UET 6/3, 579-584 (Nidaba and Enki)

SEAL no. 7507 · ia (for UET 6/3 579-581) · Hymns and Prayers · Nidaba and Enki · Ur (mod. Tell el-Muqayyar) · 36 lines · 343 words · 649 signs · 11 Sumerograms · bilingual

Transliteration

9 A obv. 1'	[…] / DA?-ti […] / UD-mi-šu? […] / ta?-am-ta?-[…]
10 A obv. 2'	kur ì-ḫe-nun-[ta] / ⌈mí zi⌉ du₁₁-[ga] / […]
Rest broken
17 B obv. ii 1'	[…] ⌈x⌉
18 B obv. ii 2'–3'	[buru₁₄ ezen-gal ^dEn-l]íl-lá/-kam // [i-na e-bu-ri]-⌈i⌉m / [… P]A.A
19 B obv. ii 4'	[…] ⌈x⌉
Rest broken
28 B obv. iii 0'–3'	[nindaba sikil-la si nam-mi-in-sá] // ni-i[n-da-ba-am] // el-[la-am uš-te-ši-ir]
29 B obv. iii 4'–6'	é-[ĝéštug-^dNisaba-ke₄] // ĝál? [nam-mi-in-taka₄] // bi-[it …]
30 B obv. iii 7'	⌈x⌉ […]
Rest broken
32 B rev. iv 1'–5'	A[ratta^ki é za-gìn-na] // ⌈šu⌉-[ni-šè mu-un-gar] // i-na [...] // bi-tim [...] // qá-ti-i-ša i[š-kun]
33 B rev. iv 6'–9'	Éreš (NISABA)^ki ḫi-nun-[na] // mu-un-d[ù-ù-nam] // e-ri-iš i-na ṭù-[uḫ-di-im] // i-pe-eš₁₅

34 B rev. iv 10'–14'	šeg₁₂ NISABA di₄-di₄-[lá] // ki gar-r[a] // i-na li-bi-it-t[im?] // el-le-tim a-na a[š-ri] // ta-ša-ak-ka-a[n]
35 B rev. iv 15'–17'	ĝéštug nun galam-m[a] // sa[ĝ-e]-eš ri[g₇-ga] // ⌈x⌉ [...] ⌈x⌉ ru-bu-[…]
C rev. 1-4	ĝéštug nun galam-[(ma)] // [saĝ]-e-eš rig₇-[ga] // [u]z-nu-um ru-ba-tum na-a[k-lum?] // [a-na] še-ri-ik-tim ša-ar-k[a-at]
36 C rev. 5–7	[áb]zu? men gal Eridu^[(ki)] // [èš ḫa]l-ḫal-[(la)] // […] ⌈x⌉ […]
Rest broken
40 B rev. v 0'–1'	[é-engur-ra ki tuš-a-ni] // ⌈a?⌉-gu-ur i-na ⌈wa-ša⌉/-bi-šu
41 B rev. v 2'–4'	abzu eridu^ki dù-dù-a-ni // ⌈ap⌉-sà-am E-ri-du // i-na e-pe-ši-i-šu
D rev. 1'–2'	[……….] dù-dù-[…] // [ap-s]ú-um Eridu(NUN^ki) i-na-pe-[ši-(i)-šu]
42 B rev. v 5'–7'	ḫal-an-kù šà kúš-ù-/da-ni // i-na ḫa-al-la-an-ku!(BA) // i-na mi-it-lu-ki-šu
D rev. 3'–4'	[ḫal]-an-kù šà kúš-ù-[da-ni] // i-na ḫa-la-an-ku i-na mi-it-[lu-ki-šu]
43 B rev. v 8'–10'	é ^ĝeštaskarin tùn bar-ra-ni // bi-it ti-is-ka-ri/-in-ni-im // i-na [šu-pe-el]-ti-i-šu
D rev. 5'–7'	é ^ĝeštaskarin ⌈tùn⌉ bar!-ra!-[ni] // bi-it di-is-ga-ri-[in-ni-im] // i-na {x} šu-pe-el-[ti-i-šu]
44 B rev. v 11'–14'	abgal(NUN.ME) síg-bar-ra tuḫ-a-ni // ab-gal-lum pe-re-et-sú // a-na wa-ar-ki-i-šu // i-na wu-uš-šu-ri-im
D rev. 8'–10'	abgal(NUN.ME) síg-ba[r………..] // ab-gal-lum š[a ………] // ú-u[š?-šu-ri-im]
47 B rev. v 15'–18'	TE? gal ^ĝešeren-a // [tìl]-la-a-ni // ⌈x⌉-[...]-⌈li-iš⌉ ra-bi-iš // i-na [... e]l?-li
D rev. 11'	TE? gal [...]
45 B rev. v 19'–20'	⌈é⌉-[ĝéštu-ga(-ke₄) ĝál taka₄-a-ni] // bi-it ⌈uz-ni-im⌉ // i-na pe-te-e-š[a]
46 B rev. v 21'–23'	^ĝešig ĝéšt[ug-ga] // [s]ila-ba gub-ba-a-[ni] // [dal-l]a-at uz-ni-[im] // […] šu-pe-el-[…]
48 B rev. v 24'	[… ^ĝešgeš]nimbar šu-[…]
Rest broken
51 B rev. vi 0'–1'	[^dNisaba munus-zi munus-sa₆-ga munus kur-re tud-da] // […] ⌈ul-du⌉-ú/-ši
52 B rev. vi 2'–3'	[^dNisaba] ⌈tùr⌉-ra ì ḫé-me-⌈en⌉ / [amaš]-e ga ḫé-me-en // [^dNisa]ba i-na ta-ar-ba-ṣi/-im / [lu-ú] ša-am-nu-um at-ti / [i-na] su-pu-ri-im / [lu-ú l]i-iš-du-um / [a]t-ti
53 B rev. vi 4'-5'	[é níĝ-gu]r₁₁-ra kišib-lá ⌈ḫé⌉-me/-en // [i-na bi]-it ma-ku-ri-im / [ka]-ni-ik-ta-šu / at-ti
54 B rev. vi 6'–7'	[é-gal-la aĝrig-z]i ḫé-me-en // [...]
55 B rev. vi 8'–9'	[guru₇-du₆ guru₇-maš-a guru₇ / g]ú gur-gur ḫé-me-en // [ka]-re-e ti-li / [ka]-re-e ma-a-ši / [ka-re]-e ki-ša-da/-ti-šu-nu / […]-ba-ri
56 A rev. 1'–2'	[nun]-e ^d[Ni]saba-[ra] / mí du₁₁-ga // ru-bu-ú ^d[nisaba ...] / ú-ki-in […]
B rev. vi 10'	[… ^dNisa]ba-ra […]
57 A rev. 3'–4'	a-a ^d[En-ki] / zà-mí-zu [du₁₀-ga-àm] // a-bu-um [...]

Translation

9 … in his time, (then)…

10 Graciously treating the mountains with the precious oil

…

17 …

18 during the harvest time, the great festival of Enlil

19 …

…

28 He (Enki?) verily put pure food-offerings in order;

29 He verily opened Nisaba's House of Learning.

30 …

…

32 In Aratta he (Enki) placed the House of Lapis Lazuli at her disposal.

33 He (re)builds Ereš amid abundance.

34 You assemble (it=Ereš?) there out of the pure little bricks.

35 She (Nisaba) is granted the understanding and ingenious princeship.

36 In the Abzu, the great crown of Eridu, (where) sanctuaries are apportioned

…

40 When he (Enki) had taken up the residence in Engur;

41 When he had built Abzu and Eridu;

42 When he had been deliberating in Halanku;

43 When he had overturned the House of Boxwood;

44 When the wise man abgallu had loosed his hair down his back;

47 When he had completed the grate … of cedar;

45 When he had opened the House of Learning;

46 When he had stood in the street of the Door of Learning;

48 … date palm ….

…

51 O Nisaba! Right woman! Good woman! The mountains gave birth to her!

52 Nisaba! In the animal stall may you be the fat! In the sheepfold may you be the cream!

53 In the storehouse may you be its seal bearer!

54 In the palace may you be the fair housekeeper!

55 Among stacks and silos may you be the one who piles up the heaps of grain!

56 The prince is speaking favorably to Nisaba.

57 O father Enki! It is sweet to praise you!

Commentary

9: Akkadian line A obv. 1' may correspond to Sumerian ki im-si ud-da šà kúš-ù (UET 6/3 582 obv. 4').

33: The name of Nisaba’s city Ereš is commonly written NAGA^ki. Here, however, the name of the city is written as the goddess’ name with place determinative: NISABA(= ŠE.NAGA)^ki. – According to Hallo 1970, 125 ḫi-nun-[na] corresponds to nu!(DU)-[uḫ-ši-im] in the parallel section of the Akkadian text. However, ETCSL suggests ṭù-[uḫ-di-im], which makes the emendation unnecessary. – The Akkadian verbal form i-pe-eš₁₅ (3. p. sg. prs.) in this line doesn’t correspond to Sumerian mu-un-dù-ù-nam “it was you, who (re)build (Ereš amid plenty)”.

34: The sign NISABA stands here again for NAGA. Cf. the same phrase in the temple hymn TCS 3, 532: NAGA di₄-di₄-lá. The meaning and reading of NISABA/NAGA here is obscure, though it corresponds to el-le-tim in the parallel section of Akkadian text. The Akkadian line has no correspondence to the Sumerian di₄-di₄-lá. – Whereas the Akkadian line has a finite verbal form the Sumerian has the participial construction: “founded out of the pure little bricks”.

36: The traces of the sign visible in the text C are ambiguous. They can be interpreted either as ábzu or as e ([abzu]-⌈e⌉).

40–48: The ḫamṭu participles in these lines denote the actions preceding the action of the main verb mu-un-na-du₁₁ YBC 13523, 50 “he said to her”. Cf. the translation of Hallo 1970, 129 and ETCSL with the present tense.

41: i-na-pe-[ši-(i)-šu] in D is Sandhi writing for ina epēšišu.

42: For the templeḪalanku see Sjöberg 1968, 239; George 1993, 98.

43: bar-ra and <> in D are written over erasures.

44: For síg-bar-ra tuḫ see Sjöberg 1969, 278.47: The first sign is dubious. It may be TE, see Sumerian version UET 6/3, 584 rev. 4'. Compare with reading únu (ETCSL.c.4.16.1) and lilis (Hallo 1970, 125). The translation of the line depends on the Sumerian text. It seems that the traces in the parallel section of Akkadian text don’t correspond to the Sumerian line.

55: The Sumerian and the Akkadian version do not correspond to each other. The translation of the line is based on the Sumerian version, because the Akkadian one is the result of an obvious misinterpretation: the nominal part of the compound verb gú–gur = garānu was understood as a separate lexical unit and thus translated into Akkadian as kišādu “neck”. By analogy with ka-re-e ti-li and ka-re-e ma-a-ši this new item was taken as a status constructus ([ka-re]-e ki-ša-da/-ti-šu-nu) and was then included into the Akkadian sentence as a further object of the verb (in addition to ka-re-e ti-li and ka-re-e ma-a-ši). The damaged verbal form in the Akkadian line could be restored as [uš-ta-]-ba-ri /uštabarri/, prs. Št from bitrû “to be continuous”, cf. CAD B bitrû 3, which will allow the following translation: “she makes permanent stacks, silos and grain-heaps of their necks […]”. – In the translation guru₇-du₆ guru₇-maš // ka-re-e ti-li ka-re-e ma-a-ši as “stacks and silos” I follow Karahashi 2000, 99.

56: For mí du₁₁ “to speak favorably to” as a parallel to nam-du₁₀ tar “determine a good fate for” see Hallo 1970, 132. Therefore, du₁₁-ga can be interpreted as a parallel to the Akkadian kunnu (D < kânu) “to grant good fortune” (cf. ú-ki-in in 56A).

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. 7507; view on seal.huji.ac.il.