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A dedication of a statue (Išme-Dagan S)

Sumerian literature (ETCSL) · 2 - Royal praise poetry and compositions with a historical background · 34 sections

1. 1

   {d}en-lil2 dug4-ga u18-ru di zu galam daĝal-la-⌈am3⌉

   For Enlil, whose statements are powerful, the profoundly far-sighted knowledgeable judge, who issues decisions, whose utterances are immutable, who places the …… in his hands -- Išme-Dagan, the mighty man with muscles and body of a lion, the strong awe-inspiring youth who alone is august, the lord whose sweet name is invoked in all the lands, under whose rule the living creatures multiply, makes the black-headed people, its settled people who were entrusted to him for protection, proceed with the firstling-offerings of the land. He does not …… in his good palace.

2. 2

   ka-aš bar e3 dug4-<ga>-ni nu-kam3-me-da umuš X šu-ni-še3 ĝar

3. 3

   {d}iš-me-{d}da-gan ĝuruš kalag sa su piriĝ šul kalag ni2-ĝal2-la

4. 4

   dili-(X)-ni maḫ en mu dug3 sa4-a-ni kur šar2-ra pad3-⌈da⌉

5. 5

   e-[ne-da] ⌈zi⌉-ĝal2-la im-mi-in-⌈?⌉-[a]

6. 6

   a2-bad3 uĝ3 ⌈dur2-ru⌉-na-bi-? saĝ gig2 šu mu-na-⌈šum2⌉-ma

7. 7

   nesaĝ kur-ra-da si ša-mu-na-ni-ib-sa2-aš

8. 8

   e2-gal dug3-ga-na ki la-ba-na-tag-ge

9. 9

   ud-ba {d}iš-me-{d}da-gan šul ur-saĝ er9 dub3-ĝal2-e-ne-ke4

   Then Išme-Dagan the youthful, the mightiest hero among swift athletes, the fearsome runner, who serving night and day never ceases caring for Nibru -- the city where the seed of the numerous people came forth and where life and birth came into existence -- and who provides daily for everything, established justice (?) on a grand scale. The king whose rising is a hurricane, a flood, a wind blowing in its fury, who swinging his wide open arms flashes away into the distance, who is like a fierce lion of the desert which advances in full strength and vigour, who runs fast on the roadway …… battle and combat, a horse waving its tail on the highway, who like a young deer …… running, …… knees are swift and indefatigable, the son who provides Enlil with everything, who causes joy to Ninlil's heart -- he will never stop caring for the shining shrine.

10. 10

    nibru{ki} iri numun uĝ3 šar2-ra i-i til3-le u3-tud ĝal2-la-še3

11. 11

    kaš4 di ḫu-luḫ-e ĝi6 an-bar7-ba gub-bu muš3 nu-tum2-mu

12. 12

    ud šu2-uš niĝ2-nam tum3 di gal-e-eš na-an-ĝar

13. 13

    zig3-ga-ni u18-lu a-ma-ru tum9 sumur-ba du-a

14. 14

    a2-na ba9-ra2-a-ba ĝa2-ĝa2-ĝa2-da-na su3-ud-bi-še3 ĝir2-ĝir2-re

15. 15

    piriĝ ḫuš edin-na-gin7 usu nam-šul-ba du-a

16. 16

    dub3 kaskal-la bad-bad-da-ni-a ĝiš-la2 me3 […]

17. 17

    {anše}si2-si2 ḫar-ra-an-na kun sud-sud-[X]

18. 18

    maš2-taraḫ-gin7 kaš4-kaš4-e X X X [X]

19. 19

    du10-ub šu bar-ra nu-kuš2-u3 [X]

20. 20

    dumu niĝ2 tum2-tum2 {d}en-lil2-la2-ka

21. 21

    niĝ2 šag4 ḫul2-ḫul2 {d}nin-lil2-la2-ka

22. 22

    lugal-e eš3 za-gin3-na-še3 muš3 la-ba-ra-tum2-mu

23. 23

    ud-ba {d}iš-me-{d}da-gan {urud}alan mir-re-e kaš4-kaš4-e ḫu-luḫ-ḫa-na

    Then Išme-Dagan erected a statue on his precious dais in the E-ni-guru, depicting him as inspiring terror while running in a storm, and made it iridescent with splendour, so that the great prince of the entire heaven, the lord whose utterance is immutable, should constantly direct his shining forehead and favourable glance at the true shepherd whom he engendered.

24. 24

    e2-ni2-guru3 barag kal-kal-⌈la⌉-na

25. 25

    mu-ni-in-gub še-er-zid-de3-eš bi2-in-gun3

26. 26

    nun gal zag an-na en dug4-ga nu-kam3-me-da

27. 27

    saĝ-ki zalag igi zid il2-la-na <ŠE3>

28. 28

    ḫe2-en-ši-ni-ĝal2 sipad zid tud-da-ni-še3

29. 29

    lugal a2 niĝ2-ḫul dim2-ma ib2-ši-aĝ2-e-a

    If a king issues evil orders concerning this statue, and erases its inscription and writes his own name on it; or, because of this curse, he makes another man raise his hand against it, then may Enlil my lord and Ninlil my lady curse that man! May Enki, Iškur, Ezina, Šakkan, the lords of abundance, …… him cruelly by withholding abundance from heaven and earth under his rule!

30. 30

    mu-sar-ra-ba šu bi2-ib2-ra-a mu-ni bi2-ib2-sar-a

31. 31

    aš2 bal-a-ba-ke4-eš lu2-kur2 šu ba-an-zi-zi-i-a

32. 32

    lu2-ba {d}en-lil2 lugal-ĝu10 {d}nin-lil2 nin-ĝu10 nam ḫa-ba-an-⌈?⌉-[ku5-ru-ne]

33. 33

    {d}en-ki {d}iškur {d}ezina2 {d}šakkan2 en ḫe2-ĝal2-la-⌈ke4⌉-[ne]

34. 34

    ḫe2-ĝal2 an ki-a a-ba-da-an-gi4-eš ⌈ḫul⌉-bi ḫa-ba-[…]

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.