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A praise poem of Šulgi (Šulgi D)

Sumerian literature (ETCSL) · 2 - Royal praise poetry and compositions with a historical background · 270 sections

1. 320

   lugal niĝ2-si-sa2-e ki aĝ2 X X X E X [X] šag4-gada-la2

2. gap

   (approx. 10 lines missing)

3. 331

   [kur-ra tur-tur-bi ma2]-a i3-mi-[ib2-u5]

   He let the young ones of the foreign lands embark on ships, but killed the adults as revenge. Even those whom he did not kill and those whom he did not disperse did not live long!

4. 332

   [gal]-gal-bi šu gi4-⌈ta⌉ mu-gi4

5. 333

   nu-mu-gi4-[eš2] nu-mu-daĝal-le-[e-ša-a] ud la-ba-da-[ab-su3-ra2-aš]

6. 334

   [ur]-saĝ-e šu iri-na mu-gi4

   The hero avenged his city. Whatever was destroyed in Sumer, he destroyed in the foreign lands. He made the gods of their cities turn away (?) from them; he caused their male and female protective deities, their good eyes, to stand aside. He let long grass grow in their cultivated fields of shining barley. With the axe he destroyed their thick and tall trees, and he tore down by the crown their valuable trees. He uprooted their small trees. In their irrigated gardens, where honey and fig trees used to grow, he made weeds grow, so that …… plants and …… herbs broke through the soil.

7. 335

   niĝ2 ki-en-gi-ra ba-a-gu-ul-la kur-ra i3-mi-in-gu-ul

8. 336

   iri-ba diĝir-bi ĝiri3-ba i3-mi-sig9

9. 337

   u2-dug4 igi sag9 {d}lamma igi sag9-bi bar-še3 im-ta-an-gub

10. 338

    gana2 zid še dadag-ga-a-be2-e u2 gid2-da bi2-i3-mu2

11. 339

    ĝiš daĝal gal-be2-e tun3 gul bi2-in-dug4

12. 340

    ĝiš niĝ2-tuku-bi suḫur-ba mi-ni-in-bal-bal

13. 341

    ĝiš tur-tur-bi ur2-ba mi-ni-in-bu3-bu3-u2

14. 342

    pu2-{ĝiš}kiri6 lal3 {ĝiš}peš3 mu2-a-be2-e a-ri2-na{sar} bi2-i3-mu2

15. 343

    {ĝiš}ĜIRI3 u2-URU-u3-a-ke4 ki mu-dar-dar-re

16. 344

    lugal-e iri mu-gul-la-ta bad3 mu-sig10-ga-ta

    After the king had destroyed the cities and ruined the city walls, had terrified the …… foreign lands like a flood, had scattered the seed of Gutium like seed-grain, had …… his heart ……, then he loaded the pure lapis lazuli of the foreign lands into leather pouches and leather bags. He heaped up all their treasures and amassed (?) all the wealth of the foreign lands. He invoked the name of Enlil and invoked the name of Ninlil on their fattened cattle and fattened sheep.

17. 345

    kur NE-ma a-ĝi6 i3-ḫuluḫ-ḫa-ta

18. 346

    numun gu-ti-um-ma še saḫar-ra-gin7 mu-bi-bi-re-a-ta

19. 347

    šag4-ga-ni URU5.A.TIR im-mi-in-su-a-ta

20. 348

    kug za-gin3 kur-ra {kuš}PA5 ŠIR.LU.KUŠ/ŠIR.LU.KUŠ im-mi-ak

21. 349

    gi16-sa-bi teš2-e bi2-in-tag-tag

22. 350

    niĝ2-gur11 kur-ra-ke4 gu2 1(AŠ) im-mi-ra

23. 351

    gud gi4-a udu gi4-a-bi-a

24. 352

    mu {d}en-lil2-la2 i3-mi-ib2-pad3-de3

25. 353

    mu {d}nin-lil2-la2 im-mi-ib2-pad3-de3

26. 354

    ur-saĝ-e kur-ta šu maḫ gi4-a-ni

    After carrying out a noble revenge in the foreign lands, the hero had his brilliant royal barge caulked. Imbued with terrible splendour on the Exalted River, it was adorned with holy horns, and its golden ram symbol (?) gleamed in the open air. Its bitumen was the …… bitumen of Enki provided generously by the abzu; its cabin was a palace. It was decorated with stars like the sky. Its holy ……, (1 line fragmentary)

27. 355

    ma2-gur8 za-gin3 nam-lugal-la ba-ni-in-du8-a-ni

28. 356

    si kug sud-sud udu-utua2 kug-sig17-bi an-šag4-ga kun2-kun2

29. 357

    esir2-bi esir2 igi-su {d}en-ki-ka

30. 358

    abzu-ta mi2 zid dug4-ga-am3

31. 359

    ĝiš-ḫum-bi e2-gal id2 maḫ-ḫa me-lem4 gur3-ru-am3

32. 360

    an-gin7 mul-a še-er-ka-an mi-ni-ib2-dug4

33. 361

    LU kug-be2-e X ki DI-a-zu [X]

34. 362

    X […] u5 […]

35. 363

    lugal X […] UD X […]

    The king ……, Šulgi, the good shepherd of Sumer, …… his feet upon ……; he took his seat on a throne of ……. The sim and ala drums resounded for him, and the tigi drums played music for him.

36. 364

    šul-⌈gi⌉ [sipad zid] ki-en-⌈gi⌉-[ra-ke4] ĝiri3-ni bad […]

37. 365

    {ĝiš}gu-za X [X] dur2 ba-an-[ĝar]

38. 366

    si-im a2-la2-e šeg12 mu-na-ab-gi4

39. 367

    tigi šir3-[re-eš2] mu-na-ab-[dug4]

40. 368

    lugal-ĝu10 X [X X] kur mu-gul X [X] iri mu-laḫ4

    My king, ……, you have destroyed the foreign lands and plundered their cities ……; like a wild bull …… the hills ……, sang the singers for him in a song. His boatmen, in tireless effort, (1 line unclear) These, citizens of Enegir and citizens of Urim, thrust forth their …… oars at the command of the lord. He moored the boat at the temple area of Nibru, the temple area Dur-an-ki, at Enlil's Kar-ĝeština. He entered before Enlil with the silver and lapis lazuli of the foreign lands loaded into leather pouches and leather bags, all their heaped-up treasures, and with the amassed (?) wealth of the foreign lands.

41. 369

    am-gin7 ḫur-saĝ X X zag ḪAR dug4-ga X X

42. 370

    nar-re en3-du-am3 mu-na-ni-ib2-e-ne

43. 371

    addir-ni a2 nu-kuš2-u3

44. 372

    u5 du3-du3-me-eš2 u5 la2-la2-me-eš2

45. 373

    a-ne-ne dumu enegir3{ki} dumu urim2{ki}-ma-me-eš2

46. 374

    en-da {ĝiš}ĝisal ZA X mu-da-la2-ne

47. 375

    eš3 nibru{ki} eš3 dur-an-ki-še3

48. 376

    kar-ĝeštin-na {d}en-lil2-la2-ke4

49. 377

    ma2!(u5) na-ga-am3-mi-⌈in⌉-[us2]

50. 378

    kug za-gin3 kur-ra PA5 ŠIR.LU.KUŠ/ŠIR.LU.KUŠ ak-da

51. 379

    gi16-sa teš2-e tag-tag-ga-da

52. 380

    niĝ2-gur11 kur-ra-[ke4] gu2 [1(AŠ)] ⌈ra⌉-[a-da]

53. 381

    [{d}en-lil2-ra mu-na-da-an-ku4-ku4]

54. 382

    […] ⌈lugal⌉ [X] X X […]

    ……, the king ……. Enlil decrees a destiny for Šulgi: O king, I will decree a destiny for you, I will decree a good destiny for you! O Šulgi, I will decree a destiny for you, I will decree a good destiny for you! I will decree heroism as your destiny! I will decree long-lasting office as ruler and king as your destiny! May you raise your head in terrifying splendour! May no man stand his ground before your fierce gaze! May your royal crown shine radiantly! May your sceptre be a princely sceptre, and may its shining branches provide shade! May there be joy in your heart, and may you never grow weary! May you be the life-giving king of your assembly! May your life flourish like herbs, may it flourish like grain! May it flourish like a fertile meš tree in a broad plot! (1 line fragmentary) (unknown no. of lines missing)

55. 383

    šul-gi-ra nam mu-ni-ib2-tar-re

56. 384

    lugal nam gi4-ri2-ib2-tarar nam dug3 gu2-mu-ri2-ib2-tarar

57. 385

    šul-gi nam gi4-ri2-ib2-tarar nam dug3 gu2-mu-ri2-ib2-tarar

58. 386

    nam-ur-saĝ nam-še3 gu2-mu-ri2-ib2-tarar

59. 387

    nam-en nam-lugal-la ud sud-da nam-še3 gu2-mu-ri2-ib2-tarar

60. 388

    ni2 me-lem4-ma gu2 ḫu-mu-ni-us2

61. 389

    igi ḫuš-zu lu2 nam-ba-gub

62. 390

    aga nam-lugal-la2-zu-u3 dalla ḫe2-em-e3

63. 391

    ĝidru-zu niĝ2 nam-nun-na ḫe2-em

64. 392

    pa mul-bi an-dul3-le-eš2 ḫu-mu-u3-ak

65. 393

    šag4-za šag4 ḫul2-la ḫe2-en-ĝal2 nam-ba-kuš2-u-de3-en

66. 394

    lugal zi-šag4-ĝal2 unken-za ḫe2-me-en

67. 395

    nam-til3-?-zu gu-gin7 ḫe2-mu2-mu2 še-gin7 ḫe2-mu2-mu2

68. 396

    meš3 zid-gin7 [ki] daĝal-e ḫe2-[mu2]-⌈mu2⌉

69. 397

    [X] X LUL […] X […]

70. gap

    (unknown no. of lines missing)

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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.