Lugalbanda and the Anzud bird
- 302
mu 50-uš ḫu-mu-du3 mu 50-uš ḫu-mu-sa2
- 303
ki-en-gi ki-uri niĝin2-na-a-ba
- 304
mar-tu lu2 še nu-zu ḫu-mu-zig3
- 305
bad3 unug{ki}-ga gu mušen-na-gin7 edin-na ḫe2-ni-la2-la2
- 306
i-da-al-la-ba ki-ĝal2-la-ba ḫi-li-ĝu10 ba-til
- 307
ab2-šilam amar-bi la2-a-gin7 erin2-ĝu10 mu-da-la2
- 308
dumu ama-ni-ir ḫul gig-ga iri-ta e3-a-gin7
- 309
nin9 e5-ĝu10 kug {d}inana-ke4
- 310
šeg12 kul-aba4{ki}-še3 šu ma-ra-an-dag
- 311
ud-da iri-ni ki ḫa-ba-an-aĝ2 ĝa2-a-ra ḫul ḫa-ba-an-gig
- 312
iri ĝa2-da a-na-aš am3-da-la2-e
- 313
ud-da iri-ni ḫul ḫa-ba-an-gig ĝa2-a-ra ki ḫa-ba-an-aĝ2
- 314
ĝe26-e iri-da a-na-aš am3-da-la2-e-en
- 315
nu-gig-ge anzud{mušen} amar-ra-gin7
- 316
ni2-te-a-ni sag2 um-ma-an-!
- 317
bar kug-ga-ni-a um-ma-an-šub-be2-en
- 318
šeg12 kul-aba4{ki}-še3 ḫe2-em-ma-ni-in-kur9-re-en
- 319
ĝiš-gid2-da-ĝu10 ud ne ba-an-de6
- 320
{kuš}gur21ur3-ĝu10 ud ne e-ne ba-an-zur-zur-re
- 321
nin9 e5-ĝu10 kug {d}inana-ra ur5-gin7 dug4-mu-na-ab
- 322
kug lugal-ban3-da e2-gal-ta im-ma-da-ra-ta-e3
Thereupon holy Lugalbanda came forth from the palace. Although his brothers and his comrades barked at him as at a foreign dog trying to join a pack of dogs, he stepped proudly forward like a foreign wild ass trying to join a herd of wild asses. Send someone else to Unug for the lord. -- For Enmerkar son of Utu I shall go alone to Kulaba. No one shall go with me -- how he spoke to them! Why will you go alone and keep company with no one on the journey? If our beneficent spirit does not stand by you there, if our good protective deity does not go with you there, you will never again stand with us where we stand, you will never again dwell with us where we dwell, you will never again set your feet on the ground where our feet are. You will not come back from the great mountains, where no one goes alone, whence no one returns to mankind! -- Time is passing, I know. None of you is going with me over the great earth. While the hearts of his brothers beat loudly, while the hearts of his comrades sank, Lugalbanda took in his hand such of his provisions as he had not eaten, and each of his weapons one by one. From the foot of the mountains, through the high mountains, into the flat land, from the edge of Anšan to the top of Anšan, he crossed five, six, seven mountains.
- 323
šeš-a-ne-ne gu5-li-ne-ne
- 324
ur gir5 ur-ra kur9-ra-gin7 ḫu-un-ḫa mu-un-ši-ib-za-na-aš
- 325
dur3 gir5 dur3-a kur9-ra-gin7 galam mu-un-na-ta-e3
- 326
en-ra unug{ki}-še3 gi4-mu-un-ši-ib
- 327
en-me-er-kar2 dumu {d}utu-ra
- 328
kul-aba4{ki}-še3 dili-ĝu10-ne ga-ĝen lu2 nam-mu-da-du a-gin7 mu-un-ne-dug4
- 329
me-na-am3 dili-zu-ne kaskal-e saĝ ba-ra-mu-ri-ib-us2
- 330
{d}udug sag9-ga-me nam-ba-e-de3-gub-ba
- 331
{d}lamma sag9-ga-me nam-ba-e-de3-ĝen-na
- 332
ki gub-ba-me-a nam-ba-e-de3-gub-bu-nam
- 333
ki tuš-a-me-a nam-ba-e-de3-tuš-u3-nam
- 334
saḫar ĝiri3-me-a ĝiri3 nam-ba-e-de3-us2-e
- 335
ḫur-saĝ gal lu2 dili nu-du-u3-dam
- 336
lu2-bi lu2-ra nu-gi4-gi4-da ba-ra-gi4-gi4-nam
- 337
ud zal-le in-zu-ta ki gal-la ba-ra-da-ni-in-sug2-ge-en-za-na
- 338
lugal-ban3-da šag4 gu3 di šeš-a-ne-ne-ta
- 339
šag4 sag3 gu5-li-ne-ne-ta
- 340
ninda kaskal-la-ka-ni nu-um-ga14-aš
- 341
{ĝiš}tukul-a-ni 1(DIŠ)-bi 1(DIŠ)-bi šu im-ma-an-ti
- 342
kur-ur2-ra kur-bad3-da ma-du-um-e
- 343
zag an-ša4-na-ta saĝ an-ša4-an{ki}-na-še3
- 344
ḫur-saĝ 5 ḫur-saĝ 6 ḫur-saĝ 7 im-me-re-bal-bal
- 345
ĝi6 MAŠ-a {ĝiš}banšur kug {d}inana-ke4 nu-um-ma-te-a-aš
By midnight, but before they had brought the offering-table to holy Inana, he set foot joyfully in brick-built Kulaba. His lady, holy Inana, sat there on her cushion. He bowed and prostrated himself on the ground. With joyful eyes Inana looked at holy Lugalbanda as she would look at the shepherd Ama-ušumgal-ana. In a joyful voice, Inana spoke to holy Lugalbanda as she would speak to her son Lord Šara: Come now, my Lugalbanda, why do you bring news from the city? How have you come here alone from Aratta?
- 346
šeg12 kul-aba4{ki}-še3 ĝiri3 ḫul2-la mi-ni-in-gub
- 347
nin-a-ni kug {d}inana-ke4
- 348
šag4-da-ga-na mu-na-an-tuš
- 349
i3-gam ki-a mu-na-ab-za
- 350
su8-ba {d}ama-ušumgal-an-na mu-na-ši-bar-gin7
- 351
kug lugal-ban3-da igi mu-na-ši-bar-re
- 352
dumu-na en {d}šara2 mu-na-de2-a-gin7
- 353
kug lugal-ban3-da gu3 mu-un-na-da-de2-e
- A
igi šag4 ḫul2-la {d}inana-ke4
- B
su8-ba ama-ušumgal-an-na-ra mu-un-ši-bar-ra-gin7
- C
kug {d}lugal-ban3-da mu-un-ši-bar
- D
gu3 šag4 [ḫul2-la] {d}inana-ke4
- E
dumu-ni [en] [{d}]⌈šara2⌉ mu-un-na-de2-a-gin7
- F
[kug] {d}[lugal]-⌈ban3⌉-da mu-un-na-da-de2-a
- 354
ĝa2-nu lugal-ban3-da-ĝu10
- 355
iri-ta a2 aĝ2-ĝa2 a-na-aš mu-e-de6
- 356
aratta{ki} dili-zu-ne a-gin7 im-da-ĝen-ne-en
- 357
kug lugal-ban3-da mu-na-ni-ib-gi4-gi4
Holy Lugalbanda answered her: What Enmerkar son of Utu quoth and what he says, what your brother quoth and what he says, is: Once upon a time my princely sister holy Inana summoned me in her holy heart from the mountains, had me enter brick-built Kulaba. Where there was a marsh then in Unug, it was full of water. Where there was any dry land, Euphrates poplars grew there. Where there were reed thickets, old reeds and young reeds grew there. Divine Enki who is king in Eridu tore up for me the old reeds, drained off the water completely. For fifty years I built, for fifty years I was successful. Then the Martu peoples, who know no agriculture, arose in all Sumer and Akkad. But the wall of Unug extended out across the desert like a bird net. Yet now, here in this place, my attractiveness to her has dwindled. My troops are bound to me as a cow is bound to its calf; but like a son who, hating his mother, leaves his city, my princely sister holy Inana has run away from me back to brick-built Kulaba. If she loves her city and hates me, why does she bind the city to me? If she hates the city and yet loves me, why does she bind me to the city? If the mistress removes herself from me to her holy chamber and abandons me like an Anzud chick, then may she at least bring me home to brick-built Kulaba: on that day my spear shall be laid aside. On that day she may shatter my shield. Speak thus to my princely sister, holy Inana.
- 358
šeš-zu a-na bi2-in-dug4 a-na bi2-in-taḫ
- 359
en-me-er-kar2 dumu {d}utu-ke4 a-na bi2-in-dug4 a-na bi2-in-taḫ
- 360
ki ud-ba nin9 e5-ĝu10 kug {d}inana-ke4
- 361
kur ?-ta šag4 kug-ga-ni-a ḫe2-em-ma-ni-pad3-de3
- 362
šeg12 kul-aba4{ki}-še3 ḫe2-em-ma-ni-in-kur9-re-en
- 363
unug{ki}-e sug ḫe2-me-am3 a ḫe2-em-de2-a
- 364
bar-rim4 ḫe2-me-am3 {ĝiš}asal ḫe2-mu2-a
- 365
ĝiš-gi ḫe2-me-am3 gi sumun gi ḫenbur ḫe2-mu2-a
- 366
{d}en-ki lugal eridug{ki}-ga-ke4
- 367
gi sumun-bi ḫa-ma-an-ze2 a-bi ḫa-ma-an-uš2
- 368
mu 50-uš ḫu-mu-du3 mu 50-uš ḫu-mu-sa2
- 369
ki-en-gi ki-uri niĝin2-na-a-ba
- 370
mar-tu lu2 še nu-zu ḫu-mu-zig3
- 371
bad3 unug{ki}-ga gu mušen-na-gin7 edin-na ḫe2-ni-la2-la2
- 372
i-da-la-ba ki-ĝal2-la-ba ḫi-li-ĝu10 ba-til
- 373
ab2-šilam amar-bi la2-a-gin7 erin2-ĝu10 mu-da-la2
- 374
dumu ama-ni-[ir] ḫul gig-ga iri-ta e3-a-gin7
- 375
nin9 e5-ĝu10 kug {d}inana-ke4
- 376
šeg12 kul-aba4{ki}-še3 šu ma-ra-an-dag
- 377
ud-da iri-ni ki ḫa-ba-an-aĝ2 ĝa2-a-ra ḫul ḫa-ba-an-gig
- 378
iri ĝa2-da a-na-aš am3-da-la2-e
- 379
ud-da iri-ni ḫul ḫa-ba-an-gig ĝa2-a-ra ki ḫa-ba-an-aĝ2
- 380
ĝa2-a iri-da a-na-aš am3-da-la2-e-en
- 381
nu-gig-ge anzud{mušen} amar-ra-gin7
- 382
ni2-te-a-ni sag2 um-ma-an-!
- 383
bar kug-ga-ni-a um-ma-an-šub-be2-en
- 384
šeg12 kul-aba4{ki}-še3 ḫe2-em-ma-ni-in-kur9-re-en
- 385
ĝiš-gid2-da-ĝu10 ud ne ba-an-de6
- 386
{kuš}gur21ur3-ĝu10 ud ne e-ne ba-an-zur-zur-re
- 387
nin9 e5-ĝu10 kug {d}inana-ra ur5-gin7 dug4-mu-na-ab
- 388
kug {d}inana-ke4 mu-na-ni-ib-gi4-gi4
Holy Inana uttered this response: Now, at the end, on the banks, in the water-meadows, of a clear river, of a river of clear water, of the river which is Inana's gleaming waterskin, the suḫurmaš fish eats the honey-herb; the toad eats the mountain acorns; and the …… fish, which is a god of the suḫurmaš fish, plays happily there and darts about. With his scaly tail he touches the old reeds in that holy place. The tamarisks of the place, as many as there are, drink water from that pool.
- 389
i3-ne-eš2 id2 šen-na id2 a šen-na-ka
- 390
id2 {kuš}ummud za-gin3 {d}inana-ke4
- 391
kun-ba peš10-peš10-ba u2-sal-u2-sal-ba
- 392
suḫur-maš{ku6}-e u2-lal3 i3-gu7-e
- 393
kiĝ2-tur{ku6}-e {u2}i-li-a-nu-um kur-ra i3-gu7-e
- 394
ĜIŠ.ŠEŠ{ku6} diĝir suḫur-maš2{ku6}-a-ke4
- 395
šag4-ba a-ne ḫul2-la mu-un-e kun-bi mu-un-sud-e
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The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL), Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. Copyright holders: Jeremy Black, Graham Cunningham, Jarle Ebeling, Esther Flückiger-Hawker, Eleanor Robson, Jon Taylor and Gábor Zólyomi. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Source.