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Letter from Kug-Nanna to the god Ninšubur

Sumerian literature (ETCSL) · 3 - Literary letters and letter-prayers · 30 sections

1. gap

   (1 line missing)

2. A.2

   [u3]-⌈na-a⌉-[dug4]

   Say to (1 line missing) to the counsellor who constantly cares for ……, the god who distributes the divine powers, who utters pleasing words, who …… a verdant branch by his head; the linen-clad god of the abzu, the chief administrator, who makes the oracular responses (?) favourable, whose words are pre-eminent; the powerful one (?) at the bow (?) of the boat Stag of the Abzu, the lord of wide and complete wisdom, the minister who knows An's secrets, with whom no god can compare; the lord of the protective goddesses; him whose great sweet eyes inspire confidence, who provides the Anuna gods, the great gods, with food offerings; the adviser who comes forth from the skies, who is worthy of holy Inana; without whom no lord or king could receive the lofty sceptre -- to Ninšubur, the merciful god who listens to prayers and supplications, repeat: this is what Kug-Nanna the incantation priest, the son of Lugal-ka-gena, your servant, says:

3. A.3

   ad gi4-gi4 en3 tar-tar X […]

4. A.4

   diĝir me ba-a inim dug3-dug3 u3-luḫ gi-rin saĝ-⌈ĝa2⌉ [X (X)]

5. A.5

   diĝir gada la2 abzu saĝĝa gal ba-an-gi4 sag9 dug4-ga-ni saĝ-ba du

6. A.6

   igi taraḫ abzu uru17-bi en ĝeštug2 daĝal til-la-ni

7. A.7

   lagar3 ad-ḫal an-na zu-a diĝir na-me nu-mu-e-da-sa2

8. A.8

   en {d}lamma-{d}lamma igi dug3 gal nir gub-bu

9. A.9

   nidba šum2 {d}a-nun-na diĝir gal-gal-e-ne

10. A.10

    na de5 ⌈e3⌉ utaḫ-ḫa-ke4 kug {d}inana-ra tum2-ma

11. A.11

    e-ne-da nu nam-en nam-lugal-la {ĝiš}ĝidru maḫ la-ba-an-šum2

12. A.12

    {d}nin-šubur diĝir šag4-la2 sug4 šudu3 a-ra-zu ĝiš tuku u3-ne-de3-taḫ

13. A.13

    {m}kug-{d}nanna šim-mu2 dumu lugal-ka-gen6-na arad-zu na-be2-a

14. A.14

    [X] X-me-en šu-gi4 nu-silim-me-en ĝiš-šu dab5-⌈be⌉ X [(X)] X-⌈me⌉-en

    I am ……, I am an ailing old man, I am …… handcuffs. (1 line fragmentary) (unknown no. of lines missing)

15. A.15

    […] X X X AN NE X X […]

16. gap

    (unknown no. of lines missing)

17. B.1

    […] X X […]

    (1 line fragmentary) (1 line unclear) …… foreign plague …… looked at me contemptuously and insulted me for my doing ……. In the street my friend would not talk to me; he bent his head down.

18. B.2

    […] X gul-gin7 ĜAR X [X] X LAGAB X […] X-ĝa2 mu-ni-ib2-gul-gul-e

19. B.3

    ⌈ŠEŠ⌉ X X MU X nam-uš2 kur2-ra igi tur-ĝu10 ba-an-du3 A MI BI ak-ĝu10 in nam-ma-ĝa2-ĝa2

20. B.4

    gu5-li-ĝu10 e-sir2-ra ka nu-mu-un-ba gu2 ki-še3 bi2-in-ĝar

21. B.5

    tukum-bi diĝir-ĝu10-ra an-na-⌈kam⌉

    If it pleases you, my god, allow me to soothe your angry heart, so that your spirit will be assuaged. May the maškim demon that perpetrates evil be ripped apart, so that he will flee my body. May the asag demon be extirpated from my limbs, so that my dark days will become bright. I cannot bear your heavy punishment any longer; declare that It is over! May I, the humble servant, not be destroyed; declare that It is over! Like milk …… your greatness ……, …… to my home. (1 line fragmentary) (unknown no. of lines missing)

22. B.6

    šag4 ib2-ba-zu ga-ab-ḫuĝ-e ur5-zu ḫe2-bur2-e

23. B.7

    maškim ḫul ĝa2-ĝa2-da ḫe2-eb2-si-il su-ĝa2 ḫe2-⌈da⌉-ab-dal

24. B.8

    a2-sag3 ĝiš-ge-en-gen6-na-ĝu10 ḫe2-eb2-zi-zi ud ku10-ku10-ĝu10 ḫe2-NE-en-zalag

25. B.9

    nir dugud-da-zu nu-mu-da-il2 ab-gul dug4-ga-ab

26. B.10

    arad sun5-na-me nam-mu-til-e-⌈? ab⌉-gul dug4-ga-ab

27. B.11

    ga-gin7 ĜA2 LI za-ra-⌈ta⌉ […] X […] nam-gur4-zu […]

28. B.12

    ki-ĝu10-še3 ḫa-ba-X […]

29. B.13

    X X X (X) […]

30. gap

    (unknown no. of lines missing)

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.