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A balbale to Nanna (Nanna B)

Sumerian literature (ETCSL) · 4 - Hymns and cult songs · 42 sections

  1. 1

    [me-a-am-ra me-e mu-un-…]

    (Ningal speaks:) I …… for the ……. (approx. 19 lines missing) The embrace of my spouse ……. The young man ……. Among his cows ……. My beloved who ……. I shall go ……! There with the lord …….

  2. gap

    (approx. 19 lines missing)

  3. 21

    ur2 mu-⌈ud⌉-[na-ĝu10] […]

  4. 22

    šul X […]

  5. 23

    ab2-a-na […]

  6. 24

    ki-ga aĝ2-ĝu10 ⌈LU2⌉mu-lu […]

  7. 25

    me-e da-DU lu-ul-lik […]

  8. 26

    u3-mu-un-da it-ti ki-⌈bi⌉-[X] a-ša-⌈?⌉-[iš] […]

  9. 27

    nitalam-ĝu10 […]

    (Nanna addresses Ningal:) My spouse, ……, Ningal who ……, …… butter from the holy cows. Pure hands and …… feet ……. My lovely …….

  10. 28

    {d}nin-gal lu2 X […]

  11. 29

    i3 ab2 kug-⌈?⌉ […]

  12. 30

    šu sikil ĝiri3 X […]

  13. 31

    […] ⌈?-?-ĝu10⌉ X […]

  14. 32

    [X X ĝiš]-gi ki-e-⌈ne⌉-[di …]

    ……, the reedbeds, the playground ……. I shall …… sharp knives to the …… and reed fences. I shall …… to the beautiful young reeds. Mistress, …… the treasures (?) of the ubi birds. I will gather their eggs for you, and I shall …… the nest. High priestess of Nanna, …… the ubi birds.

  15. 33

    [X X] ⌈gi-du3⌉-e ĝiri2 saga11 ga-[…]

  16. 34

    {gi}en3-bar dug3-ga-še3 X ga-[…] lu-ri-[id]

  17. 35

    in-nin u5-bi2{mušen}-ra niĝ2-u2-[rum-bi] ma-⌈?-?⌉ […]

  18. 36

    nunuz-bi ⌈mu⌉-ra-ab-ri gud3 ga-X […]

  19. 37

    zirrux(EN.NU.NUNUZ.ZI.{d}NANNA){d}nin-gal u5-⌈bi2{mušen}⌉ […]

  20. 38

    ⌈i3⌉ dug-a [i]-na ši-ki-in-nim ⌈?⌉ […] ⌈u3-mu-e-ši⌉-[X]

    After I have …… butter into the container, after I have …… for cakes in the morning (?), after I have …… carp in the great marsh, young lady, after I have …… little turtles (?), then I will …… your own mother Ningikuga. Ningal, I shall go with you to your house.

  21. 39

    ⌈?⌉ X X-ba gug2-še3 u3-mu-e-ni-[…] u2-?-ra-am a-na ku-uk-ki ⌈?⌉-[…]

  22. 40

    ambar maḫ-a suḫur{ku6}-ra ŠEN um-ma-ni-X-[…] ba-⌈?⌉-[…]

  23. 41

    {lu2}⌈ki⌉-sikil kud-da tur-re šu um-⌈?⌉-[…]

  24. 42

    ama ugu-zu {d}nin-gi-⌈kug⌉-[ga] […]

  25. 43

    {d}nin-gal e2-zu-še3 ĝe26-e ga-mu-ra-⌈da⌉-[ĝen]

  26. 44

    ab2 tur3-ra um-mi-⌈?-na⌉ [X X]-⌈?⌉ iš-tu ? [(X)] UL ZA [(X X)]

    After I have led the cows into the stall ……, after I have …… holy milk into the holy churn for you, after Šuni-du has done the churning, young lady, after I have given my …… young calves milk ……, then I will …… pats of butter and purified milk for you. Ningal, I shall go with you to your house.

  27. 45

    {dug}šakir3 ⌈?-?⌉ ? ? u3-mu-⌈ra⌉-[X]

  28. 46

    {d}šu-ni-du7 !-ĝa2 u3-mu-⌈e-ni-?⌉-a ⌈?⌉-na ma-a-ṣi-im

  29. 47

    ⌈{lu2}⌉ki-sikil amar X tur-ra-ĝu10-še3 ga ši-iz-ba-am u3-mu-⌈?⌉-[X] X nam-ma-X

  30. 48

    ⌈i3 ḫi⌉-a ga luḫ-ḫa mu-⌈?⌉-[X X] ba-X-[(X)]

  31. 49

    ⌈{d}⌉nin-gal e2-zu-še3 ĝe26-e ga-mu-ra-da-⌈ĝen⌉ lu-ul-li-ka-ak-ki

  32. 50

    me-a-[am] ⌈?⌉-me-da nu-me-a

    (Ningal addresses Nanna:) ……, my beloved, if only I could come to you without my mother to ……! If only I could come to you without Ningikuga (?) ……! (approx. 1 line missing) Lord Nanna, bring it to me! In the dwelling of the shepherd, in the house of gleaned barley, my lord, I shall come to you in the chamber, the storehouse (?)! ……, wonder of the Land, I shall come to you! My Nanna, your chant is sweet; it is the chant of my heart.

  33. 51

    ki-⌈ga⌉ [aĝ2]-⌈ĝu10⌉ X [X]-ba nu-uš-mu-e-ši-di-di-in

  34. 52

    {d}⌈?⌉-[gi]-⌈?⌉-ga-da nu-me-a

  35. 53

    […] X DI nu-uš-⌈mu⌉-[e-ši-di-di-in]

  36. gap

    (approx. 1 line missing)

  37. 55

    u3-mu-un {d}⌈?⌉ ⌈tum3-ma⌉-[ab (…)] ia-ši-⌈?⌉ […]

  38. 56

    dag su8-ba ? še de5-[de5-ga] i-na si3-⌈?⌉-im bi-it ip2-[ri-im]

  39. 57

    u3-mu-un-ĝu10 ⌈e2 ĝa2⌉-nun-na me-e du5-mu-⌈ra⌉-[di-di-in]

  40. 58

    me-a-am u6 ⌈di ?⌉-ma du5-mu-ra-da-[di-di-in]

  41. 59

    {d}nanna-⌈?⌉ [i]-⌈?⌉-zu ze2-ba-am3 i-lu ša3-ab-[ĝa2-kam]

  42. 60

    bal-bal-e {d}nanna-kam

    A balbale of Nanna.

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.