Unread Atlas
CDLI Literary 000581 (Letter from Lugal-nesage to Enlil-massu) composite (P473740)
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 000581 (Letter from Lugal-nesage to Enlil-massu) composite |
|---|---|
| ID | P473740 |
| 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 | {d}en-lil2-mas-su dimma ad gi4 sa6 ka lal3 inim gun3-gun3-ra u3-na-a-du11 | Enlilmassu spoke to him with a beautiful face, a sweet mouth and speckled words. |
| 2 | dumu dingir-ra-ni-ir gub-ba a-a ama-ni ni2 te-ge26-e-ra | The son of his god, standing by his father and mother, who fear him. |
| 3 | u3-na-de3-tah | he shall remove for him. |
| 4 | a-la-ad {d}alad {d}lamma dingir kal-la-gu10 _sza i-di_ ulutim2 alan zil2-zil2-i | the alad priestess, the protective spirit of my mighty god, from the river bank, the statue of zilzili |
| 5 | me-te nam-dub-sar-ra | suitable for the scribal art, |
| 6 | ur-sag sza3-tam-e-ne he2-du7 e2-gal-la a2 ag2 ki-bi gi4 | Hero of the šatams, perfect one of the palace, whose command is restored. |
| 7 | sza3 lugal-la-na du10-du10-ge-ra u3-na-de3-pesz | In order to please the heart of his master, |
| 8 | {disz}lugal-nesag-e nu-esz3 {d}en-lil2-la2 lu2 zu2 li9 lugal-la | Lugal-nesage the nu’eš priest of Enlil the man who the teeth of the king |
| 9 | dumu {d}en-lil2-al-sa6 um-mi-a nibru{ki}-a ad-da-zu na-ab-be2-a | son of Enlil-alsa, the mother of Nippur, your father should not say |
| 10 | u4 x uru16-na-zu ba-hu-hu-bu-usz-en | “At that time, your ... was destroyed. |
| 11 | sza3-gu10 mu-da-szub _im-ta-qu2-ut_ enmen2 szagar-gu10 ba-tur | My heart has fallen, it has seized me. The incantation of my šagar prayer has turned back. |
| 12 | nam-zu ib2-gu7-en i-si-isz-zu _ta-az-me-tu-ka_ ib2-si-ge-en | (Sum) Your fate will be devoured, your supplication will be accepted (Akk) Your destiny will be eaten, your counsel will be agreed |
| 13 | mah-zu ib2-sur-re-en | Your exaltedness will be dispelled. |
| 14 | bar sag5-zu ib2-til-en | Your afflicted liver will be finished. |
| 15 | lib bar ak-gu10-ta szu ba-dag | After I have done my work, he has been carried off. |
| 16 | gesztu2 sza3-gu10-ta lul ba-gar | The wisdom of my heart has been altered. |
| 17a | ni2 te-te-gu10-ta sza3-gu10 usz2 lugud ba-si | Because of my fear, my heart has become frightened. |
| 17b | ni2 te-te-gu10-ne sza3-gu10 usz2 lugud2-lugud2 x x | When I approach, my heart trembles ... |
| 17c | en3 tar-tar-re-de3 zi ba-ir | to inquire about it faithfully, |
| 18a | en3 tar-tar-re-de3 zi ba-ir | to inquire about it faithfully, |
| 18b | en3 tar-tar-de3 zi ba-ir _a-sza-x-x_ | to investigate and investigate, ... |
| 18c | ni2 te-te-ge26-de3 sza3-gu10 usz2 lugud ab-si | In order to approach fear, my heart trembles with sorrow. |
| 19 | ki nam tar-ra-sze3 nu-ub-da-gen-na-asz | because he did not go to the place where fates are determined, |
| 20 | du11-ga {d}en-lil2-la2-ta musz3-me-zu he2-bi2-ib2-du8 | According to the command of Enlil, may your face be brightened. |
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.