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CDLI Literary 000380, ex. 019 (P346216)

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

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DesignationCDLI Literary 000380, ex. 019
IDP346216
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 1Enlil made starvation (in the form of?) an evil person dwell in the city
obverse 2He made that which destroys cities, that which destroys temples, dwell in the city
obverse 3He made that which before it a weapon does not stand (against) dwell in the city
obverse 4He made the hungry/dissatisfied and the eye-roller dwell in the city
obverse 5In Ur, even (the fear/disdain of) head shaking like a single planted reed was not established
obverse 6Its people took refuge like a fish living in a well/pond
obverse 7Meager and great alike spread out, no one arose/was mustered
obverse 8The king(?) mounted atop the gate tower(?), there was no food there for him
obverse 9The king who had ate and drank(?) good things, (had to now) clutch at a (mere) ration(?)
obverse 10The sun was clouded over, (one) was being envious/watching(?) and knew fasting
obverse 11He did not have beer in his brewery, its ... was not present
obverse 12There was no food for him in his palace, it was not suitable for dwelling
obverse 13His supreme storehouse was not filled with grain, no one could take refuge there(?)
obverse 14(The) grain (goddess) was not present in the large and small grain heaps
obverse 15The afternoon meal of the gods was actively diminished there
obverse 16In the great banquet the honeyed liquor ceased
obverse 17(As for?) the giriPAa knife that consumes oxen and sheep, it lay (abandoned) in the plants
obverse 18In the great oven the oxen and sheep were not being prepared (i.e., roasted?), one could no longer smell it(?)
obverse 19The cry/breath of the “pure-armed” bursag building/functionary(?) stopped(?)
obverse 20The temple that had once belowed like a bull ... silently
obverse 21The deposit of the properly executed deliveries was (a) distant (memory)
obverse 22The millstone, the mortar, and the pestle sat idle, no one bends down towards them
obverse 23In the lapis harbor of Nanna (boats?) were “bound in the water” (due to silt?)
obverse 24The water of the prow did not scream(?), it did not cast joy(?)
obverse 25Sand(?) was piled up in the unuRIbanda building/shrine of Nanna
obverse 26The ... rushes grew, the ... rushes grew, the reed of mourning(?) grew
obverse 27Boats and barges quit the shining harbor
obverse 28In “your” canal that was made suitable for barges, no one was rowing anymore
obverse 29The plans of the festival at the place of rites was changed
obverse 30The nesag offering ships of his birth father (Enlil) no longer brought the nesag offering
obverse 31... could not bring its nindaba offerings to Nibru for him
obverse 32There was emptiness in the river/canal, barges were not traversing it
obverse 33No foot was set/present on its two banks, tall plants grew
obverse 34The fence of the broad cattle pen of Nanna was torn apart
reverse 1The reed fence of the orchard was ..., ... established a breach
reverse 2The cow was seized along with its calf
reverse 3The munzer fed cows took to a strange path in an unknown part of the plain
reverse 4Gayau, who loves cows, dropped his weapon in the bedding/dung
reverse 5Šunidug, the one who stores butter and cheese, did not store butter and cheese
reverse 6People who did not know butter were churning its butter
reverse 7People who did not know milk were ... its milk
reverse 8In the cattle pen the churning churn was not bellowing nobly
reverse 9The heavy coals that had been lit(?), their smoke ceased
reverse 10Suen wept to his father Enlil
reverse 11My birth father, my city was ... for you/him(!?), why did you turn away from me?
reverse 12Enlil, my Ur was ... for you/him(!?), why did you turn away from me?
reverse 13The nesag offering ships of his birth father no longer brought the nesag offering for him
reverse 14... could not bring its nindaba offerings to Enlil (at) Nibru for him
reverse 15The wind(s) carried off the en priest(ess) of the outer city and the en priest(ess) of the inner city
reverse 16Ur, like a city struck by a hoe, has been broken up into ruin heaps
reverse 17The Ki'ur(?) shrine, the place of relaxation of Enlil, has been made into a windblown shrine
reverse 18Enlil, ... your eye at your city, it is an empty wasteland
reverse 19The dogs of Ur are not sniffing at the base of the city wall
reverse 20The one who burrows/demarcates(?) wells is not gathering earth at the market price(?)
reverse 21My birth father, turn around my city back to your arms from its loneliness
reverse 22Enlil, turn around my Ur back to your arms from its loneliness
reverse 23Turn around my Ekišnugal temple back to your arms from its loneliness
reverse 24So that my Ur is brought out, so that the people are broadened
reverse 25So that he returns the me of Sumer which were destroyed to their place
reverse 26It is the 3rd kirugu
reverse 27Alas, the true temple, the true temple, its man, its man
reverse 28It is the gešgigal “response”
reverse 29Enlil was replying to his son Suen
reverse 30(Total:) 60 (lines)
reverse 31"Long-tablet" of Damqi-ilišu
reverse 32Month "Abe," 21st day.

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
1{d}en#-[lil2]-le sza3-gar lu2# nig2#-hul# iri{ki}-ta ba-da-tusz
2nig2 iri{ki} gul#-gul [nig2] e2# gul#-gul# iri{ki}-ta ba-da-tusz
3nig2 igi-bi-sze3 {gesz}tukul-e# la-ba-ab#-[...] iri{ki}-ta ba-da-tusz
4sza3 nu-si-si igi nigin-nigin-bi iri{ki}-ta# ba-da-tusz
5uri2{ki}-ma gi dili du3-a-gin7 sag# sag3-ge nu-ga2-ga2
6ug3-bi ku6 pu2#-a# lug-ga-gin7 zi#?-[...] mi-ni-ib-tum2-tum2-mu
7tur mah-bi i3-par4-par4-ra-ge#-[esz] lu2# nu-um-zi-zi-zi
8lugal-bi {+du}dub-la2-a u5-a x-[...]-na#?-gal2
9lugal nig2-sa6-ga gu7 x-a szukur2#?-[...]-ma#-an-dab5
10u4 im-szu2-szu2 igi im-la2-e sza3-ka-tab# [...]-zu#-zu
11e2-lunga-na kasz nu-un-gal2 gid2-da#?-[...]-x-gal2
12e2-gal-la-na nig2-gu7 la-ba#-na#-gal2 [... la]-ba#-ab-du7
13ga2-nun mah-a-ni sze# nu#?-um#?-si#-si zi-bi# [...]-tum2-mu#
14gur7# du6 guru7 masz-e {d#}nanna#-ka {d}asznan nu#?-[...]-gal2
15kin2-sig dingir-re-e-ne-ke4 szu#!? ba#-e-lal#-lal
16unu2 gal-bi kurun# lal3 musz3 im-ma-[...]-de6
17giri2-PA-a gu4 gu7 udu gu7-ra u2-szim-e ba-x-nu2
18gir4 mah-ba! gu4 udu nu#-ke3-e ir nu-mu-un-ur5#-ur5#-e
19bur-sag a2 sikil {d}nanna-ka za-pa-ag2-bi ba-ra-gul#
20e2 gu4-gin7#? gu3 bi2-ib2-du11-ga-a-ri si-ga-bi ba-x
21mu-un-DU ku3-ga si# sa2-e gar-ra-bi ba-su3-u4
22{na4}kin2 naga3 gesz-gan-na i3-durun-durun lu2 nu-um-szi-gurum-e
23kar za-gin3-na {d}nanna-ka a-e ba-da-la2
24a ma2 sag-ga2-ke4 gu3 nu-mu-un-gi4-gi4 asil-la2 nu-mu-un-szub
25unu2-RI-banda3{+da} {d}nanna-ka isz ba-da-dub-dub
26{u2}numun2 ba-da-mu2 {u2}numun2 ba-da-mu2 gir-re-e ba-an-mu2
27ma2 ma2-gur8-ra kar za-gin3-na musz3 im-ma-ab-de6
28i7 ma2-gur8#-ra ba-ab-du7-a-za a2 nu-mu-un-su3-su3-e
29ezem ki garza-ka gesz-hur-bi ba-kur2
30ma2 nesag-ga2 a-a ugu-na-ka nesag nu-mu-un-ab-tum2
31{ninda}nindaba-bi {d}<en-lil2> nibru{ki}-sze3 nu-mu#-un-na-da-an-ku4-ku4
32i7-bi sza3 sug4-ga i-ni-gal2 ma2-gur8 nu-mu-un-dab-be2
33gu2 min4{min}-a-bi giri3 nu-gal2 u2 gid2-da ba-am3-mu2
34e2#-tur3 dagal-la {d}nanna-ka dub-ba-an-bi ba-si-il
reverse
1gi-sig {gesz}kiri6#-[...] x [...]-la2 gu2-giri16 ba-an-gar-gar
2{ab2}szilam amar-bi-da# [...]-ab#-dab5
3ab2 munzer-e# edin ki nu-zu#-bi#? giri3 kur2 ba-ra-an-dab5-be2-esz
4{d}ga-a-a-u2 lu2 ab2 ki ag2-ga2 {gesz}tukul szurim-ma ba-szub
5{d}szu#-ni-du10 i3 ga-ar3-ra du6-ul-du6-ul-e i3 ga-ar3-ra nu-du6-ul-du6-ul
6i3-bi lu2 i3 nu-zu-ne i3-dun5-dun5-ne
7ga-bi lu2 ga nu-zu-ne i3-musz3-musz3-u3-ne
8e2-tur3-re {dug}szakir3-e dun5-dun5-e gu3 nun nu-mu-ni-ib-be2
9ne-mur dugud-bi i-ra-a-ri i-bi2-bi ba-gul
10{d}suen-e a-a-ni {d}en-lil2-ra er2 mu-un-na-szesz4-szesz4
11a-a ugu-gu10 uru17{ki}-gu10 a-na-ra-x a-na-asz ba-e-da-gur-re-en
12{d}en-lil2 uri2{ki}-gu10 a-na-ra-x a-na-asz ba-e-da-gur-re-en
13ma2 nesag-ga2 a-a ugu-na-sze3 nesag nu-mu-un-na-ab-tum3
14{ninda}nindaba-bi {d}en-lil2 nibru{ki}-sze3 nu-mu#-un-na-da-an-ku4-ku4
15en# iri bar-ra en iri sza3-ga# lil2-e ha-ba-ab-lah5-e-esz
16uri2#{ki} iri{ki} {gesz}al-e ri-a-gin7 du6-du6#-da ba-szid!?
17[ki]-ur3 ki ni2 dub2-bu {d}en-lil2#-la2 esz3 lil2-la2 ba-ab-gar
18{d}en-lil2 iri-zu igi-zu#? igi ba-x e2-ri-a sug4-ga
19uri2{ki}-ma ur-bi ur2 bad3-da si-im-si-im nu-mu-un-ke3-e
20tul2-sag bulug-ga ganbaba-bi-a ki# li-bi-ib-de5-de5-ge
21a-a ugu-gu10 iri{ki}-gu10 dili-bi-ta a2-zu-sze3 nigin2-am3-szi-ib
22{d}en-lil uri2{ki}-gu10 dili-bi-da! a2-zu-sze3 nigin2-am3-szi-ib
23e2#-kisz#-nu-gal2-la-gu10 dili-bi-da a2-zu-sze3 nigin2-am3-szi-ib
24uri2#{ki}-ma-gu10 ha-ra-ni-ib-e3 ug3 hu-mu-ra-ab-dagal-la
25me ki-en#-gi-ra ba#-da#-ha-lam-ma ki ha-ra-ab-gi4-gi4
26($ blank space $) ki-ru-gu2 3(disz)-kam-ma
27a e2 zi e2 zi lu2-bi lu2-bi
28($ blank space $) gesz-gi4-gal2-bi-im
29{d}en-lil2-le dumu-ni {d}suen-ra mu-un-na-ni-ib-gi4-gi4
30($ blank space $) 1(disz) szu-szi
31($ blank space $) im-gid2-da dam-qi2-i3-li2-szu
32($ blank space $) {iti}ab-e3 u4 2(u) 1(disz)-kam

Sources & licences

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