CDLI Literary 000764, ex. 004 (P346123)
Literary, Old Babylonian, Ur · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | CDLI Literary 000764, ex. 004 |
|---|---|
| ID | P346123 |
| Museum no. | BM — |
| Collection | British Museum, London, UK |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary |
| Find spot | Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar) |
| Coordinates | 30.9607, 46.1063 |
English translation
By Peterson, Jeremiah · Via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI (reuse with citation)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| obverse 1 | In ancient time, in the (time that) good fate was decreed |
| obverse 2 | An and Enlil established the plans of the universe |
| obverse 3 | Enki, the supreme leader, the lord of broad wisdom |
| obverse 4 | The junior Enlil of the lands, he was the “3rd one” |
| obverse 5 | He sought(?) the me of both heaven and earth and founded a dwelling/sitting there(?) |
| obverse 6 | The water(?) that engenders the true seed(?) was bound(?) to (his) hand |
| obverse 7 | The Tigris and Euphrates, (having been) excavated on the edge, brought water into the lands |
| obverse 8 | He dredged the small canals, the ditches were established there |
| obverse 9 | ... Enki broadened the cattle pen and sheepfold, he made them acquire a shepherd and cow herder |
| obverse 10 | He established cities and outlying settlements on the earth, the blackheaded flourished there |
| obverse 11 | He made(?) the king acquire their shepherdship, he raised him to their princeship |
| obverse 12 | He brought out the king as faithful sunlight in the lands |
| obverse 13 | Enki knotted the marshes together, he made the old reed growth and fresh reed stalks grow |
| obverse 14 | He made fish and birds live in the great marshes, the ponds(?) and the supreme(?) marshes |
| obverse 15 | In the plain he gave the (means of?) eating and drinking (to!?) living creatures |
| obverse 16 | Enki the lord of abundance, the lord of the gods, stationed ... at its side (in charge) |
| obverse 17 | Nudimmud, the supreme prince, the lord of broad wisdom |
| obverse 18 | After he created both the fish and the bird |
| obverse 19 | He filled the marsh and reedbed (with them) |
| obverse 20 | He chose their station on behalf of you(!?) ... |
| obverse 21 | He made their eyes discover(?) their design |
| obverse 22 | At that time, the fish laid eggs in the deep water/marsh(?) |
| obverse 23 | The bird founded a nest at the intake of the reed bed |
| obverse 24 | The bird terrified the fish in the deep water/marsh by means of its scream |
| obverse 25 | The fish stood, he was shouting to (the bird) |
| obverse 26 | It was boasting, by means of a fight he (intiated) a quarrel |
| obverse 27 | It arose in the street in the manner of a quarrel, it stood there(?) wildly |
| obverse 28 | (At that time) the fish was speaking to the bird in the deep water/marsh with an outcry(?) |
| obverse 29 | Bird, releasing (i.e. uninhibited?), shouting, ... was not present/placed(?) |
| obverse 30 | Croaker(?) of the deep water/marsh, screaming(?), “releasing and growing/boasting” the lips (perhaps an ideophone?) |
| obverse 31 | Spending time eating way too much, having horrible diarrhea |
| reverse 1 | You may be able to croak/chew(?) when you stand in the plain, but they will chase you(!?) away |
| reverse 2 | In the furrow, the members of the ranks of farmers should not (cease?) ... a net(?) for you |
| reverse 3 | The gardener should not (cease?) setting up a net in the irrigated orchard for you |
| reverse 4 | His arm is not set apart (to rest) from(?) the sling, he does not bend his knee (to sit) because of you |
| reverse 5 | (You are) one who is destroying things/food in the garden, (you are) one who cannot sweeten the flesh (of the land?) |
| reverse 6 | Your feet are not good (for) fields that have wet patches |
| reverse 7 | Bird, shameless one who sprinkle feces in the courtyard |
| reverse 8 | The young sweeper who is sweeping in the temple is braiding(?) a malevolent rope there (for you) |
| reverse 9 | The palace is confused by your scream, it is to be abandoned(?) by the agency of your mouth(?) |
| reverse 10 | (They) bring one (of your kind) into the fattener's shed |
| reverse 11 | They make one (of your kind) babble like livestock |
| reverse 12 | They pour cold water into the watering trough(?) for you |
| reverse 13 | You can then be accepted(?) as a regular offering |
| reverse 14 | The fowler delivers one (of your kind) with bound wings |
| reverse 15 | The fisherman brings one (of your kind) into(?) the palace |
| reverse 16 | They(?) cripple(?) your wings/feathers(?) and face/eyes |
| reverse 17 | Your shouting has no limit, what is your flying? |
| reverse 18 | By means of your horrible cry you frighten the night, one does not sleep well |
| reverse 19 | Bird, leave the marsh, (remove) your scream from above me |
| reverse 20 | Bring out a pit in the sand dunes(?), thus is (what is) appropriate for you |
| reverse 21 | At that time the fish insulted the bird |
| reverse 22 | Because of its beauty, the bird knew about (its) multicolored back and multicolored face |
| reverse 23 | Whatever insults fish had assailed it with(!?), it did not ponder them |
| reverse 24 | It was as if a nursemaid was singing a lullaby |
| reverse 25 | It was not heeding (these) words(?), laughing malevolently (instead)(?) |
| reverse 26 | At that time, the bird was replying to the fish |
| reverse 27 | Thus your heart, produces exuberance(?), you have (actually) humilated yourself |
| reverse 28 | Your mouth is a hole(?) which ... surrounded with teeth(?), (you cannot) see your back |
| reverse 29 | (Possessor of) blunted limbs and blunted appendages, “turn your neck by means of the fins"(!?) |
| reverse 30 | (Possessor) of a smell that is not good, inducing(?) vomiting, opening the mouth(?), and wrinkling of the nose(?) |
| reverse 31 | No one holds/catches your eating (i.e., food?) properly with a caulked container(?) or a cord(!?) |
| reverse 32 | Your plunderer does not touch his hand to his skin |
| reverse 33 | (Total) 63 (lines) |
| left 1 | "Long-tablet" of Damqi-ilišu, month of Udduru, day n. |
Transliteration (ATF)
From Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI: reuse of catalogue/transliteration data with citation of CDLI; images restricted (not fetched)
| Line | ATF | Machine English (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| obverse | ||
| 1 | [...]-ta#? nam du10 tar-ra-a-ba | |
| 2 | [...]-bi#? an-ki gesz-hur-bi mu-un-gar-re-esz# | |
| 3 | [...] mah# en gesztu2 dagal-la-ke4 | |
| 4 | [... kur]-kur#-ra 3(disz@t)-kam-ma-bi na-nam | |
| 5 | [...]-bi#-[...] mu#-un-kikken2 dur2 ki ba-an-gar | |
| 6 | [...]-gal2 numun# zi# u3-tu szu-sze3 im-ma-ab-la2 | |
| 7 | [{i7}]idigna# {i7}buranun-na za3-ga ba-al a kur-kur-ra mi-ni-ib-tum3 | |
| 8 | [...]-tur#-ra szu-luh ba-an-ak sur-sur mi-ni-ib2-gar-gar | |
| 9 | [... {d}]en-ki-ke4 turx(SZILAM)? amasz szu bi2-in-dagal sipa unux(|AB2.TUL2|) bi2-in-tuku | |
| 10 | iri{ki} a2-dam ki-a mi-ni-in-gar-gar sag-gig2 mu-ni-lu | |
| 11 | lugal-e nam-sipa-bi-sze3 mu-un-tuku nam-nun-bi-sze3! mu-un-il2 | |
| 12 | lugal u4 zi-de3-esz kur-kur-ra mu-un-e3 | |
| 13 | {d#}en#-ki-ke4 ambar-ambar-ra zu2 bi2-kesz2 gi sumun gi henbur bi2-in-mu2 | |
| 14 | [...] umah#? mah ku6 muszen mi-ni-in-lug | |
| 15 | [...]-zi-pa-an-pa-ag2-ne gu7 nag-bi mi-ni-in-szum2 | |
| 16 | [...] en dingir-re-e-ne-ke4 za3-ba am3-mi-ni-in-gub | |
| 17 | [...] en gesztu2 dagal-la-ke4 | |
| 18 | [...] u3-mu-un-dim2-dim2 | |
| 19 | [...] mi-ni-in-si | |
| 20 | [...] im-mu-e-szi-in-pa3 | |
| 21 | [...] igi-bi im-mi-in-pa3 | |
| 22 | [...] nunuz ki ba-ni-in-tag | |
| 23 | [...] gud3# im-ma-ni-ib-us2 | |
| 24 | [...]-bi!?-ta mi-ni-in-hu-luh | |
| 25 | [...]-gub# gu3 mu-un-na-de2-e | |
| 26 | [...] ga-ba-al mi-ni-in-ak | |
| 27 | [...]-zi# u3-na-bi ba-an-DU | |
| 28 | [...] gu3#? mur?-ra-bi inim mu-un-na-ni-ib2-be2 | |
| 29 | [...] IM LUM NIG2 nu-gar | |
| 30 | [...] x bur2-re bulug5-ge26 | |
| 31 | [...] sza3# hul-bi sur-sur | |
| reverse | ||
| 1 | [...]-x KA# mu#-e#-da-ra-ah#? mi-x-ib2#?-sar-sar-re-ne | |
| 2 | [...]-na# dumu engar-ra-ke4-ne KA sa nam#?-mi-ri-ak | |
| 3 | [nu-{gesz}]kiri6-ke4 pu2-{gesz}kiri6-a sa na-mu-e-ri-gub | |
| 4 | [...]-lu#?-usz2#!?-ta DA-ni nu-ga2-ga2 dub3 nu-mu-x-szi-ib2-gurum-e | |
| 5 | sar#-sar-ra nig2 mu-ni-ib-hul-hul su nu-mu-un-da-du10-ga | |
| 6 | [a]-sza3 ki duru5 gal2-gal2-bi giri3-zu nu-zil2-zil2-le | |
| 7 | muszen tesz2 nu-zu kisal-e szed6 su3-su3 | |
| 8 | kisal-luh tur e2-e sa# la2-e esz2 hul mi-ni-in-sar-re | |
| 9 | za-pa-ag2-zu-ta e2#-gal im-suh3-suh3 ka-ka-ta szub-bu-de3 | |
| 10 | e2 kuruszda-ka mu-ni-ib-ku4?-ku4? | |
| 11 | gu4 udu-gin7 mi-ni-ib-mu7-e-ne | |
| 12 | a sed4 {dug?}epig-ga? ma-ra-de2-e-ne | |
| 13 | za-e sa2 du11-sze3 mu-e-da-gid2-de3 | |
| 14 | muszen-du3 a2 la2-ta mu-ni-ib-tum2-tum2-mu | |
| 15 | szu-ku6-de3 e2-gal-am3 mu-ni-ib-ku4-ku4 | |
| 16 | pa-zu igi-zu i3-im-sul-sul-ne | |
| 17 | gu3 de2-de2-zu ki-sze-er! nu-tuku dal-dal-zu a-na-am3 | |
| 18 | gu3 hul-zu-ta ge6 hu-luh-en u3 du10 nu-mu-un-ku-ku | |
| 19 | ASZ muszen-e sug#?-ta e3-ba-ra za-pa-ag2#-zu ugu-gu10-ta | |
| 20 | pu2-sag isz dub-ba-ka e3-ni-ib urx(SUR3)-ra me-te-zu | |
| 21 | u4#-bi-a ku6-e muszen-ra in-sze3 mu-ni-in-dub2 | |
| 22 | muszen#? bar gun3#-gun3#!? igi gun3-gun3 sa6-ga-a-ni-sze3 mu-un-zu | |
| 23 | [...] a#-na mu-ni-in-E-ba sza3-sze3! nu-mu-un-gid2-de3 | |
| 24 | e-gi#-in#?-zu#? emeda{+da} u5-a-asz mu-ni-ib2-be2 | |
| 25 | inim-sze3 gu2-ni nu-mu-na-ab-szum2 zu2 hul-bi? bir9-bir9 | |
| 26 | u4-bi-a muszen-e ku6-e mu-un-na-ni-ib-gi4-gi4 | |
| 27 | a-gin7 sza3-zu sza3 gur4-ra i-im-DU ni2-zu mu-e-sun5-sun5 | |
| 28 | ka-zu habrud!?(KI)-da-am3 zu2 ib2-ta-an-ni10-ni10 egir-zu igi nu-bar-re | |
| 29 | tuhulx(|AD4.NAGAR|) ku5 a2-szu-giri3 ku5 giri3-bi gu2 bala-bi-ib | |
| 30 | [...] nu-du10-ga a-ha-an duh-duh ka ba giri17 urx(SUR3)-urx(SUR3) | |
| 31 | gu7#-a-zu si sa2-bi gi |A.ENGUR| gu nu-mu-un-dab5!-be2 | |
| 32 | [...] lah5#-a-zu szu-ni su2-ni-sze3! nu-ub!-tag-tag-ge | |
| 33 | 1(disz) szu-szi 3(disz) | |
| left | ||
| 1 | im-gid2#?-da#? dam#?-qi2#?-i3#-li2#-szu# {iti}ud2#?-duru5#? [n] | |
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
- Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC default); per-file JSON license fields say: This data is released under the CC0 license (133618) · ORACC project editions, https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ ; cite the individual project (see texts.extra_json.project)
Cite the original edition and translator. Page generated by Unread Atlas from the public corpus export of 2026-10-11.