CDLI Literary 000561 (Letter from Abaindasa to Shulgi) composite (P473732)
Literary letter and letter-prayer, Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | CDLI Literary 000561 (Letter from Abaindasa to Shulgi) composite |
|---|---|
| ID | P473732 |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary letter and letter-prayer |
English translation
By Peterson, Jeremiah · Via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI (reuse with citation)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| surface a 1 | After you speak to my king |
| surface a 2 | To my ram of the mountain range with beautiful horns |
| surface a 3 | Horse of the mountain range with claws of an eagle |
| surface a 4 | Date palm grown in a pure place from which shining dates hang down. |
| surface a 5 | After you repeat to him |
| surface a 6 | For(!?) Abaindasa, the overseer of the arrayed troops, |
| surface a 7 | he who by delighting his king pleases the heart of his king, |
| surface a 8 | Your servant, thus says |
| surface a 9 | I am powerful, the soldier of my king, |
| surface a 10 | (By/of) your word I shall be your rider. |
| surface a 11 | (When) the boat is idle, (I) prepare the oars |
| surface a 12 | When the water is standing still, (I) can make it flow; |
| surface a 12a | (When) the wind is still, (I) prepare(?) the grain |
| surface a 12b | (When) ..., (I) illuminate ... |
| surface a 13 | (When) the water is still, I make it flow |
| surface a 14 | As a scribe, I incise a stele, |
| surface a 14a | the words of the army I ..., |
| surface a 15 | I am able to reproduce the dropped and excised(?) words of the assembly |
| surface a 15a | the sweet words, copies ..., |
| surface a 16 | (But now, as if) I was planted like a tree in my forest, (I) bend over as one who is dirty(?) |
| surface a 17 | The one who is near to(?) the royal throne has bound my hands with rope |
| surface a 18 | In my city, I, the one who wore a clean garment, (now) wears a dirty garment |
| surface a 19 | As one who has washed with mud clods, I caked(?) dirt to serve as facial makeup(?) |
| surface a 20 | A dog that has eaten carrion has (also) retreated |
| surface a 21 | An ušumgal (creature) that kills has (also) left behind scraps(?) |
| surface a 22 | After the reedbed is consumed by fire, the ponds remain |
| surface a 23 | After Utu has consumed ghee has consumed cheese, he touches(?) the churn (to make it more productive?) |
| surface a 23a | I have “brought out” my life/breath(?), take hold of my hand; |
| surface a 23b | I am the child of a widow, one who has not had anyone to inquire after him; |
| surface a 24 | as for me, when will the heart of Šulgi, my king, be returned to its place on my behalf? |
| surface a 24a | May my king inquire after me and restore me(!) to the “place of my mother.” |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| surface a | ||
| 1 | lugal-gu10-ra u3-na-du11 | |
| 2 | masz2 hur-sag-ga2 a2 sa6-sa6-gu10 | |
| 3 | sisix(|ANSZE.KUR|) hur-sag-ga2 umbin hu-ri2-in{muszen}-na | |
| 4 | {gesz}geszimmar ki sikil-e mu2-a zu2-lum {na4}za-gin3 la2-gu10-ur2 | |
| 5 | u3-ne-de3-tah | |
| 6 | {disz}a-ba-in-da-sa2 ugula erin2 zu2 kesz2 | |
| 7 | szudux(|KA.SZU|){+u4} lugal-la-na-ta sza3 lugal-la-na du10-du10-ge-ra | |
| 8 | ARAD2-zu na-ab-be2-a | |
| 9 | kal-ga-me-en lugal-gu10 ga-ab-us2 | |
| 10 | inim-ma-zu ra-gaba-zu he2-me-en | |
| 11 | {gesz}ma2 gub-ba {gesz}gisal mu-un-se3-ge | |
| 12 | a gub-ba a mu-un-da-ak-e | |
| 12a | dumu gub?-ba sze mu-un-se3-ge | |
| 12b | [...] x x mu-un-zalag-ge | |
| 13 | tu15 gub-ba sze mu-un-da-la2-e | |
| 14 | dub-sar-me-en na-ru2-a ab-sar-re-en | |
| 14a | inim ugnim-ma mu-[...] | |
| 15 | inim pu-uh2-ru-um-ma szub-ba e11?-de3-bi mu-un-da-se3-ge | |
| 15a | inim sa6-ge gaba-ri x [...] | |
| 16 | gesz-gin7 {gesz}tir-ga2 mu-un-du3-nam mu-dur7-re im-gurumx(BUR3)-e | |
| 17 | {gesz}gu-za-ga2 lu2 mu-un-da-la2-a szu-gu10 esz2 im-ma-an-la2 | |
| 18 | iri-ga2 tug2 dan6-na-a mu-ni-mur10-ra tug2-mu-dur7-ra ba-an-mur10 | |
| 19 | lag-e a mi-ni-in-tu5-a sahar igi gun3? ba-e-gub | |
| 20 | ur-e ad6 ib2-gu7 gaba-bi ib2-zi-zi | |
| 21 | uszumgal-e sag gesz ib2-ra-ra ka-ta ab-tak4 i3-ib2-tak4 | |
| 22 | gesz-gi izi ib2-gu7 a!-nigin2 i3-da13-da13 | |
| 23 | {d}utu i3 un-gu7 ga un-gu7 {gesz}szakir-ra-sze3 szu-ni ib2-szi-tum3 | |
| 23a | zi-gu10 ba-e-i szu-gu10 ha-za-a-ab | |
| 23b | dumu nu-mu-un-su-me-en lu2 en3 tar-re la-ba-an-tuku | |
| 24 | ga2-a me-na-am3 sza3 {d}szul-gi lugal-ga2 ki-be2 ha-ma-gi4-gi4 | |
| 24a | lugal-gu10 en3-gu10 he2-tar-re ki ama-gu10-sze3 he2-em-mi-ib-gi4-gi4 | |
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.