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A drinking song (Q000781)
Literary, Old Babylonian, Nippur · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | A drinking song |
|---|---|
| ID | Q000781 |
| 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | {gi}gakkul-e {gi}gakkul-e | The gukkul-bowl |
| 2 | {gi}gakkul-e {dug}lam-sa₂-ri | The gukkul-vessel and the lamsari-bowl |
| 3 | {gi}gakkul-e niŋ₂ ur₅ sag₉-sag₉-ge | The gikkul-bowl is adorned with beauty. |
| 4 | {dug}lam-sa₂-ri niŋ₂ šag₄ hul₂-hul₂-e | The lamsari-vessel that makes the heart rejoice |
| 5 | {dug}u-gur-bal niŋ₂ e₂-a me-te-bi | The ugurbal-vessel, a fitting thing in the house, |
| 6 | {dug}šag₄-gub-be₂ niŋ₂ kaš sig₉-sig₉-ge | Its šaggub-vessels are full of sweet beer |
| 7 | {dug}am-am |DU.DU| {dug}lam-sa₂-ra-ke₄ | The Amam, the lamsara-vessel |
| 8 | {gi}buniŋ(SUG) {u₂}bur₂ {gi}ba-an-du₈ silaŋ-ŋa₂-ke₄ | reed mats, bur-plants, baskets for the streets |
| 9 | dug sag₉ dag-dug-e sa gi₄-a | The good jugs that are to be poured out in the dike, |
| 10 | šag₄ diŋir-za hu-mu-ra-ab-huŋ-e | May he pacify your heart for you |
| 11 | igi {gi}gakkul-am₃ igi-me na-nam | The eye is a reed mat, we are indeed eyes. |
| 12 | šag₄ {gi}gakkul-am₃ šag₄-me na-nam | The field is a reed mat, our field is indeed. |
| 13 | aŋ₂ šag₄-zu gur₄-gur₄-ru ni₂-bi-a | Your ‘watered-outs’ are full of fearsomeness |
| 14 | šag₄-me-a gur₄-gur₄-ru ni₂-bi-a | In our midst, growing in fear |
| 15 | ur₅-me bi₂-sag₉ šag₄-me bi₂-hul₂ | Our mood is good, our mood rejoices. |
| 16 | šeg₁₂ nam tar-ra a de₂-zu | The brickwork that determines fate, your watering place |
| 17 | silim-ma he₂-ŋal₂-e ki us₂-sa-zu | May he bring about well-being, may he restore you to its place. |
| 18 | {d}nin-ka-si za-da hu-mu-u₈-da-an-til₃ | May Ninkasi live with you. |
| 19 | kaš ŋeštin hu-mu-ra-an-bal-bal-e | May he pour beer and wine for you |
| 20 | kurun₂ lal₃-e gu₃ nun ha-ra-ni-ib-be₂ | May the honey-beer and honey cries out for you. |
| 21 | {gi}buniŋ(SUG) {u₂}bur₂-a kaš ku₇-ku₇-dam | The reed mat, bura beer is sweet. |
| 22 | sagi lu₂-tur-ra lunga₃ bi₂-in-gub-en | I am the cupbearer of the child-bearing man, the brewer. |
| 23 | a-niŋin₂-e niŋin-na-ŋu₁₀-ne | Why, why do you speak thus? |
| 24 | gur₄-gur₄-re-ŋa₂ gur₄-gur₄-re-ŋa₂-ŋu₁₀-ne | When they are to spread out, they will spread out. |
| 25 | kaš naŋ-e me-e sig₁₀-ga-ŋu₁₀-ne | The one who pours beer, I am the one who makes good beer |
| 26 | kurun₂ naŋ-a ul ti-a-ŋu₁₀-ne | When they are not drinking the kurun-beer, |
| 27 | šag₄ hul₂-la ur₅ sag₉-ga-ŋu₁₀-ne | When they make the heart rejoice |
| 28 | šag₄-ŋa₂ šag₄ hul₂-la ŋal₂-la-bi | Its interior, a joyful interior |
| 29 | ur₅ sag₉ {tug₂}pala₃-a ša-mur₁₀-ra-ŋu₁₀-ne | When they are to smear him with a beautiful šamur garment |
| 30 | šag₄ {d}inana ki-bi ba-ab-gi₄ | The heart of Inana was restored to its place |
| 31 | šag₄ ga-ša-an-an-na-ke₄ ki-bi ba-ab-gi₄ | The heart of Gašanana has been restored |
| 32 | x {d}nin-ka-si-kam | of Ninkasi, |
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.