| 1 e-ne (Jene,
denen) ba-am (gegeben ist) e-ne (Jene, denen) ba-am (es gegeben
ist) me-en-ze-en (seid Ihr!)
2.
kur-dil-mun-(KI) (Dilmun,
das Paradies dieser Welt)
ku-ga-am (ist rein)
3. ki-ku-ga (Ein reiner Ort) e-ne (Jene, denen) ba-am (er gegeben ist)
me-en-ze-en (seid Ihr!)
4. kur-dil-mun-(KI) ku-ga-am (Dimun,
das Paradies dieser Wet ist rein)
5. kur-dilmun-(KI) (Dilmun,
das Paradies dieser Welt)
ku-ga-am (ist reine) kur-dilmun (Dilmun, das Pardies) sikil-am (ist sauber)
6. kur-dilmun sikil-am (Dilmun,
das Paradies
ist sauber) kur-dilmun za(lag)-zalag-ga-am (Dimun, das Paradies reinigt
Dich)
7. as-ni-ne (Allein) dilmun (KI)-a u-ne-in-nad (lagen sie im Paradies
Dilmun)
8. ki (Es
war der Ort) *en-ki (an dem Enki) dam-an-ni-da ba-an-da-nad-a-ba
(sich bei seiner Frau niederlegte)
9. ki-bi (Dieser
Ort ) sikil-am (ist sauber) ki-bi (dieser
Ort) za(lag)-zalag-ga-am (reinigt Dich)
10. ki (Es
war der Ort) *en-ki (an dem Enki) nin-sikil-la ba-an-da-nad-a-ba
(sich
mit seiner Frau Ninsikilla niederlegte)
11. dilmun-(KI) (In
dem Paradies dieser Welt) uga (schreit eine Krähe) du(g)-dug nu-mu-ni-bi
(keinen Schrei)
12. dar-e (Der
gesprenkelte Vogel) dug-dar-ri (der gesprenkelte Vogel
schreit) nu-muni-ib-bi (keinen Schrei)
13. ur-gu-la (Kein Löwe) sag-gis-nu-ub-ra-ra (tötet)
14. ur-bar-ra-ge (Kein
Leopard?) sil
nu-ub-kar-ri (verschleppt ein Lamm))
15. ur-ku (Hunde) mas-ga(m)-gam (kauernde Kleine) nu-ub-zu (wissen
nichts)
16. dun (Ochsen) se-ku-ku-e (die
ihr Getreide essen) nu-ub-zu.....(wissen nichts)
17. tu (Keine Taube) sag-nu-mu-un-da-sub-e (läßt sich dort
nieder)
18 igi-gig-e (Kranke Augen) igi-gig-me-en
( 'Ich habe kranke Augen') nu-mu-ni-bi (sagt niemand)
19. sag-gig-gi (Kopfschmerzen) sag-gig-me-en ('Ich habe
Kopfschmerzen') nu-(mu-ni-bi) (sagt niemand)
20. um-ma-bi (Eine alte
Frau)
um-ma-me-en nu (sagt hier nicht: 'Ich bin eine alte Frau') ab-ba-bi (Ein alter
Mann) ab-ba-me-en nu (sagt hier nicht: 'Ich bin ein alter Mann')
21. ki-sikil (Ein Mädchen) a-nu-tu-a-ni (dessen Wasser noch nicht verströmt
ist) uru-a (in der Stadt) nu-mu-ni-ib-si-gi (wird nicht freigegeben zu
heiraten)
22. lu (Kein
Mann) id-da bal-e-mi-de nu-mu-ni-bi (befiehlt hier die Richtung des Kanals zu
ändern)
23. ligir-e (Kein Herrscher) zag-ga-na
nu-um-nigin (wendet sich ab)
24. lul-e e-lu-lum ('Der
Lügner lügt')
nu-mu-ni-bi (sagt hier kein Mann)
25. zag -ur
u-ka (Am
Randes der Stadt)
i-lu-nu-mu-ni-bi (jammert niemand)
|
1.Holy is [the place] where you are;
2.The mountain Dilmun is holy.
3.Holy is the place where you are;
4.......the mountain Dilmun is is holy.
5.The mountain Dilmun is holy, the mountain Dilmun is pure,
6.The mountain Dilmun is pure; the mountain Dilmun is brilliant.
7.Alone in Dilmun they lay down;
8.Where Enki and his consort lay,
9.That place is pure; that place is brilliant.
10.Where
Enki and Ninella lay,
11.That
Place is pure, that place is brilliant.
12.In Dilmun
the raven cried not,
13.The
dar-bird its dar-cry uttered not.
14.The
deadly lion destroyed not,
15.The
wolf a lamb seized not,
16.The
dog the weak kid tore not,
17.The
dun-animal (sow) the food-grain destroyed not,
18.The
planned not for young off spring...
19.The
birds of heaven their offspring hatched not,
20.Doves
laid noteggs (?)_
21.Of
eye-disease, "it is eye-disease," one said not;
22.Of
headache, "it is headache," one said not.
23.To a
mother, "mother," one said not,
24.To a
father, "father," one said not.
25.In
the holy place a libation was poured not; in the city one drank not;
26.The
river-man "cross it?" said not;
27.The
overseer filled no right hand;
28.The
musician "sing," said not;
29.The
prince of the city spoke not.
30.Ninella to her father Enki Said:
31."A city thoust founded, a city thou hast founded, its destiny thou hast
fiexe;
32.In Dilmun
a city thou has hast founded,
33.......thou hast founded a city,
34.........a canal there is not
35...;;;.....thou hast founded a city". |
| Her city drinks the water of abundance,
Dilmun drinks the water of abundance,
Her wells of bitter water, behold they are become wells of good water,
Her fields and farms produced crops and grain,
Her city, behold it is become the house of the banks and quays
of the land,
Dilmun, behold it is become the house of the banks and quays of
the land.
Upon Ninhursag he caused to flow the
"water of the heart,"
She received the "water of the heart," the water of Enki.
One day being her one month,
Two days being her two months,
Three days being her three months,
Four days being her four months,
Five days (being her five months,)
Six days (being her six months,)
Seven days (being her seven months,)
Eight days (being her eight months,)
Nine days being her nine months, the months of "womanhood,"
Like . . . fat, like . . . fat, like good butter,
Nintu, the mother of the land, like . . . fat, (like . . . fat, like
good butter,)
Gave birth to Ninsar.
The cycle of impregation, nine days' gestation,
and birth between Eniki and the offspring of each succeeding goddess is
repeated, presumably in the same fashion as Ninsar. With Ninsar he
creates Ninkur. With Ninkur he creates Uttu. Ninhursag then intervines
to solicit advice to Uttu about her future relationship with Enki. The
content of this passage is either lost or unintelligible. What is clear
is the result of her relationship with Enki results in the birth of
eight different plants. The poem continues:
Enki, in the swampland, in the swampland, lies
stretched out,
He says to his messenger Isimud:
"What is this (plant), what is this (plant)?"
His messenger, Isimud, answers him;
"My king, this is the 'tree-plant'," he says to him.
He cuts it off for him and he (Enki) eats it.
"What is this, what is this?"
"My king, this is the 'honey-plant'."
He tears it off for him and he eats it.
The same pattern persists for all eight plants,
although some of their names, such as "tree-plant" or
"honey-plant" are undecipherable. After has discovered what
all of these plants are (by eating them), he is able to decree their
fates. Ninhursag is furious with the desecration of her distant
offspring and curses Enki:
"Until thou art dead, I shall not look upon
thee with the 'eye of life'."
Without the presence of Ninhursag, apparently,
Enki cannot survive (she is, after all, the essence of fertility, the
supreme mother goddess). The fox then comes before Enlil, who is
disturbed by the suffering of the extremly important water-god, and
says:
"If I bring Ninhursag before thee, what
shall be my reward?"
Enlil promises the fox a reward if he is able to
bring Ninhursag back. How the fox goes about this, however, is unknown
as the text is completely broken at this point. When the text picks back
up, "Ninhursag proceeds to remove the effects of her curse from the
rapidly sinking Enki. This she achieves by giving birth to a special
deity for each of Enki's pains. This passage which closes our poem runs
as follows:
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"My . . . hurts me."
"To the god Abu I gave birth for thee."
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"My hip hurts me."
"To the god Nintul I gave birth for thee."
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"My tooth hurts me."
"To the goddess Ninsutu I gave birth for thee."
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"My mouth hurts me."
"To the goddess Ninkasi I gave birth for thee."
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"My side hurts me."
"To the goddess Dazimua I gave birth for thee."
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"My rib hurts me."
"To the goddess Ninti I gave birth for thee."
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"MY . . . hurts me."
"To the god Enshagag I gave birth for thee."
"For the little ones to which I gave birth
. . . "
"Let Abu be the king of the plants,
Let Nintul be the lord of Magan,
Let Ninsutu marry Ninazu,
Let Ninkasi be (the goddess who) sates the heart,
Let Nazi marry Nindar,
Let Dazimua marry Nigishzida,
Let Ninti be the queen of the month,
Let Enshagag be the lord of Dilmun."
O Father Enki, praise!
Dilmun
The land Dilmun is a pure place, the land Dilmun is a
clean place,
The land Dilmun is a clean place, the land Dilmun is a bright place;
He who is all alone laid himself down in Dilmun,
The place, after Enki had laid himself by his wife,
That place is clean, that place is bright;
He who is all alone laid himself down in Dilmun,
The place, after Enki had laid himself by Ninsikil,
That place is clean, that place is bright.
In Dilmun the raven uttered no cries,
The kite uttered not the cry of kite,
The lion killed not,
The wolf snatched not the lamb,
Unknown was the kid-killing dog,
Unknown was the grain-devouring boar,
The bird on high . . . not its young,
The dove . . . not the head,
The sick-eyed says not "I am sick-eyed,"
The sick-headed says not "I am sick-headed,"
Its (Dilmun's) old woman says not "I am an old woman,"
Its old man says not "I am an old man,"
Its unwashed maid is not . . . in the city,
He who crosses the river utters no . . . ,
The overseer does not . . . ,
The singer utters no wail,
By the side of the city he utters no lament.
Her city drinks the water of abundance,
Dilmun drinks the water of abundance,
Her wells of bitter water, behold they are become wells of good water,
Her fields and farms produced crops and grain,
Her city, behold it is become the house of the banks and quays of the
land,
Dilmun, behold it is become the house of the banks and quays of the
land.
Upon Ninhursag he caused to flow the "water
of the heart,"
She received the "water of the heart," the water of Enki.
One day being her one month,
Two days being her two months,
Three days being her three months,
Four days being her four months,
Five days (being her five months,)
Six days (being her six months,)
Seven days (being her seven months,)
Eight days (being her eight months,)
Nine days being her nine months, the months of "womanhood,"
Like . . . fat, like . . . fat, like good butter,
Nintu, the mother of the land, like . . . fat, (like . . . fat, like good
butter,)
Gave birth to Ninsar.
The cycle of impregation, nine days' gestation, and birth
between Eniki and the offspring of each succeeding goddess is repeated,
presumably in the same fashion as Ninsar. With Ninsar he creates Ninkur. With
Ninkur he creates Uttu. Ninhursag then intervines to solicit advice to Uttu
about her future relationship with Enki. The content of this passage is either
lost or unintelligible. What is clear is the result of her relationship with
Enki results in the birth of eight different plants. The poem continues:
Enki, in the swampland, in the swampland, lies stretched
out,
He says to his messenger Isimud:
"What is this (plant), what is this (plant)?"
His messenger, Isimud, answers him;
"My king, this is the 'tree-plant'," he says to him.
He cuts it off for him and he (Enki) eats it.
"What is this, what is this?"
"My king, this is the 'honey-plant'."
He tears it off for him and he eats it.
The same pattern persists for all eight plants, although
some of their names, such as "tree-plant" or "honey-plant"
are undecipherable. After has discovered what all of these plants are (by eating
them), he is able to decree their fates. Ninhursag is furious with the
desecration of her distant offspring and curses Enki:
"Until thou art dead, I shall not look upon thee
with the 'eye of life'."
Without the presence of Ninhursag, apparently, Enki cannot
survive (she is, after all, the essence of fertility, the supreme mother
goddess). The fox then comes before Enlil, who is disturbed by the suffering of
the extremly important water-god, and says:
"If I bring Ninhursag before thee, what shall be my
reward?"
Enlil promises the fox a reward if he is able to bring
Ninhursag back. How the fox goes about this, however, is unknown as the text is
completely broken at this point. When the text picks back up, "Ninhursag
proceeds to remove the effects of her curse from the rapidly sinking Enki. This
she achieves by giving birth to a special deity for each of Enki's pains. This
passage which closes our poem runs as follows:
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"My . . . hurts me."
"To the god Abu I gave birth for thee."
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"My hip hurts me."
"To the god Nintul I gave birth for thee."
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"My tooth hurts me."
"To the goddess Ninsutu I gave birth for thee."
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"My mouth hurts me."
"To the goddess Ninkasi I gave birth for thee."
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"My side hurts me."
"To the goddess Dazimua I gave birth for thee."
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"My rib hurts me."
"To the goddess Ninti I gave birth for thee."
"My brother, what hurts thee?"
"MY . . . hurts me."
"To the god Enshagag I gave birth for thee."
"For the little ones to which I gave birth . . .
"
"Let Abu be the king of the plants,
Let Nintul be the lord of Magan,
Let Ninsutu marry Ninazu,
Let Ninkasi be (the goddess who) sates the heart,
Let Nazi marry Nindar,
Let Dazimua marry Nigishzida,
Let Ninti be the queen of the month,
Let Enshagag be the lord of Dilmun."
O Father Enki, praise!
|
|
