CDLI Literary 000365, ex. 011 (P293426)
Literary, Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
Open in the reader & map →See it among all tablets
| Designation | CDLI Literary 000365, ex. 011 |
|---|---|
| ID | P293426 |
| Museum no. | YBC 09857 |
| Collection | Yale Babylonian Collection, New Haven, Connecticut, USA |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary |
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 | en-e kur lu2 ti-la-sze3 gesztu2-ga-ni na-an-gub | The lord should not stand in the land of a living man. |
| 2 | en {d}bil4-ga-mes-e kur lu2 ti-la-sze3 gesztu2-ga-ni na-an-gub | Lord Gilgameš, he did not set his mind towards the mountain of the living man. |
| 3 | arad-da-ni en-ki-du10-ra gu3 mu-un-na-de2-e | His servant Enkidu spoke to him: |
| 4 | en-ki-du10 murgu gurusz-e ti-la sag til#-bi-sze3 la-ba-ra-an-e3-a | Enkidu, who lives on the shoulder of the young man, has not come out to its full extent |
| 5 | kur-ra ga-an-ku4 mu-gu10 ga-am3-gar | I want to enter the netherworld, [I want to place] my name there. |
| 6 | ki mu gub-bu-ba-am3 mu-gu10 ga-bi2-ib-gub | I want to stand at the place where a young man stands, my young man. |
| 7 | ki mu nu-gub-bu-ba-am3 mu digir-re-e-ne ga-bi2-ib-gub | I want to stand in the place where no one stands, the name of the gods. |
| 8 | arad-da-ni en-ki-du10-e inim mu-un-ni-ib-gi4-gi4 | His servant Enkidu replies: |
| 9 | lugal-gu10 tukum-bi kur-ra i-in-ku4-ku4-de3-en / {d}utu he2-me-da-an-zu | My king, if you enter the netherworld, may Utu know it. |
| 10 | {d}utu szul {d}utu he2-me-da-an-zu | Šamaš, youth Utu, may you know! |
| 11 | kur-ra dim2-ma-bi {d}utu-kam | It is the creation of Utu in the mountains. |
| 12 | kur-{gisz}eren-ku5 dim2-ma-bi szul {d}utu-kam {d}utu he2-me-da-an-zu | The kur-cedar tree is the youth Utu, may Uta know it. |
| 13 | {d}bil4-ga-mes masz2 babbar2-ra szu im-mi-in-tag | Gilgamesh touched the white kid. |
| 14 | masz2-si4 masz2-da-ri-a gaba-ni ba-an-tab | The gazelle and the gazelle approached her chest. |
| 15 | szu-ni gidri ku3 kiri3-na ba-da-gal2 | His hand is a pure scepter in his mouth. |
| 16 | {d}utu-an-na-ra gu3 mu-un-na-de2-e | He spoke to Utu-ana: |
| 17 | {d}utu kur-sze3 i-in-ku4-ku4-de3-en a2-dah-gu10 he2-me-en | Utu, when you enter the netherworld, may you be my helper. |
| 18 | kur-{gisz}eren-ku5-sze3 i-in-ku4-ku4-de3-en a2-dah-gu10 he2-me-en | I will enter the cedar forest, may you be my helper. |
| reverse | ||
| 1 | {d}utu an-na-ta inim mu-un-ni-ib-gi4-gi4 | Šamaš replied to An: |
| 2 | gurusz dumu-gi7 ni2-zu-a he2-me-en kur-ra a-na-bi-me-en | May you be a young man, a citizen of your own free will, what are you to the mountains? |
| 3 | {d}utu inim ga-ra-ab-du inim-gu10-sze3 gesztu2-zu | Šamaš, I want to speak a word to you, listen to my word! |
| 4 | silim ga-ra-ab-du11 gizzal |HA.QA| he2-em-szi-ia-a5 | I want to say “it is well, may a reed basket be placed for you.’ |
| 5 | iri{ki}-ga2 lu2 ba-usz2 sza3 ba-sag3 | In my city a man was killed, his heart was shaken. |
| 6 | lu2 u2-gu ba-an-de2 sza3-gu10 ba-an-gi4 | The one who has sinned, my heart has turned back. |
| 7 | bad3-da gu2-gu10 im-ma-an-la2 | he stretched my neck out over the wall. |
| 8 | ad6 a-a i7 i3-ib2-diri-ge igi im-ma-an-sze3 | “Did you see the flood that made the father of the river surpassing? |
| 9 | u3 ge26-e ur5-gim nam-ba-ak-e ur5-sze3 he2-me-a | “Oh, I will do it again and again, so be it again! |
| 10 | lu2 sukux(SUKUD)-da an-sze3 nu-mu-un-da-la2 | The one of the suku-offering did not raise it to heaven. |
| 11 | lu2 dagal-la kur-ra la-ba-an-szu2-szu2 | The broad man of the netherworld did not let him go out. |
| 12 | murgu gurusz-e ti-la sag til-bi-sze3 la-ba-ra-an-e3-a | The young man’s neck, while alive, has not come out. |
| 13 | kur-ra ga-an-ku4 mu-gu10 ga-am3-gar | I want to enter the netherworld, [I want to place] my name there. |
| 14 | ki mu gub-bu-ba-am3 mu-gu10 ga-bi2-ib-gub | I want to stand at the place where a young man stands, my young man. |
| 15 | ki mu nu-gub-bu-ba-am3 mu# digir-re-e-ne ga-bi2-ib-gub | I want to stand at a place that does not stand (in prayer) |
| 16 | {d}utu er2-na kadra-gin7 szu ba-an-szi-in-ti | Šamaš, like a lamenting lament, has received it. |
| 17 | lu2 arhusz-a-gin7 arhusz ba-ni-in-ak | Like a man who has compassion, he has compassion. |
| 18 | ur-sag dumu ama dili inim-me-esz | The hero, child of the single mother, speak words. |
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.