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Letter from Lugal-nesaĝe to a king radiant as the moon (Q000574)
Literary, Old Babylonian, Nippur · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | Letter from Lugal-nesaĝe to a king radiant as the moon |
|---|---|
| ID | Q000574 |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary |
| Find spot | Nippur |
| Coordinates | 32.1271, 45.2300 |
Transliteration (ATF)
From Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC default); per-file JSON license fields say: This data is released under the CC0 license (133618)
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) |
|---|---|---|
| Ver.1, | ||
| 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-dug₄ | he did praise for him. |
| 3 | lugal {d}utu-gin₇ di si sa₂ kud-kud-de₃ eš-bar {d}ištaran-gin₇ si sa₂-sa₂-e-ra | The king, like Utu, to make the right decisions, to render the decisions, like Ištaran, |
| 4 | lugal šudu₃-de₃ ŋiš tuku-ŋu₁₀-ur₂ u₃-na-de₃-tah | The king, in order to make the šudu-offerings sweet for him, |
| {m}lugal-nesaŋ-e dumu nibru{ki} arad₂-zu na-ab-be₂-a {m}lugal-šu₂ | Lugal-nesa, citizen of Nippur, is your servant. | |
| 6 | udu-gin₇ ka u₂ gu₇-ŋu₁₀ mu-e-pad₃ naŋa dub₂-ba i-ni-bad | Like a sheep, you find food to eat in the mouth, and then he trembles at it. |
| 7 | gud {ŋiš}šudul₄-a nu-ub-ha-za la₂-gin₇ edin-na ba-ab-ŋen-ne-en | Like a ox without a crown, you are encircled in the steppe. |
| 8 | ab₂ amar-bi nu-ub-da-la₂-a-gin₇ gu₃ arhuš-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 šu-ni ba-ab-dab₅-be₂ | Its ewes and lambs have been seized as if they were captured in the ubur temple |
| 10 | mušen-gin₇ gud₃-ŋa₂ lu₂ šu ba-ni-in-ti | Like a snake, he took hold of the ox |
| 11 | {ŋiš}ma₂ kar gen₆-na-a li-bi₂-ib-taka₄-a-gin₇ tum₉-e ba-ab-dirig-ge | Like a boat that does not dock at the quay, it is brought to an end. |
| 12 | i-si-iš sila nibru{ki}-ka mu-gu₇-e-en | I eat in the street of Nippur |
| 13 | iri kur₂ iri-ŋa₂ mu-da-an-kur₉ lu₂ en₃ tar-re la-ba-tuku | The enemy city turned into a city, no one could inquire after it. |
| e₂ kur₂ e₂-ŋa₂ mu-da-an-kur₉ ugu-ŋa₂-aš ba-ab-DUN ba-X-X | He brought in a new house, a ... house, and ... over it | |
| iri-ŋa₂ saŋ-gin₇ KUG la-ba-ni-DU siki SAŊ mu-dur₇-re ba-la₂ UD SAŊ siki | (Sum) My city, like a pile of bricks, it is not ... (Akk) Irība, like one heaped up with bricks | |
| 16 | gu₅-li dub₃-sa zu-a kal-la-ŋu₁₀ | The one who knows the scribal art, the mighty one, |
| 17 | lu₂ dili gu₇-u₃-gin₇ igi tur mu-un-gid₂-i-eš | Like one who eats alone, they look at him with a small eye |
| ama ugu-ŋu₁₀ ud-sakar ubur-ra-bi ubur-a-gin₇ | The mother who bore me, whose breast is like a breast. | |
| 19 | dug₃-ge-eš ga-ŋu₁₀ gu₇-ŋu₁₀ ka-ŋu₁₀-ta ba-an-kar | He turned away from the libation vessel, the eating vessel, and the drinking vessel |
| 20 | a-a-ŋu₁₀ šag₄ ur₂-bi-ta guru₃-gur₃-ru-a ki-ta ba-an-ŋar-re-en | My father, from the root of the piles of grain, he made me descend from the ground |
| 21 | nin arhuš-a-ŋu₁₀ e₂-bi ba-kal igi nu-mu-un-ši-bar-re | Lady whose heart is merciful, her house has been plundered, she does not see it |
| 22 | ŋiš hul gurun nu-il₂-la-gin₇ lu₂ na-ma-ši-hul₂-le | Like an evil omen that cannot be extinguished, no one can rejoice over me |
| 23 | |GIŠ.BIL₂|-|GIŠ.BIL₂|-me-en {ŋiš}isimu₂{sar} nu-tuku-me-en HAR-re nam-ba-tum₂-un | I am an orchardist, I am one who does not have a date palm. Do not bring a ring! |
| 24 | lugal-ŋu₁₀ en₃-ŋu₁₀ he₂-tar-re ki-ur₃-ŋu₁₀-še₃ he₂-em-mi-ib-gi₄-gi₄-in | May the king inquire after it and may he return it to its place. |
| Ver.2, | ||
| 5 | lugal šudu₃-de₃ ŋiš tuku-ŋu₁₀-ur₂ | the king who the sheep offerings |
| 6 | x X x X | |
| 7 | x nibru{ki} x x X | Nippur |
| 8 | udu-gin₇ ka u₂ gu₇ mu-ni-in-šub | Like a sheep, he placed food in his mouth |
| 9 | naŋa dub₂-ba i-ni-bad | he smote with a weapon. |
| 10 | gud {ŋiš}šudul₄-a nu-ub-ha-za-gin₇ | like an ox without a crown |
| 11 | edin-na ba-ab-ŋen-ne-en | In the steppe you have been made to roam around. |
| 12 | ab₂ amar-bi nu-ub-la₂-a-gin₇ | like a cow whose calf is not suckling, |
| 13 | gu₃ arhuš-a i-im-me | He cries out with a kindly voice |
| 14 | x BAD ZU AB-gin₇ | ... like ... |
| 15 | šu ba-ab-dab₅-be₂ | seized him |
| 16 | {ŋiš}ma₂ kar gen₆-na li-bi₂-ib-taka₄-a-gin₇ | like a boat that has been docked at a quay |
| 17 | tum₉-e ba-ab-dirig-ge | he brought it to an end. |
| 18 | x X x x X | |
Sources & licences
- Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC default); per-file JSON license fields say: This data is released under the CC0 license (133618) · ORACC project editions, https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ ; cite the individual project (see texts.extra_json.project)
Cite the original edition and translator. Page generated by Unread Atlas from the public corpus export of 2026-10-18.