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CDLI Literary 000574 (Letter from Lugal-szu to a King) composite (P473737)
Literary letter and letter-prayer, Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | CDLI Literary 000574 (Letter from Lugal-szu to a King) composite |
|---|---|
| ID | P473737 |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary letter and letter-prayer |
Transliteration (ATF)
From Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI: reuse of catalogue/transliteration data with citation of CDLI; images restricted (not fetched)
Machine draft. The right-hand column is machine English from ixmon/atf-to-english (atf-en-t5base-F, 2026-10-17), generated line by line from the transliteration. It is unreviewed and is not a scholarly translation.
| Line | ATF | Machine English (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| surface a | ||
| 1 | lugal zalag-ga-ni iti6-gin7 kur-kur-ra pa e3-a | When his shining king shines like the moon in all the lands, |
| 2 | u3-na-du11 | said to him: |
| 3 | lugal {d}utu-gin7 di si sa2 ku5-ku5-de3? esz-bar {d}isztaran-gin7 si sa2-sa2-e-ra | To make the king, like Utu, decide a case correctly, to make the decision, like Ištaran, make it right |
| 4 | lugal szudu3-de3 gesz tuku-gu10-ur2 u3-na-de3-tah | “The king who prays for me, my one who listens to me, will be able to soothe him. |
| 5 | {disz}lugal-nesag-e dumu nibru{ki} ARAD2-zu na-ab-be2-a | Lugal-nesage, citizen of Nippur, is your servant. |
| 6 | udu-gin7 ka u2 gu7-gu10 mu-e-pa3 naga dub2-ba i-ni-bad | Like a sheep, he found my mouth that eats food, and poured out a libation bowl. |
| 7 | gu4 {gesz}szudul4-a nu-ub-ha-za la2-gin7 edin-na ba-ab-gen-ne-en | Like an ox without a yoke, you went to the steppe. |
| 8 | ab2 amar-bi nu-ub-da-la2-a-gin7 gu3 arhusz-a im-me | Like a cow whose calf is not suckling, she cries out bitterly. |
| 9 | u8 sila4-bi e2-ubur-ra dab5-ba-gin7 szu-ni ba-ab-dab5-be2 | Like a ewe and its lamb were seized in the ubur temple, their hands were bound. |
| 10 | muszen-gin7 gud3-ga2 lu2 szu ba-ni-in-ti | Like a bird, he took hold of my neck. |
| 11 | {gesz}ma2 kar gi-na-a li-bi2-ib-tak4-a-gin7 tum9-e ba-ab-dirig-ge | Like a boat that does not leave the regular quay, it is brought to an end. |
| 12 | i-si-isz sila nibru{ki}-ka mu-gu7-e-en | I eat in the street of Nippur. |
| 13 | iri kur2 iri-ga2 mu-da-an-ku4 lu2 en3 tar-re la-ba-tuku | He entered a foreign city, my city, and no one inquired after it. |
| 14 | e2 kur2 e2-ga2 mu-da-an-ku4 ugu-ga2-asz ba-ab-DUN | He entered a different house, into my house, and dug it for me. |
| 15 | iri-ga2 sag-gin7 ku3 la-ba-ni-DU siki sag mu-dur7-re? ba-la2 | In my city like a head he did not ... silver, he shaved his head. |
| 16 | gu5-li du10-sa zu-a kal-la-gu10 | My one who knows good food, |
| 17 | lu2 dili gu7-u3-gin7 igi tur mu-un-gid2-i-esz | Like one who eats alone, they look at him with a small eye. |
| 18 | ama ugu-gu10 u4-sakar ubur-ra-bi | My mother who bore me, whose breast-bone is like a stag. |
| 19 | du10-ge-esz ga-gu10 gu7-gu10 ka-gu10-ta ba-an-kar | Those who eat my milk have turned away from my mouth. |
| 20 | a-a-gu10 sza3 ur2-bi-ta guru3-gur3-ru-a ki-ta ba-an-gar-re-en | My father, from the midst of its roots you have set down the heaps on the ground. |
| 21 | nin arhusz-a-gu10 e2-bi ba-kal igi nu-mu-un-szi-bar-re | My noble lady, her house has been plundered, she does not see her. |
| 22 | gesz hul gurun nu-il2-la-gin7 lu2 na-ma-szi-hul2-le | Like a destructive tree that cannot bear fruit, no one can rejoice over me. |
| 23 | |GISZ.BIL2|-|GISZ.BIL2|-me-en {gesz}isimu2{sar} nu-tuku-me-en HAR-re nam-ba-tum2-un | I am a gardener, I am one who does not have date palms, do not bring a ring. |
| 24 | lugal-gu10 en3-gu10 he2-tar-re ki-ur3-gu10-sze3 he2-em-mi-ib-gi4-gi4-in | May my king inquire after me, may he return to my Kiʾur. |
| surface b | ||
| 1' | lugal szudu3-de3 gesz tuku-gu10-ur2 | The king who listens to prayer, |
| 2' | [...] x x x | |
| 3' | [...] nibru{ki} x x x | ... Nippur |
| 4' | udu-gin7 ka u2 gu7 mu-ni-in-szub | Like a sheep, he abandoned the mouth that eats food. |
| 5' | naga dub2-ba i-ni-bad | he smashed the potash. |
| 6' | gu4 {gesz}szudul4-a nu-ub-ha-za-gin7 | like an ox without a horn, |
| 7' | edin-na ba-ab-gen-ne-en | I went to the steppe. |
| 8' | ab2 amar-bi nu-ub-la2-a-gin7 | like a cow whose calf is not suckling, |
| 9' | gu3 arhusz-a i-im-me | He cries out with a kindly voice. |
| 10' | [...] BAD ZU AB-gin7 | ... like ... |
| 11' | szu ba-ab-dab5-be2 | he seized. |
| 12' | {gesz}ma2 kar gi-na li-bi2-ib-tak4-a-gin7 | like a boat that did not dock at the regular quay |
| 13' | tum9-e ba-ab-dirig-ge | he brought it to an end. |
| 14' | [...] x x x x | |
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 2026-10-18.