JNES 14, 15

1–2         Earth - they say - earth bore the dirt,

3–4         the dirt bore the stalk,

5–6         the stalk bore the ear,

7–8         the ear bore the sty.

9             In - they say - the field of Enlil,

10–11     the square, 70 Iku of surface,

12           (when) Sîn was reaping,

13           (and) Šamaš was harvesting,

14           into- they say - the young man's eye

15–16     entered the sty.

17–18     "Whom should I assign and send

19            to the Daughters of An, seven and seven?

20–22      Let them take for me a vessel of carnelian, a pot of alabaster.  

23–25      Let them draw for me pure water of the sea.

25–26      Let them ⌈take out⌉ the sty from the young man's eye!"

For the chain-theme of creation motive see Veldhuis 1993. (Add also YOS 11, 5a, markedly another incantation wth a medical concern).

1, 9, 14: On the use of the modal particle -mi in OB literary texts (as opposed to non-literary texts) see Wasserman 2010b. – For -mi in this text see Landsberger/Jacobsen 1955, 21 and Foster 2005, 181 (whose translation "they say" is adopted here).

6: The TUM sign at the end of the line, clearly a scribal slip for šu-bu-ul-tum in the next line.

11: Landsberger/Jacobsen 1955, 15 translated "seven bur field" with footnote "written like 70 GÁN". However, the surface unit meant here is most probably sar (one iku = 100 sar, see Powell 1987–1990, 480 § II.9) (MPS).

12: For the i-suffix cf. GAG § 82e* with previous literature (MPS).

12–13: The image is clear: Sîn is reaping because of the lunar crescent which resembles a sickle, while Šamaš is harvesting because of the solar shining hallo which resembles stacks of barely or wheat.

14–15: This incantation shows again the notion that certain diseases have celestial origin and that they fall on the patient from the sky above (see Wasserman 2007, 44).

20, 26: The verbal forms perhaps show the vowel contraction ī-ā > ê/î: lilqênim and [l]išēlê. Cf. libellê in JCS 9a.inc: 20 (MPS).