CDLI Literary 000472, ex. 001 (P346203)
Literary, Old Babylonian, Ur · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | CDLI Literary 000472, ex. 001 |
|---|---|
| ID | P346203 |
| 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 col 1 2 | City, your aura covers the universe |
| obverse col 1 3 | Your might is supreme and surpassing |
| obverse col 1 4 | Shrine Nibru |
| obverse col 1 5 | Wherever the heavens cover (i.e., everywhere) |
| obverse col 1 6 | Your strength is there (all the way to) its boundaries |
| obverse col 1 8 | (Among) all of the brick (structures) founded in the land |
| obverse col 1 9 | Your brickwork is the foremost brickwork |
| obverse col 1 12 | The lands accept the supreme cosmic powers in all their cities |
| obverse col 1 13 | Like your supreme cosmic powers, |
| obverse col 1 14 | your reputation is supreme |
| obverse col 1 15 | Like your reputation, |
| obverse col 1 16 | your soil is good soil |
| obverse col 1 18 | City, your name is surpassing in the universe |
| obverse col 1 19 | You are the bond |
| obverse col 1 20 | of the lowlands and highlands, |
| obverse col 1 21 | the great pillar of the many people |
| obverse col 1 22 | Your cosmic powers are clever and |
| obverse col 1 23 | that cannot be dispersed |
| obverse col 1 24 | And thus your plans, |
| obverse col 1 25 | like something that occupies the subterranean waters, |
| obverse col 1 26 | And thus your plans, like something that occupies the subterranean waters, emit a great aura |
| obverse col 2 1 | your greatness, |
| obverse col 2 2 | which is verdant like the goddess Uraš (earth personified) |
| obverse col 2 3 | No one is to ascertain. |
| obverse col 2 4 | Your fate, |
| obverse col 2 5 | going out at the forefront, |
| obverse col 2 6 | is something that surpasses (any) praise |
| obverse col 2 7 | A high mountain range |
| obverse col 2 8 | that no hand can approach are you. |
| obverse col 2 9 | Head raised high, surpassing |
| obverse col 2 10 | You are touching heaven |
| obverse col 2 11 | Your interior is powerful |
| obverse col 2 12 | Your exterior |
| obverse col 2 13 | is filled with awe |
| obverse col 2 17 | And thus you produce food (for) the Anuna for their lives |
| obverse col 2 19 | You are verdant for their eating and drinking |
| obverse col 2 20 | You are the sheepfold that is there for their breath |
| obverse col 2 23 | Nothing can escape from you arm, which is like the extended cords of a net |
| obverse col 2 25 | Shrine Nibru, your way is that of greatness |
| obverse col 2 26 | Surpassing description |
| reverse col 1 1 | When you divide up the cosmic powers (it results in) a true lot that cannot be dispelled |
| reverse col 1 3 | City, your inside is pure |
| reverse col 1 4 | Your outside is pure |
| reverse col 1 6 | Your body bears an aura |
| reverse col 1 7 | Your site is a chosen(?) place |
| reverse col 1 10 | The lord of wisdom, the Great Mountain Enlil, has built a shrine in your midst |
| reverse col 1 13 | That shrine, the sparkling shrine, it is the shrine that is to determine fate |
| reverse col 1 16 | The Ekur, the sparkling temple, it is the temple that is to determine fate |
| reverse col 1 19 | Your ruler, Nunamnir, the young bull who inseminates the cosmic powers |
| reverse col 1 22 | Mother Ninlil, the great queen of the Ki'ur complex, lady who gave birth to the cosmic powers |
| reverse col 1 26 | What other god lives in the land like he and she? |
| reverse col 1 29 | They have wrapped themselves with intelligence and counsel at the place of dusk |
| reverse col 2 2 | They have sat down (in their thrones) with a reddish hue(?) |
| reverse col 2 5 | They have sat down (in their thrones) among the true cosmic powers, the great powers, the cosmic powers of praise |
| reverse col 2 8 | The Anuna gods look to them as their birth parents |
| reverse col 2 12 | And therefore they listen to their pure and most precious words, uttered faithfully |
| reverse col 2 16 | Both Enlil and Ninlil looked at the sky |
| reverse col 2 18 | They made a (temporary) sanctuary(?) on the earth (according to the stars they saw) |
| reverse col 2 22 | At that time, the intentions for the broad earth that great An had brought forth (for Enlil and Ninlil to see) |
| reverse col 2 25 | The Anuna gods of heaven and earth set to work (to fulfill them) |
| reverse col 2 30 | The hoe and the earth-moving basket, those (tools) which establish a city, were ... in their hands |
| reverse col 2 31 | ... Haya(?) and Nisaba |
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 col 1 | ||
| 1 | iri{ki} me-lam2-zu | |
| 2 | an-ki-a dul9 | |
| 3 | u18-ru-zu mah dab | |
| 4 | esz3 nibru{ki} | |
| 5 | ki an a-na szu2-a-asz | |
| 6 | ne3-zu za3-bi-sze3 gal2 | |
| 7 | szeg12 kilib3-ba | |
| 8 | kalam-ma ki gar-ra | |
| 9 | szeg12-zu szeg12 sag-bi-im | |
| 10 | kur-kur-re | |
| 11 | iri{ki} <a>-na du3-a-ba | |
| 12 | me mah szu mi-ni-ti | |
| 13 | me mah-zu-gin7 | |
| 14 | mu-zu mah-am3 | |
| 15 | mu-zu-gin7 | |
| 16 | sahar-zu sahar du10-ga-am3 | |
| 17 | iri{ki} an-ki-a | |
| 18 | mu-zu diri-ga-am3 | |
| 19 | us2-sag | |
| 20 | sig igi-nim-ma | |
| 21 | dim-gal ug3 szar2-ra-me-en | |
| 22 | me-zu me galam-ma | |
| 23 | me nu-sag2-dam | |
| 24 | gesz-hur-zu-u8? | |
| 25 | abzu si-ga-gin7 | |
| 26 | ni2 gal szi-im-duh-duh | |
| obverse col 2 | ||
| 1 | nam-mah-zu | |
| 2 | {d}urasz sig7-ga-gin7 | |
| 3 | na-me nu-zu-zu-dam | |
| 4 | nam tar-ra | |
| 5 | sag-bi-sze3 e3-a-zu | |
| 6 | nig2 ar2-re-esz dab-ba | |
| 7 | hur-sag sukud-ra2 | |
| 8 | szu nu-te-ga2-me-en | |
| 9 | sag il2 za3 dab-ba | |
| 10 | an-ne2 us2-sa-me-en | |
| 11 | sza3-zu u18-ru-me-en | |
| 12 | bar-zu | |
| 13 | ni2 gur3-ru-me-en | |
| 14 | {d}a-nun-na-ke4-ne | |
| 15 | u2 nam-ti-la-bi-sze3 | |
| 16 | za-e | |
| 17 | szi-im-ma-ab-du3-en | |
| 18 | gu7 nag-bi-sze3 | |
| 19 | szi-im-ma-sig7-ge-en | |
| 20 | amasz zi-bi-sze3 gal2-me-en | |
| 21 | a2-zu-ta | |
| 22 | gu sa-par4 gid2-gin7 | |
| 23 | nig2-nam# la-ba-ra-e3 | |
| 24 | esz3 nibru{ki} | |
| 25 | a-ra2-zu nig2 mah-am3 | |
| 26 | nig2 ka-ge dab-ba | |
| 27 | me hal-ha-zu | |
| 28 | gesz-szub zi-da | |
| reverse col 1 | ||
| 1 | nig2 sag2 nu-di-dam | |
| 2 | iri{ki} sza3-zu | |
| 3 | ku3-ga-am3 | |
| 4 | bar-zu szen-szen-am3 | |
| 5 | su-bar-ra-zu | |
| 6 | me-lam2 gur3-ru-am3 | |
| 7 | ki-zu ki suh-ha-am3 | |
| 8 | en gesztux(|GISZ.TUG2|)-a | |
| 9 | kur-gal {d}en-lil2-le | |
| 10 | sza3-zu-a esz3 bi2-in-du3 | |
| 11 | esz3-bi | |
| 12 | esz3 za-gin3 | |
| 13 | esz3 nam tar-re-dam | |
| 14 | e2-kur | |
| 15 | e2 za-gin3 | |
| 16 | e2 nam tar-re-dam | |
| 17 | nun-zu | |
| 18 | {d}nu-nam-nir | |
| 19 | ninda2 me ru-a | |
| 20 | ama {d}nin-lil2 | |
| 21 | nin gal ki-ur3-ra-a | |
| 22 | nin me u3-tu-da | |
| 23 | e-ne e-ne-gin7 | |
| 24 | kalam-ma | |
| 25 | dingir a-ba | |
| 26 | mu-un-ti | |
| 27 | a-ne-ne | |
| 28 | umusz galgax(|NUN.LAGARxGAR|) ki u4 te | |
| 29 | szu bi2-in-gur-ru-usz | |
| reverse col 2 | ||
| 1 | husz-bi | |
| 2 | bi2-in-dur2-ru-ne-esz | |
| 3 | me zi me gal | |
| 4 | me ar2-re-ka | |
| 5 | dur2 im-mi-in-gar-re-esz | |
| 6 | {d}a-nun-na-ke4-ne | |
| 7 | ama a-a ugu-bi-gin7 | |
| 8 | igi-bi im-szi-gal2 | |
| 9 | inim ku3 kal-kal | |
| 10 | zi-de3-esz di-bi | |
| 11 | gizzal | |
| 12 | szi-ma-an-ke4-esz | |
| 13 | {d}en-lil2 | |
| 14 | {d}nin-lil2-bi | |
| 15 | an-na | |
| 16 | igi im-mi-in-gal2-esz | |
| 17 | ki-a | |
| 18 | za3 mi-ni-in-gar-re-esz | |
| 19 | u4-bi-a | |
| 20 | an gal | |
| 21 | ki dagal-ba | |
| 22 | sza3-bi mu-un-e3-a | |
| 23 | dingir {d}a-nun-na | |
| 24 | an-ki-ke4-ne | |
| 25 | kin2 ib2-gi4-gi4-ne | |
| 26 | {gesz}al | |
| 27 | {gesz}dupsik | |
| 28 | nig2 uru17 ki ga2-ga2 | |
| 29 | szu-ba x | |
| 30 | mu-un-gal2 | |
| 31 | x [...] {d?}ha?-ia3? {d}nisaba | |
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.