A balbale to Inana

Sumerian literature (ETCSL) · 4 - Hymns and cult songs · 36 sections

1
ab2 gu3 <dug3>-ga amar gu3 su3-ra
Lady, you who wander among sweet-voiced cows and gentle-voiced calves in the cattle-pen; young woman, no sooner will you arrive there, Inana, than the churn should sound! May the churn of your spouse sound, Inana, may the churn of Dumuzid sound! May the churn sound, may the churn of Dumuzid sound!
2
in-nin9 {e2}tur3-ra niĝ2-niĝin2-na-me-en
3
{lu2}ki-sikil nu-um-!-dun5-na-am3
4
{d}inana {dug}šakir3-e gu3 ḫe2-em-me
5
{dug}šakir3 nitalam2-⌈zu⌉ gu3 ḫe2-em-me
6
{dug}šakir3 {d}dumu-⌈zid-da⌉ gu3 ḫe2-em-me
7
{d}inana {dug}šakir3-e ⌈gu3⌉ ḫe2-em-me
8
{dug}šakir3 {d}dumu-zid-[X] gu3 ḫe2-em-me
9
dun5-ru {dug}šakir3-ra ⌈ša⌉-mu-ra-an-du12-am3
The rocking of the churn will sing for you, Inana, thus making you joyous. The holy churn will sound …… for you, thus making you joyous, Ninegala. The good shepherd, the man of sweet songs, will loudly (?) sing songs for you; lady, with the sweetest songs, Inana, may he make your heart joyous!
10
{d}inana ur5-re ⌈ša⌉-mu-u8-ḫul2-⌈le⌉
11
{dug}šakir3 kug-ge gu3 X ša-mu-ra!(NA)-[ab-be2]
12
{d}nin-e2-gal ur5-re ⌈ša⌉-mu-u8-ḫul2-[le]
13
sipad zid lu2 i-lu dug3-ga-[ke4]
14
mur ša4-am3 i-lu ša-mu-ra-an-⌈ib⌉-[be2]
15
in-nin i-⌈lu⌉ niĝ2 ku7-⌈ku7⌉-[da]
16
{d}inana šag4-⌈zu⌉ ḫe2-em-⌈ḫul2⌉-[le]
17
in-nin {e2}tur3-ra kur9-[ra]-⌈zu-ne⌉
Lady, when you enter the cattle-pen, Inana, the cattle-pen indeed will rejoice over you. Mistress, when you enter the sheepfold, Inana, the sheepfold indeed will rejoice over you. When you enter the feeding-pen, healthy ewes will spread out their wool for you.
18
{d}inana tur3 ša-⌈mu-u8⌉-[da-ḫul2-le]
19
nu-u8-<gig> amaš-a kur9-⌈ra-zu⌉-[ne]
20
{d}inana amaš ša-mu-u8-[da]-⌈ḫul2-le⌉
21
e2-⌈ubur⌉-ra-ka kur9-ra-⌈zu⌉-ne
22
siki u8 ⌈zid⌉-de3 ša-mu-ra-an-barag2-ge
23
⌈nitalam2-zu⌉ {d}ama-ušumgal-an-na
24
gaba kug-⌈za⌉ [X] ⌈?⌉ MA AL ḫe2-em-me
May your spouse, Ama-ušumgal-ana, …… on (?) your holy breast. May the holy sheepfold produce plentiful supplies of butter (?) for you. It will make butter plentiful (?), it will make milk plentiful (?), thus making you joyous, Inana. May the holy sheepfold make the butter extensive (?) for you, thus making you joyous, Ninegala.
25
amaš kug-ge i3 ki ḫa-ra-sud-e
26
u5 i3-sud-e ga i3-sud-e
27
{d}inana ur5-re ša-mu-u8-ḫul2-le
28
amaš kug-ge i3 ki ḫa-ra-sud-e
29
{d}nin-e2-gal ur5-re ša-mu-u8-⌈ḫul2⌉-le
30
lugal šag4-ge bi2-pad3-da-zu
For the king you have chosen with your heart, for Dumuzid, the son of Enlil, may the cattle-pen produce (?) butter and milk, may the sheepfold produce (?) abundance! May the days of the true shepherd be numerous! The true shepherd, Dumuzid …… days of prosperity!
31
{d}dumu-zid dumu {d}⌈en-lil2⌉-ra
32
{e2}tur3-e i3 ga ḫe2-en-da-ab-be2
33
⌈amaš⌉-e giri17-zal-la ḫe2-en-da-ab-be2
34
⌈sipad⌉ zid-dam ud-da-⌈ni⌉ ḫe2-su3-ud
35
⌈sipad⌉ zid {d}dumu-zid-de3 ud nam-ḫe2-a-ke4 <…>
36
bal-bal-e {d}inana-kam
A balbale of Inana.

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.