CUSAS 32, 7c
Only the beginning of this incantation is left. The lyrical description of the wind over the sea is rare and atypical to incantations. Yet, as it is found in a multi-text tablet of Sumerian and Akkadian incantations, this text is, most probably, the hystoriola of an incantation – perhaps against flatus, or other gastrointestinal problems.
Transliteration
col. i
19' ša-rum ti-me-a-tim ú-ṣi-i-ma
20' ⌈ù⌉ ti-a-me-tum ip-pa-al-la-<sà>-šum
21' [im]-ḫa-aṣ ú-ru-{ras.}-uḫ
22' [ti]-wi-a-tim
23' [x x x x] x ap-pa-ra-⌈ti⌉
24'ff. (traces)
Translation
19'–22' The wind went out (flying over) the (different) seas. The Sea was looking at it. It plowed the way of the seas.
23' ... ... marshes
(remainder lost)
Commentary
19', 20', 22': Oddly, different spellings for "sea" are used: timiātum and tiwiātum (pl.), and tiametum (sg.?).
21': maḫāṣum is clearly metaphorically used, hence, perhaps, “to plow” (CAD M/1, 79f.), although in this meaning, maḫāṣum comes virtually always with mayārum. – The construct form uruḫ can be derived from uruḫḫum “hair” (CAD U/W XXX) or urḫum “way”. Now, although “the sea's hairline” (so George 2016, 151) is beautiful and poetic, this image is unknown, while the co-location urḫu and tâmtu “seaway” is known in 1st millennium royal inscriptions: ina tâmti u nābali itti ummānīya urḫu padānu ušaṣbissunūti “I made (those kings, together with their forces and their boats), take the road (and) path with my troops by sea and dry land” (RINAP 5; Ashurbanipal 11 i 73f. cf. CAD U/W 219a) and urḫu arkatu ina tâmtim u nābai iṣbatamma itti mandatišu kabitti [illi]ka adi maḫriya “he took the long road by sea and dry land (carrying heavy payment)” (RINAP 5; Ashurbanipal 23: 43). The image is clear: the sea is quiet at first, and then the wind comes and cut waves through it.
Michael P. Streck and Nathan Wasserman, Sources of Early Akkadian Literature (SEAL), seal.huji.ac.il. No commercial use is allowed. Published under CC BY-NC-ND (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives). Reproduced unmodified. Cite as SEAL no. 7066; view on seal.huji.ac.il.