CDLI Literary 000561, ex. 017 & 000564, ex. 009 & 000575, ex. 013 & 000582, ex. 013 & 000599, ex. 001 (P346258)
Literary letter and letter-prayer, Old Babylonian, Ur · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | CDLI Literary 000561, ex. 017 & 000564, ex. 009 & 000575, ex. 013 & 000582, ex. 013 & 000599, ex. 001 |
|---|---|
| ID | P346258 |
| Museum no. | BM — |
| Collection | British Museum, London, UK |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary letter and letter-prayer |
| 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 1' | She (should) raise the Asag demon that is in my body from my body |
| obverse col 1 2' | And set my foot (back) on the “earth” of life |
| obverse col 1 3' | I will be your maidservant |
| obverse col 1 4' | And therefore I will be the courtyard sweeper in your temple who(?) stands before you |
| obverse col 1 5' | After (I!?/the situation) improves, my lady, as “the one who makes cripples viable” |
| obverse col 1 6' | I will invoke your name |
| obverse col 1 7' | The king, the flattering/praying one who serves the gods(?) |
| obverse col 1 8' | (Who) has set in order the nindaba offering(?), when you speak to him |
| obverse col 1 9' | One tall of stature, (who) has obtained discernment and counsel |
| obverse col 1 10' | Who is filled with pity, who sweetens the heart of the land |
| obverse col 1 11' | When you repeat (this) to him |
| obverse col 1 12' | Inim-Enlila, the scribe, son of Sin-palil(?) |
| obverse col 1 13' | Your servant, thus speaks |
| obverse col 1 14' | My sin is unknown, my sin is unheard of |
| obverse col 1 15' | The bitterness of the fate of my family/professional group ... has consumed me(?) |
| obverse col 1 16' | My bones should not be carried by water towards a strange city |
| reverse col 1 7 | When you speak to my king |
| reverse col 1 9 | Thus says Nanna-kiag, the city commander, your servant |
| reverse col 1 10 | Edana has turned against my king |
| reverse col 1 13 | Into Edana, Attamannum brought a six hundred (man) force of Gungunum |
| reverse col 1 18 | This army of Gungunum, at the (far?) bank of the Amar-Suen canal, serves(?) by constructing brickwork, working/fortifying Dunnum(?), and excavating the canal |
| reverse col 2 1 | That of the darkened(?) ... has brought(?) ... doves(?) |
| reverse col 2 2 | An aura set in place(!?) has covered/overwhelmed me |
| reverse col 2 3 | (I) go crying “u'a,” my black mountain range (is now) white |
| reverse col 2 4 | There being no guard is tantamount to death |
| reverse col 2 5 | My ears are set in order to (hear about) the fate of your king/your kingship |
| reverse col 2 6 | The word of Ninisina, the “it is enough” of my king |
| reverse col 2 7 | Has been seen(?) |
| reverse col 2 9 | When you speak to the king who has shined in the middle of the land like Utu |
| reverse col 2 10 | Because he removed the cries to Utu from the furrow |
| reverse col 2 11 | He has made the Tidnum tribe set down their hand(?), he holds their nose-rope |
| reverse col 2 12 | King who counts them(?) in their entirety/towards their spring (i.e., origin?) |
| reverse col 2 13 | When you repeat (this message) to him |
| reverse col 2 14 | Thus says lugalnesag, citizen of Nippur, your servant |
| reverse col 2 15 | My not knowing punishment was frowned upon(?), I have found my (ability) to make noise |
| reverse col 2 16 | In a strange city, I have moaned like a dove |
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' | [...]-zi# | |
| 2' | [...]-en# | |
| 3' | u3 ga2#-[...]-me-en | |
| 4' | e2-za-a kisal-luh-bi he2-me-en igi-zu-sze3 he2-gub | |
| 5' | u3-ba-sa6-ge nin-gu10 lu2-ku5-ra2 du7-du7 | |
| 6' | mu-zu ga-am3-mi-ib2-sze21 | |
| 7' | lugal inim sa6-sa6-ge dingir-re-e-ne-er gub-ba | |
| 8' | {ninda}nindaba si bi2-sa2 u3-na-a-du11 | |
| 9' | alan sukud-da dim2-ma ad#? gi4-gi4 in-tuku | |
| 10' | sza3-la2 sug4 sza3 kalam-ma du10-ga | |
| 11' | u3-ne-de3-tah | |
| 12' | {disz}inim-{d}en-lil2-la2 dub-sar dumu suen-pa-lil2 | |
| 13' | ARAD-zu na-ab-be2-a | |
| 14' | nam-tag-gu10 nu-zu nam-tag-ga2 gesztux(|GISZ.TUG2|) la-ba-szi-gal2 | |
| 15' | nam im-ri-a HI-x i-si-isz-bi ib2-gu7-en | |
| 16' | giri3-pad-ra2-gu10 sza3 iri kur2-ra-sze3 a nam-ba-an-tum3 | |
| obverse col 2 | ||
| 1' | [...] x x [...] | |
| 2' | [...]-ra# u3#-[...] | |
| 3' | [...] hur#-sag-ga2 a2 sa6-[...] | |
| 4' | sisi hur-sag-ga2 umbin u11#-ri2#-[...] | |
| 5' | {gesz}geszimmar ki sikil-e mu2-a zu2-lum {na4}za#-[...] | |
| 6' | u3-ne-de3-tah | |
| 7' | {disz}a-ba-in-da-sa2 ugula aga-us2 zu2-kesz2 | |
| 8' | sag-ki zalag lugal-la-na-sze3 sza3 lugal-a-ni-ir du10-du10-ge-ra | |
| 9' | ARAD2-zu na-ab-be2-a | |
| 10' | kal-ga me-en lugal-gu10 ga-ab-us2 | |
| 11' | inim-ma-zu ra-gaba-zu he2-me-en | |
| 12' | {gesz}ma2 gub-ba {gesz}gisal mu-un-si-ge | |
| 13' | a gub-ba a mu-un-da-ak-e | |
| 14' | tu15 gub-ba sze mu-un-da-la2-a | |
| 15' | dub-sar-me-en na-ru2-a ab-sar-re-en | |
| 16' | inim pu-uh2-ru-um-ma szub-ba e11-de3-bi mu-un-da-si-ge | |
| 17' | gesz-gin7 {gesz}tir-ga2 mu-du3-na mu-dur7-re im-gurum-e | |
| 18' | {gesz}gu-za-ga2 lu2 mu-un-da-la2-a szu-gu10 esz2 im-ma-an-la2 | |
| 19' | lag-e# a nig2 dan6-dan6-a sahar igi-ga2 ba-e-gub-bu | |
| 20' | ur-e# adda? ib2-gu7 gaba-bi ib2-zi-zi | |
| 21' | uszumgal-e sag gesz ib2-ra-ra ka-ta ab-tak4 i3-ib2-tak4 | |
| reverse col 1 | ||
| 1 | gesz#-gi# izi ib2-gu7-e x i3-da13-da13 | |
| 2 | {d}[utu] i3 gu7 ga-ar3 mu-un-nag [{gesz}]banszur!? ukur3!-ra-sze3 szu-ni im-szi-in-tum4 | |
| 3 | zi-gu10 ba-e-i szu-gu10 ha-za-a-ab | |
| 4 | dumu nu-mu-un-kusz-me-en lu2 en3 tar-re# la-ba-an-tuku | |
| 5 | ga2-e me-e-a-na-am3 sza3 {d}szul-gi lugal-gu10 ki-bi ha-ma-gi4-gi4 | |
| 6 | lugal-gu10 en3-gu10 he2-tar-re ki ama!-gu10-sze3 he2-em-mi-ib-gi4-gi4 | |
| 7 | lugal-gu10 u3-na-a-du11 | |
| 8 | {d}nanna-ki-ag2 ra-bi si2-ik-ka-tum-ma | |
| 9 | ARAD-zu na-ab-be2-a | |
| 10 | e2-danna{+da-na} ki lugal-gu10 ba-an-da-bala | |
| 11 | sza3# e2-danna{+da-na}-sze3 6(disz) me-at | |
| 12 | ugnim gu-un-gu-nu-um | |
| 13 | [{disz}]at-ta-ma-nu-um ba-ni-in-ku4 | |
| 14 | iri#{ki} gibil-am3 al-dur2-ru-ne!-esz | |
| 15 | ugnim# gu-un-gu-nu-um | |
| 16 | [...] {i7#}amar#-{d#}suen-[...] | |
| 17 | [...] du#-un-nu-um{ki#} [...] | |
| 18 | [...]-al#?-e-de3#? [...] | |
| reverse col 2 | ||
| 1 | x MI-MI-bi-ke4 tum12{muszen} x-x mi-ni-in-DU | |
| 2 | su#?-lim si-ga? ba-ab-szu2-un | |
| 3 | u8#?-e-a-e mu-un-DU-DU hur?-sag giggi-gu10 babbar2-ra | |
| 4 | en-nu-ug3-ga2-en-nu-ug3 nu-me-a nam-usz2-ta sa2-a | |
| 5 | nam lugal-zu-sze3 gesztux(|GISZ.TUG2|)-gu10 im-szi-gal2 | |
| 6 | inim {d}nin-isin2{+si-na} musz3 lugal-ga2-kam | |
| 7 | igi-bi bi2-ib-duh | |
| 8 | lugal {d}utu-gin7 sza3 kalam-ma mu-un-zalag-ga | |
| 9 | u3-na-a-du11 | |
| 10 | i-{d}utu ab-sin2-ta ib2-ta-an-zi-ga-asz | |
| 11 | tidnumx(|PIRIG.PIRIG|) nim szu-bi in-gar eszkiri-bi mu-un-dab-be2 | |
| 12 | lugal til-bi-sze3 ab-szid!?-de3-a# | |
| 13 | u3-ne-de3-tah | |
| 14 | lugal-nesag-ge26 dumu nibru{ki} ARAD-zu na-ab-be2-a | |
| 15 | szul-a-lum nu-zu-gu10 sag-ki ba-gid2 tal3 ak-gu10 mu-e-pa3 | |
| 16 | [...]-in-sza4 | |
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 2026-10-11.