a citadel in Elam ......, I can understand what their spokesman answers. By origin I am a son of Sumer; I am a warrior, a warrior of Sumer. Thirdly, I can conduct a conversation with a man from the black mountains. Fourthly, I can do service as a translator with an Amorite, a man of the mountains ....... I myself can correct his confused words in his own language. Fifthly, when a man of Subir yells ......, I can even distinguish the words in his language, although I am not a fellow-citizen of his. When I provide justice in the legal cases of Sumer, I give answers in all five languages. In my palace no one in conversation switches to another language as quickly as I do.

When I pronounce a completed verdict, it is heartily welcomed, since I am wise and exalted in kingship. So that my consultative assemblies, sitting together to care for the people, inspire respect in their hearts when the chief herald sounds the horn, they should deliberate and debate; and so that the council should decide policy properly, I have taught my governors to deliberate and to debate. While the words at their dining tables flow like a river, I tackle crime, so that the foundations are securely established for my wide dominions. I vanquish a city with words as weapons, and my wisdom keeps it subjected just as violence with burning torches would. I have taught them the meaning of the words "I have no mother". My words can be words smooth as the finest quality oil; I know how to cool hearts which are hot as fire, and I know how to extinguish a mouth set on fire like a reed-bed. I weigh my words against those of the braggart. I am a man of the very highest standards of value. The importance of the humble is of particular value to me, and they cannot be counter-productive to any of my activities. By command of An and by command of Enlil, prayers are said for the life of the Land and for the life of the foreign lands, and I neither neglect them nor allow them to be interrupted.

I also know how to serve the gods, and I can cool the hearts of the Anuna gods. I am Culgi, whose thick neck becomes fat (?) in majesty. Grand achievements that I have accomplished which bring joy to my heart I do not cast negligently aside; therefore I give pride of place to progress. I give no orders concerning the development of waste ground, but devote my energies to extensive building plots. I have planted trees in fields and in agricultural land; I devote my powers to dams, ......, ditches and canals. I try to ensure a surplus of oil and wool. Thanks to my efforts flax and barley are of the highest quality. The thirst and hunger of the gods are a cause of the greatest anxiety to me; I, Culgi, am the life of Sumer.

I have no equal among even the most distant rulers, and I can also state that my deeds are great deeds. Everything is achievable by me, the king. Since the time when Enlil gave me the direction of his numerous people in view of my wisdom, my extraordinary power and my justice, in view of my resolute and unforgettable words, and in view of my expertise, comparable to that of Ictaran, in verdicts, my heart has never committed violence against even one other king, be he an Akkadian or a son of Sumer, or even a brute from Gutium.

I am no fool as regards the knowledge acquired since the time that mankind was, from heaven above, set on its path: when I have discovered tigi and zamzam hymns from past days, old ones from ancient times, I have never declared them to be false, and have never contradicted their contents. I have conserved these antiquities, never abandoning them to oblivion. Wherever the tigi and the zamzam sounded, I have recovered all that knowledge, and I have had those cir-gida songs brilliantly performed in my own good house. So that they should never fall into disuse, I have added them to the singers' repertoire, and thereby I have set the heart of the Land on fire and aflame.

Whatever is acquired is destined to be lost. What mortal has ever reached the heavens? At some time in the distant future, a man of Enlil may arise, and if he is a just king, like myself, then let my odes, prayers and learned songs about my heroic courage and expeditions follow that king in his good palace. He should take to heart the benefit that has been conferred on him; he should exalt the power of my odes, absorb the exuberance of my songs, and value highly my great wisdom. Just as a strong person can consider on an equal basis even those things which he has not brought about by his own efforts, let him applaud and welcome my achievements. Let him call upon my good name.

But if his heart devises treason against me, and he commits violence against anything of mine, may Nanna then adjudicate against this rebel, and let Utu the torch catch him. Wherever that king's path may lead, his word shall be wiped out. Until he has completed the days of his life, he shall do everything in his power to keep the hymns in their proper form. Through becoming familiar thereby with me, the king, he will speak of me in awed amazement. Because of my extraordinary wisdom and my ancient fame as a master, he should choose my hymns as examples, and himself beget heavenly writings.

In the south, in Urim, I caused a House of the Wisdom of Nisaba to spring up in sacrosanct ground for the writing of my hymns; up country in Nibru I established another. May the scribe be on duty there and transcribe with his hand the prayers which I instituted in the E-kur; and may the singer perform, reciting from the text.

The academies are never to be altered; the places of learning shall never cease to exist. This and this only is now my accumulated knowledge!

The collected words of all the hymns that are in my honour supersede all other formulations. By An, Enlil, Utu and Inana, it is no lie -- it is true!

Furthermore no one will assert under oath that to this day there is any mention in my inscriptions of a single city that I have not devastated, or wall that I have not demolished, or land that I have not made tremble like a reed hut, or praise that I have not completely verified. Why should a singer put them in hymns? An eminent example deserves eternal fame. What is the use of writing lies without truth?

For me, the king, the singer has recorded my exploits in songs about the strength of the protective deity of my power; my songs are unforgettable, and my words shall not fall into oblivion.

I am the best king of the Land. From the very first origins until the full flourishing of mankind, there will never be any king who can measure himself against my achievements whom An will let wear his crown or wield his sceptre from a royal throne.

I am gifted with power, insight and wisdom. The high point of my great deeds is the culling of lions before the lance as if they were garden weeds, the snapping of fierce felines like reeds as if under the carding-comb, and the crushing (?) of their throats under the axe as if they were dogs. Great powerful wild cows, indomitable bulls, cattle on their way to their mountain pastures, which were killed in the plain, were ...... the mountains. That the hills were impenetrable and inaccessible ...... -- those are pure lies. Where, in important words on tablets, my wisdom and my power

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He who knows, and does not ...... the truth about me as lies, will applaud and praise me.

I am a warrior whose might is enormous might. I am Culgi, whose shadow lies over the mountain lands. I am the king, the weapon and the downfall of rebel lands. Thus I have spread far and wide my everlasting renown.

Now, I swear by Utu on this very day -- and my younger brothers shall be witnesses of it in foreign lands where the sons of Sumer are not known, where people do not have the use of paved (?) roads, where they have no access to the written word --

that the firstborn son is a fashioner of words, a composer of songs, a composer of words, and that they will recite my songs as heavenly writings, and that they will bow down before my words as a ......

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For that house, I am the right man to step over the threshold. I am the man whose name has been chosen by Nanna. I am the steward of Enlil's temple, the domestic slave of An. I am Culgi, and my house E-hursaj is the palace of palaces. My royal residence is above all praise; I made it tower up like a lapis-lazuli mountain. Inana, the queen of the gods, the protective deity of my power, has perfected the songs of my might -- the foremost among kings -- in respect of everything in the whole world. It is good to praise me. Praise be to Nisaba.

Pabilsaj's journey to Nibru

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SEGMENT A

The wild bull with brindled thighs, whose house is noble! My king, the wild bull with brindled thighs, whose house is noble! Pabilsaj, the wild bull with brindled thighs, whose house is noble! His house, the house of Larag, is noble, his house is noble! His city, a mighty city, is abundant, and his house is noble! The warrior's house is the house of Larag; Lord Pabilsaj's city is a mighty city ....... His birthplace was the shrine Nibru ....... The place where he drank good milk was the house ....... From the place, the pure place, ....... Isin, the unique house ....... The place which the bull embraces ....... Like a scorpion rising up from among the thorns, he is a fearsome scorpion; like a wolf rising up from his lair, he is likely to growl; like a lion rising up in the pathway, he is likely to beat .......

At that time, he wished to dig (?) in the meadows; the lord wished to dig (?) in the meadows. The lord Pabilsaj wished to dig (?) in the meadows; in the meadows, the meadows of Isin, my king wished to dig (?). So then my king set off for Nibru.

And as the warrior Pabilsaj set off in Enlil's direction, as he he set off, now he turned (?) in front of that house in Isin. And then my lady in Isin came out ....... At the spacious house, the house of Isin, she ...... her hair, then she ...... the hair in curls (?) ....... Its (her?) face....... She addressed Pabilsaj joyfully: "Good-looking ...... the house of Isin! Warrior Pabilsaj ...... borne to Nintud! You who are travelling from (?) Larag to ...... that house in Isin, say to your father, "May she be my spouse!" Say further to Enlil, "...... with me!" Fix your sights on it, fix your sights on it, and may you be its lord! The house of Isin ....... May you, Pabilsaj, be its lord, and may I be its lady!"

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SEGMENT B

It is possible, but less likely, that Segment B belongs after Segment D

( Enlil speaks:) "...... and may its flax be flax! ...... and may its grain be grain! ...... may its ...... be good for eating."

And now, under that very sun and on that day, so it really happened. ...... waved their tails in the Kir-sig watercourse, waved ....... ...... established the house ....... ...... the most righteous ....... ...... the good bull-calf, the ruler ....... ...... established the house ....... ...... its flax was flax. ...... its grain was grain. ...... its ...... was good for eating.

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SEGMENT C

Nininsina ....... In the Kir-sig watercourse ...... their tails ...... Isin ....... Joyfully his son married a wife ......; joyfully lord Pabilsaj married Nininsina ....... She ...... him the digging implement for the Kir-sig watercourse. ...... their tails ...... Isin ...... for him.

Enlil stood beside the river and spoke to it. He stood beside the Kir-sig watercourse and ......: "River, may ...... your outlet be ...... for him. May you establish ...... the house here. ...... the most righteous ......, ...... great wild bull ......."

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SEGMENT D

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But Pabilsaj would not eat (?) the bull in his mouth; nor would ...... Pabilsaj eat (?) the sheep in his mouth. He did not rub the ...... pot ....... "Don't go ...... to ......." They raised the ...... lament, and put ....... They raised lord Pabilsaj, and put ....... They set him down (?) in the city of his sister. His sister came out to him from the house.

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But Pabilsaj would not eat (?) the bull in his mouth; nor would ...... Pabilsaj eat (?) the sheep in his mouth. He did not rub the ...... pot ....... "Don't go ......!"

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Three ox-drivers from Adab

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There were three friends, citizens of Adab, who fell into a dispute with each other, and sought justice. They deliberated the matter with many words, and went before the king.

"Our king! We are ox-drivers. The ox belongs to one man, the cow belongs to one man, and the waggon belongs to one man. We became thirsty and had no water. We said to the owner of the ox, "If you were to fetch some water, then we could drink!". And he said, "What if my ox is devoured by a lion? I will not leave my ox!". We said to the owner of the cow, "If you were to fetch some water, then we could drink!". And he said, "What if my cow went off into the desert? I will not leave my cow!". We said to the owner of the waggon, "If you were to fetch some water, then we could drink!". And he said, "What if the load were removed from my waggon? I will not leave my waggon!". "Come on, let's all go! Come on, and let's return together!" "

"First the ox, although tied with a leash (?), mounted the cow, and then she dropped her young, and the calf started to chew up (?) the waggon's load. Who does this calf belong to? Who can take the calf?"

The king did not give them an answer, but went to visit a cloistered lady. The king sought advice from the cloistered lady:

"Three young men came before me and said: 'Our king, we are ox-drivers. The ox belongs to one man, the cow belongs to one man, and the waggon belongs to one man. We became thirsty and had no water. We said to the owner of the ox, "If you were to draw some water, then we could drink!". And he said, "What if my ox is devoured by a lion? I will not leave my ox!". We said to the owner of the cow, "If you were to draw some water, then we could drink!". And he said, "What if my cow went off into the desert? I will not leave my cow!". We said to the owner of the waggon, "If you were to draw some water, then we could drink!". And he said, "What if the load were removed from my waggon? I will not leave my waggon!" he said. "Come on, let's all go! Come on, and let's return together!" ' "

" 'First the ox, although tied with a leash (?), mounted the cow, and then she dropped her young, and the calf started to chew up (?) the waggon's load. Who does this calf belong to? Who can take the calf?" '

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(The cloistered lady continues her reply to the king:) "Well now, the owner of the ox, ...... his field ....... After his ox has been eaten by a lion ......, his field ......."
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"The hero....... Like a mountaineer ....... A dog ...... the ox ....... A strong man (?) ...... in his field......."

"Well now, the owner of the cow ...... his wife. After his cow has gone off into the desert ......, his wife will walk the streets ....... After the cow has dropped its young ......, the hero, walking in the rain (?)....... His wife ...... herself. The ox's food ration which he has turned to his ......, ...... hunger. His wife dwells with him in his house, his desired one ...... "

"Well now, the owner of the waggon, after he has abandoned his ......, and the load has been removed from his waggon, and ...... from his waggon, and after he has brought his ...... into his house, ...... will be made to leave his house. His calf that began to chew up (?) the waggon's load will be ...... in his house. When he has approached (?) ...... the open-armed (?) hero, the king, having learnt about his case, will make his ...... leave his dwelling (1 ms. has instead: location). ...... the ox, ...... has partaken of my (?) wisdom, shall not oppose (?) it. His load, ......, will not return (?)."

When the king came out from the cloistered lady's presence, each (?) man's heart was dissatisfied. The man who hated his wife left his wife. The man ...... his ...... abandoned his ....... With elaborate words, with elaborate words, the case of the citizens of Adab was settled. Pa-nijin-jara, their sage, the scholar, the god of Adab, was the scribe.

The exploits of Ninurta

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(1 ms. adds before line 1: An, king of the gods, majestic one:) O King, storm of majestic splendour, peerless Ninurta, possessing superior strength; who pillages the Mountains all alone; deluge, indefatigable serpent hurling yourself at the rebel land, Hero striding formidably into battle; Lord whose powerful arm is fit to bear the mace, reaping like barley the necks of the insubordinate; Ninurta, King, son in whose strength his father rejoices; Hero whose awesomeness covers the Mountains like a south storm; Ninurta, who makes the good tiara, the rainbow (?), flash like lightning; grandly begotten by him who wears the princely beard; dragon who turns on himself, strength of a lion snarling at a snake, roaring hurricane; Ninurta, King, whom Enlil has exalted above himself; Hero, great battle-net flung over the foe; Ninurta, with the awesomeness of your shadow extending over the Land; releasing fury on the rebel lands, overwhelming their assemblies! Ninurta, King, son who has forced homage to his father far and wide! (King and Hero are titles of Ninurta)

Inspiring great numinous power, he had taken his place on the throne, the august dais, and was sitting gladly at his ease at the festival celebrated in his honour, rivalling An and Enlil in drinking his fill, while Bau was pleading petitions in a prayer for the king, and he, Ninurta, Enlil's son, was handing down decisions. At that moment the Lord's battle-mace looked towards the Mountains, the Car-ur cried out aloud to its master:

"Lord of lofty station, foremost one, who presides over all lords from the throne dais, Ninurta, whose orders are unalterable, whose decisions are faithfully executed; my master! Heaven copulated with the verdant Earth, Ninurta: she has born him a warrior who knows no fear -- the Asag, a child who sucked the power of milk without ever staying with a wet-nurse, a foster-child, O my master -- knowing no father, a murderer from the Mountains, a youth who has come forth from ......, whose face knows no shame; impudent of eye, an arrogant male, Ninurta (1 ms. has instead: Ninjirsu), rejoicing in his stature. My Hero, you who are like a bull, I will take my stand beside you. My master, who turns sympathetically towards his own city, who is effective in carrying out his mother's wishes: it has sired offspring in the Mountains, and spread its seeds far and wide. The plants have unanimously named it king over them; like a great wild bull, it tosses its horns amongst them. The cu, the sajkal, the esi (diorite), the usium, the kagina (haematite), and the heroic nu stones, its warriors, constantly come raiding the cities. For them a shark's tooth has grown up in the Mountains; it has stripped the trees. Before its might the gods of those cities bow towards it. My master, this same creature has erected a throne dais: it is not lying idle. Ninurta, Lord, it actually decides the Land's lawsuits, just as you do. Who can compass the Asag's dread glory? Who can counteract the severity of its frown? People are terrified, fear makes the flesh creep; their eyes are fixed upon it. My master, the Mountains have taken their offerings to it."

"Hero! They have appealed to you, because of your father; son of Enlil, Lord, because of your superior strength they are looking to you here; since you are strong, my master, they are calling for your help, saying, Ninurta, that not a single warrior counts except for you! They wanted to advise you about ....... Hero, there have been consultations with a view to taking away your kingship. Ninurta, it is confident that it can lay hands on the powers received by you in the abzu. Its face is deformed, its location is continually changing; day by day, the Asag adds territories to its domain."

"But you will force it into the shackles of the gods. You, Antelope of Heaven, must trample the Mountains beneath your hooves, Ninurta, Lord, son of Enlil. Who has so far been able to resist its assault? The besetting Asag is beyond all control, its weight is too heavy. Rumours of its armies constantly arrive, before ever its soldiers are seen. This thing's strength is massive, no weapon has been able to overturn it. Ninurta, neither the axe nor the all-powerful spear can penetrate its flesh, no warrior like it has ever been created against you. Lord, you who reach out towards the august divine powers, splendour, jewel of the gods, you bull with the features of a wild bull, with a prominent backbone, ...... this fellow is clever! My Ninurta, whose form Enki contemplates with favour, my Uta-ulu, Lord, son of Enlil, what is to be done?

The Lord cried "Alas!" so that Heaven trembled, and Earth huddled at his feet and was terrified (?) at his strength. Enlil became confused and went out of the E-kur. The Mountains were devastated. That day the earth became dark, the Anuna trembled. The Hero beat his thighs with his fists. The gods dispersed; the Anuna disappeared over the horizon like sheep. The Lord arose, touching the sky; Ninurta went to battle, with one step (?) he covered a league, he was an alarming storm, and rode on the eight winds towards the rebel lands. His arms grasped the lance. The mace snarled at the Mountains, the club began to devour all the enemy. He fitted the evil wind and the sirocco on a pole (?), he placed the quiver on its hook (?). An enormous hurricane, irresistible, went before the Hero, stirred up the dust, caused the dust to settle, levelled high and low, filled the holes. It caused a rain of coals and flaming fires; the fire consumed men. It overturned tall trees by their trunks, reducing the forests to heaps, Earth put her hands on her heart and cried harrowingly; the Tigris was muddied, disturbed, cloudy, stirred up. He hurried to battle on the boat Ma-kar-nunta-eda; the people there did not know where to turn, they bumped into (?) the walls. The birds there tried to lift their heads to fly away, but their wings trailed on the ground. The storm flooded out the fish there in the subterranean waters, their mouths snapped at the air. It reduced the animals of the open country to firewood, roasting them like locusts. It was a deluge rising and disastrously ruining the Mountains.

The Hero Ninurta led the march through the rebel lands. He killed their messengers in the Mountains, he crushed (?) their cities, he smote their cowherds over the head like fluttering butterflies, he tied together their hands with hirin grass, so that they dashed their heads against walls. The lights of the Mountains did not gleam in the distance any longer. People gasped for breath (?); those people were ill, they hugged themselves, they cursed the Earth, they considered the day of the Asag's birth a day of disaster. The Lord caused bilious poison to run over the rebel lands. As he went the gall followed, anger filled his heart, and he rose like a river in spate and engulfed all the enemies. In his heart he beamed at his lion-headed weapon, as it flew up like a bird, trampling the Mountains for him. It raised itself on its wings to take away prisoner the disobedient, it spun around the horizon of heaven to find out what was happening. Someone from afar came to meet it, brought news for the tireless one, the one who never rests, whose wings bear the deluge, the Car-ur. What did it gather there ...... for Lord Ninurta? It reported the deliberations of the Mountains, it explained their intentions to Lord Ninurta, it outlined (?) what people were saying about the Asag.

"Hero, beware!" it said concernedly. The weapon embraced him whom it loved, the Car-ur addressed Lord Ninurta: "Hero, pitfall (?), net of battle, Ninurta, King, celestial mace ...... irresistible against the enemy, vigorous one, tempest which rages against the rebel lands, wave which submerges the harvest, King, you have looked on battles, you have ...... in the thick of them. Ninurta, after gathering the enemy in a battle-net, after erecting a great reed-altar, Lord, heavenly serpent, purify your pickaxe and your mace! Ninurta, I will enumerate the names of the warriors you have already slain: the Kuli-ana, the Dragon, Gypsum, the Strong Copper, the hero Six-headed Wild Ram, the Magilum boat, Lord Saman-ana, the Bison bull, the Palm-tree King, the Anzud bird, the Seven-headed Snake -- Ninurta, you slew them in the Mountains."

"But Lord, do not venture again to a battle as terrible as that. Do not lift your arm to the smiting of weapons, to the festival of the young men, to Inana's dance! Lord, do not go to such a great battle as this! Do not hurry; fix your feet on the ground. Ninurta, the Asag is waiting for you in the Mountains. Hero who is so handsome in his crown, firstborn son whom Ninlil has decorated with numberless charms, good Lord, whom a princess bore to an en priest, Hero who wears horns like the moon, who is long life for the king of the Land, who opens the sky by great sublime strength, inundation who engulfs the banks ......, Ninurta, Lord, full of fearsomeness, who will hurry towards the Mountains, proud Hero without fellow, this time you will not equal the Asag! Ninurta, do not make your young men enter the Mountains."

The Hero, the son, pride of his father, the very wise, rising from profound deliberation, Ninurta, the Lord, the son of Enlil, gifted with broad wisdom, the ...... god, the Lord stretched his leg to mount the onager, and joined the battalions ....... He spread over the Mountains his great long ......, he caused ...... to go out among its people like the ....... He reached ....... He went into the rebel lands in the vanguard of the battle. He gave orders to his lance, and attached it ...... by its cord; the Lord commanded his mace, and it went to its belt. The Hero hastened to the battle, he ...... heaven and earth. He prepared the throw-stick and the shield, the Mountains were smitten and cringed beside the battle legions of Ninurta. When the hero was girding on his mace, the sun did not wait, the moon went in; they were forgotten, as he marched towards the Mountains; the day became like pitch.

The Asag leapt up at the head of the battle. For a club it uprooted the sky, took it in its hand; like a snake it slid its head along the ground. It was a mad dog attacking to kill the helpless, dripping with sweat on its flanks. Like a wall collapsing, the Asag fell on Ninurta the son of Enlil. Like an accursed storm, it howled in a raucous voice; like a gigantic snake, it roared at the Land. It dried up the waters of the Mountains, dragged away the tamarisks, tore the flesh of the Earth and covered her with painful wounds. It set fire to the reed-beds, bathed the sky in blood, turned it inside out; it dispersed the people there. At that moment, on that day, the fields became black potash, across the whole extent of the horizon, reddish like purple dye -- truly it was so! An was overwhelmed, crouched, wrung his hands against his stomach; Enlil groaned and hid himself in a corner, the Anuna flattened themselves against walls, the house was full of fearful sighing as of pigeons. The Great Mountain Enlil cried to Ninlil:

"My wife, my son is no longer here; what is there to support me? The Lord, the authority of the E-kur, the King who imposes the strong shackle for his father, a cedar rooted in the abzu, a crown with broad shade, my son, my security -- he is not here any more: who will take me by the hand?"

The weapon which loved the Lord, obedient to its master, the Car-ur ...... for Lord Ninurta to his father in Nibru ....... The awesome splendour enveloped Ninurta like a garment, ....... ...... bound him: therefore the Lord ....... The weapon ...... spoke to Enlil.

"...... Ninurta, having confidence in himself; ...... he will be standing; the waters will be dried up as if by the sun's heat; ...... he will breathe again, he will be standing full of joy. I shall cause horrid storms to rise against ...... of the Hero Ninurta ....... ...... as for him who resisted (?) the Mountains, he has been amazed by his strength. Now I shall give my orders, you are to follow these instructions:

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...... in the fields, let him not diminish the population. ...... let him not cause a lack of posterity. Let him not cause to perish the name of all the kinds of species whose destinies I, Enlil, have decreed."

The weapon, its heart ......, was reassured: it slapped its thighs, the Car-ur began to run, it entered the rebel lands, joyfully it reported the message to Lord Ninurta:

"My master, ...... for you, Enlil has said: "As the Deluge i.e. Ninurta, before whom the venom has piled up, attacks the enemy, let him take the Asag by the shoulder, let him pierce its liver, let my son enter with it into the E-kur. Then, Ninurta, to the limits of the earth my people will deservedly praise your power." You, Lord who trusts in the word of his father, do not tarry, great strength of Enlil. Storm of the rebel lands, who grinds the Mountains like flour, Ninurta, Enlil's seal-bearer, go to it! Do not tarry. My master: the Asag has constructed a wall of stakes on an earthen rampart; the fortress is too high and cannot be reached, ...... its fierceness does not diminish.

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My master, ......." Ninurta opened his mouth to speak to the mace ....... He aimed the lance at the Mountains ....... The Lord stretched out an arm towards the clouds. Day became a dark night. He yelled like a storm, .......

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The Lord ...... clouds of dust. In his battle he smote the Mountains with a cudgel. The Car-ur made the storm-wind rise to heaven, scattering the people; like ...... it tore. Its venom alone destroyed the townspeople. The destructive mace set fire to the Mountains, the murderous weapon smashed skulls with its painful teeth, the club which tears out entrails gnashed its teeth. The lance was stuck into the ground and the crevasses filled with blood. In the rebel lands dogs licked it up like milk. The enemy rose up, crying to wife and child, "You did not lift your arms in prayer to Lord Ninurta". The weapon covered the Mountains with dust, but did not shake the heart of the Asag. The Car-ur threw its arms around the neck of the Lord:

"Hero, ah, what further awaits you? Do not on any account meddle with the hurricane of the Mountains. Ninurta, Lord, son of Enlil, I tell you again, it is made like a storm. It is a blister whose smell is foul, like mucus which comes from the nose it is unpleasant, Lord, its words are devious, it will not obey you. My master, it has been created against you as a god; who can help you? Hero, it falls on the land as a whirlwind, it scrubs it as if with saltwort, Ninurta, it chases the onagers before it in the Mountains. Its terrifying splendour sends the dust into clouds, it causes a downpour of potsherds. In the rebel lands it is a lion striking with savage teeth; no man can catch it. After reducing everything to nothing in the north wind, it ....... The sheepfolds have been closed by ghostly demons. It has dried up the waters in the ground. In the whirlwind storm, the people are finished, they have no solution (?). From an implacable enemy, great Hero, Lord, turn away," he said quietly.

But the Lord howled at the Mountains, could not withhold a roar. The Hero did not address the rebel lands, he ....... He reversed the evil that it had done ....... He smashed the heads of all the enemies, he made the Mountains weep. The Lord ranged about in all directions, like a soldier saying "I will go on the rampage". Like a bird of prey the Asag looked up angrily from the Mountains. He commanded the rebel lands to be silent and ....... Ninurta approached the enemy and flattened him like a wave (?). The Asag's terrifying splendour was contained, it began to fade, it began to fade. It looked wonderingly upwards. Like water he agitated it, he scattered it into the Mountains, like weeds he pulled it up, like rushes he ripped it up. Ninurta's splendour covered the Land, he pounded the Asag like roasted barley, he ...... its genitals (?), he piled it up like a heap of broken bricks, he heaped it up like flour, as a potter does with coals; he piled it up like stamped earth whose mud is being stirred. The Hero had achieved his heart's desire. Ninurta, the Lord, the son of Enlil, ...... began to calm down.

In the Mountains, the day came to an end. The sun bade it farewell. The Lord ...... his belt and mace in water, he washed the blood from his clothes, the Hero wiped his brow, he made a victory-chant over the dead body. When he had brought the Asag which he had slain to the condition of a ship wrecked by a tidal wave, the gods of the Land came to him. Like exhausted wild asses they prostrated themselves before him, and for this Lord, because of his proud conduct, for Ninurta, the son of Enlil, they clapped their hands in greeting. The Car-ur addressed these flattering words aloud to its master (1 ms. has instead: to Lord Ninurta):

"Lord, great mec tree in a watered field, Hero, who is like you? My master, beside you there is no one else, nor can anyone stand like you, nor is anyone born like you. Ninurta, from today no one in the Mountains will rise against you. My master, if you give but one roar, ...... how they will praise you!

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Lord Ninurta ......."

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After he had pulled up the Asag like a weed in the rebel lands, torn it up like a rush, Lord Ninurta ...... his club:

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"From today forward, do not say Asag: its name shall be Stone. Its name shall be zalag stone, its name shall be Stone. This, its entrails, shall be the underworld. Its valour shall belong to the Lord."

The blessing of the club, laid to rest in a corner: "The mighty battle which reduces the Land".

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At that time, the good water coming forth from the earth did not pour down over the fields. The cold water (?) was piled up everywhere, and the day when it began to ...... it brought destruction in the Mountains, since the gods of the Land were subject to servitude, and had to carry the hoe and the basket -- this was their corv work -- people called on a household for the recruitment of workers. The Tigris did not bring up its flood in its fullness. Its mouth did not finish in the sea, it did not carry fresh water. No one brought (?) offerings to the market. The famine was hard, as nothing had yet been born. No one yet cleaned the little canals, the mud was not dredged up. Ditch-making did not yet exist. People did not work (?) in furrows, barley was sown broadcast.

The Lord applied his great wisdom to it. Ninurta (1 ms. has instead: Ninjirsu), the son of Enlil, set about it in a grand way. He made a pile of stones in the Mountains. Like a floating cloud he stretched out his arms over it. With a great wall he barred the front of the Land. He installed a sluice (?) on the horizon. The Hero acted cleverly, he dammed in the cities together. He blocked (?) the powerful waters by means of stones. Now the waters will never again go down from the Mountains into the earth. That which was dispersed he gathered together. Where in the Mountains scattered lakes had formed, he joined them all together and led them down to the Tigris. He poured carp-floods of water over the fields.

Now, today, throughout the whole world, kings of the Land far and wide rejoice at Lord Ninurta. He provided water for the speckled barley in the cultivated fields, he raised up (2 mss. have instead: piled up) the harvest of fruits in garden and orchard. He heaped up the grain piles like mounds. The Lord caused trading colonies to go up from the Land of Sumer. He contented the desires of the gods. They duly praised Ninurta's father.

At that time he also reached a woman with compassion. Ninmah was sleepless from remembering the place where she had conceived him. She covered her outside with a fleece, like an unshorn ewe, she made a great lament about the now inaccessible Mountains:

"The Mountains could not bear the Lord's great strength. The great Hero -- the force of whose rage no one can approach, like heaven itself; the savage storm which walks on earth, spilling poison in the earth's breast; the Lord, the life-breath of Enlil, whose head is worthy of the tiara, ...... who knows nothing of ......: in triumph he hurried by me, he with whom my husband made me pregnant (?). I bore him for my husband. He was close ......; but the son of Enlil passed by and did not lift his glance to me. For the good youth" -- thus the good lady said, as she went to him in E-cumeca, his chosen place, --" I will cut the knot. Now I, yes I, shall go to the presumptuous Lord, to gaze upon the precious Lord. I will go directly to him, to my son, Enlil's judge, the great Hero, favoured by his father."

The lady performed the song in a holy manner. Ninmah recited it to Lord Ninurta. He looked at her with his life-giving looks and spoke to her:

"Lady, since you came to the Mountains, Ninmah ('Great Lady'), since you entered the rebel lands for my sake, since you did not keep far from me when I was surrounded by the horrors of battle -- let the name of the pile which I, the Hero, have piled up be Mountain (hursaj) and may you be its lady (nin): now that is the destiny decreed by Ninurta. Henceforth people shall speak of Ninhursaja. So be it. Let its meadows produce herbs for you. Let its slopes produce honey and wine for you. Let its hillsides grow cedars, cypress, juniper and box for you. Let it make abundant for you ripe fruits, as a garden. Let the mountain supply you richly with divine perfumes. Let it mine gold and silver for you, make ...... for you. Let it smelt copper and tin for you, make its tribute for you. Let the Mountains make wild animals teem for you. Let the mountain increase the fecundity of quadrupeds for you. You, o Queen, become equal to An, wearing a terrifying splendour. Great goddess who detests boasting, good lady, maiden Ninhursaja, Nintud, ...... approach me. Lady, I have given you great powers: may you be exalted."

While the Lord was fixing the destiny of the Mountains, as he walked about in the sanctuary of Nibru, the good lady whose powers excel all powers, Lady-creatrix-of-the-womb, Aruru, Enlil's elder sister, stood before him:

"Great Hero whose word like that of his father is unalterable, Lord: you have not fixed the destinies of the warriors that you have slain."

The Lord then addressed the u stone. He defined (?) its typical behaviour. The Lord spoke to it in anger in the Land, Ninurta son of Enlil cursed it:

"U stone (emery), since you rose against me in the Mountains, since you barred the way (2 mss. have instead: seized me) so as to detain me, since you swore to put me to death, since you frightened me, Lord Ninurta, on my great throne; you are powerful, a youth of outstanding strength: may your size be diminished. A mighty lion, confident in its strength, will tear you into pieces, the strong man will fling you in his hand in combat (1 ms. has instead: for strength). Young u stone, your brothers will heap you up like flour. You will lift your hand against your offspring, sink your teeth into their corpses. You, young man, though you may cry out, will end as ....... Like a great wild bull killed by many people, be divided into portions. U stone, you will be hounded from the battlefield with clubs, like a dog chased by shepherd boys. Because I am the Lord: since cornelian is polished by you, you shall be called by its name. And now, according to the destiny fixed by Ninurta, henceforth when u stone touches it, there will be pierced cornelian. Let it be so."

The Hero addressed the cu and gasura stones. The Lord enumerated their characteristics. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed their destiny:

"Cu stones, since you attacked against my weapons; gasura stones, since you stood fiercely against me like bulls, since you tossed (?) your horns in the dust at me like wild bulls, you shall be ...... like butterflies. My terrifying splendour will cover you. Since you cannot escape from my (1 ms. has instead: his) great strength, the goldsmith shall puff and blow on you with his breath. You shall be shaped by him to form a matrix for his creations. People shall place the first fruits of the gods on you at the time of the new moon."

My King stood before the sajkal stone, he addressed the gulgul and sajjar stones. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed their destiny:

"Sajkal stone, since you flew up against me ......; gulgul stone, since you sparked lightning against me ......; sajjar stone, since you shook your head at me, since you ground your teeth at me, the Lord! The sajkal stone will smash you, sajjar stone, young brave, and the gulgul stone will destroy (gul) you. You will be discarded as contemptible and valueless (saj nukala). Be a prey to the famine (cagjar) of the Land; you shall be fed by the charity of your city. You shall be accounted a common person, a warrior among slave-girls. They shall say to you "Be off with you, hurry!", it shall be your name. And now, by the destiny fixed by Ninurta, henceforth you shall be called a bad lot in the Land. So be it."

My King stood before the esi stone. ...... he spoke in hymnic language. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed its destiny:

"Esi (diorite), your army in battle changed sides separately (?). You spread before me like thick smoke. You did not raise your hand. You did not attack me. Since you said, "It is false. The Lord is alone the Hero. Who can vie with Ninurta, son of Enlil?" -- they shall extract you from the highland countries. They shall bring (?) you from the land of Magan. You shall shape (?) Strong Copper like leather and then you shall be perfectly adapted for my heroic arm, for me, the Lord. When a king who is establishing his renown for perpetuity has had its statues sculpted for all time, you shall be placed in the place of libations -- and it shall suit you well -- in my temple E-ninnu, the house full of grace."

My King turned to the na stone. He ...... the body from the na stone. Ninurta son of Enlil cursed it: "Stone, since you said, "If only it had been me"; na stones, since you bewitched my powers -- lie down there, you, to be worked on like a pig. Be discarded, be used for nothing, end up by being reduced to tiny fragments. He who knows you shall reduce you to liquid."

My King turned to the elel stone. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed its destiny: "Elel, intelligently you caused terror of me to descend on the Mountains where discord had broken out. In the rebel lands you proclaimed my name among my people who had banded together. Nothing of your wholeness shall be diminished (?). It shall be difficult to reduce your mass to small pieces. My divine ordinances shall be set out in straight lines on your body. You shall be greatly suited to the clash of weapons, when I have heroes to slay. You shall be set up on a pedestal in my great courtyard. The Land shall praise you in wonder, the foreign lands shall speak your praises (2 mss. have instead: elevate you)."

The Hero turned to the kagina (haematite) stone, he addressed it for its hardness. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed its destiny: "Young man worthy of respect, whose surface reflects the light, kagina, when the demands of the rebel lands reached you, I did not conquer you ....... I did not notice you among the hostile ones. I shall make room for you in the Land. The divine rites of Utu shall become your powers. Be constituted as a judge in the foreign lands. The craftsman, expert in everything, shall value you as if gold. Young man of whom I have taken possession, because of you I shall not sleep until you come to life. And now, according to the destiny fixed by Ninurta, henceforth kagina shall live! So shall it be."

The Hero stood before the jicnugal (alabaster) stone. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed its destiny: "icnu, whose body shines like the daylight! Purified silver, youth destined for the palace, since you alone held out your hands to me, and you prostrated yourself before me in your Mountains, I did not smite you with the club, and I did not turn my strength against you. Hero, you stood firm by me when I yelled out. Your name shall be called benevolence. The treasury of the Land shall be subject to your hand, you shall be its seal-keeper. (1 ms. adds the line: The Anuna .......)"

My King turned to the algamec stone and frowned. The Lord spoke to it angrily in the Land. Ninurta son of Enlil cursed it: "What provision did you make to assist my progress? Be the first to go into my forge. Algamec, you shall be the regular sacrifice offered daily by the smiths."

My King turned to the ducia stone. He addressed the nir, the gug (cornelian) and the zagin (lapis lazuli); the amac-pa-ed, the caba, the hurizum, the gug-gazi and the marhali; the egi-zaga, the girin-hiliba , the anzugulme and the nir-mucjir stones (1 ms.: the ...... and the gazi-musud stones). The Lord Ninurta, son of Enlil, fixed their destinies for ...... the waterskin: "How you came to my side, male and female in form, and in your own way! You committed no fault, and you supported me with strength. You exalted me in public. Now in my deliberation, I shall exalt you. Since you made yourself general of the assembly, you, nir, shall be chosen for syrup and for wine. You shall all be decorated with precious metal. The principal among the gods shall cause the foreign lands to prostrate themselves before you, putting their noses to the ground."

My King turned to the jir-zu-jal (flint), and frowned. The Lord spoke to it angrily in the Land. Ninurta son of Enlil cursed it: "Ah, duplicitous jir-zu-jal, what then? They shall split your horns, wild bull, in your Mountains. Lie down before the ....... You were not equal to me who supported you. I shall rip you like a sack, and people will smash you into tiny pieces. The metalworker shall deal with you, he shall use his chisel on you. Young man, massive, bearer of hatred: the carpenter, saying "I wish to buy it for my work", shall wet you with water ...... and shall crush you like malt."

My King turned to the iman stones, he addressed the alliga stones. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed their destiny: "Iman stones, in the Mountains you cried out against me. You fiercely uttered battle-yells. I shall enflame you like fire. Like a storm I shall overturn you. I shall strip you like rushes. I shall rip you up like weeds. Who will assist you then? Iman stone: your cries shall not be valued, no attention shall be paid to them. Iman stone, alliga stone: your path shall not lead to the palace."

My King turned to the macda stone. He addressed the dubban and urutum stones. Ninurta son of Enlil defined (?) their characteristic behaviour: "Macda stone, dubban stone, blazing fires; urutum stone, which nothing resists; when the gasura stone ...... and you were set ablaze, you burnt against me in the rebel lands like a brazier. Since you all stood against me in the land of Saba: macda stone, they shall slaughter you like a sheep. Dubban stone, they shall crunch you for pulverising. Urutum stone, they shall sharpen you for the battle-mace; with bronze, the arrowheads of the gods, they shall smash you with the axe, stinging with fierce swords."

My King turned to the cagara stone. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed its destiny: "Cagara stone, who smash (?) your head against anyone travelling alone in the desert, in the Mountains when my arms were occupied you tried to trample on me. Since you glutted yourself in the battle, the reed-worker shall make the reeds jump with you. You shall be thrown onto your couch; the appearance (?) of your mother and father who bore you shall be forgotten (?). No one shall say to you, "Get up", no one shall have the feeling that he misses you, the people shall not complain about your loss. In praise of the eternally-created powers in Ninhursaja's resting place, you shall be discarded on the dais there. They shall feed you on malt, as they do for sheep; you shall content yourself with a portion of scattered flour. This shall be the explanation for you."

My King turned to the marhuca stone, Ninurta the son of Enlil pronounced its destiny. "Marhuca, ...... the string in my place, ...... you were taken, since you did not participate in the crimes of your city, ......; you shall be the bowl under the filter-jug, the water shall filter into you. Marhusa, you shall be used for inlay-work, ....... You shall be the perfect ornament for sacred brooches. Marhuca, you shall be duly praised in the temples of the gods."

The Hero turned to the hactum stone and frowned. In the Land the Lord addressed it angrily; Ninurta the son of Enlil pronounced its destiny: "Hactum stone, you cried out against me in the Mountains. You yelled fiercely with wild battle-yells. With your yelling, you fixed a lila demon in the Mountains. Young man, because of your digging, Ditch (hactum) shall be your name. And now, according to the destiny of Ninurta, henceforth they shall say hactum. So be it."

My King turned to the durul stone. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed its destiny: "Durul stone, holy garment of mourning, blinded youth whom people carve, in the Mountains you prostrated yourself before me. Since you said to me, "If only it had been me who broke the bars of the gates, if only I had stood before him, before my King, Lord Ninurta", your name shall be magnified of its own accord wherever it is mentioned. As the connoisseur says of precious metal, "I will buy it", so the foreign nations, like musicians playing the reed-pipe, shall pursue you."

My King turned to the cigcig stone, he addressed the engen and ezinum stones. For the ug-gun, the hem, the madanum, the sajgirmud, the ...... and the mursuh stones, Ninurta son of Enlil fixed their destiny:

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"with ribs drawn in, balancing on the haunches, heart elated, legs bent like a bear, ......: I shall come to you; now, being an ally, you come forward from all of them; who shall extend the hand to them? You were the club, you stood as the doorway.

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In the Land, the champion shall always look (?) with favour on you."

The Hero turned to the kurgaranum stone. He addressed the bal stone; the Lord Ninurta, son of Enlil, fixed the destiny for the yellow-coloured cimbi (kohl): "Since you said, "I will bring forth the people",

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you ...... as if ...... the young man who has obtained (?) glory for you; the young artisan shall sing your praises. You shall be favoured for the festival of spirits of the dead; on the ninth day of the month, at the new moon, the young men shall ...... for you." He assigned ...... them to the cult of Ninhursaja.

The Hero had conquered the Mountains. As he moved across the desert, he ....... Through the crowd, he came forth among their acclamations (?), majestically he ....... Ninurta joyfully went to his beloved barge, the Lord set foot in the boat Ma-kar-nunta-eda. The boatmen sang a pleasant song, for the Lord they sang his praise. They addressed an eternal greeting to Ninurta son of Enlil: "God who outstrips the heroes, Lord Ninurta, king of the Anuna gods, holding a cudgel in his right hand, bearded, you fall as a torrent on all enemies; who can rival your great works? Hero, deluge, without equal, the enki and ninki deities do not dare to resist (?) you. Hero who pillages the cities, who subjugates the Mountains, son of Enlil, who will rise up against you? Ninurta, Lord, son of Enlil, Hero, who is like you?

"My King: there is a hero who is devoted to you and to your offerings, he is as just as his reputation, he walks in your ways; since he has brilliantly accomplished all that is proper for you in your temple, since he has made your shrine rise from the dust for you, let him do everything magnificently for your festival. Let him accomplish perfectly for you your holy rites. He has formulated a vow for his life. May he praise you in the Land. "May An's heart be appeased for the Lord, may the maiden mother Bau shine like the daylight for Ninurta, Enlil's strength."

They sang to the Lord in the ceremonial (?) boat. The boat, floating of its own accord, was piled up with riches. The boat Ma-kar-nunta-eda proceeded shiningly. To greet the Hero from the smiting of weapons, the Anuna ...... came to meet him. They pressed their noses to the ground, they placed their hands on their chests. They addressed a prayer and a supplication to the Lord: "May your anger be appeased ....... Ninurta, King, Utu-ulu, lift your head to heaven".

His father Enlil blessed him: "......, pre-eminent with your great name, you have established your habitation ....... Chest, fittingly ......, King of battle, I presented the storm of heaven to you for use against the rebel lands. O Hero of heaven and earth I presented to you the club, the deluge which sets the Mountains on fire. King, ahead of your storm the way was narrow. But, Ninurta, I had confidence in your march to the Mountains. Like a wolf (?) set free to seize his prey, in your storm you adventured into the rebel lands from above. The mountain that you have handed over shall not be restored. You have caused its cities to be counted as ruin-mounds. Its mighty rulers have lost their breath before you. A celestial mace, a prosperous and unchanging rule, eternal life, the good favour of Enlil, o King, and the strength of An: these shall be your reward."

Since the Hero had killed the Asag, since the Lord had made that pile of stones, since he had given the order "Let it be called stone", since he had ...... the roaring dragon, since the Hero had traced the way of the waters ...... down from above, since he had brought them to the fertile fields, since he had made famous the plough of abundance, since the Lord had established it in regular furrows, since Ninurta son of Enlil had heaped up grain-piles and granaries -- Ninurta the son of Enlil entrusted their keeping to the care of the lady who possesses the divine powers which exist of themselves, who is eminently worthy of praise, to Nisaba, good lady, greatly wise, pre-eminent in the lands, her who possesses the principal tablet with the obligations of en and lugal, endowed by Enki on the Holy Mound with a great intelligence.

To the lady, the celestial star, made magnificently beautiful by the prince in the abzu, to the lady of knowledge who gladdens hearts, who alone has the gift of governing, endowed with prudence, ......, who rules the black-headed, who possesses the tablet with all the names (?), from whose suspended nets the birds which are caught do not escape, whose every work accomplished meets with complete success, to her ...... which is not unravelled, to her for whom the days are counted according to the phases of the moon, to her who is unassailable as if a fortress of copper ......, who is ...... in counsels, and wise in all manner of things, ...... who cares for the black-headed, who rules the people justly, ......, the replica of Enlil, to the bright good lady who takes counsel with An -- to Nisaba be praise.

Enlil's mighty Lord, Ninurta, great son of the E-kur, heroic one of the father who bore him: it is good to praise you.

A cir-gid song of Ninurta.

Enlil and Sud

The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

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Version A

SEGMENT A

...... she was faithfully sitting (?) on ......, admirable and full of charms. ......, the noble son -- who like him can compare with An and Enlil? Haia, the ......, put the holy semen into her womb. Nun-bar-ce-gunu (a name of Nisaba) faithfully gave birth to ......, she brought her up in her ...... and suckled her at her breasts full of good milk. The ...... of the young girl burgeoned, and she became full of flourishing beauty. In the ...... of Nisaba, at the gate of the E-zagin, ...... she stood, the object of admiration, like a tall, beautifully shaped cow.

At that time Enlil had not yet been given a wife in the E-kur; Ninlil's name was not yet famous in the Ki-ur. After travelling through Sumer and to the ends of the universe, he ......; in his search throughout the Land, Enlil, the Great Mountain, stopped at Erec. As he looked around there, he found the woman of his choice. He approached her and, overflowing with joy, engaged her in conversation: "I will make you perfect in a queen's dress; after standing in the street, you will be ....... How impressed I am by your beauty, even if you are a shameless person!" In her youthful inexperience Sud answered Enlil: "If I want to stand proudly at our gate, who dares to give me a bad reputation? What are your intentions? Why have you come here? ...... from my sight!" Others (?) had already tried to deceive ......, and made her (?) angry. Enlil ...... answered Sud, ...... standing closer to her: "Come, I want to speak to you! I will have a talk with you about your becoming my wife. Kiss me, my lady of most beautiful eyes -- the matter rests in your hands." But the words had barely left his mouth when, right in front of him, she went into the house.

The heart of the wise lord pounded. He called for Nuska. "What is your wish?" He gave the following instructions to him: "I want you to go back to Erec, the city of Nisaba, the city whose foundations are august. Do not delay! Repeat to her what I am going to tell you: "I am a young man, I have sent this message to you because of my wish: I want to take your daughter as wife. Give me your consent. I will send you presents in my name, ...... my marriage gifts. I am Enlil, the descendant and offspring of Ancar, the noble, the lord of heaven and earth. The name of your daughter shall become Ninlil, and all the foreign countries shall ...... it. I will present her with the Ja-jic-cua as her storehouse. I will give her the Ki-ur to be her beloved private quarters. She shall sit (1 ms. has instead: live) with me in the E-kur, my (1 ms. has instead: the) august dais. She shall determine fates. She shall apportion the divine powers among the Anuna, the great gods. And as for you, I will place in your hands the lives of the black-headed people." When you get there, let the woman I have chosen for her beauty ...... her mother. Do not go to her empty-handed, but take her some jewellery in your left hand. Waste no time. Return with her answer quickly."

When Nuska, the head of the assembly, had received Enlil's instructions, he wasted no time ......; he directed his steps to Erec. He entered E-zagin, the residence of Nanibgal (a name of Nisaba) and prostrated himself before Nanibgal on her dais. ...... of Enlil ......, and she (?) asked him ......: "...... what ......?"

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( Nuska speaks:) "...... Sud ....... What you have told me ......." Then Nanibgal went on speaking flatteringly to the minister: "Adviser, fit for his (?) king, ever observant (?)! Who like you could give counsel daily to the Great Mountain? How could I contest the king's message which his slave has received? If there is truth in what you have told me -- and may there be no falsehood -- who could reject one who bestows such exceedingly great favours? ...... makes our mood and hearts happy. Let us consider that amends have been made. By bringing the marriage gifts and the presents in his name the insult is wiped away. Tell him: "You shall become my son-in-law; do as you wish!" Tell Enlil, the Great Mountain: "Do as you wish!" Let his sister come from her side, and she shall accompany Sud from here. Aruru shall become Sud's sister-in-law: let her be shown the household. Inform your lord thus in his august Ki-ur. Repeat this to Enlil in the privacy of his holy bedchamber."

After ...... had instructed ......, ...... and Nuska took his seat on it.

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Nanibgal called ...... and gave her advice: "My little one, asleep indoors (?) ...... your pure ......, the pleasant private quarters ....... ...... leave the House of Nisaba's Wisdom. ......, Nuska is knowing and wise. ...... to his presence and pour him beer." According to the instructions of her mother, she washed his hands and placed a tankard in his hands. The minister opened his left hand and gave her the jewellery, ....... everything ...... and set it before her. She received the gifts ....... He ...... directed his steps to Nibru. ...... kissed the ground before Enlil. ...... the great Lady had said ......, as she had instructed him, he repeated (?) .......: "(She said:) "Adviser, fit for his (?) king, ever observant (?)! Who like you could give counsel daily to the Great Mountain? How could I contest the king's message which his slave has received? If there is truth in what you have told me -- and may there be no falsehood -- who could reject one who bestows such exceedingly great favours? ...... makes our mood and hearts happy. Let us consider that amends have been made. By bringing the marriage gifts and the presents in his name the insult is wiped away. Tell him: "You shall become my son-in-law; do as you wish!" Tell Enlil, the Great Mountain: "Do as you wish!" Let his sister come from her side, and she shall accompany Sud from here. Aruru shall become Sud's sister-in-law: let her be shown the household. Inform your lord thus in his august Ki-ur. Repeat this to Enlil in the privacy of his holy bedchamber.""

..... made ...... feel good, brought great rejoicing in Enlil's heart. He raised his head ......, and animals came running. ...... herds of four-legged animals that graze together in the desert. He caught ...... living in the mountains, he made wild bulls, red deer, elephants, fallow deer, gazelles, bears, wild sheep and rams, lynxes, foxes, wild cats, tigers, mountain sheep, water buffaloes, monkeys, and thick-horned fat cattle jostle together noisily. Cows and their calves, wild cattle with wide-spread horns, ...... rope, ewes and lambs, goats and kids, romping ...... (1 later ms. from Susa has instead: ...... and fighting), large kids with long beards, scratching with their hooves, lambs, ......, and majestic sheep were despatched by Enlil toward Erec.

Large cheeses, mustard-flavoured cheeses, small cheeses, ......, milk, cold hard-boiled eggs, butter (?), the sweetest dry honey and white honey, ......, and thick and large ...... were despatched by Enlil toward Erec.

......, dates, figs, large pomegranates, ......, jipar fruits, plums (?), halub nuts, almonds, acorns, Dilmun dates packed in baskets, dark-coloured date spadices, large pomegranate seeds squeezed out from their rinds, big clusters of early grapes, ...... trees in fruit, trees from orchards, ...... grown in winter, and fruits from orchards were despatched by Enlil toward Erec.

Ores (?) from Harali, the faraway land, ....... storehouses, ......, rock-crystal, gold, silver, ......, the yield of the uplands ......, heavy loads of them, were despatched by Enlil toward Erec. After the personal presents, the transported goods ......, Ninmah and the minister ....... The dust from their march reached high into the sky like rain clouds. Enormous marriage gifts were being brought for Nanibgal to Erec; the city was getting full inside and out, ...... it was to be replete. The rest ...... on the outlying roads ....... ...... blue sky .......

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Nanibgal, the mother-in-law of Enlil, the woman who had been slandered, was treated kindly by Nuska (?) (1 ms. has instead: ...... the mother-in-law of Enlil, the woman ...... Ezina ......) -- but the lady disregarded the flatterer, and spoke to her daughter: "May you be Enlil's favourite wife (1 ms. has instead: the wife of Enlil's heart), and may he speak to you sweetly. May he embrace you, the most beautiful of all, and tell you: "Beloved, open wide!" May the two of you never lose the pleasure (?) of excitement; make it last (?) a long time. (1 ms. has instead: May it be that the pleasure (?) of excitement will never be lost.) You two ...... on the hill, and have children afterwards! When you enter the house to live there, may abundance precede you, and may joy follow you. May the people line up for you wherever you go, and may all the people ...... for you. The fate I have determined for you should be fulfilled (1 ms. has instead: cannot be altered)! Go with head held high into the E-mah."

Then Aruru grasped her by the hand and led her away into the Ec-mah. She brought her into the E-kur, the house of Enlil, and ....... In the sleeping quarters, in the flowered bed ...... like a cedar forest, Enlil made (?) love to his wife and took great pleasure in it.

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The lord whose statements are ...... the lady; ...... Nintud, the "Lady who gives birth" ....... ...... En-batibira's (perhaps a name of Aruru) countenance, ....... He presented her with ......, everything ......, and .......

( Enlil speaks:) "From now on, a woman shall be the ......; a foreign woman shall be the mistress of the house. May my beautiful wife, who was born by holy Nisaba, be Ezina, the growing grain, the life of Sumer. When you appear in the furrows like a beautiful young girl, may Ickur, the canal inspector, be your provider, supplying you with water from the ground. The height of the year is marked with your new prime flax and your new prime grain; Enlil and Ninlil procreate them (?) as desired.

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The harvest crop raises its head high for the great festival of Enlil. The scribal art, the tablets decorated with writing, the stylus, the tablet board, the computing of accounts, adding and subtracting, the shining measuring rope, the ......, the head of the surveyor's peg, the measuring rod, the marking of the boundaries, and the ...... are fittingly in your hands. The farmer (?) ....... Woman, the proudest among the Great Princes, ......, from now on, Sud ...... Ninlil ......."

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SEGMENT B

A holy song of praise ....... Enlil and Ninlil ......!

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Version B

(1 later ms. from Susa preserves a slightly variant version of ll. 142ff.)

( Nisaba speaks:) "...... spend (?) your time on the hill! ....... Enter ......! And may abundance precede you ......! May the people line up for you ......; may all the people ...... for you. Your ...... which I have determined for you should be fulfilled; ...... with head held high into the Ec-mah."

Aruru grasped her ...... and ...... her away into the Ec-mah. She brought her into the shining E-kur, and poured the best perfume over her face. In the sleeping quarters, in the flowered bed fragrant like a cedar forest, Enlil made (?) love to his wife and took great pleasure in it. He sat her (?) on his dais appropriate to the status of Enlil, and made the people pray to her. The lord whose statements are powerful also determined a fate for the Lady ( Aruru) , the woman of his favour; he gave her the name Nintud, the "Lady who gives birth", the "Lady who spreads her knees". He made beautiful En-batibira's (perhaps a name of Aruru) countenance, ....... He presented her with the ...... of a mistress, everything pertaining to women that no man must see, and .......

( Enlil speaks:) "From now on, a woman shall be the ......; a woman shall be the mistress of the house. May my favourite wife, who was born by holy Nisaba, be Ezina, the grain, the life of the Land. When she appears in the furrows like a beautiful young girl, may ...... be her provider, watering her with water from the ground, as she grows prime grain and prime flax ......

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...... the harvest crop ...... the great festival of Enlil ....... ......, the measuring rod, the marking of the boundaries, and the preparation of canals and levees are fittingly in your hands. The farmer entrusted cultivation into your hands. Proud woman, surpassing the mountains! You who always fulfil your desires -- from now on, Sud, Enlil is the king and Ninlil is the queen. The goddess without name has a famous name now, ......

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May it be you who determines that destiny ...... attends to it ......."

As the presents are given in the shrine Nibru, a holy song of praise is sung. Enlil, the lord of the countries, .......

ENKI AND NINHURSAG

Version 1

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After Time had come into being and the holy seasons for growth and rest were finally known, holy Dilmun, the pure clean and bright land of the living, the garden of the Great Gods and Earthly paradise, located eastward in Eden, was the place where Ninhursag, the Earth Mother, Most Exalted Lady and Supreme Queen, could be found.

There she lived for a season during the Wheel of the Year, when the Earth lay deep in slumber and rest before the onset of Spring, in the land that knew neither sickness nor death or old age, where the raven uttered no cry, where lions and wolves killed not, and unknown were the sorrows of a widow or the wailing of the sick.

And it was in Dilmun, at that time that Enki, the wise god of Magic and the Sweet Waters, the Patron of Crafts and Skills, met, fell in love and lied with the Lady of the Stony Earth, Ninhursag.

The Earth Mother's kiss did change the carefree and sexy Sweet Waters Lord: Ninhursag had wholly captivated him through the most profound of all bonds, the thread of enchantment, passion and daring called Love. So profound the feeling was that the God of all Sweet Waters, Magic and Crafts proposed to Ninhursag, with the enthusiasm of a young lover's heart.

Ninhursag looked around the land, her stony body, and remembered the taste of the wondrous moisture of the Sweet Waters God within herself. She wondered whether the land should not feel the same loving touch without. She said then to Enki:

' I heard your heart speak, Enki dearest. But if I feel your wondrous moisture within me, I look at the earth of Dilmun, also my body, and feel it is the longing, the thirst for the gifts that you, dear heart, for sure can bring. Thus I ask you: what is a land, what is a city that has no river quay? A city that has no ponds of sweet water?'

Taken by surprise, Enki realised that indeed he had given his whole essence to the beloved, but forgotten to look after her Earthly Body, the land. He then rose to the challenge of providing water for the land with aplomb.

He told then Ninhursag: ' For Dilmun, the land of my lady's heart, I will create long waterways, rivers and canals, whereby water will flow to quench the thirst of all beings and bring abundance to all that lives.'

Enki then summoned Utu, the Sun God and Light of the Day. Together, they brought a mist from the depths of the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. Then Enki and Utu created waterways to surround the land with a never-ending source of fertile Sweet Waters, and Enki also devised basins and cisterns to store the waters for further needs.

From these fertile sweet waters flow the four Great Rivers of the Ancient World, including the Tigris and the Euphrates.

Thus, from that moment on, Dilmun was blessed by Enki with everlasting agricultural and trade superiority, for through its waterways and quays, fruits and grains were sold and exchanged by the people of Dilmun and beyond.

Ninhursag rejoiced in Enki's mighty prowess and said to him: ' Beloved, the powerful touch of your sweet waters, the essence of Mother Nammu that lies deep within you, transformed the land, my stony body. I feel the power of life throbbing within to be revealed without my very depths as I give joyously birth and sustenance to the marshes and reed-beds, that from now on will shelter fish, plant, beasts and all that breathes. Thus I call myself Nintur, the lady who gives birth, the Womb of the Damp Lands by the riverbanks.'

Enki replied: ' Ninhursag, dearest Nintur, beloved, how can anyone quite compare to you? I cannot resist your wild, sweet ways, so lie with me one more time and fill my body, heart, soul and mind with endless delights! For me you will forever be my fierce Damgalnunna, my Great Spouse, passionate and very much loved!'

Ninhursag laughed and welcomed the eagerness of the Sweet Waters Lord. Nine days later, without the slightest labour or pain, the Great Mother Goddess gave birth to a lovely girl without the slightest travail or pain. The girl was called Ninsar, Lady Verdure, the Mistress of Vegetation, the green carpet of grass, leaves and flower beds that cover the surface of the earth.

Enki was overjoyed with the birth of his and Ninhursag's child: ' How perfect, how lovely is our Ninsar! I love already the woman in the girl-child, the young Anunnaki goddess and Mistress of Velvet Meadows and Green Fields. The ties that bind me to Ninsar are strong and tempered by an even greater love, for in her face I see also Ninhursag's, the one and only to my wandering heart.'

The Great Lady, holding Ninsar in her arms, kissed Enki in the mouth, and said: ' Soon my time to leave Dilmun will come, but to this holy land I will sure return at the beginning of the earth's rest in the Middle world. I need to leave soon, for without my loving touch Spring cannot come back, the winds to dismiss Winter won't blow, all there is won't sing or mate until I to them return. But before I go away, I endow Ninsar with the power to grow in record time, and in holy Dilmun I'll leave my youngster daughter safe and sound from any illness, hatred or harm.'

As the Great Lady had declared, nine days later Ninsar was fully grown, charming and graceful, a sight to behold. Ninhursag then left for the Middle world.

Enki knew he would miss his beloved terribly, but while she was busy in the Middle Earth giving her Essence for the land to grow happy and gay, equally as busy as Ninhursag was Enki in holy Dilmun.

It was the sacred duty of the Sweet Waters Lord to oversee the rise and fall of all fertilising waters that flowed from Dilmun to feed the rivers, lakes and ponds of the Middle world to make the land ready to receive the Spring seeds.

Thus, as much as he missed Ninhursag, Enki knew he could not leave Dilmun before all waterways were filled to ensure that the people would have plenty of water to grow their crops. Enki's essence, the fertilising power of the sweet waters, should reach every piece of land in the Middle world that had been worked and ploughed.

It was at the end of a day he had spent totally absorbed by the mighty task of controlling the water flow to the Middle world that Enki saw Ninsar walking on her own along the marshlands. Indeed, a lovely goddess she had become, and Enki's eyes fell on the Maiden's, the Sweet Waters Lord felt a longing he could not yet define. He only knew that after Ninhursag's departure, no other maiden had touched his heart the way this one did. Indeed, she who walked on her own along the marshlands was the closest version to Ninhursag his eyes had the luck to find. Enki did not lose time and immediately started wooing the young lady, encouraging her to love him wildly by the riverside.

Curious and eager as Ninsar was to experience the power of love in her body, mind, soul, and heart, she, the young goddess of Green Fields and Luscious Meadows, yielded to the Sweet Waters Lord, and together they made wild love.

But when morning came, Enki looked into Ninsar's eyes and found her a loving, but pale portrait of Ninhursag. ' What is in her that was so alluring last night, but now in the broad day light seems to have lost substance Lovely as she is, she is not the one I surely miss,' thought Enki. '

Despite the doubts he felt deep inside, Enki stayed with Ninsar for a while, because he knew his seed could be her womb. So he stayed with her until the ninth day, when Ninsar gave birth to Ninkurra, another girl-child, the future goddess of Mountain Pastures.

As before, Enki rejoiced at Ninkurra's loveliness, at her cheerful smile and sweet face. Again, Enki saw in Ninkurra twice the mark of his beloved Ninhursag.

Sadly, Ninsar realised that although she had been passionately loved by Enki for a time, there was a longing in his eyes, his body, soul and mind she could not satisfy. ' Bonded to him I for a time was,' thought Ninsar,' but he does not want me for myself, this I can tell. Mine is not the mind, body, soul and heart that holds his for a minute that means eternity, so I'll let him go, now and forever. I need to be loved for who and what I am, and not to be a mere replacement for whom I know not he loves.'

Thus, when Enki left her and young Ninkurra, Ninsar grieved deeply, but found hope, meaning and sustenance in drawing from her all-one-ness, her inner and outer resources to heal and grow with the experience. She also kept a watchful eye on Ninkurra, who, like herself, grew in record time. Lovely, resourceful Ninkurra demonstrated enormous energy by climbing the highest heights, up to the mountain tops, but also keeping her essence tied to the ground. This way Ninkurra, the Goddess of Mountain Pastures grew safe from all hatred or harm.

Another nine days passed by, and as Ninkurra played at a mountain top, curiosity led her to explore a well that surfaced out of the blue to water the greens and wild flower beds she had just made grow. To her sheer surprise and delight, the well took the shape of a handsome god, who introduced himself to her as Enki the Sweet Waters Lord.

Again, Enki looked at Ninkurra's young and cheerful face, and desired to dive into the maiden's embrace, for she reminded him twice of Ninhursag, the one and only to Enki's wandering heart. The maiden at the mountain top though had attracted the Sweet Waters' Lord. Had he again fallen in love?

Ninkurra, who had lived a life so sheltered at the mountain heights, was fully bewitched by the easy charm of the older, more experienced god. Thus she joyously yielded to him and love they made for nine days and nine nights. But Enki soon realised that as lovely as Ninkurra was, she could not be compared to Ninhursag.

As before, the Sweet Waters Lord left Ninsar after nine days, when Ninkurra gave birth to another lovely girl-child called Uttu, the Spider, the Weaver of Patterns and Life Desires.

But Ninhursag, having kissed the earth to awaken for Spring to come, had returned to holy Dilmun. The Great Lady who saw and wisely judged all life forms, frowned at the sadness reflected in Ninsar's and Ninkurra's eyes, and frowned at Enki's unbridled lust. Ninhursag knew how charming Enki could be, but no matter what, young Uttu the Weaver should be advised to avoid the riverbanks, or the places where Enki and herself could be found alone or unchaperoned: ' Daughter Uttu, beware of the marshes and the riverbanks, where Enki, the Sweet Waters god, reigns as Sovereign. There he will see you, there he will desire you and want to make of you his own, only to leave you all alone later on!' was Ninhursag's stern advice to Uttu.

For a time young Uttu did follow the Great Lady's advice and kept her distance from Enki's lusty sight. But one day Enki's desire won the young goddess' heart, when he brought to her delicacies from the garden of delights: apples, cucumbers and grapes, all this and more Enki offered to the young goddess. Then Uttu, full of joy, opened herself to welcome Enki, the crafty god, and he embraced her with heartfelt glee, lying in her lap content and happy. Loving strokes, kisses and hugs they shared, until Enki's seed found its way to Uttu's young and yet untried womb.

Later, still lying on Enki's powerful arms, doubt entered Uttu's mind, body and heart: ' Tonight you loved me so dearly, tonight I was your spouse, the one and only, your dearest, ' she thought . ' But will you love me in the morning, o lustiest of all gods? Will you stay in my arms and never let me go And will you love for more than a holy night, and share with me happy and hard times?'

But when morning came and Uttu looked into Enki's eyes, she knew she still was not the one to hold captive the Sweet Waters Lord. With a tender kiss Enki took his leave, but did not say when he was going to come back, or ever returned to stay.

Uttu swallowed stubborn tears, but decided no to surrender to loss and sorrow, and more. ' I vow not to be bonded to Enki from this moment on,' she promised herself with a deep-rooted resolve. ' If he does not want me for myself, for what we can together be, I will not carry any of his seeds within or without my very being!'

Uttu immediately turned then to Ninhursag for help. The Great Mother goddess, beloved by all, would know what to do, would ensure the best course of action. ' Wipe out Enki's seed of your body, and bury within the depths of the Earth the promise of life you shared with him, ' said the Great Lady and Womb of Creation. ' Let the Earth receive and transform yours and Enki's seed. And after you do this all, take your time so that your body, heart, mind and soul may heal. And I, who have known love, pain, sorrow and immense joy, give you, daughter, a very special blessing: may the wisdom of experience brought by such pain enter your being again and may you learn to ask as much as you give from your future lovers for as long as you live. Reciprocation is the key for everlasting relationships!'

Where Ninhursag buried Enki's seed, nine days later eight plants, luscious and strong, started to grow. Ninhursag laughed and declared happily to each of them: ' Out of the depths of the earth, out of my stony womb, eight plants came out to bring more blessings to the world! Eight they are, and from now on each of them will be both fathers and mothers, the very first Seed, of a new group of beings, whom I'll call Plants, creatures of green and colour, that will nourish, heal and grow in the glory of Dilmun and the Middle world.' .

After a time, Enki returned, happy and carefree, as it was his custom to be. He was not alone, but in the company of the two-faced god Isimud, Enki's vizier and friend. Both took long walks around the riverbanks, enjoyed the pleasures of the marshlands.

Both saw the luscious plants. ' What sorts of beings are those, Isimud, my faithful servant and friend? What is in them so new and yet so old that fills my heart with desire and my mind with deep-rooted curiosity? I want to taste them, to know their hearts, I want to know their insides. What, pray, is this plant?' asked Enki Isimud, pointing at the closest one. ' My king, this is a tree plant,' Isimud answered, and sworn as he was to serve the Sweet Waters Lord, Isimud then proceeded to cut down a piece of the tree-plant and passed it on to Enki, who immediately ate it with greed.

The taste of the tree-plant fuelled even more Enki's desire to know the nature of the other seven plants left.. He asked Isimud about the nature of the seven plants, their essence and content. Isimud replied to all his mater's questions, cutting down a sample of each and passing them on to Enki, who devoured them immediately with glee. This way Enki got to know the hearts of the Plants World.

Seeing that once again Enki had shown no respect or restraint, taking over to make his own not only young maiden goddesses, but also the Plants World angered Ninhursag beyond any measure. ' Enough is enough!' exclaimed the Great Mother, Mistress and Supreme Queen of the Earth, outraged and furious at Enki's disdain for all beings, human or plants. ' Enki, you've gone too far by taking over the hearts' essence of not only young goddesses, but also by taking into yourself eight primeval samples of the Plants World.

It is good to feel desire and experience the need to be one with the beloved. But there is a profound responsibility implicit in falling in love and captivating someone's mind, body, heart and soul. You, Enki, came out of the blue into many maidens' lives, set yourself up like a squatter within their hearts only to leave them afterwards, never to return. But even then you were not satisfied in your lust to know and experience everything, so you turned to the newly created Plants World. You, Enki, tasted each one of the eight sacred plants, devouring them next with greed. You never asked, but always took without giving anything back, a sign of acknowledgement, a simple caress.

To how many did you bring a little death to their spirit, to their hopes about a future with you? For all this, you deserve a mighty lesson, for it is high time that you, Enki, learn in sorrow what you did not learn in happiness: I will never look at you with a life-giving eye from this moment on. May the suffering you inflicted return to you threefold!'

With these words, Great Ninhursag disappeared, leaving Enki clearly divided between the joy of seeing the one and only to his heart and the growing concern for her parting words.

Because indeed Enki's health began to fail. A strange illness this was: eight organs of his body fell progressively ill. Indeed, they started to die in Enki's living body. The Anunnaki, the Great Gods, were disconsolate with Enki's suffering.

Father An, the Sky Lord, Enlil, Lord Air and Enki's beloved older brother, all healer gods and goddesses of the land tried everything they could to no avail.

Only Ninhursag could not be found anywhere, while Enki's health deteriorated little by little day after day.

It soon came a time when Enlil left Enki's side to sit on the dust, so immerse he was in despair and worry for the health of his younger and favourite brother. The Air Lord grieved for Enki. A world without the Lord of the Sweet Waters, Magic and Crafts, how sad it would be! Enlil simply could not conceive life without Enki's cunning, humour and sheer energy.

It was then that a fox, a sacred wild beast to Ninhursag who was passing by, came to console Lord Air: ' I've seen the suffering of the Sweet Waters Lord, I've witnessed the lament of the greatest of the Anunnaki for Enki, their beloved brother. Only Ninhursag can heal him, only the Mistress of All Creation can make him whole again. I'll do my best to go and find the Greatest Lady of Earth, holy Ninhursag I am sworn to worship and serve till the end of my days. I will find the Great Goddess and bring her here to accomplish the healing of the sick god.'

The fox disappeared, but kept her promise, for Ninhursag relented and came running to Enki's aid. She went straight to the chamber where Enki laid in agony, and, with a wave of her mighty hand, Ninhursag dismissed healers, nurses and well-wishers.

Their work was done. Ninhursag's had just begun.

With immense tenderness, the Mistress of All Creation made herself comfortable by on the bed, carefully placing Enki's head on her vagina. She then leaned forward and wrapped herself, arms, legs, breasts around the body of the Sweet Waters Lord. Enki was this way lovingly embraced by the Great Lady, kept safe and protected by her warmth, and arms that felt strong yet very sweet. Like a nurturing womb, the Great Lady wrapped herself around the Sweet Waters god.

Ninhursag whispered softly in Enki's ear: ' Dearest, what hurts you?' ' O beloved, my whole body hurts me.,' Enki managed to answer with visible effort. Ninhursag rocked gently back and forth with much care the sick god: ' I know your body hurts, dear heart, but soon you will be made whole again. Because I'll receive in my Womb of Abundance, the nest of creation, the seeds that you so greedily ate and that made you so ill. I'll take them all into my body so that they can bring healing, not harm to all beings. Let the Work begin!'

Enki felt he could not move a fingertip. At the same time, warmth started spreading all over his body, bringing new vitality, life force with it.

Enki heard Ninhursag's voice resonate all over his being: ' The first seed you ate and made you ill, I take its power into my myself and transform it into a newly born god, a younger brother and son to you, dearest. I therefore have given birth to the god Abu to set your body free.'

The Great Lady continued her mighty healing ritual, asking Enki for the names of the organs that had been affected. : ' Dearest, what hurts you?' ' My jaw hurts me.' ' To the god Nintulla I have given birth for you to set your jaw free.

Where else do you hurt, dearest?' ' My tooth hurts me.' 'To the goddess Ninsutu I have given birth for you to set your tooth free.

Where do you still feel much pain, dearest? What hurts you?' ' My mouth hurts me.' Ninhursag kissed Enki in the mouth. ' To the goddess Ninkasi I have given birth for you to set your mouth free.

What hurts you still, dear?' ' My throat hurts me.' ' To the goddess Azimua I have given birth for you to set your throat free.

What hurts you still, dear?'' ' My limbs hurt me'. ' To the god Enshag I have given birth for you to set your limbs free.

What hurts you most, dearest? ' My rib hurts me.' ' To the goddess Nin-ti, the Lady of the Rib and the One who makes Live, I have given birth for you to set your rib free.'

As soon as Ninhursag uttered the last sentence, Enki felt no pain or ache, revitalised and stronger than ever. Indeed, as if he himself had been reborn in the close embrace of Ninhursag.

Gone was the pain, the fever, the shivers. ' I am alive,' he said very simply, his voice full of wonder, ' and yet it feels so different from the moment I came out of the sea of mother Nammu or when I met Ereshkigal in the Underworld.'

He moved into Ninhursag's arms, for he wanted to see her face too. The Great Lady had closed her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips. She rested against the pillows of Enki's bed, still holding him in a loose embrace.

Now it was his turn to act with immense tenderness, as he shifted positions to make her rest on his chest. ' You healed me by sending your soul into my body, ' he said, deeply moved by the Gift of Life he had been given, and more. ' This is why you are so wearied. And the reason why I feel so much more part of yourself as a consequence. How could I have been so stupid not to understand you or myself until now? It was you I longed for, your embrace, your touch. But beforehand I wanted you for me only, and desired all maidens, because I knew not of the extent of my longing for you and only you. How impossibly absurd and stupid of me to think that I should find your image in every maiden I came across just to leave them when I realised they were not you! '

They kissed passionately.

' I would never bind you to me against your True Will, beloved,' said simply Ninhursag. ' And because you understood this great mystery, because you and I are indeed two of a kind, let all worlds know what I now declare: from this very moment on let it be known that I, Ninhursag, the Earth Mother, Wisest beyond all Beings in the Ways of Nature, built a house for my beloved and myself on a Rock, steadfast and solid....' ' Let me finish this for you... for us, dearest,' interrupted Enki Ninhursag with a kiss,' I, Enki, the Lord of Sweet Waters, say that from this strong and solid rock that means Life, Love and Fruition for me the Waters of Life will flow forever in all worlds we dare to fare'.

They kissed and hugged passionately, sealing their shared Fate forever, for as long as they wanted to be together. ' For you I stayed here in Dilmun, the place of delights, where we are safe from hate or harm', continued Enki. ' Now I know that you made me ill to make me see that the bond that I feel for you is stronger than friendship or love. I know now that even if we cannot be together all the time, we will never be apart. But tell me, dearest, did you really need to be so radical and cast on me the eye of death?'

Indeed, Enki had come back to his normal enquiring self. Ninhursag could burst of joy, and her laughter was pure delight and mischief: ' This, Enki, you will never find out!'

Enki chuckled, half disappointed, half amused. Life with Ninhursag would never be boring, this he knew for sure. She would certainly drive him nuts with her assertiveness, wits, passionate ways and guts many other times in the future. But she was and would be forever in his future, he loved her and wanted her like no other. Ninhursag was his Soul-Companion, his Rock of Strength, the Inspirational Divine Feminine that brightened up his life. And if he could not have the last word with her, at least Enki knew very well how to silence Ninhursag in the sweetest and wildest way for very long moments.

With perfect skill and determination he started to kiss her holy body. All over.

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Enki and Ninhursanga

What follows next is the original translation of the Tablet.

The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

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Pure are the cities -- and you are the ones to whom they are allotted. Pure is Dilmun land. Pure is Sumer -- and you are the ones to whom it is allotted. Pure is Dilmun land. Pure is Dilmun land. Virginal is Dilmun land. Virginal is Dilmun land. Pristine is Dilmun land.

He laid her down all alone in Dilmun, and the place where Enki had lain down with his spouse, that place was still virginal, that place was still pristine. He laid her down all alone in Dilmun, and the place where Enki had lain down with Ninsikila, that place was virginal, that place was pristine.

In Dilmun the raven was not yet cawing, the partridge not cackling. The lion did not slay, the wolf was not carrying off lambs, the dog had not been taught to make kids curl up, the pig had not learned that grain was to be eaten.

When a widow had spread malt on the roof, the birds did not yet eat that malt up there. The pigeon then did not tuck its head under its wing.

No eye-diseases said there: "I am the eye disease." No headache said there: "I am the headache." No old woman belonging to it said there: "I am an old woman." No old man belonging to it said there: "I am an old man." No maiden in her unwashed state ...... in the city. No man dredging a river said there: "It is getting dark." No herald made the rounds in his border district.

No singer sang an elulam there. No wailings were wailed in the city's outskirts there.

Ninsikilasaid to her father Enki: "You have given a city. You have given a city. What does your giving avail me? You have given a city, Dilmun. You have given a city. What does your giving avail me? You have given ....... You have given a city. What does your giving avail me?"

"You have given ......, a city that has no river quay. You have given a city. What does your giving avail me?

1 line fragmentary

A city that has no fields, glebe or furrow"

3 lines missing

( Enki answered Ninsikila:) "When Utu steps up into heaven, fresh waters shall run out of the ground for you from the standing vessels (?) on Ezen's (?) shore, from Nanna's radiant high temple, from the mouth of the waters running underground."

"May the waters rise up from it into your great basins. May your city drink water aplenty from them. May Dilmun drink water aplenty from them. May your pools of salt water become pools of fresh water. May your city become an emporium on the quay for the Land. May Dilmun become an emporium on the quay for the Land."

(Possible insertion point for additional lines in a ms. from Ur:

"May the land of Tukric hand over to you gold from Harali, lapis lazuli and ....... May the land of Meluha load precious desirable cornelian, mec wood of Magan and the best abba wood into large ships for you. May the land of Marhaci yield you precious stones, topazes. May the land of Magan offer you strong, powerful copper, dolerite, u stone and cumin stone. May the Sea-land offer you its own ebony wood, ...... of a king. May the 'Tent'-lands offer you fine multicoloured wools. May the land of Elam hand over to you choice wools, its tribute. May the manor of Urim, the royal throne dais, the city ......, load up into large ships for you sesame, august raiment, and fine cloth. May the wide sea yield you its wealth."

The city's dwellings are good dwellings. Dilmun's dwellings are good dwellings. Its grains are little grains, its dates are big dates, its harvests are triple ......, its wood is ...... wood.)

At that moment, on that day, and under that sun, when Utu stepped up into heaven, from the standing vessels (?) on Ezen's (?) shore, from Nanna's radiant high temple, from the mouth of the waters running underground, fresh waters ran out of the ground for her.

The waters rose up from it into her great basins. Her city drank water aplenty from them. Dilmun drank water aplenty from them. Her pools of salt water indeed became pools of fresh water. Her fields, glebe and furrows indeed produced grain for her. Her city indeed became an emporium on the quay for the Land. Dilmun indeed became an emporium on the quay for the Land. At that moment, on that day, and under that sun, so it indeed happened.

All alone the wise one, toward Nintud, the country's mother, Enki, the wise one, toward Nintud, the country's mother, was digging his phallus into the dykes, plunging his phallus into the reed-beds. The august one pulled his phallus aside and cried out: "No man take me in the marsh."

Enkicried out: "By the life's breath of heaven I adjure you. Lie down for me in the marsh, lie down for me in the marsh, that would be joyous." Enki distributed his semen destined for Damgalnuna. He poured semen into Ninhursaja's womb and she conceived the semen in the womb, the semen of Enki.

But her one month was one day, but her two months were two days, but her three months were three days, but her four months were four days, but her five months were five days, but her six months were six days, but her seven months were seven days, but her eight months were eight days, but her nine months were nine days. In the month of womanhood, like juniper oil, like juniper oil, like oil of abundance, Nintud, mother of the country, like juniper oil, gave birth to Ninsar.

In turn Ninsar went out to the riverbank. Enki was able to see up there from in the marsh, he was able to see up there, he was. He said to his minister Isimud: "Is this nice youngster not to be kissed? Is this nice Ninsar not to be kissed?" His minister Isimud answered him: "Is this nice youngster not to be kissed? Is this nice Ninsar not to be kissed? My master will sail, let me navigate. He will sail, let me navigate."

First he put his feet in the boat, next he put them on dry land. He clasped her to the bosom, kissed her, Enki poured semen into the womb and she conceived the semen in the womb, the semen of Enki. But her one month was one day, but her two months were two days, but her nine months were nine days. In the month of womanhood, like juniper oil, like juniper oil, like oil of abundance, Ninsar, like juniper oil, like juniper oil, like oil of abundance, gave birth to Ninkura.

In turn Ninkura went out to the riverbank. Enki was able to see up there from in the marsh, he was able to see up there, he was. He said to his minister Isimud: "Is this nice youngster not to be kissed? Is this nice Ninkura not to kissed?" His minister Isimud answered him: "Kiss this nice youngster. Kiss this nice Ninkura. My master will sail, let me navigate. He will sail, let me navigate."

First he put his feet in the boat, next he put them on dry land. He clasped her to the bosom, kissed her, Enki poured semen into the womb and she conceived the semen in the womb, the semen of Enki. But her one month was one day, but her nine months were nine days. In the month of womanhood, like juniper oil, like juniper oil, like oil of abundance, Ninkura, like juniper oil, like juniper oil, like oil of abundance, gave birth to Uttu, the exalted (?) woman.

(Insertion point for additional lines in a ms. of unknown origin:

Ninkura in turn gave birth to Ninimma. She brought the child up and made her flourish. Ninimma in turn went out to the riverbank. Enki was towing his boat along and was able to see up there, ....... He laid eyes on Ninimma on the riverbank and said to his minister Isimud: "Have I ever kissed one like this nice youngster? Have I ever made love to one like nice Ninimma?" His minister Isimud answered him: "My master will sail, let me navigate. He will sail, let me navigate."

First he put his feet in the boat, next he put them on dry land. He clasped her to the bosom, lying in her crotch, made love to the youngster and kissed her. Enki poured semen into Ninimma's womb and she conceived the semen in the womb, the semen of Enki.

To the woman its one month was but its one day, its two months were but its two days, its three months were but its three days, its four months were but its four days, its five months were but its five days, its six months were but its six days, its seven months were but its seven days, its eight months were but its eight days, and at its nine days, in the month of womanhood, like juniper oil, like juniper oil, like oil of abundance, Ninimma, like juniper oil, like oil of abundance, gave birth to Uttu, the exalted (?) woman.)

Nintudsaid to Uttu: "Let me advise you, and may you take heed of my advice. Let me speak words to you and may you heed my words. From in the marsh one man is able to see up here, is able to see up here, he is; from in the marsh Enki is able to see up here, is able to see up here, he is. He will set eyes on you."

10 lines fragmentary

...... Uttu, the exalted (?) woman ......

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( Uttu said:) "Bring cucumbers in ......, bring apples with their stems sticking out (?), bring grapes in their clusters, and in the house you will indeed have hold of my halter, O Enki, you will indeed have hold of my halter."

When he was filling with water a second time, he filled the dykes with water, he filled the canals with water, he filled the fallows with water. The gardener in his joy rose (?) from the dust and embraced him: "Who are you who ...... the garden?"

Enki(said to) ...... the gardener:

4 lines missing

He brought him cucumbers in ......, brought him apples with their stems sticking out (?), brought him grapes in their clusters, filled his lap.

Enkimade his face attractive and took a staff in his hand. Enki came to a halt at Uttu's, knocked at her house (demanding): "Open up, open up." (She asked): "Who are you?" (He answered:) "I am a gardener. Let me give you cucumbers, apples, and grapes for your 'Yes'." Joyfully Uttu opened the house. Enki gave Uttu, the exalted (?) woman, cucumbers in ......, gave her apples with their stems sticking out (?), gave her grapes in their clusters. (1 line not in the ms. from Nippur: He poured beer for her in the large ban measure.)

Uttu, the exalted (?) woman, ...... to the left for him, waved the hands for him. Enki aroused Uttu. He clasped her to the bosom, lying in her crotch, fondled her thighs, fondled her with the hand. He clasped her to the bosom, lying in her crotch, made love to the youngster and kissed her. Enki poured semen into Uttu's womb and she conceived the semen in the womb, the semen of Enki.

Uttu, the beautiful woman, cried out : "Woe, my thighs". She cried out: "Woe, my liver. Woe, my heart." Ninhursaja removed the semen from the thighs.

2 lines fragmentary

She grew the 'tree' plant, she grew the 'honey' plant, she grew the 'vegetable' plant, she grew the esparto grass (?), she grew the atutu plant, she grew the actaltal plant, she grew the ...... plant, she grew the amharu plant.

Enkiwas able to see up there from in the marsh, he was able to see up there, he was. He said to his minister Isimud: "I have not determined the destiny of these plants. What is this one? What is that one?"

His minister Isimud had the answer for him. "My master, the 'tree' plant," he said to him, cut it off for him and Enki ate it. "My master, the 'honey' plant," he said to him, pulled it up for him and Enki ate it. "My master, the 'vegetable' plant," he said to him, cut it off for him and Enki ate it. "My master, the alfalfa grass (?)," he said to him, pulled it up for him and Enki ate it.

"My master, the atutu plant," he said to him, cut it off for him and Enki ate it. "My master, the actaltal plant," he said to him, pulled it up for him and Enki ate it. "My master, the ...... plant," he said to him, cut it off for him and Enki ate it. "My master, the amharu plant," he said to him, pulled it up for him and Enki ate it. Enki determined the destiny of the plants, had them know it in their hearts.

Ninhursajacursed the name Enki: "Until his dying day, I will never look upon him with life-giving eye." The Anuna sat down in the dust. But a fox was able to speak to Enlil: "If I bring Ninhursaja to you, what will be my reward?" Enlil answered the fox: "If you bring Ninhursaja to me, I shall erect two standards for you in my city and you will be renowned."

The fox first anointed his body, first shook out his fur (?), first put kohl on his eyes.

4 lines fragmentary

(The fox said to Ninhursaja:) "I have been to Nibru, but Enlil ....... I have been to Urim, but Nanna ....... I have been to Larsa, but Utu ....... I have been to Unug, but Inana ....... I am seeking refuge with one who is ......."

7 lines fragmentary

Ninhursajahastened to the temple. The Anuna slipped off her garment, made ......, determined its destiny and ....... Ninhursaja made Enki sit by her vagina. (1 line not in the ms. from Nippur: She placed (?) her hands on ....... and ....... on its outside.)

( Ninhursaja asked:) "My brother, what part of you hurts you?" "The top of my head (ugu-dili) hurts me." She gave birth to Ab-u out of it. "My brother, what part of you hurts you?" "The locks of my hair (siki) hurt me." She gave birth to Ninsikila out of it. "My brother, what part of you hurts you?" "My nose (giri) hurts me." She gave birth to Ningiriudu out of it. "My brother, what part of you hurts you?" "My mouth (ka) hurts me." She gave birth to Ninkasi out of it.

"My brother, what part of you hurts you?" "My throat (zi) hurts me." She gave birth to Nazi out of it. "My brother, what part of you hurts you?" "My arm (a) hurts me." She gave birth to Azimua out of it. "My brother, what part of you hurts you?" "My ribs (ti) hurt me." She gave birth to Ninti out of it. "My brother, what part of you hurts you?" "My sides (zag) hurt me." She gave birth to Ensag out of it.

(She said:) "For the little ones to whom I have given birth may rewards not be lacking. Ab-u shall become king of the grasses, Ninsikila shall become lord of Magan, Ningiriudu shall marry Ninazu, Ninkasi shall be what satisfies the heart, Nazi shall marry Nindara, Azimua shall marry Ninjiczida, Ninti shall become the lady of the month, and Ensag shall become lord of Dilmun."

Praise be to Father Enki.

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Titus

1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;1:3 But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;1:4 To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.1:5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:1:6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;1:8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.1:10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:1:11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.1:12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.1:13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;1:14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.2:1 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:2:2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.2:3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;2:4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,2:5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.2:6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.2:7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
2:8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.2:9 Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;2:10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.2:15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.3:9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;3:11 Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.3:12 When I shall send Artemas unto thee, or Tychicus, be diligent to come unto me to Nicopolis: for I have determined there to winter.3:13 Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them.3:14 And let our's also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.
3:15 All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.