Ancient Texts

← Library

A praise poem of Šulgi (Šulgi E)

Sumerian literature (ETCSL) · 2 - Royal praise poetry and compositions with a historical background · 225 sections

  1. 101

    si-im-da balaĝ ⌈igi bar⌉-[ra-bi]

  2. 102

    ninda igi du2-ru-na-bi šu bi2-[ri-ri]

  3. 103

    nam-til3-bi nam-uš2-da X [X X] tur5-ra sag9-ge [X X]

  4. 104

    ⌈nam⌉-gilim-ma a-zu-? X [X X]

  5. 105

    ⌈?⌉ X X […]

  6. gap

    (3 lines missing)

  7. 109

    kug-⌈sig17⌉ […]

  8. 110

    šer7-da iri uĝ3-ba di-kud-⌈!⌉ [ḫe2-em] saĝ-bi e3-a-ni [ḫe2-em]

  9. 111

    lu2 en3-du-ĝu10-a šu i3-[…]

    The man who …… my hymns (2 lines unclear) May he …… outside the city. May he no longer …… within the walls of the city. May the criminal offspring of his kingship not ……. May he not stand where the king stands, the shining place. May he …… from the Ubšu-unkena. …… his heart's desire and ambitions. (2 lines unclear) When he brings offerings to the E-kur, may Enlil ……. His special presents and benefits …… (28 lines missing or unclear)

  10. 112

    […] ĜIŠ gibil-gibil-la-am3 […]

  11. 113

    […] X-ga AM3 ḫe2-na-ta-[…]

  12. 114

    […] iri bar-ra ḫa-ba-ni-[…]-e

  13. 115

    bad3 iri-na-ka na-am3-⌈?⌉-[X-X]

  14. 116

    a sa-ga nam-lugal-la-na na-⌈?⌉-[X X]

  15. 117

    ki lugal gub ki dadag-ga nam-bi2-gub-[be2]

  16. 118

    ub-šu-unken-na-ta bar-še3 ḫe2-[…]

  17. 119

    šag4-ge guru7-a mu pad3-da-ni […]

  18. 120

    […] X X šu-? ? gi4-de3

  19. 121

    an-ĝar X-ga-na ḫa-ba-an-[X X]

  20. 122

    nidba e2-kur-še3 il2-la-na {d}en-lil2-le ḫe2-[…]

  21. 123

    kadra zid niĝ2 dug3-ga-na ⌈ḫe2⌉-[X X] KA-⌈bi⌉ […]

  22. gap

    (25 lines missing)

  23. 149

    ⌈nam⌉ […]

  24. 150

    mu-da-an-X ? […]

  25. 151

    ĜIŠ A ? niĝ2 nu-[…]

  26. 152

    šul-gi-me nir-[ĝal2 …]-ra gaba-⌈ri⌉ [nu]-⌈tuku⌉

    I, Šulgi the noble, who have no opponent …… (2 lines unclear)

  27. 153

    {ĝiš}tukul-a ma2-gur8 ki-bal […] ⌈gul⌉-gul-lu-de3 [X X]

  28. 154

    A UL X lugal-me X nu-gu-la-na er2-ra ḫa-mu-[X X]

  29. 155

    ⌈?⌉-gi-me nar gal nu-banda3 nam-⌈nar⌉-[ra] X nar ki-nu2 X […]

    I am Šulgi, the great musician, superintendent of the art of music. If …… favourable ……. My songs, lapsing from people's mouths and passing out of memory, neglected (?) in all the cult-places ……. …… his king ……, in the music-rooms of the gods …… (10 lines unclear) King of the singer's art, Suen ……, protective goddess of the singer's art, Ĝeštinana …… (3 lines unclear or missing)

  30. 156

    tukum-bi IM […] X igi sag9-⌈ga⌉ […]

  31. 157

    en3-du-ĝu10 ka-ta šub ĝeštug2-⌈ge⌉ [dib]

  32. 158

    ki-šu-ki-šu-ke4 ? […] da13-da13

  33. 159

    X-bi lugal-a-ni ba-ni-⌈in⌉-[…]

  34. 160

    e2 tigi diĝir-re-e-ne-ke4 NE […]

  35. 161

    mu šid-am3 an zig3-ga igi ḫul-še3 ba-[…]

  36. 162

    lugal nam-nar-ra {d}suen […]

  37. 163

    {d}lamma nam-nar-ra {d}ĝeštin-an-⌈na⌉ […]

  38. 164

    […]-gin7 […] ḫa-ba-?-ĝe26 X

  39. 165

    […] ⌈zid⌉-da […] X-bi-im ḫe2-[…]

  40. 166

    […] ĝeštug2 […]

  41. gap

    (7 lines missing)

  42. 174

    ud nam kur-kur-⌈ra⌉ [ba-tar-ra]

    On the day when the destiny of the lands was determined, the king who in his arrogance ……, in luxuriance Enlil and Ninlil ……, …… for the life of Sumer and Akkad, …… justice for the Land, canals which he did not maintain ……, a city which he did not enlarge ……. The Great Mountain …… at their side …… great places. He did not …… the god of the palace. He …… to Enlil, and did not offer great gifts in the E-kur, and did not …… the door-sockets of the gods. …… songs. What he achieves with his praise, what he creatively decoratives with his words, the singer …… in his songs.

  43. 175

    lugal šag4 gal-la-na […]

  44. 176

    ḫi-li-a {d}en-lil2 {d}⌈nin⌉-[lil2] […]

  45. 177

    zi ki-en-gi ki-uri-še3 […]

  46. 178

    kalam-e niĝ2-gen6-na […]

  47. 179

    eg2 nu-mu-na-ak-a […]

  48. 180

    iri nu-mu-gul-a […]

  49. 181

    kur gal idim-ma ki […]

  50. 182

    zag-ba ki gal-gal ⌈?⌉ […]

  51. 183

    diĝir e2-gal-la nu-mu-X […]

  52. 184

    {d}en-lil2-ra saĝ mu-ni-in-X […]

  53. 185

    e2-kur-re niĝ2 la-ba-gu-ul-gu-ul-la

  54. 186

    za-ra diĝir-re-ne nu-mu-e-X X

  55. 187

    šir3 me ša-mu-da-dug4-ga X […]

  56. 188

    a-a-ar-ra-na a-na ak-[a-bi …]

  57. 189

    inim-ma-na a-na ki šu tag-ga-[bi …]

  58. 190

    nar-re en3-du-ni-še3 […]

  59. 191

    ĝe26 šul-gi ⌈lugal⌉ […]

    I, Šulgi the king ……, who cares for holy An, …… food offerings, who constantly attends upon Enlil ……, Nanna, …… the office of en; Ninurta, the ensi appointed by Enlil, has given me a club and a battle-mace from the E-šu-me-ša. Not since the seed of mankind was germinated, has Enlil ever before been able to give the sceptre of kingship to a king who could control the troops single-handed. As a lone donkey stallion, one who resists the weapons -- no king of the Land has ever turned against the weapons.

  60. 192

    u2-a an kug-ga ⌈nidba⌉ […]

  61. 193

    saĝ us2 {d}en-lil2 ⌈?⌉ […]

  62. 194

    {d}nanna A X DA nam-⌈en⌉ […]

  63. 195

    ensi2 {d}en-lil2-la2 {d}⌈nin⌉-[urta]-ke4

  64. 196

    šita2 {ĝiš}mitum e2-šu-me-ša4-ta ma-an-šum2

  65. 197

    numun nam-lu2-ulu3 ba-i-i-ta

  66. 198

    lugal dili-ni ugnim gen6-na-ar

  67. 199

    {d}en-lil2-le ĝidru nam-lugal-la2 nu-mu-na-ta-an-šum2

  68. 200

    dur3 dili-ni {ĝiš}tukul-la gaba ri-a

  69. 201

    ud na-me lugal kalam-ma-ke4 {ĝiš}tukul-še3 nu-gi4

  70. 202

    a2 lugal-ĝu10 {d}en-lil2-la2-ta

    I did not lie in ambush, like a fierce cheetah, against the rebel and hostile lands, the aggressive foreign lands, in order to establish my renown as far as the horizon with the power of my master Enlil, and to transmit my lasting fame of victories to the distant future. I did not come out of a hole like a scorpion. Instead I left my main forces at my side, and went ahead of my scouts. As I repelled the tribal Gutians, the bandits of the hills, like a …… snake I made my fearsomeness reach afar.

  71. 203

    mu-ĝu10 an-zag-še3 ĝa2-ĝa2-de3

  72. 204

    a-a-ar da-ri2 nam-gu2-ka-ĝu10

  73. 205

    ud su3-ra2-aš šu-a bal-e-de3

  74. 206

    ki-bal gu2-erim2-ĝal2 kur a2-ta ri-a

  75. 207

    nemurx(PIRIĜ.TUR) ḫuš-gin7 šubtum3 la-ba-ĝa2-ar

  76. 208

    muš-ĝiri2-gin7-nam dun-ta la-ĝen-ne-en

  77. 209

    ama erin2-na-ĝu10 a2-ĝa2 bi2-taka4

  78. 210

    igi bar-ra-ĝu10 saĝ ba-dib

  79. 211

    ma-da gu-ti-<um{ki}>-ma sa-ga ḫur-saĝ-ĝa2-ka

  80. 212

    muš mir-gin7 ba-gi4-me-en ni2-ĝu10 a2 bi2-su13-ud

  81. 213

    erin2 zi-šag4-ĝal2-la-ĝu10 na-me na-ma-da-an-te

    No one can get near my inspired troops. Running quite alone into the foreign lands unknown to him, like a lion that has seized a wild cow in its claws, I tear its flesh apart. Like a solitary dragon I spread fear, as I proceed unflaggingly against the civilised towns and make them quiver like flames (?) at my frightful roaring. Spine-chilling yells and raging flames are cast at the hills.

  82. 214

    saĝ-dili-gin7 kur ki nu-zu-na dub3 šu bar

  83. 215

    piriĝ umbin-še-ba sumun2 dab5-dab5-gin7 uzu-bi ab-gul-e

  84. 216

    ušum dili du-gin7 ni2 mu-da-ri

  85. 217

    iri du3-du3-a ĝal2 saĝ-ĝu10 ba-us2

  86. 218

    {d}gir3-ra-gin7 gu3 mir-a mu-dub2

  87. 219

    za-pa-aĝ2 šag4 ni2 te-te izi u3-bu-bu-ul-bi ḫur-saĝ-ĝa2 ba-an-šub

  88. 220

    ki-bal-e inim la-ba-gub-gub-ba šu-nir la-ba-il2-la

    For the rebel lands, the illiterate (?) ones that carry no emblems, my warfare is a horizon on which there are clouds, enveloping the twilight in fear. The mountains, where the forests do not grow as thick as thornbushes, where throw-stick and shield do not tumble to the earth in a great storm, where the combatants take no rest in the insistent bitterness of the fierce battle, where life-fluid and blood from both scoundrel and honest person ……, where no black ewes trek over the mountains like floating clouds, and corpses in reedbeds and crannies …… (1 line unclear) The desert scorpion shall no longer behave thus ……. Neither shortly nor in the future shall he rise again. A villain and rebel …… to the weapons of strength. A path that is confused, a way that is cut off like a ……. I bent low the land of the Gutians like a mubum tree, and the land turned its heart in its fear before me, as I put my foot on its neck. I am he who all alone plunders cities with his own strength. I am the strong one who is praised for his weapons. I am he whose lasting name and prayerful words are as tremendous as ……. I am the just and the benefactor in the Land.

  89. 221

    me3-ĝu10 an-ur2 dungu ĝal2-la u2-sa11-an ni2 gu2 e3

  90. 222

    kur-re tir {ĝiš}?-gin7 la-ba-mu2-a

  91. 223

    ki-šu mar-za {d}inana-ka

  92. 224

    {ĝiš}ilar {kuš}gur21 ud gal-gin7 ki la-ba-ni-us2-a

  93. 225

    {ĝiš}tukul-e laḫ4 lipiš me3-a a2 nu-kuš2-a-na gig-bi li-bi2-?-a

  94. 226

    kurun3 u3-mun saĝ lul saĝ zid-da IM UD KA NE-NE

  95. 227

    dungu dirig-ga-gin7 u8 gig2 kur-ra saĝ nu-mu-ni-in-bal-a

  96. 228

    ad6 ĝiš-gi-a ki-in-dar-[ra …]

  97. 229

    ? BU UL TAR-TAR-a-gin7 KA U2 GI X […]

  98. 230

    muš-ĝiri2 edin-na-ke4 ur5-še3 la-ba-ab-ak X

  99. 231

    ki-tukum-še3 eĝer ud-da nu-e-⌈?⌉ [X]

  100. 232

    ḫul-du gu2-erim2-ĝal2 a2 {ĝiš}tukul-la-bi ? ir-pag ?-[…]

← Previous · Next → — showing 101200 of 225

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.