CDLI Literary 000380, ex. 048 (P346551)

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
  beginning broken
column 1'
  beginning broken
1'. {gesz#?}[...]
 en: Its throne was covered over from the front(?), she(?) could(?) (only) sit in the dust (instead)
2'. ab2# mah-[...]-x-ku5#?
 en: They seized the great(?) cows at/by(?) their ... horns, ... cut their horns off
3'. gu4# du7-du7-x [...]
 en: ... smote goring bulls with the weapon like (they were) grazing sheep
4'. {gesz}geszimmar uruda kal-ga#? [...]-ga2#
 en: The date palm (of? like?) strong copper, the arm of heroism
5'. {u2}numun2-gin7 ba-an-bur12# [...]-ba#? mi-ni-ib-bala
 en: ... tore it out like a rush, it was cut like a rush, it was turned sideways(?) in its roots
6'. sag# sahar-ra ba#?-ni#?-ib2#?-[...]-an-tuku
 en: Its top was lodged (in the ground), it did not have a person to raise it
7'. {gesz}ze2-na#?-bi# gu2# ba#?-[...]
 en: ... trimmed its midribs and set its top on fire
8'. [...]-an#-na# [...]
 en: ... its spadix with ripe dates, ... the well
reverse
column 1
1. [...] mu2-a gesz ki ba-e-la2#-[...]
 en: The gizi reeds that grew in the holy ... (and the) trees(?) were bowed to the ground(?)
2. [...]-ni-in-gar-gar-re-esz-a kur-ra i3#-[...]
 en: The great tribute that ... deposited there was carried away into(?) the mountain
3. [...]-e-szub bad3-si-bi ba-e-gul#
 en: In the temple, its {geš}bur ormanment(?) fell, its parapet was destroyed
4. [...]-da#? gab2-bu-ba gu2-da# la2-a-ba
 en: Its ... embracing on its right and left
5. [...] x gaz2-a-gin7 igi-bi-ta ba-e-szu2
 en: Like smitten heroes, they were covered from the front
6. [...] igi# pirig-ga2 ni2 gur3-gur3-ru-bi
 en: Its great storm(-demon)?, with an open mouth and the face of an awe-bearing pirig creature
7. [...] |SUD.NUN.TU|# ba-e-szub-bu-ri ki-erim2 ba-ab-de6
 en: The enemy territory brought away(?) the one felled with a saman rope like a caught wild bull
8. [... {d}]nanna# tir szim {gesz}erin-na!-gin7 ir-si-im-bi ba-gul
 en: The scent of the dwelling of holy Nanna, which was like a juniper forest, was brought to an end
9. [... u6]-di#-bi i3-du10-ga-ri u6-di-bi ba-gul
 en: (And?) the awe of the temple, which had been good(?)--the awe was (now) destroyed
10. [...] i#-im-si-a {d}usan#? [...]
 en: The one that filled(?) the lands like sunlight(?) was (re)built(?) like the evening(?) in(?) heaven (instead?)
  rest broken