CDLI Literary curse (Why do you curse me?) composite (P499718)
Literary, Neo-Babylonian, Uruk · c. 626 BCE–539 BCE
Open in the reader & map →See it among all tablets
| Designation | CDLI Literary curse (Why do you curse me?) composite |
|---|---|
| ID | P499718 |
| Language | Akkadian |
| Period | Neo-Babylonian · c. 626 BCE–539 BCE |
| Genre | Literary |
| Find spot | Uruk (mod. Warka) |
| Coordinates | 31.3234, 45.6395 |
English translation
By Guerra, Dylan M. · Via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative · CDLI (reuse with citation)
| Line | English |
|---|---|
| obverse 1 | Ninurta-sagentarbi-za’e-men, |
| obverse 2 | brother of Ninurta-mi-zideš-ki’aĝani, |
| obverse 3 | brother-in-law of Enlil-Nibru-kibi-gi. |
| obverse 4 | A dog bit him. To Isin, city of Bēlet-balāṭi, to cure himself he went. |
| obverse 5 | Amēl-Baba, resident of Isin, high priest of Gula, saw him, an incantation he cast on him, and healed him. |
| obverse 6 | “For this your healing, may Enlil, lord of Nippur, bless. |
| obverse 7 | To Nippur, my city, you shall come and |
| obverse 8 | an ṣ. garment I will bring you, bone-in meat(?) I will carve out for you, and 2 jugs of fine beer that is thick I will give you to drink.” |
| obverse 9 | “To your city, Nippur, by which (means) should I come?” |
| obverse 10 | “To Nippur, my city, you will come and through the High Gate you will enter. |
| obverse 11 | The street Sila-dagala, the main street, |
| obverse 12 | (and) the streets Tilla-zida (and) Sila-Nusku-u-Ninimma to your left you will place. |
| obverse 13 | Nin-lugal-abzu, daughter of Ki’aĝ-gi-enbilulu, |
| obverse 14 | daughter-in-law of Nišū-ana-Ea-taklā, |
| obverse 15 | orchardist of the orchard Abundance-of-Enlil, who in the area |
| obverse 16 | of the street Tilla-zida sits and vegetables sells, you will ask her and she will show you. |
| obverse 17 | Amēl-Baba resident of Isin, high priest of Gula, to Nippur came. |
| obverse 18 | High-Gate he entered. The street Sila-dagala, the main street, |
| obverse 19 | (and) the streets Tilla-zida (and) Sila-Nusku-u-Ninimma to his left he placed. |
| obverse 20 | Nin-lugal-abzu, daughter of Ki’aĝ-gi-enbilulu, |
| obverse 21 | daughter-in-law of Nišū-ana-Ea-taklā, orchardist of the orchard Abundance-of-Enlil, |
| obverse 22 | who in the area of Tilla-zida sits and vegetables sells, he saw. |
| obverse 23 | “Nin-lugal-abzu?” (Sumerian:) “Yes, my lord?” (Akkadian:) “Why are you cursing me?” |
| obverse 24 | “Why am I cursing you? ‘Yes, my lord,’ I said to you.” |
| obverse 25 | “The house of Ninurta-sagentarbi-zae-men, |
| obverse 26 | brother of Ninurta-mi-zideš-ki’aĝani, |
| obverse 27 | brother-in-law of Enlil-Nibru-kibi-gi, I ask of you and you will show me.” |
| obverse 28 | (Sumerian:) “(My) lord did not stay.” (Akkadian:) “Why are you cursing me?” |
| obverse 29 | “Why am I cursing you? ‘My lord did not stay’ I said to you.” |
| obverse 30 | “Where to did he go?” (Sumerian:) “To the house of the god, Šuzianna, a regular offering he is making.” |
| obverse 31 | (Akkadian:) “Why are you cursing me?” “Why am I cursing you? |
| obverse 32 | To the house of his god, Šuzianna, a regular offering he is making. |
| obverse 33 | A rotten person(?) is that one! |
| obverse 34 | Let the sons of the academies assemble and with their hand tablets(?) may they send him away through the High Gate.” |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| obverse | ||
| 1 | {disz}{d}nin-urta-sag-en3-tar-bi-za-e-me-en | |
| 2 | _szesz_ {disz}{d}nin-urta-mi2-zi-de3-esz-ki-ag2-ga2-a-ni | |
| 3 | _dumu szesz_-szu2 sza2 {disz}{d}en-lil2-nibru{ki}-ki-bi-gi | |
| 4 | _ur-gi7_ isz-szuk-szu ana {disz}isin _iri_ {d}be-let-_ti-la_ a-na bu-tal-lu-t,i-szu2 _gen_-ik | |
| 5 | {disz}lu2-{d}szul {lu2}isin{ki}-u2 {lu2}sanga {d}me-me _igi_-szu2-ma _en2 szub_-szu2-ma u2-bal-lit,-su | |
| 6 | a-na bul-lu-t,i-ka-ma an-ni-i {d}en-lil2 _en_ nibru{ki} lik-ru-ub | |
| 7 | a-na nibru{ki} _iri_-ia tal-la-kam-ma | |
| 8 | _tug2-bar-a_ a-na-asz2-szi-ka _pad-pad-da-a_ a-qar-rasz-ka u3 2(disz@v) _szab kasz-sag_ ka-bar a-szaq-qi2-ka | |
| 9 | a-na _iri_-ka nibru{ki} a-a-am-ma lul-li-ka | |
| 10 | a-na nibru{ki} _iri_-ia tal-la-kam-ma _abul-mah_ ter-ru-ub | |
| 11 | _e-sir2_ sila-dagal-la_ ri-bi-tum | |
| 12 | _e-sir2_ tilla4-zi-da sila-{d}nusku-u-{d}nin-imma3 ana _a2-gab2-bi_-ka _gar_-an | |
| 13 | {munus}nin-lugal-abzu _dumu-munus_ {disz}ki-ag2-gi-{d}en-bi-lu-lu | |
| 14 | _{munus}e2-gi4-a_ {disz}ug3-mesz-a-na-{d}e2-a-tak-la | |
| 15 | {munus}nu-{gesz}kiri6 {gesz}kiri6 he2-nun-{d}en-lil2 sza2 ana qaq-qar | |
| 16 | sila tilla4-zi-da _tusz_-ma _nisig-mesz bur2_-ru ta-szal-szi-ma u2-kal-lam-ka | |
| 17 | {disz}lu2-szul {lu2}isin{ki}-u2 {lu2}e2-bar {d}gu-la a-na nibru{ki} _te_-a | |
| 18 | _abul-mah_ i-ter-ba _e-sir2_ sila-dagal-la ri-bi-tum | |
| 19 | _e-sir2_ tilla4-zi-da sila-{d}nusku-u-{d}nin-imma3 ana _a2-gab2_-szu2 il-ta-kan | |
| 20 | {munus}nin-lugal-abzu _dumu-munus_ {disz}ki-ag2-gi-{d}en-bi-lu-lu | |
| 21 | _{munus}e2-gi-a_ {disz}ug3-mesz-ana-{d}e2-a-tak-la {munus}nu-{gesz}kiri6 {gesz}kiri6 he2-nun-{d}en-lil2 | |
| 22 | sza2 ina qaq-qar tilla4-zi-da _tusz_-ma _nisig-mesz bur2_-ru i-ta-mar | |
| 23 | {munus}nin-lugal-abzu an-ni lugal-gu10 am-me-ni ta-at-ta-nam-zar-in-ni | |
| 24 | am-me-ni at-ta-nam-zar-ka an-ni be-li2 aq-bi-ka | |
| 25 | _e2_ sza2 {disz}{d}nin-urta-sag-en3-tar-bi-za-me-en | |
| 26 | _szesz_ {disz}{d}nin-urta-mi2-zi-de3-esz-ki-ag2-ga2-a-ni | |
| 27 | _dumu szesz_-szu2 sza2 {disz}{d}en-lil2-nibru{ki}-ki-bi-gi a-szal-ki-ma tu-kal-lam-in-ni | |
| 28 | en? nu?-dur2-me-en am-me-ni ta-at-ta-nam-zar-in-ni | |
| 29 | am-me-ni at-ta-nam-zar-ka be-li2 ul a-szib aq-bi-ka | |
| 30 | a-isz il-lik e2 dingir-be2 {d}szu-zi-an-na siskur2 gaba-ri mu-un-bala | |
| 31 | am-me-ni ta-at-ta-nam-zar-in-ni am-me-ni at-ta-nam-zar-ka | |
| 32 | ana? _e2 dingir_-szu2 {d}szu-zi-an-na ni-iq _gaba-ri_ i-naq-qi2 | |
| 33 | _{lu2?}is?-hab2?-ba_-ma szu-u2 | |
| 34 | _dumu mesz_ mu-um-me lip-hu-ru-ma ina _im-szu2-kam_-szu2-nu _abul-mah_ li-sze-s,u-szu | |
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.