CDLI Literary 000395, ex. 017 (P346164)

Literary tablet excavated in Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in British Museum, London, UK

Image © The Trustees of the British Museum (CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0)

Transliteration

tablet
obverse
1. a2 sed4-de3-[...]
 en: Therefore shall relax towards its “cool side”
2. [...] har-ra-an-na DU#? [...]
 en: The male going on the road who (otherwise) spends the night on the road
3. [...] du3-a-ni-gin7 zi#-[...]-tum3
 en: Therefore has taken refuge there as if it was his built city
4. mu#-gu10 ul-asz-am3 ga2-ga2#-de3# ka-ta nu#-szub-bu-de3
 en: So that my name is established to distant time, so that it is not dropped by/from the mouth
5. ar2-gu10 kalam-ma ke3#?-ke3#-de3
 en: So that my praise is performed in the land
6. dub3-tuku-me-en usu#-gu10# i-im-zi-ge-en x-[...] x di-dam
 en: I am possessed of speed, I muster up my strength so that (my) running is tested
7. nibru{ki}-ta#? [...] uri2#{ki}-ma-sze3!
 en: From Nibru to the brickwork of Urim
8. danna{+na} asz-gin7# szu ni10-ni10-ta sza3-gu10 ha-ba-ab-du7
 en: Therefore my heart resolved to make the round trip as if (the journey) was one double-hour
9. pirig nam-sul-bi-ta nu-kusz2#-u3 ni2#?-x gub-ba-me-en
 en: A pirig creature not tiring by means of its youth, I am one who stands by itself(?)
10. {tug2}nig2-lam2 banda3{+da}-ga2 ib2-ga2 ba-ab-du11
 en: My little niglam garment was suitable on my hips(?)
11. tum12{muszen} NIR-DU sumur-bi dal-a-gin7 a2-gu10 hu-mu-un-su13-su13
 en: Like a ... wild dove flying furiously, I pumped my arms
12. [{d}]anzu2#{muszen} kur-bi-sze3 igi il2-la-gin7 dub3-gu10 hu-mu-un-bad-bad
 en: Therefore, like the Anzud bird raising its eye towards its mountain, I spread my knees apart (in stride)
13. [...]-ra#?-gu10#? [...]-ma#?-sug2#-sug2#?-ge-esz-am3
 en: Therefore the cities of the land that I founded stood for me
14. [...]-gig2#-ga u8-gin7 lu!?-a-gu10 [...] du10 ha-ma-ab-du11
 en: Therefore my black-headed people, teeming like ewes, look to me sweetly
reverse
1. [...]-bi#-sze3 hub2 sar-sar-re-gin7
 en: Like a goat of the mountain range that is running to its dwelling(?)
2. [...] u4 dagal#-la
 en: (As?) Utu, broadening the daylight upon the settlements
3. [...]-la#?-sze3! ha-ba-an-ku4-re
 en: Therefore I(?) was entering the Ekišnugal temple
4. [...] tur3#? i3! gal-gal-la [he2]-gal2#-la# he2-bi2-ib-si
 en: Therefore the temple of Suen, the cattlepen (of) great amounts of butter(?) was filled with abundance
5. [... ha]-ba#-ni#-gaz udu#? ha-di?-ni-szum
 en: Therefore bulls were slaughtered there, sheep were slaughtered there
6. [...] kusz# la2-la2 szeg10#? ha-ba-gi4
 en: Therefore the šem and ala drums resounded
7. tigi# nig2-du10-ge si ha-ba-sa2
 en: Therefore the tigi drum, the good thing, functioned properly there
8. {d#}sul-gi lu2 NIG2 lu-lu-a-me-en ninda gesz ha-ba-ni-tag
 en: I am Shulgi, the one who makes anything/food(?) numerous and therefore I(?) offered food (offerings) there
9. pirig-gin7 ki-lugal-DU-ta ni2 il2-la-gu10-ne
 en: When I roused myself from the ... cultic area like a pirig creature
10. e2-gal-mah {d}nin-e2-gal-la-kam
 en: It was in the Egalmah temple of Ninegala
11. dub3 he2-ni-dub2 a zal!-le he2-ni-tu5
 en: Therefore (I?) relaxed(?) there, (I?) bathed there with flowing water
12. dub3 he2-ni-gurum ninda hu-mu-ni-gu7
 en: Therefore (I?) bend the knee there and ate food there
13. {d}nin-ninna2 sur2-du3{muszen}-gin7 ha-ba-zi-ge-en
 en: Therefore I was arising like a harrier and a falcon
14. nibru{ki}-sze3! a-la-ga2 ha-DI-ku4-re
 en: Therefore I(!?) was returning(?) towards Nibru in my exuberance
15. u4-ba-a u4-de3 gu4 he2-eb-be2 mar-rux(TE) he2-ni10-ni10
 en: At that time the storm therefore shouted, the stormwind circled
16. mir-mir!-re# {tu15}ulu3{+lu} murum-bi ni2-bi-a hu#-mu-un-sza4
 en: Therefore the north(?) and south winds howled by themselves
17. nim gir2-gir2-re tu15 imin!-bi-ta# an!-na tesz2 he2-ni-gu7#
 en: Therefore flashing lighting wreaked havoc in heaven together with the seven winds
  blank space