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CDLI Literary 000575 (Lugal-nesage to King) composite (P479851)
Literary letter and letter-prayer, Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | CDLI Literary 000575 (Lugal-nesage to King) composite |
|---|---|
| ID | P479851 |
| 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 {d}utu-gin7 sza3 kalam-ma mu-un-zalag-ga | Like king Utu, he brightened the heart of the Land |
| 2 | u3-na-du11 | said to him: |
| 3 | i-{d}utu ab-sin2-ta ib2-ta-an-zi-ga | Ištar raised up from the furrow |
| 4 | ti-id-nu-um{ki}-e szu bi2-in-gar szibir-bi mu-un-dab5-be2 | Tidnum took it and seized its wagons. |
| 5 | lugal idim-bi-sze3 ab-szid-de3-a | to the king, to the creator of that wall, |
| 6 | u3-na-de3-tah | he shall remove for him. |
| 7 | {disz}lugal-nesag-ge26 dumu nibru{ki} ARAD2-zu na-ab-be2-a | Lugal-nesage, citizen of Nippur, is your servant. |
| 8 | szul-a-lum nu-zu-gu10 sag-ki ba-gid2 | My one who does not know šulalum, has been turned away. |
| 9 | til4 ak-gu10 mu-e-pa3 | You have sworn my act of kindness. |
| 10 | iri kur2-ra tu{muszen}-gin7 sze mi-in-sza4 | He groans like a bird in a foreign city. |
| 11 | sza3-ne-sza4 la-ba-an-tuku | he has no desire. |
| 12 | ur-gin7 ki gam-ma nu-zu szu dag-dag-ge ba-si | Like a dog that does not know the land, it is seized by hand. |
| 13 | muszen szu sur2-du3{muszen}-ta dal-a-gin7 ur5-da i3-ak-en | Like a bird flying from the hand of a falcon, I do it regularly. |
| 14 | {gesz}kiri6 a nu-du11-ga-gin7 asil3-la2-gu10 hab2-ba ba-an-ug5 | Like a garden that has not been watered, my joy was shattered. |
| 15 | igi la2 e2 lugal-ga2-ke4 ib2-si-ge inim-gar gig ma-la2 | The eye of my king trembled, a bitter word was uttered to me. |
| 16 | zarah-e x x x x [...] | The zaraḫ-demon |
| 17 | u3?-u8 la x [...] x na ha-mu-[...] | May the ewe(?) not |
| 18 | gu4-gin7 mur-ga2 eme ZU GA2? [...] szu sza-an-sza-[...] | Like an ox on my back, ... tongue(?) |
| 19 | pesz amar-gu10 gud3-bi [...] zi ba-ni-in-gi4 ka u2 gu7 ba?-[...] | My calf ... its nest faithfully, the mouth that eats food |
| 20 | edin KAL tum9 dal-a-gin7 e2 ar3-ar3-ra ba-[...] | Like a thick and thick steppe, the house was plundered |
| 21 | ug5-ga ki nu-tum2-ma-me-en sze-gin7 ar3-ar3 [...] | I am the one who does not bring the dead to a place of rest like barley |
| 22 | szesz-gu10 lu2 kur2 nu-me-a igi tur mu-un-[...] | My brother, if it were not for a stranger, he would have seen a child. |
| 23 | [...] | |
| 24 | [...] | |
| 25 | [...] | |
| 26 | [...] | |
| 27 | [...] | |
| 28 | [...] | |
| 29 | x [...] | |
| 30 | KA [...] | ... ... |
| 31 | sa6-ga x [...] | Good ... |
| 32 | lugal KA NE [...] | King ... |
| 33 | {d}utu-gin7 x x x ga [...] | Like Utu ... |
| surface b | ||
| 1' | muszen szu sur2-du3{muszen} x x x x x [...] | The bird ... the hand of the surdu bird |
| 2' | {gesz}kiri6 a du11-ga-gin7 x [...] | Like a garden planted with water |
| 3' | igi la2 e2 lugal-ga2-ke4 ib2-si-ge x [...] | The eye of my king is blinded ... |
| 4' | zarah-e x sipa?-ba sza3 a mi-ni-[...] | The zarah priest(?) ... the shepherd |
| 5' | u8-e-a TUL2 e la MU x RA HAR-re ha-x-x-[...] | The ewe ... |
| 6' | gu4-gin7 mur-gu10 eme-ba szid nu-tuku-gin7 szu-ni sza-an-sza-[...] | Like an ox, my neck is swollen like a tongue that does not have a tail, his hand ... |
| 7' | pesz amar-gu10 gud3-ba zi ir ba-ni-ib2-[...] | My calf, whose horns are true, wept bitterly |
| 8' | edin KAL tum9 dal-a-ta RI ba9-ra2-gin7 e2 ar3-ar3-ra ba-[...] | From the ... steppe ... like a ... house ... |
| 9' | ug5-gin7 ki tum2-tum2-mu nu-zu sze-gin7 ar3-ar3 [...] | Like a dead person who knows no place to bring it, like barley ... |
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.