(1 ms. adds before line
1: An, king of the gods, majestic one:)
O King, storm of
majestic splendour, peerless Ninurta, possessing superior strength;
who pillages the Mountains all alone; deluge, indefatigable serpent
hurling yourself at the rebel land, Hero striding formidably into
battle; Lord whose powerful arm is fit to bear the mace, reaping
like barley the necks of the insubordinate; Ninurta, King, son in
whose strength his father rejoices; Hero whose awesomeness covers
the Mountains like a south storm; Ninurta, who makes the good tiara,
the rainbow (?), flash like lightning; grandly begotten by him who
wears the princely beard; dragon who turns on himself, strength of a
lion snarling at a snake, roaring hurricane; Ninurta, King, whom
Enlil has exalted above himself; Hero, great battle-net flung over
the foe; Ninurta, with the awesomeness of your shadow extending over
the Land; releasing fury on the rebel lands, overwhelming their
assemblies! Ninurta, King, son who has forced homage to his father
far and wide! (King and Hero are titles of Ninurta)
Inspiring great numinous power, he had taken his place on the
throne, the august dais, and was sitting gladly at his ease at the
festival celebrated in his honour, rivalling An and Enlil in
drinking his fill, while Bau was pleading petitions in a prayer for
the king, and he, Ninurta, Enlil's son, was handing down decisions.
At that moment the Lord's battle-mace looked towards the Mountains,
the Car-ur cried out aloud to its master:
"Lord of lofty station, foremost one, who presides over all lords
from the throne dais, Ninurta, whose orders are unalterable, whose
decisions are faithfully executed; my master! Heaven copulated with
the verdant Earth, Ninurta: she has born him a warrior who knows no
fear -- the Asag, a child who sucked the power of milk without ever
staying with a wet-nurse, a foster-child, O my master -- knowing no
father, a murderer from the Mountains, a youth who has come forth
from ......, whose face knows no shame; impudent of eye, an arrogant
male, Ninurta (1 ms. has instead: Ninjirsu), rejoicing in his
stature. My Hero, you who are like a bull, I will take my stand
beside you. My master, who turns sympathetically towards his own
city, who is effective in carrying out his mother's wishes: it has
sired offspring in the Mountains, and spread its seeds far and wide.
The plants have unanimously named it king over them; like a great
wild bull, it tosses its horns amongst them. The cu, the sajkal, the
esi (diorite), the usium, the kagina (haematite), and the heroic nu
stones, its warriors, constantly come raiding the cities. For them a
shark's tooth has grown up in the Mountains; it has stripped the
trees. Before its might the gods of those cities bow towards it. My
master, this same creature has erected a throne dais: it is not
lying idle. Ninurta, Lord, it actually decides the Land's lawsuits,
just as you do. Who can compass the Asag's dread glory? Who can
counteract the severity of its frown? People are terrified, fear
makes the flesh creep; their eyes are fixed upon it. My master, the
Mountains have taken their offerings to it."
"Hero! They have appealed to you, because of your father; son of
Enlil, Lord, because of your superior strength they are looking to
you here; since you are strong, my master, they are calling for your
help, saying, Ninurta, that not a single warrior counts except for
you! They wanted to advise you about ....... Hero, there have been
consultations with a view to taking away your kingship. Ninurta, it
is confident that it can lay hands on the powers received by you in
the abzu. Its face is deformed, its location is continually
changing; day by day, the Asag adds territories to its domain."
"But you will force it into the shackles of the gods. You, Antelope
of Heaven, must trample the Mountains beneath your hooves, Ninurta,
Lord, son of Enlil. Who has so far been able to resist its assault?
The besetting Asag is beyond all control, its weight is too heavy.
Rumours of its armies constantly arrive, before ever its soldiers
are seen. This thing's strength is massive, no weapon has been able
to overturn it. Ninurta, neither the axe nor the all-powerful spear
can penetrate its flesh, no warrior like it has ever been created
against you. Lord, you who reach out towards the august divine
powers, splendour, jewel of the gods, you bull with the features of
a wild bull, with a prominent backbone, ...... this fellow is
clever! My Ninurta, whose form Enki contemplates with favour, my
Uta-ulu, Lord, son of Enlil, what is to be done?
The Lord cried "Alas!" so that Heaven trembled, and Earth huddled at
his feet and was terrified (?) at his strength. Enlil became
confused and went out of the E-kur. The Mountains were devastated.
That day the earth became dark, the Anuna trembled. The Hero beat
his thighs with his fists. The gods dispersed; the Anuna disappeared
over the horizon like sheep. The Lord arose, touching the sky;
Ninurta went to battle, with one step (?) he covered a league, he
was an alarming storm, and rode on the eight winds towards the rebel
lands. His arms grasped the lance. The mace snarled at the
Mountains, the club began to devour all the enemy. He fitted the
evil wind and the sirocco on a pole (?), he placed the quiver on its
hook (?). An enormous hurricane, irresistible, went before the Hero,
stirred up the dust, caused the dust to settle, levelled high and
low, filled the holes. It caused a rain of coals and flaming fires;
the fire consumed men. It overturned tall trees by their trunks,
reducing the forests to heaps, Earth put her hands on her heart and
cried harrowingly; the Tigris was muddied, disturbed, cloudy,
stirred up. He hurried to battle on the boat Ma-kar-nunta-eda; the
people there did not know where to turn, they bumped into (?) the
walls. The birds there tried to lift their heads to fly away, but
their wings trailed on the ground. The storm flooded out the fish
there in the subterranean waters, their mouths snapped at the air.
It reduced the animals of the open country to firewood, roasting
them like locusts. It was a deluge rising and disastrously ruining
the Mountains.
The Hero Ninurta led the march through the rebel lands. He killed
their messengers in the Mountains, he crushed (?) their cities, he
smote their cowherds over the head like fluttering butterflies, he
tied together their hands with hirin grass, so that they dashed
their heads against walls. The lights of the Mountains did not gleam
in the distance any longer. People gasped for breath (?); those
people were ill, they hugged themselves, they cursed the Earth, they
considered the day of the Asag's birth a day of disaster. The Lord
caused bilious poison to run over the rebel lands. As he went the
gall followed, anger filled his heart, and he rose like a river in
spate and engulfed all the enemies. In his heart he beamed at his
lion-headed weapon, as it flew up like a bird, trampling the
Mountains for him. It raised itself on its wings to take away
prisoner the disobedient, it spun around the horizon of heaven to
find out what was happening. Someone from afar came to meet it,
brought news for the tireless one, the one who never rests, whose
wings bear the deluge, the Car-ur. What did it gather there ......
for Lord Ninurta? It reported the deliberations of the Mountains, it
explained their intentions to Lord Ninurta, it outlined (?) what
people were saying about the Asag.
"Hero, beware!" it said concernedly. The weapon embraced him whom it
loved, the Car-ur addressed Lord Ninurta: "Hero, pitfall (?), net of
battle, Ninurta, King, celestial mace ...... irresistible against
the enemy, vigorous one, tempest which rages against the rebel
lands, wave which submerges the harvest, King, you have looked on
battles, you have ...... in the thick of them. Ninurta, after
gathering the enemy in a battle-net, after erecting a great
reed-altar, Lord, heavenly serpent, purify your pickaxe and your
mace! Ninurta, I will enumerate the names of the warriors you have
already slain: the Kuli-ana, the Dragon, Gypsum, the Strong Copper,
the hero Six-headed Wild Ram, the Magilum boat, Lord Saman-ana, the
Bison bull, the Palm-tree King, the Anzud bird, the Seven-headed
Snake -- Ninurta, you slew them in the Mountains."
"But Lord, do not venture again to a battle as terrible as that. Do
not lift your arm to the smiting of weapons, to the festival of the
young men, to Inana's dance! Lord, do not go to such a great battle
as this! Do not hurry; fix your feet on the ground. Ninurta, the
Asag is waiting for you in the Mountains. Hero who is so handsome in
his crown, firstborn son whom Ninlil has decorated with numberless
charms, good Lord, whom a princess bore to an en priest, Hero who
wears horns like the moon, who is long life for the king of the
Land, who opens the sky by great sublime strength, inundation who
engulfs the banks ......, Ninurta, Lord, full of fearsomeness, who
will hurry towards the Mountains, proud Hero without fellow, this
time you will not equal the Asag! Ninurta, do not make your young
men enter the Mountains."
The Hero, the son, pride of his father, the very wise, rising from
profound deliberation, Ninurta, the Lord, the son of Enlil, gifted
with broad wisdom, the ...... god, the Lord stretched his leg to
mount the onager, and joined the battalions ....... He spread over
the Mountains his great long ......, he caused ...... to go out
among its people like the ....... He reached ....... He went into
the rebel lands in the vanguard of the battle. He gave orders to his
lance, and attached it ...... by its cord; the Lord commanded his
mace, and it went to its belt. The Hero hastened to the battle, he
...... heaven and earth. He prepared the throw-stick and the shield,
the Mountains were smitten and cringed beside the battle legions of
Ninurta. When the hero was girding on his mace, the sun did not
wait, the moon went in; they were forgotten, as he marched towards
the Mountains; the day became like pitch.
The Asag leapt up at the head of the battle. For a club it uprooted
the sky, took it in its hand; like a snake it slid its head along
the ground. It was a mad dog attacking to kill the helpless,
dripping with sweat on its flanks. Like a wall collapsing, the Asag
fell on Ninurta the son of Enlil. Like an accursed storm, it howled
in a raucous voice; like a gigantic snake, it roared at the Land. It
dried up the waters of the Mountains, dragged away the tamarisks,
tore the flesh of the Earth and covered her with painful wounds. It
set fire to the reed-beds, bathed the sky in blood, turned it inside
out; it dispersed the people there. At that moment, on that day, the
fields became black potash, across the whole extent of the horizon,
reddish like purple dye -- truly it was so! An was overwhelmed,
crouched, wrung his hands against his stomach; Enlil groaned and hid
himself in a corner, the Anuna flattened themselves against walls,
the house was full of fearful sighing as of pigeons. The Great
Mountain Enlil cried to Ninlil:
"My wife, my son is no longer here; what is there to support me? The
Lord, the authority of the E-kur, the King who imposes the strong
shackle for his father, a cedar rooted in the abzu, a crown with
broad shade, my son, my security -- he is not here any more: who
will take me by the hand?"
The weapon which loved the Lord, obedient to its master, the Car-ur
...... for Lord Ninurta to his father in Nibru ....... The awesome
splendour enveloped Ninurta like a garment, ....... ...... bound
him: therefore the Lord ....... The weapon ...... spoke to Enlil.
"...... Ninurta, having confidence in himself; ...... he will be
standing; the waters will be dried up as if by the sun's heat;
...... he will breathe again, he will be standing full of joy. I
shall cause horrid storms to rise against ...... of the Hero Ninurta
....... ...... as for him who resisted (?) the Mountains, he has
been amazed by his strength. Now I shall give my orders, you are to
follow these instructions:
1 line unclear
...... in the fields, let him not diminish the population. ......
let him not cause a lack of posterity. Let him not cause to perish
the name of all the kinds of species whose destinies I, Enlil, have
decreed."
The weapon, its heart ......, was reassured: it slapped its thighs,
the Car-ur began to run, it entered the rebel lands, joyfully it
reported the message to Lord Ninurta:
"My master, ...... for you, Enlil has said: "As the Deluge i.e.
Ninurta, before whom the venom has piled up, attacks the enemy, let
him take the Asag by the shoulder, let him pierce its liver, let my
son enter with it into the E-kur. Then, Ninurta, to the limits of
the earth my people will deservedly praise your power." You, Lord
who trusts in the word of his father, do not tarry, great strength
of Enlil. Storm of the rebel lands, who grinds the Mountains like
flour, Ninurta, Enlil's seal-bearer, go to it! Do not tarry. My
master: the Asag has constructed a wall of stakes on an earthen
rampart; the fortress is too high and cannot be reached, ...... its
fierceness does not diminish.
3 lines unclear
My master, ......." Ninurta opened his mouth to speak to the mace
....... He aimed the lance at the Mountains ....... The Lord
stretched out an arm towards the clouds. Day became a dark night. He
yelled like a storm, .......
2 lines unclear
The Lord ...... clouds of dust. In his battle he smote the Mountains
with a cudgel. The Car-ur made the storm-wind rise to heaven,
scattering the people; like ...... it tore. Its venom alone
destroyed the townspeople. The destructive mace set fire to the
Mountains, the murderous weapon smashed skulls with its painful
teeth, the club which tears out entrails gnashed its teeth. The
lance was stuck into the ground and the crevasses filled with blood.
In the rebel lands dogs licked it up like milk. The enemy rose up,
crying to wife and child, "You did not lift your arms in prayer to
Lord Ninurta". The weapon covered the Mountains with dust, but did
not shake the heart of the Asag. The Car-ur threw its arms around
the neck of the Lord:
"Hero, ah, what further awaits you? Do not on any account meddle
with the hurricane of the Mountains. Ninurta, Lord, son of Enlil, I
tell you again, it is made like a storm. It is a blister whose smell
is foul, like mucus which comes from the nose it is unpleasant,
Lord, its words are devious, it will not obey you. My master, it has
been created against you as a god; who can help you? Hero, it falls
on the land as a whirlwind, it scrubs it as if with saltwort,
Ninurta, it chases the onagers before it in the Mountains. Its
terrifying splendour sends the dust into clouds, it causes a
downpour of potsherds. In the rebel lands it is a lion striking with
savage teeth; no man can catch it. After reducing everything to
nothing in the north wind, it ....... The sheepfolds have been
closed by ghostly demons. It has dried up the waters in the ground.
In the whirlwind storm, the people are finished, they have no
solution (?). From an implacable enemy, great Hero, Lord, turn
away," he said quietly.
But the Lord howled at the Mountains, could not withhold a roar. The
Hero did not address the rebel lands, he ....... He reversed the
evil that it had done ....... He smashed the heads of all the
enemies, he made the Mountains weep. The Lord ranged about in all
directions, like a soldier saying "I will go on the rampage". Like a
bird of prey the Asag looked up angrily from the Mountains. He
commanded the rebel lands to be silent and ....... Ninurta
approached the enemy and flattened him like a wave (?). The Asag's
terrifying splendour was contained, it began to fade, it began to
fade. It looked wonderingly upwards. Like water he agitated it, he
scattered it into the Mountains, like weeds he pulled it up, like
rushes he ripped it up. Ninurta's splendour covered the Land, he
pounded the Asag like roasted barley, he ...... its genitals (?), he
piled it up like a heap of broken bricks, he heaped it up like
flour, as a potter does with coals; he piled it up like stamped
earth whose mud is being stirred. The Hero had achieved his heart's
desire. Ninurta, the Lord, the son of Enlil, ...... began to calm
down.
In the Mountains, the day came to an end. The sun bade it farewell.
The Lord ...... his belt and mace in water, he washed the blood from
his clothes, the Hero wiped his brow, he made a victory-chant over
the dead body. When he had brought the Asag which he had slain to
the condition of a ship wrecked by a tidal wave, the gods of the
Land came to him. Like exhausted wild asses they prostrated
themselves before him, and for this Lord, because of his proud
conduct, for Ninurta, the son of Enlil, they clapped their hands in
greeting. The Car-ur addressed these flattering words aloud to its
master (1 ms. has instead: to Lord Ninurta):
"Lord, great mec tree in a watered field, Hero, who is like you? My
master, beside you there is no one else, nor can anyone stand like
you, nor is anyone born like you. Ninurta, from today no one in the
Mountains will rise against you. My master, if you give but one
roar, ...... how they will praise you!
1 line unclear
Lord Ninurta ......."
7 lines damaged
After he had pulled up the Asag like a weed in the rebel lands, torn
it up like a rush, Lord Ninurta ...... his club:
1 line unclear
"From today forward, do not say Asag: its name shall be Stone. Its
name shall be zalag stone, its name shall be Stone. This, its
entrails, shall be the underworld. Its valour shall belong to the
Lord."
The blessing of the club, laid to rest in a corner: "The mighty
battle which reduces the Land".
1 line missing
At that time, the good water coming forth from the earth did not
pour down over the fields. The cold water (?) was piled up
everywhere, and the day when it began to ...... it brought
destruction in the Mountains, since the gods of the Land were
subject to servitude, and had to carry the hoe and the basket --
this was their corvée work -- people called on a household for the
recruitment of workers. The Tigris did not bring up its flood in its
fullness. Its mouth did not finish in the sea, it did not carry
fresh water. No one brought (?) offerings to the market. The famine
was hard, as nothing had yet been born. No one yet cleaned the
little canals, the mud was not dredged up. Ditch-making did not yet
exist. People did not work (?) in furrows, barley was sown
broadcast.
The Lord applied his great wisdom to it. Ninurta (1 ms. has instead:
Ninjirsu), the son of Enlil, set about it in a grand way. He made a
pile of stones in the Mountains. Like a floating cloud he stretched
out his arms over it. With a great wall he barred the front of the
Land. He installed a sluice (?) on the horizon. The Hero acted
cleverly, he dammed in the cities together. He blocked (?) the
powerful waters by means of stones. Now the waters will never again
go down from the Mountains into the earth. That which was dispersed
he gathered together. Where in the Mountains scattered lakes had
formed, he joined them all together and led them down to the Tigris.
He poured carp-floods of water over the fields.
Now, today, throughout the whole world, kings of the Land far and
wide rejoice at Lord Ninurta. He provided water for the speckled
barley in the cultivated fields, he raised up (2 mss. have instead:
piled up) the harvest of fruits in garden and orchard. He heaped up
the grain piles like mounds. The Lord caused trading colonies to go
up from the Land of Sumer. He contented the desires of the gods.
They duly praised Ninurta's father.
At that time he also reached a woman with compassion. Ninmah was
sleepless from remembering the place where she had conceived him.
She covered her outside with a fleece, like an unshorn ewe, she made
a great lament about the now inaccessible Mountains:
"The Mountains could not bear the Lord's great strength. The great
Hero -- the force of whose rage no one can approach, like heaven
itself; the savage storm which walks on earth, spilling poison in
the earth's breast; the Lord, the life-breath of Enlil, whose head
is worthy of the tiara, ...... who knows nothing of ......: in
triumph he hurried by me, he with whom my husband made me pregnant
(?). I bore him for my husband. He was close ......; but the son of
Enlil passed by and did not lift his glance to me. For the good
youth" -- thus the good lady said, as she went to him in E-cumeca,
his chosen place, --" I will cut the knot. Now I, yes I, shall go to
the presumptuous Lord, to gaze upon the precious Lord. I will go
directly to him, to my son, Enlil's judge, the great Hero, favoured
by his father."
The lady performed the song in a holy manner. Ninmah recited it to
Lord Ninurta. He looked at her with his life-giving looks and spoke
to her:
"Lady, since you came to the Mountains, Ninmah ('Great Lady'), since
you entered the rebel lands for my sake, since you did not keep far
from me when I was surrounded by the horrors of battle -- let the
name of the pile which I, the Hero, have piled up be Mountain (hursaj)
and may you be its lady (nin): now that is the destiny decreed by
Ninurta. Henceforth people shall speak of Ninhursaja. So be it. Let
its meadows produce herbs for you. Let its slopes produce honey and
wine for you. Let its hillsides grow cedars, cypress, juniper and
box for you. Let it make abundant for you ripe fruits, as a garden.
Let the mountain supply you richly with divine perfumes. Let it mine
gold and silver for you, make ...... for you. Let it smelt copper
and tin for you, make its tribute for you. Let the Mountains make
wild animals teem for you. Let the mountain increase the fecundity
of quadrupeds for you. You, o Queen, become equal to An, wearing a
terrifying splendour. Great goddess who detests boasting, good lady,
maiden Ninhursaja, Nintud, ...... approach me. Lady, I have given
you great powers: may you be exalted."
While the Lord was fixing the destiny of the Mountains, as he walked
about in the sanctuary of Nibru, the good lady whose powers excel
all powers, Lady-creatrix-of-the-womb, Aruru, Enlil's elder sister,
stood before him:
"Great Hero whose word like that of his father is unalterable, Lord:
you have not fixed the destinies of the warriors that you have
slain."
The Lord then addressed the u stone. He defined (?) its typical
behaviour. The Lord spoke to it in anger in the Land, Ninurta son of
Enlil cursed it:
"U stone (emery), since you rose against me in the Mountains, since
you barred the way (2 mss. have instead: seized me) so as to detain
me, since you swore to put me to death, since you frightened me,
Lord Ninurta, on my great throne; you are powerful, a youth of
outstanding strength: may your size be diminished. A mighty lion,
confident in its strength, will tear you into pieces, the strong man
will fling you in his hand in combat (1 ms. has instead: for
strength). Young u stone, your brothers will heap you up like flour.
You will lift your hand against your offspring, sink your teeth into
their corpses. You, young man, though you may cry out, will end as
....... Like a great wild bull killed by many people, be divided
into portions. U stone, you will be hounded from the battlefield
with clubs, like a dog chased by shepherd boys. Because I am the
Lord: since cornelian is polished by you, you shall be called by its
name. And now, according to the destiny fixed by Ninurta, henceforth
when u stone touches it, there will be pierced cornelian. Let it be
so."
The Hero addressed the cu and gasura stones. The Lord enumerated
their characteristics. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed their destiny:
"Cu stones, since you attacked against my weapons; gasura stones,
since you stood fiercely against me like bulls, since you tossed (?)
your horns in the dust at me like wild bulls, you shall be ......
like butterflies. My terrifying splendour will cover you. Since you
cannot escape from my (1 ms. has instead: his) great strength, the
goldsmith shall puff and blow on you with his breath. You shall be
shaped by him to form a matrix for his creations. People shall place
the first fruits of the gods on you at the time of the new moon."
My King stood before the sajkal stone, he addressed the gulgul and
sajjar stones. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed their destiny:
"Sajkal stone, since you flew up against me ......; gulgul stone,
since you sparked lightning against me ......; sajjar stone, since
you shook your head at me, since you ground your teeth at me, the
Lord! The sajkal stone will smash you, sajjar stone, young brave,
and the gulgul stone will destroy (gul) you. You will be discarded
as contemptible and valueless (saj nukala). Be a prey to the famine
(cagjar) of the Land; you shall be fed by the charity of your city.
You shall be accounted a common person, a warrior among slave-girls.
They shall say to you "Be off with you, hurry!", it shall be your
name. And now, by the destiny fixed by Ninurta, henceforth you shall
be called a bad lot in the Land. So be it."
My King stood before the esi stone. ...... he spoke in hymnic
language. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed its destiny:
"Esi (diorite), your army in battle changed sides separately (?).
You spread before me like thick smoke. You did not raise your hand.
You did not attack me. Since you said, "It is false. The Lord is
alone the Hero. Who can vie with Ninurta, son of Enlil?" -- they
shall extract you from the highland countries. They shall bring (?)
you from the land of Magan. You shall shape (?) Strong Copper like
leather and then you shall be perfectly adapted for my heroic arm,
for me, the Lord. When a king who is establishing his renown for
perpetuity has had its statues sculpted for all time, you shall be
placed in the place of libations -- and it shall suit you well -- in
my temple E-ninnu, the house full of grace."
My King turned to the na stone. He ...... the body from the na
stone. Ninurta son of Enlil cursed it: "Stone, since you said, "If
only it had been me"; na stones, since you bewitched my powers --
lie down there, you, to be worked on like a pig. Be discarded, be
used for nothing, end up by being reduced to tiny fragments. He who
knows you shall reduce you to liquid."
My King turned to the elel stone. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed its
destiny: "Elel, intelligently you caused terror of me to descend on
the Mountains where discord had broken out. In the rebel lands you
proclaimed my name among my people who had banded together. Nothing
of your wholeness shall be diminished (?). It shall be difficult to
reduce your mass to small pieces. My divine ordinances shall be set
out in straight lines on your body. You shall be greatly suited to
the clash of weapons, when I have heroes to slay. You shall be set
up on a pedestal in my great courtyard. The Land shall praise you in
wonder, the foreign lands shall speak your praises (2 mss. have
instead: elevate you)."
The Hero turned to the kagina (haematite) stone, he addressed it for
its hardness. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed its destiny: "Young man
worthy of respect, whose surface reflects the light, kagina, when
the demands of the rebel lands reached you, I did not conquer you
....... I did not notice you among the hostile ones. I shall make
room for you in the Land. The divine rites of Utu shall become your
powers. Be constituted as a judge in the foreign lands. The
craftsman, expert in everything, shall value you as if gold. Young
man of whom I have taken possession, because of you I shall not
sleep until you come to life. And now, according to the destiny
fixed by Ninurta, henceforth kagina shall live! So shall it be."
The Hero stood before the jicnugal (alabaster) stone. Ninurta son of
Enlil fixed its destiny: "›icnu, whose body shines like the
daylight! Purified silver, youth destined for the palace, since you
alone held out your hands to me, and you prostrated yourself before
me in your Mountains, I did not smite you with the club, and I did
not turn my strength against you. Hero, you stood firm by me when I
yelled out. Your name shall be called benevolence. The treasury of
the Land shall be subject to your hand, you shall be its
seal-keeper. (1 ms. adds the line: The Anuna .......)"
My King turned to the algamec stone and frowned. The Lord spoke to
it angrily in the Land. Ninurta son of Enlil cursed it: "What
provision did you make to assist my progress? Be the first to go
into my forge. Algamec, you shall be the regular sacrifice offered
daily by the smiths."
My King turned to the ducia stone. He addressed the nir, the gug
(cornelian) and the zagin (lapis lazuli); the amac-pa-ed, the caba,
the hurizum, the gug-gazi and the marhali; the egi-zaga, the
girin-hiliba , the anzugulme and the nir-mucjir stones (1 ms.: the
...... and the gazi-musud stones). The Lord Ninurta, son of Enlil,
fixed their destinies for ...... the waterskin: "How you came to my
side, male and female in form, and in your own way! You committed no
fault, and you supported me with strength. You exalted me in public.
Now in my deliberation, I shall exalt you. Since you made yourself
general of the assembly, you, nir, shall be chosen for syrup and for
wine. You shall all be decorated with precious metal. The principal
among the gods shall cause the foreign lands to prostrate themselves
before you, putting their noses to the ground."
My King turned to the jir-zu-jal (flint), and frowned. The Lord
spoke to it angrily in the Land. Ninurta son of Enlil cursed it:
"Ah, duplicitous jir-zu-jal, what then? They shall split your horns,
wild bull, in your Mountains. Lie down before the ....... You were
not equal to me who supported you. I shall rip you like a sack, and
people will smash you into tiny pieces. The metalworker shall deal
with you, he shall use his chisel on you. Young man, massive, bearer
of hatred: the carpenter, saying "I wish to buy it for my work",
shall wet you with water ...... and shall crush you like malt."
My King turned to the iman stones, he addressed the alliga stones.
Ninurta son of Enlil fixed their destiny: "Iman stones, in the
Mountains you cried out against me. You fiercely uttered
battle-yells. I shall enflame you like fire. Like a storm I shall
overturn you. I shall strip you like rushes. I shall rip you up like
weeds. Who will assist you then? Iman stone: your cries shall not be
valued, no attention shall be paid to them. Iman stone, alliga
stone: your path shall not lead to the palace."
My King turned to the macda stone. He addressed the dubban and
urutum stones. Ninurta son of Enlil defined (?) their characteristic
behaviour: "Macda stone, dubban stone, blazing fires; urutum stone,
which nothing resists; when the gasura stone ...... and you were set
ablaze, you burnt against me in the rebel lands like a brazier.
Since you all stood against me in the land of Saba: macda stone,
they shall slaughter you like a sheep. Dubban stone, they shall
crunch you for pulverising. Urutum stone, they shall sharpen you for
the battle-mace; with bronze, the arrowheads of the gods, they shall
smash you with the axe, stinging with fierce swords."
My King turned to the cagara stone. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed its
destiny: "Cagara stone, who smash (?) your head against anyone
travelling alone in the desert, in the Mountains when my arms were
occupied you tried to trample on me. Since you glutted yourself in
the battle, the reed-worker shall make the reeds jump with you. You
shall be thrown onto your couch; the appearance (?) of your mother
and father who bore you shall be forgotten (?). No one shall say to
you, "Get up", no one shall have the feeling that he misses you, the
people shall not complain about your loss. In praise of the
eternally-created powers in Ninhursaja's resting place, you shall be
discarded on the dais there. They shall feed you on malt, as they do
for sheep; you shall content yourself with a portion of scattered
flour. This shall be the explanation for you."
My King turned to the marhuca stone, Ninurta the son of Enlil
pronounced its destiny. "Marhuca, ...... the string in my place,
...... you were taken, since you did not participate in the crimes
of your city, ......; you shall be the bowl under the filter-jug,
the water shall filter into you. Marhusa, you shall be used for
inlay-work, ....... You shall be the perfect ornament for sacred
brooches. Marhuca, you shall be duly praised in the temples of the
gods."
The Hero turned to the hactum stone and frowned. In the Land the
Lord addressed it angrily; Ninurta the son of Enlil pronounced its
destiny: "Hactum stone, you cried out against me in the Mountains.
You yelled fiercely with wild battle-yells. With your yelling, you
fixed a lila demon in the Mountains. Young man, because of your
digging, Ditch (hactum) shall be your name. And now, according to
the destiny of Ninurta, henceforth they shall say hactum. So be it."
My King turned to the durul stone. Ninurta son of Enlil fixed its
destiny: "Durul stone, holy garment of mourning, blinded youth whom
people carve, in the Mountains you prostrated yourself before me.
Since you said to me, "If only it had been me who broke the bars of
the gates, if only I had stood before him, before my King, Lord
Ninurta", your name shall be magnified of its own accord wherever it
is mentioned. As the connoisseur says of precious metal, "I will buy
it", so the foreign nations, like musicians playing the reed-pipe,
shall pursue you."
My King turned to the cigcig stone, he addressed the engen and
ezinum stones. For the ug-gun, the hem, the madanum, the sajgirmud,
the ...... and the mursuh stones, Ninurta son of Enlil fixed their
destiny:
2 lines unclear
"with ribs drawn in, balancing on the haunches, heart elated, legs
bent like a bear, ......: I shall come to you; now, being an ally,
you come forward from all of them; who shall extend the hand to
them? You were the club, you stood as the doorway.
3 lines unclear
In the Land, the champion shall always look (?) with favour on you."
The Hero turned to the kurgaranum stone. He addressed the bal stone;
the Lord Ninurta, son of Enlil, fixed the destiny for the yellow-coloured
cimbi (kohl): "Since you said, "I will bring forth the people",
1 line unclear
you ...... as if ...... the young man who has obtained (?) glory for
you; the young artisan shall sing your praises. You shall be
favoured for the festival of spirits of the dead; on the ninth day
of the month, at the new moon, the young men shall ...... for you."
He assigned ...... them to the cult of Ninhursaja.
The Hero had conquered the Mountains. As he moved across the desert,
he ....... Through the crowd, he came forth among their acclamations
(?), majestically he ....... Ninurta joyfully went to his beloved
barge, the Lord set foot in the boat Ma-kar-nunta-eda. The boatmen
sang a pleasant song, for the Lord they sang his praise. They
addressed an eternal greeting to Ninurta son of Enlil: "God who
outstrips the heroes, Lord Ninurta, king of the Anuna gods, holding
a cudgel in his right hand, bearded, you fall as a torrent on all
enemies; who can rival your great works? Hero, deluge, without
equal, the enki and ninki deities do not dare to resist (?) you.
Hero who pillages the cities, who subjugates the Mountains, son of
Enlil, who will rise up against you? Ninurta, Lord, son of Enlil,
Hero, who is like you?
"My King: there is a hero who is devoted to you and to your
offerings, he is as just as his reputation, he walks in your ways;
since he has brilliantly accomplished all that is proper for you in
your temple, since he has made your shrine rise from the dust for
you, let him do everything magnificently for your festival. Let him
accomplish perfectly for you your holy rites. He has formulated a
vow for his life. May he praise you in the Land. "May An's heart be
appeased for the Lord, may the maiden mother Bau shine like the
daylight for Ninurta, Enlil's strength."
They sang to the Lord in the ceremonial (?) boat. The boat, floating
of its own accord, was piled up with riches. The boat Ma-kar-nunta-eda
proceeded shiningly. To greet the Hero from the smiting of weapons,
the Anuna ...... came to meet him. They pressed their noses to the
ground, they placed their hands on their chests. They addressed a
prayer and a supplication to the Lord: "May your anger be appeased
....... Ninurta, King, Utu-ulu, lift your head to heaven".
His father Enlil blessed him: "......, pre-eminent with your great
name, you have established your habitation ....... Chest, fittingly
......, King of battle, I presented the storm of heaven to you for
use against the rebel lands. O Hero of heaven and earth I presented
to you the club, the deluge which sets the Mountains on fire. King,
ahead of your storm the way was narrow. But, Ninurta, I had
confidence in your march to the Mountains. Like a wolf (?) set free
to seize his prey, in your storm you adventured into the rebel lands
from above. The mountain that you have handed over shall not be
restored. You have caused its cities to be counted as ruin-mounds.
Its mighty rulers have lost their breath before you. A celestial
mace, a prosperous and unchanging rule, eternal life, the good
favour of Enlil, o King, and the strength of An: these shall be your
reward."
Since the Hero had killed the Asag, since the Lord had made that
pile of stones, since he had given the order "Let it be called
stone", since he had ...... the roaring dragon, since the Hero had
traced the way of the waters ...... down from above, since he had
brought them to the fertile fields, since he had made famous the
plough of abundance, since the Lord had established it in regular
furrows, since Ninurta son of Enlil had heaped up grain-piles and
granaries -- Ninurta the son of Enlil entrusted their keeping to the
care of the lady who possesses the divine powers which exist of
themselves, who is eminently worthy of praise, to Nisaba, good lady,
greatly wise, pre-eminent in the lands, her who possesses the
principal tablet with the obligations of en and lugal, endowed by
Enki on the Holy Mound with a great intelligence.
To the lady, the celestial star, made magnificently beautiful by the
prince in the abzu, to the lady of knowledge who gladdens hearts,
who alone has the gift of governing, endowed with prudence, ......,
who rules the black-headed, who possesses the tablet with all the
names (?), from whose suspended nets the birds which are caught do
not escape, whose every work accomplished meets with complete
success, to her ...... which is not unravelled, to her for whom the
days are counted according to the phases of the moon, to her who is
unassailable as if a fortress of copper ......, who is ...... in
counsels, and wise in all manner of things, ...... who cares for the
black-headed, who rules the people justly, ......, the replica of
Enlil, to the bright good lady who takes counsel with An -- to
Nisaba be praise.
Enlil's mighty Lord, Ninurta, great son of the E-kur, heroic one of
the father who bore him: it is good to praise you.