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Letter from Lipit-Eštar to Nanna-ki-aĝ about driving away the enemy

Sumerian literature (ETCSL) · 3 - Literary letters and letter-prayers · 18 sections

1. 1

   {m}{d}nanna-ki-aĝ2 ra-bi-si2-ka3-tum-ma

   Say to Nanna-ki-aĝ, the general: this is what Lipit-Eštar, your lord, says:

2. 2

   u3-na-dug4

3. 3

   {m}li-pi2-it-eš4-tar2 lugal-zu na-ab-be2-a

4. 4

   mu erin2 lu2-kur2-ra-ke4 lu2-kur2-ra-ke4 lugal u3-na-dug4 šu mu-e-taka4 u3-ne-dug4!(ZU) šu bi2-taka4

   Because of enemy troops the enemy , I, the king, have sent you a letter I have sent a letter . Atta-mannum, who pleases his lord, is (?) a better servant to his lord man than you! Why is it that you have not been avenging your lord, and not keeping me informed while I (?) have kept the soldiers loyal (?), you have not stationed them among those people ? So now you are to station the troops there.

5. 5

   {m}at-ta2-ma-nu-um lu2 arad lugal-a-ni-ir bi2-in-sag9-ge

6. 6

   dirig-zu-še3 arad lugal-a-ni-ir lu2 na-X

7. 7

   a-na-aš-am3 ĝe26-e X nu-zu-ĝu10-ta za-e šu ĝar lugal-zu li-bi2-in-gi4 erin2 šu šag4-še3 i3-ĝal2-a-⌈?⌉ nam-lu2-ulu3-ba li-bi2-ĝar

8. 7A

   ne-eš2 erin2 mu-un-ĝa2-ĝa2-e

9. 8

   a2-še 2 4 3 li-mu-um erin2 lu2 {ĝiš}šukur lu2 {ĝiš}šukur giĝ4

   Now, I have sent to you in haste they have pursued (?) 2000 4000 3000 soldiers who are spear-throwers who are …… spear-throwers , 2000 4000 soldiers who are archers who are …… archers , and 2000 1000 soldiers who are double-axe wielders who are …… double-axe wielders .

10. 9

    2 4 li-mu-um erin2 lu2 {ĝiš}pan lu2 {ĝiš}pan giĝ4

11. 10

    2 1 li-mu-um erin2 lu2 dur10-tab-ba lu2 dur10-tab-ba giĝ4 im-mu-e-ši-sar ⌈im⌉-ma-sar-eš

12. 11

    lu2-kur2 iri-gibil-a al-dur2-ru-ne-eš

    The enemy has camped down in Iri-gibil. Chase them away from those settlements; do not ……. Guard (?) each city ……. Do not let these cities out of your grasp. Station your people -- it is urgent!

13. 12

    ki-tuš-bi-ta sar-bi2-ib

14. 13

    X X ? i3-ĝar-re-ne nam bi2-X […]

15. 14

    iri dili-dili zag-⌈?⌉ ?-za en-nu-uĝ3-bi ⌈?⌉-X-ab

16. 15

    iri-bi šu-zu-ta la-ba-ra-e3

17. 16

    nam-lu2-ulu3-zu ĝar-bi2-ib

18. 17

    a-ma-ru-kam

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.