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CDLI Literary 000380, ex. 023 (P346211)

Literary, Old Babylonian, Ur · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE

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DesignationCDLI Literary 000380, ex. 023
IDP346211
Museum no.BM —
CollectionBritish Museum, London, UK
LanguageSumerian
PeriodOld Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
GenreLiterary
Find spotUr (mod. Tell Muqayyar)
Coordinates30.9607, 46.1063

English translation

By Peterson, Jeremiah · Via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI (reuse with citation)

LineEnglish
obverse col 1 1In order to overturn the day, in order to destroy the plans
obverse col 1 2The storm ravages like a stormwind
obverse col 1 3In order to overturn the cosmic powers of Sumer
obverse col 1 4In order to confine the good reign in its house
obverse col 1 5In order to destroy the city, in order to destroy the temple
obverse col 1 6In order to destroy the cattlepen, in order to flatten the sheepfold
obverse col 1 7So that the ox does not does not stand in its cattlepen
obverse col 1 8So that the sheep does not expand (in number?) in the sheepfold
obverse col 1 9So that the canal irrigates with (only) brackish water
obverse col 1 10So that the mother does not seek the whereabouts of her child
obverse col 1 11So that the father does not say “ah, my wife”
obverse col 1 12So that the junior spouse does not delight in (his) lap
obverse col 1 13So that the little ones do not grow on the knee
obverse col 1 14So that the nursemaid does not sign a lullaby
obverse col 1 15So that the dwelling of kingship is changed
obverse col 1 16In order to paralyze/actively diminish(?) decision making
obverse col 1 17In order to take away the kingship of the land
obverse col 1 18So that it (the destructive storm) sets its gaze on the entire world
obverse col 1 19So that it ruins the plans according to the command of An and Enlil
obverse col 1 20It was the time when An frowned upon the lands
obverse col 1 21It was the (time) that Enlil set his gaze on another place
obverse col 1 22It was the (time) that Nintur rejected her creations
obverse col 1 23It was the (time) that Enki changed (the course of) the Tigris and Euphrates
obverse col 1 24It was the (time) that Utu cursed the journeys and caravans
obverse col 1 25In order to destroy the me of Sumer, in order to alter its plans
obverse col 1 25(several lines missing)
obverse col 1 26'From the sand dunes of Zabu on the shore of the sea to the border of Anšan
obverse col 1 27'Like a swallow that has flown (from) its house (i.e., nest), he is not to return to his city
obverse col 1 28'So that malevolent plants grow on both(?) banks of the Tigris and Euphrates
obverse col 1 29'So that no one sets foot on the road, so that no one seeks the path
obverse col 1 30'In order to break up the founded city and (outlying) settlements into ruin mounds
obverse col 1 31'In order to smite the teeming black-headed people with the haš weapon
obverse col 1 32'So that the hoe does not penetrate the fertile field, ...
obverse col 1 33'So that the e'ellu, the song of the going oxen, is not sung in the plain
obverse col 1 34'So that butter and cream are not made in the cattlepen, so that ... is destroyed
obverse col 1 35'So that the ilulama song, the churning of the churn, is not sung in the sheepfold
obverse col 1 36'In order to diminish the herd, in order to finish the wild animals
obverse col 1 37'So that the dung/bedding(?) of the quadrupeds of Sumuqan does not touch the ground
obverse col 1 38'So that in the marshes (wet land) is turned into cracked land, so that they do not acquire seeds
obverse col 2 1'In order to take away the kingship of the land
obverse col 2 2'So that it (the destructive storm) sets its gaze on the entire world
obverse col 2 3'So that it ruins the plans according to the command of An and Enlil
obverse col 2 4'It was the time when An frowned upon the lands
obverse col 2 5'It was the (time) that Enlil set his gaze on another place
obverse col 2 6'It was the (time) that Nintur rejected her creations
obverse col 2 7'It was the (time) that Enki changed (the course of) the Tigris and Euphrates
obverse col 2 8'It was the (time) that the youth(?) Utu cursed the journeys and caravans
obverse col 2 9'In order to destroy the me of Sumer, in order to alter its plans
obverse col 2 10'In order to obfuscate the me and the reign of kingship in Ur
obverse col 2 11'In order to defile the princely son in his Ekišnugal temple
obverse col 2 12'In order to tear apart the “mesh” of the people ... like ... of Nanna
reverse col 1 1In order to change the nindaba offering of Ur, the shrine of great nindaba offerings
reverse col 1 2So that its people do no dwell in their dwelling, so that enemy territory gives it away(?)
reverse col 1 3So that Šimašgi and Elam, the foreign/enemy people, dwell in their dwellings
reverse col 1 4So that the enemy seizes its shepherd in his very own house
reverse col 1 5So that Ibbi-Sîn is brought to the land of Elam in a {geš}bur trap/restraint
reverse col 1 6From the sand dunes of Zabu on the shore of the sea to the border of Anšan
reverse col 1 7Like a swallow that has flown from its house (i.e., nest), he is not to return to his city
reverse col 1 8(So that) malevolent plants (grow) on both(?) banks of the Tigris and Euphrates
reverse col 1 9So that no one sets foot on the road, so that no one seeks the path
reverse col 1 10In order to break up the founded city and (outlying) settlements into ruin mounds
reverse col 1 11In order to smite the teeming black-headed people with the haš weapon
reverse col 1 12So that the hoe does not penetrate the fertile field, so that the seed is not planted
reverse col 1 13So that the e'ellu, the song of the going oxen, is not sung in the plain
reverse col 1 14So that butter and cream are not made in the cattlepen, so that ... is destroyed
reverse col 1 16'It was something unseen (before), and (for which) there was no word, something not to be accepted(?)
reverse col 1 17'The lands were confused all by themselves(?)
reverse col 1 18'The gods of that city stood outside
reverse col 1 19'Humanity breathed painfully in their very own homes(?)
reverse col 1 20'In order to overturn the day, in order to destroy the plans
reverse col 1 21'The storm ravages like a stormwind
reverse col 1 22'In order to overturn the cosmic powers of Sumer
reverse col 1 23'In order to confine the good reign in its house
reverse col 1 24'In order to destroy the city, in order to destroy the temple
reverse col 1 25'In order to destroy the cattlepen, in order to flatten the sheepfold
reverse col 1 26'So that the ox does not does not stand in its cattlepen
reverse col 1 27'So that the sheep does not expand (in number?) in the sheepfold
reverse col 1 28'So that the canal irrigates with (only) brackish water

Transliteration (ATF)

From Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI: reuse of catalogue/transliteration data with citation of CDLI; images restricted (not fetched)

LineATFMachine English (draft)
obverse col 1
1[...] szu# bala ke3-de3# gesz#-[...]
2[u4]-de3# mar-rux(TE)-gin7 tesz2-bi# [...]
3me# ki-en-gi-ra szu# [...]
4bala sa6#-ga# e2-ba gi4#-[...]
5uru17 gul#-gul-lu-de3 e2 gul-gul-lu-[de3]
6turx(SZILAM) gul-gul-lu-de3 amasz tab-tab-e-de3#
7gu4#-bi turx(SZILAM)-bi-a nu-gub-bu-de3#
8udu#-bi amasz-bi-a nu-dagal-e-de3#
9i7-de3 a mun4-na tum3-e-[de3]
10ama dumu-ni ki nu-kikken2-[de3]
11ad-da a dam-gu10 nu-di-[de3]
12dam# banda3 ur2-ra nu-hul2-le-[de3]
13[TUR]-TUR# dub3-ba nu-bulug3-e#?-[de3]
14[emeda]{+da#}-e u5#?-[...]
15[...]
16[...]
17nam#?-[...]
18igi#-bi ki#-szar2#-ra# ga2#?-[...]
19inim# du11-ga an {d}en#-[...]
20u4# an-ne2 kur-kur-ta sag#-[ki ...]
21{d}en-lil2-le2 igi-ni ki# [...]
22{d}nin-tur5-e nig2-dim2-[...]
23{d}en-ki-ke4 {i7}idigna {i7#}[...]
24{d}utu har-ra-an kaskal#-[...]
25ki#-en#-gi#-[...]
26'isz# za-bu gaba# [...]
27'sim e2-bi ba-ra#?-[...]
28'{i7}idigna {i7}buranunx(|KIB.NUN|)?-na# [...]
29'kaskal#?-la giri3 nu-ga2-ga2-de3# [...]
30'iri a2-dam szu gar-gar-a-ba du6#-[...]
31'sag-gig2 lu-lu-a-ba! {gesz}hasz-e#? [...]
32'GAN2-ne2 zi-de3 {gesz}al nu-ru-gu2-de3# [...]
33'e#-lu szir3 gu4 sub2-sub2-ba edin-na nu-di-de3#
34'e2-turx(SZILAM)-ra i3 gar9 nu-ke3-de3 x szu ha-lam-e-de3
35'x-lu-lam!-ma du9-du9 {dug}szakir3-a amasz nu-di-de3
36'edin#-na masz2-ansze tur-re-de3 nig2-zi-gal2 til-le-de3
37'[... {d}]szakkan#-na!-ke4 x ki-a nu-tag-ge-de3
38'[... ki]-in#-dar# di!-de3 numun#!? nu-tuku-tuku-de3!
obverse col 2
1'[...]-lugal# kalam-ma kar#-[...]
2'[...]-bi# ki-szar2-ra ga2-ga2-[de3]
3'inim du11-ga an {d}en-lil2-la2-ta gesz-hur# ha#-lam-ma#-de3#
4'u4 an-ne2 kur-kur-ta sag-<ki> ba-da-an-gid2-da#?-ba
5'{d}en-lil2-le igi-ni ki kur2-ra ba-ra-gar-ra-a#-ba#
6'{d}nin-tur5-e nig2-dim2-dim2-ma-ni za3 bi2-in-tag-a-ba
7'{d}en-ki-ke4 {i7}idigna {i7}buranunx(|KIB.NUN|)?-na szu bi2-in#-x-x-ba
8'sul#? {d}utu har-ra-an kaskal-e nam ba-ni-ku5-a-ba#
9'ki-en-gi-ra me-bi ha-lam-e-de3 gesz-hur-bi kur2-x-x
10'uri2{ki} me nam-lugal-na bala-bi su13-su13-de3#
11'dumu nun-na e2-kisz-nu-gal2 szu pe-el-la di-de3#
12'{d}nanna ug3 x-gin7!? x-a#-na igi-ta-bi si-le#-[...]
reverse col 1
1uri2{ki#} esz3#? nindaba# gal-gal-la# nindaba-[...]
2ug3 ki-tusz-ba nu-tusz-u3-de3 lu2-erim2 szum2#-[...]
3szimaszgi elam{ki} lu2-kur2-ra ki-tusz-bi tusz-de3
4sipa#-bi e2 ni2-te-a lu2-erim2-e dab5-be2-de3
5di-bi2-{d}suen! kur elam-ma-sze3 gesz-bur2-ra tum2-mu#-[de3]
6isz za-[x] gaba ab-ka-ta za3 an-sza4-an-sze3#
7x [...] ba#-ra-an-dal-gin7 iri-ni-sze3 nu-gur-re-de3
8[... {i7}]buranun#-na gu2 min4!{min}-a-ba u2 hul#!
9[...]-de3 har-ra-an nu-kikken2-de3#
10[...]-ba#? dux(|LAGARxESZ|)?-dux(|LAGARxESZ|)?-da szid#-de3
11[...] {gesz#}hasz-a ke3-de3
12[...]-de3 numun!(TI) ki nu-tag#?-ge#?-de3
13[...] nu#-di-de3
14[...] ha#-lam#-[...]
15[...] x [...]
16'[...] igi nu-gal2 inim# [...]
17'kur-kur-re ni2-ta-bi-a [...]
18'iri-ba dingir-bi-ne bar-ta ba#-[...]
19'nam-lu2-lu7 e2 ni2-te-bi-a# [...]
20'u4 szu bala ak-de3 gesz-hur!? ha-lam#-[...]
21'u4-de3 mar-rux(TE)-gin7 tesz2-bi# i3-[...]
22'me ki-en-gi-ra szu bala# [...]
23'bala sa6-ga e2-ba gi4-gi#?-[...]
24'x gul#-gul-lu-de3 e2# [...]
25'x-[...] gul#-gul-de3 amasz# [...]
26'gu4#-[...] x-bi-a nu#-[...]
27'udu#-[...] amasz#-a [...]
28'i7#-[...]

Sources & licences

Cite the original edition and translator. Page generated by Unread Atlas from the public corpus export of 2026-10-11.