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Letter from a governor and temple administrator to a king

Sumerian literature (ETCSL) · 3 - Literary letters and letter-prayers · 31 sections

1. head

   Version A (from Nibru)

2. v1.1

   lugal-me u3-na-dug4

   Say to our king what the governor and temple administrator say:

3. v1.2

   ensi2 saĝĝa-ke4 na-ab-be2-a

4. v1.3

   [a]-⌈šag4⌉ da-ab-ta{ki} šar2-šar2-šar2{iku}-bi

   The three šar (i.e. 3,240 iku) of the field Dabta are assigned for the benefit of Enlil , Ninlil and Ninurta. Of this, three bur (i.e. 54 iku) three BURgunû (i.e. 540 iku) are the portion of the men in charge of the requisitions. Iqbisum and Abī-qātī have made a claim over one bur (i.e. 18 iku) at the bottom of the field. If our king consents, he should send a courier and should …… the instructions for doing the work and for the boundary stakes of the field.

5. v1.4

   eš2-gar3 {d}en-lil2 {d}nin-lil2 u3 {d}nin-urta

6. v1.5

   šag4-bi-ta bur3-bur3-bur3{iku}-am3 BUR3gunû-BUR3gunû-BUR3gunû{iku}-am3 šukur2 lu2 niĝ2-dab5-ba-ke4-ne

7. v1.6

   bur3{iku}-am3 sa-dur2 a-šag4-ga-bi

8. v1.7

   {m}iq-bi-sum2 u3 a-bi-qa2-ti-e inim mu-da-an-ĝar-re-eš

9. v1.8

   tukum-bi lugal-me an-na-kam

10. v1.9

    ra-gaba ḫu-mu-ši-in-gi4-gi4-ma

11. v1.10

    kiĝ2 a-ak bulug ⌈a⌉-šag4 inim dug4 ḫu-mu-ni-ib-[X]

12. v1.11

    SU-bi-še3 2(AŠ.AŠ) iku X ⌈bur3 eše3/eše3{iku}⌉ gaba a-šag4-ga-bi

    Two iku at its …… and the …… area facing the field have been hoed and worked upon. Workers, extra labourers, farmers, ox-drivers and ploughmen being unavailable, the field has been harrowed with single oxen and we do the work with hoes. Our king should know this.

13. v1.12

    {ĝiš}al-ta ba-dub2 kiĝ2-še3 ba-ak

14. v1.13

    erin2 taḫ-ḫu-um engar šag4-gud lu2 {ĝiš}apin-na nu-me-a

15. v1.14

    gud dili-dili-ta a-šag4 ĝiš bi2-ur3

16. v1.15

    al i3-ak-en-de3-en lugal-me ḫe2-en-zu

17. head

    Version B (from Urim)

18. v2.1

    a-šag4 me-am3{ki} [šar2-šar2-šar2]{iku}-am3

    The three šar (i.e. 3,240 iku) of the field Meam (Where-is-it?) are assigned for the benefit of Enlil and Ninurta. Of this, three BURgunû (i.e. 540 iku) are the portion of the men in charge of the requisitions. Two iku which are at its …… have been hoed and ……. Ploughmen are not available for work on a plot in the field. Iqbisum and Abī-qātī have made a claim against you. If my king consents, he should send a courier. They …… the instructions for doing the work and for the boundary stakes of the field.

19. v2.2

    eš2-gar3 {d}en-lil2 u3 {d}nin-urta

20. v2.3

    šag4-bi-ta BUR3gunû-BUR3gunû-BUR3gunû{iku}-am3

21. v2.4

    šukur2 lu2 niĝ2-PAD-e-ne

22. v2.5

    saḫar 2(AŠ.AŠ) iku-ba me-a

23. v2.6

    al-ta ba-dub2

24. v2.7

    kiĝ2-še3 sar a-šag4-ga lu2 apin-bi nu-bi

25. v2.8

    iq-bi-sum2 u3 !-⌈bi-qa2-ti⌉

26. v2.9

    inim mu-e-de-ĝar-re-eš

27. v2.10

    tukum-bi lugal-ĝu10

28. v2.11

    an-na-kam

29. v2.12

    ra-gaba ḫu-mu-un-gi4-gi4

30. v2.13

    kiĝ2 ak bulug a-šag4-ga-bi

31. v2.14

    inim dug4-ga14 mu-ni-ib-X-⌈ne⌉

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.