A praise poem of Šulgi (Šulgi B)
- 301
lugal-bi ki-ĝiri3-ĝen-na ḫe2-du inim-ma-ni al-ze2-er
- 302
un-ga-til3 ud til3-la-ni-a
- 303
niĝ2 usu-na ḫe2-en-ak en3-du me-da tum3
- 304
lugal-me-en in-ga-zu-a-ta niĝ2-me-ĝar gu3 i3-de2
- 305
ĝeštug2-ĝeštug2-ga dirig-ga-ĝu10-še3
- 306
um-mi-a-gin7 mu libir-ra-ĝu10-še3
- 307
niĝ2-umun2-a en3-du-ĝu10 ḫe2-en-pad3-de3 mul-an ḫe2-u3-tud
- 308
sig-še3 urim5{ki}-ma ki sikil-la bi2-mu2
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!
- 309
e2-ĜEŠTUG2.{d}NISABA mul en3-du-ĝa2-ka
- 310
nim-še3 nibru{ki}-a ki-gal-la bi2-gub
- 311
šudu3 e2-kur-ra ki ḫe2-us2-sa-ĝu10-uš
- 312
dub-sar ḫe2-gub šu-ni ḫe2-eb-dab5-be2
- 313
nar ḫe2-gub gu3 ḫu-mu-un-ne2-re-de2
- 314
e2-dub-ba-a da-ri2 ḫur nu-kur2-ru-dam
- 315
ki-umun2 da-ri2 ḫur nu-silig-ge-dam
- 316
ĝeštug2 dab5-ba-ĝu10 i3-ne-eš2 ne-e ur5-ra-am3
- 317
niĝ2 ka-ge dib-ba ki-šar2-ra
- 318
ĝiri3-ĝen-na inim en3-du-ĝa2-kam a-na mu-ši-ĝal2-la
- 319
an {d}en-lil2 {d}utu {d}inana lul ba-ra-na ḫe2-ge-en
- 320
u3 nam-erim2-e lu2 na-an-ga-am3-me
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.
- 321
ud ne-e mu-sar-ra-ĝu10-a
- 322
iri nu-mu-un-gul-la bad3 nu-mu-un-sig10-ga-ĝu10
- 323
kur gi-sig-gin7 nu-mu-un-dub2-ba-ĝu10
- 324
ar2 zag li-bi2-til-til-la-ĝu10
- 325
a-na-gin7-nam nar-e en3-du-a mu-ši-ĝa2-ĝa2-a
- 326
niĝ2-umun2-a saĝ-kal mu da-ri2-kam
- 327
niĝ2-lul niĝ2-gen6-na nu-me-a sar-re-bi a-na-gin7-nam
- 328
lugal-me-en a2-ĝa2 {d}lamma-bi kalag-ga-na šir3-bi-im
- 329
ki-ĝiri3-ĝen-na-ĝu10 nar-e mu-ši-in-ĝar
- 330
en3-du-ĝu10 niĝ2 nu-ḫa-lam-e-de3
- 331
inim-ĝu10 niĝ2 ka-ta nu-šub-bu-de3
- 332
ĝe26-e lugal kalam-ma dug3-ga-me-en
- 333
numun ba-i-i-ta zag uĝ3 lu-a-še3
- 334
lugal niĝ2-ĝa2 niĝ2 bi2-in-sig10-ga-am3
- 335
aga-ni an-ne2 ba-ra-ba-ta-an-il2
- 336
ĝidru-ni barag nam-lugal-la-ta ba-ra-ba-ta-ed3-de3
- 337
kalag-ga nam-kug-zu ĝeštug2 šum2-ma-me-en
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 (1 line unclear) He who knows, and does not …… the truth about me as lies, will applaud and praise me.
- 338
niĝ2 gal-gal-ĝa2 zag-bi til-la
- 339
piriĝ igi {urud}šukur-ra ga-raš{sar}-gin7 šab-šab-e
- 340
nemurx(PIRIĜ.TUR) šu zig3-ga igi {ĝiš}ga-rig2-ak gi-gin7 ša5-ša5-dam
- 341
zi-bi ur-gir15-gin7 {urud}dur10-uš NE-NE-ga
- 341A
sumun2 usu gal-gal gud a2 nu-gi4-a
- 343
gud kur-bi-še3 DU-ba edin-na mi-ni-gaz-za
- 344
kur-ba šu-a bal-e-da-bi
- 345
ḫur-saĝ niĝ2 šag4-ge nu-gid2-i-gin7
- 346
šag4-ge šu nu-teĝ3-ĝe26-e-gin7 ib2-ak
- 347
inim ib2-ta-DU.DU i-gi4-in-zu lul na-nam
- 348
ki nam-dub-ba inim dugud-dugud-da-bi
- 349
nam-kug-zu-ĝu10 nam-kalag-ga-ĝu10
- 350
a2 ĝal2 taka4-a ki silim-eš2 di-ĝa2
- 351
mu-un-zu-a-na nu-mu-un-[…]-⌈na⌉
- 352
niĝ2-gen6-na-ĝu10 niĝ2-lul-la-gin7
- 353
šu teš2-a mu-un-ru-gu2 ka tar-ra mu-un-si-il-le
- 354
ur-saĝ kalag-ga-ni kalag-ga rib-ba-me-en
I am a warrior whose might is enormous might. I am Šulgi, 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.
- 355
{d}šul-gi ĝissu-a-ni kur-ra la2-a-me-en
- 356
lugal {ĝiš}tukul a-RU-ub ki-bal-na ĝe26-e-me-en
- 357
mu da-ri2-ĝu10 a2 gal bi2-su3-ud
- 358
i3-ne-eš2 {d}utu ud ne-a-a
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 …… (8 lines fragmentary)
- 359
kur dumu ki-en-gi-ra nu-zu-ba
- 360
sa-dur2 kaskal-bi-še3 šu la-ba-ĝal2-la-ba
- 361
zag-ba ka-inim-ma lu2 nu-gub-gub-ba
- 362
šeš di4-di4-la2 lu2-inim-ma-be2-ne
- 363
dumu-saĝ inim u3-tud šir3 kad4 inim kad4-bi-im
- 364
šir3-ĝa2 mul-an-gin7 gu3 im-de2-e-ne
- 365
inim-ĝu10-ta X-gin7 ki im-tag-tag-ge-ne
- 366
[…] buru5{mušen} DU-a-gin7
- 367
[…]-da la-ba-an-dug4
- 368
[…] zag til-la-me-en
- 369
[…] X-ba nir-ĝal2-me-en
- 370
[…]-a mu-da-an-zu
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[…] ĜAR […] ⌈su3⌉-ud-da
- 372
[X] X X X X ĝe26-e-me-en
- 373
[X X] X tag-tag-da-bi
- 374
e2-bi-a lu2 si sa2-bi kun4 dib-be2-me-en
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 Šulgi, and my house E-ḫursaĝ 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.
- 375
lu2 mu pad3-da {d}nanna-me-en
- 376
saĝ us2 e2 {d}en-lil2-ka ama-a-tud an-na-me-en
- 377
{d}šul-gi-me-en e2-ĝu10 e2-ḫur-saĝ e2-gal e2-gal-bi-im
- 378
ki-tuš nam-lugal-ĝa2 za3-mi2 gal-gal-la-kam
- 379
ḫur-saĝ za-gin3-na-gin7 ša-ba-an-galam-en
- 380
{d}inana nin diĝir-re-e-ne-ke4
- 381
a2-ĝa2 {d}lamma-bi-im kalag-ga-ĝa2 šir3-bi-im
- 382
lugal-lugal-e-ne-er dirig-ga-me-en
- 383
niĝ2 ki-šar2-ra-ke4 šu mi-ni-in-du7
- 384
za3-mi2-ĝu10 dug3-ga-am3
- 385
{d}nisaba za3-mi2
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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.