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CDLI Literary 000566, ex. 005 (P278203)
Literary letter and letter-prayer, Old Babylonian, Nippur · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | CDLI Literary 000566, ex. 005 |
|---|---|
| ID | P278203 |
| Museum no. | CBS 07072a + N 3147 |
| Collection | Penn Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary letter and letter-prayer |
| Find spot | Nippur (mod. Nuffar) |
| Coordinates | 32.1271, 45.2300 |
Transliteration (ATF)
From Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI: reuse of catalogue/transliteration data with citation of CDLI; images restricted (not fetched)
Machine draft. The right-hand column is machine English from ixmon/atf-to-english (atf-en-t5base-F, 2026-10-17), generated line by line from the transliteration. It is unreviewed and is not a scholarly translation.
| Line | ATF | Machine English (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| obverse | ||
| 1 | [lugal-bi lugal larsa{ki}-sze3 nig2-hul-dib]-x i3#?-[kin-kin] | Its king, the king of Larsa, did evil things |
| 2 | [sipa kalam-bi nu-me-en-na nidba]-ba la-ba-ab-x | I am not a shepherd of this land, I do not ... food offerings. |
| 2 | [szul ga2-ra ge6 ma-mu2-da] giri3-ta mu-un-gub-be2# | For the young man who was born in the night, he stood at the foot. |
| 3 | [sag-ga2 im-mi-gub igi husz]-bi#? ga2-ra igi-mu-un-du8 | He stood on my head, he looked at me with fury |
| 4 | [{gesz}gisal i7?-da tum3] tu6# hul-ma?-an-si3-[x?] | Bring the poplar into the river, destroy the incantation(?) for me |
| 4 | u4#?-[bi-ta nam-szul-mu si nu-sa2] kiszib-gin7? me-ba ha-[...] | At that time, my well-being was not in order, like a sealed document, may it be ... in its divine powers |
| 5 | ni2-[tuku-mu-ta ni2-mu la-ba]-ra#-e3 tu-ra gig mu-[an-dab5-be2-en] | Because of my fearsomeness, my fearlessness has not left, I am seized by illness. |
| 6 | tu-[ra]-mu# [kukku2 nu-zalag]-x a-gar-am3? lu2 igi nu-[mu-un-ni-in-du8-a] | The turāmu drum was not shining, it was an agar drum, no one saw it |
| 7 | a-[zu-e] igi#-bi nu-mu#-un#-du8#-[e] [tug2?]-nig2-la2 sza?-[mu-sze12-de3] | The physician does not look at it, he is wearing a soiled garment |
| 8 | tu6#-[tu6-e] du11#-ga nu-szub-bu-de3 x [...] LI? eden gi#? | In order that the incantation does not fall down, ... the reed-covered steppe |
| 9 | tu#-[ra]-mu# geszkim nu-tuku-a [...] igi-bi nu-x [...] | The turāmu-demon who does not have a sign ... its face ... |
| 10 | tu#-[ra-mu] x e? hur-sag-ga2 eden-na# [sag]-ga2# [nu-mu2-a lu2 nu-mu-un-tuku-tuku-e] | ... the mountain range, the steppe, where there was no one, he did not have anyone |
| 11 | ti#-[la] tu-ra-mu za-da i3-gal2 [nam-mah-zu ga-am3-du11] | I want to say: “Life and death are with you! Your greatness is there!’ |
| 12 | ama#-mu# u4 tur-ra-mu-ta ma-an-tak4-am3#? | My mother has abandoned me in my small days |
| 13 | [ama nu-tuku-me-en] x-[mu] nu-mu-ra-ab-be2 za-e ama#-[mu-me-en] | I am one who does not have a mother, my ... does not speak to you, you are my mother |
| 14 | [za-e-nu] na-an-na amalu nig2-kur2-x [tuku arhusz-mu nu-mu-ra-ab-be2] | You, indeed, the amalu priestess, who has nothing but goodness, will not speak to you. |
| 15 | [...]-[mu nu-mu-ra]-in#-kin-kin za-e ama-inanna-mu-[...] | ... did not establish for you, you, Ama-inanna-mu-... |
| 16 | [lu2 ul3-la2] ur#-gi7-zu ga2-e he2-me-en kesz2-da-zu musz3 nam-ba#-[an-tum2-mu-un] | May you be a proud man, your dog, may you not carry a mourning net for me |
| 17 | {d}da-mu dumu ki-ag2-zu aga3-us2 sag-ga2!-na {gesz}tukul szu gal2-la-ni he2-me#-[en] | Damu, your beloved child, may you be his first-born soldier with his weapon in his hand |
| 18 | [arhusz-mu hu-mu-ra-ab-be2] | May he say to you "may my heart be glad." |
| 19 | tu-ra#-mu tu-ra-sze3 ba-kur2 szed9?-mu? nu-zu | My birth mother was changed into a birth mother, my šedmu? did not know |
| 20 | an-bir9-ta u2 nu-mu-un-szum2-mu ge6-a u3 nu-ku-ku-un | He does not give food from the horizon, he does not sleep at night. |
| 21 | ama# nig2#-u2-rum-mu ku3 {d}nin-isin2{si}-na nin arhusz he2-me-en | May you be my pure mother, Nininsina, the lady of kindness |
| 22 | u3# nu#-ku sze-sza4-mu ge6-a hu-mu-ra-ab-tum2#-mu | May the one who does not sleep bring supplication for you in the night |
| 23 | igi# sa6#-ga-zu-sze3 u3-mu-szi-bar zi du10-ga szum3-ma-ab | Give me a good life before your good eyes! |
| 24 | buru5#?{muszen}-sze3 sur2-du3{muszen} dal-a-gin7 zi-mu al-tum3-tum3-un | Like a sparrow flying towards the locusts, you bring forth life |
| 25 | [ga2]-e# igi nam#-tar#-ra-ke4 ur2-za ku4#-mu-ni-ib2 szu-ta kar-mu | I, the eye of fate, entered your lap, I was seized by hand |
| 26 | [gurusz-me-en szu nam-tar-ra-ka a-nir i3-ga2-ga2 zi-mu im-mi-in-zal] | I am a young man in the hand of fate, he uttered a lament. |
| 27 | [ab2]-szilam#-a-gin7 arhusz tuku-ma-ra-ab# | Like Abšilam, you have compassion for me |
| 28 | [...] x-na-gin7# arhusz tuku-ma-ra-ab# | ... like a ..., may he bless you with kindness |
| reverse | ||
| 1 | [{d}utu lugal-mu]-x [di-ku5 mah an ki] | Šamaš, king of ... supreme judge of heaven and earth |
| 2 | [sag-en3-tar] kalam#-ma# ka#-[asz] mu#-un#-bar#-bar#-[re] | The sag-entar priestess of the land was uttering a lament |
| 3 | [dingir zi] lu2# ti-le-de3 ki-ag2 a-ra-zu gesz-[tuku] | True god, who sustains man, beloved, who listens to prayer |
| 4 | arhusz# [su3] sza3# gur-ru mu-un-zu-a | When he had known the strength of his heart, |
| 5 | nig2-si ki-ag2 nig2-zi bar-tam-ma#?-ra#? [u3-na-du11] | He spoke to the one who loves justice and life |
| 6 | su6#-mu2 dumu# {d}nin-gal su6 {na4}za-gin3 ba-an-x | Sūmu, son of Ningal, ... lapis lazuli |
| 7 | tak4-la2 {gesz!}si-gar an ki kukku2 zalag-sze3! gar | The one who holds the bolt of heaven and earth (and) shines(!?) |
| 8 | en sag-kal asza-a-ni pa e3-a nam-mah!-a-ni za3 nu-di | The lord who makes his field resplendent, whose greatness is unrivaled |
| 9 | ur#-sag dumu {d}nin-gal-e tu-da me sag-kesz2 ur4-ur4 | Hero, child born by Ningal, who binds the divine powers |
| 10 | dingir zi nun nam tar-tar-re a-a sag-ge6-ga lugal-mu-ur2 u2-na-de3-dah | True god, prince who decides fates, father of the black-headed people, Lugal-mur will praise him. |
| 11 | {disz}{d}suen-i-din-nam lugal larsa{ki}-ma arad-zu na-ab-be2-a | Sîn-iddinam, king of Larsa, is your servant. |
| 12 | iri-zu larsa{ki}-ma sza3-ge pa3-da-zu nig2-gig-ga im-ma-an-ak | Your city Larsa, your chosen heart has done evil. |
| 13 | sila dagal eszemen u4 zal-zal-la si-ga im-ma-an-si | In the broad street, the ešemen-tree, the storm that was passing, he filled it with silence. |
| 14 | erin2 sa6-ga-zu gu2 gar-gar-ra gi-gi-sig-ga-gin7 si-il-si#-le#-de3# ba-an-til-le-esz | Your good troops, who are piled up like reed bundles, are finished |
| 15 | gurusz-zu sze u4 a2#-ba-gin7 ab-gur10 ba-an-szab-esz gurun gibil-gin7 im-ma-an-[gur5] | Your young man, like the barley of that day, sat on the throne, like a new sprout |
| 16 | un-ga2 alan im-gin7 im-ma-an-gul-lu#-usz# ni2-bi-a ba-an-til#-[le-esz] | In my womb they destroyed statues like clay and finished them by themselves |
| 17 | di4-di4-la2 ur2? ama-bi-ne-ta u4 hul ba-an-da#-[kar-re-esz] | The little ones, from the lap of their mother, departed with evil intent |
| 18 | un-ga2 igi# hur#-re# musz3#-bi-a ba-an-kur2-re#-[esz] | In my midst, they changed the face of the mountain range |
| 19 | erin2 ga-an-sza-sza# [szu bar]-ra#?-am3 kalam zi3-gin7 [mu2-mu2] | I want to give the troops back to her, it is a hand-lifting(?) thing that makes the land grow like flour |
| 20 | szul {d}utu iri-za# [larsa{ki}-ma lu2] kur2-gin7 bar-ta ba-e-[da-gub] | Youth Utu, in your city Larsa like a stranger stood outside |
| 21 | kur elam{ki}-ma# [buru5{muszen}-gin7 mah]-x lu2 ad6#-[a nu-gal2-la] | In the land of Elam, like a raven, a man who is not present(?) |
| 22 | su-bir4{ki} x [dugud-da dingir-re-e]-x ni2#?-x-[ga2 nu-zu-a] | Subir, the strong ... of the gods, which does not know my ... |
| 23 | ma-da#-[bi nu-ub-ta-ba x x nu-gal2-la] | Its land was not brought, there was no ... |
Sources & licences
- Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI: reuse of catalogue/transliteration data with citation of CDLI; images restricted (not fetched) · Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI), https://cdli.earth/ ; cite CDLI and the P-number
Cite the original edition and translator. Page generated by Unread Atlas from the public corpus export of 2026-10-18.