BM 43879 (RT 3)

Obv.

col. i

i 1'–6' (broken off)

i 7' [I made] him who knows [the river – (carry) a rudde]r; h[im who knows the dry land – carry a tow rope],

i 8' Him who knows [the wet land] – I made him hold a punting poll.

i 9' Where therefore(?) in his quay is the towman of the merciful lord Marduk?

i 10' Behind the temple is the towman of the lady of Eturkalamma.

i 11' [I will go up and stand in front] of the quay (and) utter a lament over the Babylonians,

i 12' … … the queen of the women of Babylon.

i 13' … […] the lord Nabû has entered Babylon.

i 14' The rising of … … a ram, ^{{broken tablet}} silt(?) …

i 15' His house attendant(?): the invocation of the golden wealth.

i 16' In front of Bēl, let him drink the small wine glasses(?) of Zarapnī]tu.

i 17' The leftovers of Bēl and Bēltu – let the king, Bēl, dri[nk].

i 18' The leftovers of the king, Bēl – let the chariot drivers drink!

i 19' Let the chariot drivers drink the heavy drinking vessels of Bīt-Kurigalzu!

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i 20' (For the) makurru-boat: iron, lead. For my cabins: perforated amber(?), obsidian.

i 21' (For my sublimes (= the gods): alabaster. Magnetite – for my burner(?).

i 22' The equipment (of) my uprooters(?) – a choice of carnelian stones from Meluḫḫa.

i 23' I am wiping clean the bitumen which is in the middle (and?) the lapis lazuli of Parašû (= Marḫaši) quarried in its mountain.

24' The sag.du-stone of my boat mainstays – marble. My wing – a ring of …

col. ii

ii 1' Bēl of Babylon … …

ii 2' … among her breeding bulls(?) he (Marduk?) …

ii 3' The goddess of attractiveness, Zarpanītu in her sleeping cham[ber…]

ii 4' On his roof, of Bēl – animal fat. In front of my lord, …

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ii 5' They took his measurement opposite of the Akītu (temple) of the god …

ii 6' (At) the side of the Temple of their Lamentations:

ii 7' “Where will they see you?”. At the Southern Gate of the E[durkuga(?)]:

ii 8' “I rise (and) go to the Equlû”. From the Edurkuga to the …:

ii 9' “The Beautiful (goddess), the (one with splendid) features”. In front of Ninayītu:

ii 10' “When I s[aw you] in the Equlû”.

ii 11' “Bless me”. On the edge of the Equlû:

ii 12' “Ḫursagkalamma, the city of the beautiful ones”.

ii 13' “(On) the road from Kūta – I will rise (and) go!” .

(broken)

Rev.

col. r. iii

r. iii 1'–3' (broken)

r. iii 4' Ceremony, ceremony. “Y[o]u, oh mo[ther, Ištar of Babylon”. (“To the garden of your love, when I stayed behind you)]”.

r. iii 5' In the Eturkalamma … [ … …]

r. iii 6' “To the garden of your love, [when I stayed behind, you…]

r. iii 7' The area of the park . [… …]

r. iii 8' When Zarpanītu got jealous, she went up to the [ziggurat]

r. iii 9' … in the Esagil, in …[ … …]

r. iii 10' […] he will go up to the garden . [… …]

r. iii 11' (broken)

col. r. iv

r. iv 1' [“Gardener, garden]er, you a[re the chief gardener of my city!”]

r. iv 2' “Carry for me ma(k)sindû-wood (for?) the bed of my girl[friend . . .”]

r. iv 3' [“Bring do]wn and drop (it), until a pleasant breezes (blow) at the area of the [juniper garden].

r. iv 4' … … “Marriage (is for) the happy ones(f.), marriage (is for) [the slave girls”]

r. iv 5' and “I g[o (to?)] the riv[er] … fortress(?) …”

r. iv 6' When [Bēltu has cr]ossed, the ceremony (will take place) at the G[ate of the rābiṣu opposite the (river) crossing . . .].

r. iv 7' … “I h[eard] she got laid instead of me! she wa[iled”,]

r. iv 8' and (as for) the jealousy (rite), po[ur] water [(?)].

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r. iv 9' This is (what happens on) the 4^th day, at noon and evening, in the street of Eturkalamma and the river.

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r. iv 10' Ceremony, ceremony: “wh[ere] will they see you?”

r. iv 11' “I arise [(and) go] to the Equlû”,

r. iv 12' – as on the 4^th day. From the House of La[mentation to the Equlû]

r. iv 13' [He will stand] in front of Ninayī[tu].

r. iv 14' “You are my short sil[very one”, “When I saw you in the Equlû”.]

r. iv 15' “Hursagkalamma, the city of the beautiful ones,” from the area of the Equlû

r. iv 16' to the Ekagula [ – as on the 4^th day.]

r. iv 17' – as on the 4^th day. From the Ekagula [to the temple of the gods, the Ehursagtila:]

r. iv 18' “(On) the road of Kūta [– I will rise (and) go!”]

r. iv 19' He will stand opposite the Akit[u house of Šarrat-Nippuri:]

r. iv 20' “the king of her breeding bu[lls(?) will go up!”.]

r. iv 21' From the vicinity of the Akitu house [until the gate of Uraš:]

r. iv 22' [“I will make a dog enter] to your vagina [which you trust and bind up the door!”]

r. iv 23' [“I have invited] to your vagina [which you trust as your (precious) stone, in front of you”.]

r. iv 24' “Vagina [of my girlfriend, why do you keep doing so?”]

Leichty/Finkel/ Walker 2019, 556 classified the text as “Incantation”. 

i 20'–24': \\ VS 24, 102: 12'–16' with the following variants: šadânu – na₄kur-nu vs. na₄ka.gi.na (VS 24, 102: 13'); ṣābitu – dib vs. dib.ba (VS 24, 102: 13'); sāmtu(na₄gug( me-luḫ-ḫa ni-siq-ti vs. ba-ni-tu4 (VS 24, 102: 14'); pa-ra-šu-ú vs. [m]ar-ḫa-ši (VS 24, 102: 15'). ­– For gišhinnu (“Abteilung(en) des Laderaums”(?); “Baumaterial für Boot”), see Salonen, Wasserfahrzeuge, 51f.

i 20': par-ri-ku-ú-a: see Salonen, Wasserfahrzeuge, 59.

i 24': tillatum: When said of boats, “mainstay, support” (see CAD T 408, 2a and lex. sec. tillat eleppi).

ii 5': For middatam leqûm “taking the measurement”, cf. CAD M/2, 47. – Not many deities start with Še-. One thinks of Šērū’a and Šentu (see George 1992, 315).

ii 7': The incipit ēkânu līmurakki (šitta īnāya barbarāte) which is connected to the House of Lamentation appears in full in K 7924: i 11'–16'; BM 40090+ ii 36 (RT); 1883-1-18, 464: i 2'–12'; and Si. 861+ i 8'–13'. It also seems to be quoted in Si 741 9'. – The Esagil tablet (George 1992: 90) mentions a bāb šūti “southern gate” in connection with the ziqqurrat. According to George, bāb ṣīt šamši, bāb šūti, bāb ereb šamši and bāb iltāni were the names of the gates situated in the roof of the ziqqurrat, leading to four chapels. The bāb šūti would probably lead to the bītu ša šūti, the chapel of Anu and Elil. We, however, restore this line after Si 741 10': [… i]mu18.lú šá é.dúr.kù[.ga? …], a temple which is found in the next line (ii 8').

ii 8': The Edurkuga is the name of a Gula temple in Babylon (George 1993, no. 233). Here, however it probably refers to the throne-dais of the Igigi (George 1992, 60, 368; George 1993, no. 234) which appears in topographical texts (Tintir IV) together with the throne-dais of the Anunnaki Ekagula (George 1992, 60, 368; George 1993, no. 554). Both daisies appear in the Ritual Texts: The Ekagula in BM 40900+ ii [19], 20, iii 3, 4, 35 and the Edurkuga in Si 741:10'.

ii 9': The appellation bunnannîtu (< bunnannû “face, appearance, figure, features”) is new to us. – ina pāni(igi) dni-n[á-a-a-tu4 (izzaza(gub-za)-ma)] after BM 40090+ iii 1.