CDLI Literary 000573 (Letter from Ur-saga to a King) composite (P473736)
Literary letter and letter-prayer, Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
Open in the reader & map →See it among all tablets
| Designation | CDLI Literary 000573 (Letter from Ur-saga to a King) composite |
|---|---|
| ID | P473736 |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary letter and letter-prayer |
English translation
By check · Via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI (reuse with citation)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| surface a 1 | To my lord, the bull with sparkling eyes, a beard of lapis-lazuli sporting, |
| surface a 2 | speak! |
| surface a 3 | To my golden statue on a favorable day born, |
| surface a 4 | to my water buffalo in a holy fold reared, in the silver-stomach of Inanna chosen, |
| surface a 5 | to my lord, the trusted one of Inanna, repeat! |
| surface a 6 | You are fashioned like the son of An, |
| surface a 7 | your utterances, like the words of a god, are irrevocable; |
| surface a 8 | your utterances like rain pouring from the skies, are uncountable; |
| surface a 9 | this is what Ur-saga, your servant, says: |
| surface a 10 | My lord has taken care of me; I am a son of Ur. |
| surface a 11 | If my lord agrees |
| surface a 12 | my father’s household let no one carry off, |
| surface a 13 | my father’s household let no one take away! |
| surface a 14 | May my lord know this! |
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 gu4 igi gun3 sun4 {na4}za-gin3 la2-mu-ur2 | |
| 2 | u3-na-a-du11 | |
| 3 | alan ku3-sig17 u4 du10-ga tu-da | |
| 4 | ab2-za-za amasz ku3-ga bulug3-ga2 sza3 ku3 {d}inanna-ta pa3-da | |
| 5 | en nir-gal2 {d}inanna-mu-ur2 u3-na-de3-dah | |
| 6 | za-e dim2-ma-zu dumu an-na-me-en | |
| 7 | du11-ga-zu inim dingir-ra-gin7 ur5 nu-gi4-gi4-dam | |
| 8 | inim-zu im an-ta szeg3-ge26-gin7 szid nu-du12-du12-dam | |
| 9 | {disz}ur-sa6-ga ARAD2-zu na-ab-be2-a | |
| 10 | lugal-mu bar-ga2 en3 bi2-in-tar dumu uri2{ki}-ma-me-en | |
| 11 | tukum-bi lugal-ga2 an-na-kam | |
| 12 | e2 ad-da-ga2 lu2 nam-ba-ab-tum3 | |
| 13 | ki-ur3 e2 ad-da-ga2 lu2 nam-mu-da-an-kar-re | |
| 14 | lugal-mu he2-en-zu | |
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.