Literary tablet excavated in Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in British Museum, London, UK
Image
© [see publications]
Transliteration
tablet
obverse
1. lugal en# [...] kal#?-ga#
en: King, lord ..., mighty(?) ...
2. lugal sukkal x [...] x sa6#?-ga#?
en: King, vizier ... good(?) ...
3. lugal gesztu2 gal#? tur3#? x x x
en: King (with) great knowledge, ... the cattlepen
4. lugal sa-bar-sa-bar kalam-ma#
en: King, all the sabar nets(?) of the land
5. lugal e pa5-re e pa5-re-sze3#?
en: King on behalf of(?) all of the dikes and ditches
6. lugal u3-SAR a-ra-zu x [...]
en: King, sharpening (his weapons(!?))/moon crescent(?) ... an arazu prayer ...
7. {d}nin-gesz-zi-da nun ki ag2#
en: Ningišzida, loved by the ruler/beloved ruler
8. dub?-ba immal2 nin zi gal
en: ..., the wild cow, the true and great lady
9. munus zi hi-li gur3-[...]
en: True woman bearing allure
10. ki-en-gi <ki>-uri me mah#? [...]
en: In Sumer and Akkad the supreme(?) me ...
11. mu-ni-szum2-ma [...]
en: She(?) is the one who gave (them) to him(?)
12. kur elam{ki} gaba ri x [...]
en: Confronting the mountain/land of Elam ....
reverse
1. dingir palil nam-sul-sze3 za3 dab5
en: Foremost god, surpassing in youth
2. dingir-e {gesz}pana ha-na-ha-ad hur-sag-e ki ag2
en: God (with) a hanahad (Nippur var.: hanahud) bow (which makes the noise hanahad?)/who ... the bow, beloved by the mountain range
3. dingir-e {gesz}pana si sa2 kalam-sze3 gal2# [...]
en: God who opens the straightened bow towards the land(?)
4. an-na hu-ur-hu-ur-ni IGI NI# [...] kur u4-ta-e3-[...]
en: In heaven his staring(!?)/when he(?) stares(!?), his eye/face(?) ... the mountain of the sunrise(?)
5. a2-ni sa-bar-ra kalam-sze3 gal2-[...]
en: His arm is a sabar net open towards the people/land
6. an-ta HI? |HIxASZ| sze RI ug x [...]
en: Above ..., the ug creature(?) ...
7. dingir ru-ub-ba x-[...]-x-[...] kur-sze3? x [...]
en: The god, the pitfall(?), (Lugal)kurdub(?) ... toward the mountain/netherworld
8. dingir nin za3 dab5 x [...]
en: The deity, surpassing lady, ...
9. dingir munus zi [...] nun ki ag2#
en: God, true woman ... beloved by the prince