Sumerian·Book

Position in chronology

A hymn to Inana for Hammu-rabi (Hammu-rabi F)

~1800 BCE·Old Babylonian

Written in modern English

Inana is addressed as the lady who perfects the highest divine powers and whose greatness blazes across heaven and earth. An has granted her dominion over manliness in both realms, and without her, An and Enlil cannot reach a decision anywhere in the land. When she speaks, her word carries the full authority of An's command, and her divinity stands supreme in the throne-hall. She sits in judgment on earth alongside An, and alongside Enlil — but the tablet's surface is too damaged at several points to preserve the full text, and a number of lines break off before they can be completed.

A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.

Translation — scholar edition

ETCSL
High confidence
Lady who perfects the august divine powers, ...... his destiny grandly! O Inana, to whom An has ...... manliness in heaven and earth! Foremost among the gods, manifest, ...... his destiny! Inana, without whom An and Enlil cannot make a decision in the Land, proud one among the Anuna gods, ...... self-esteem and ......! Inana, good wild cow of the great princes, respected among ladies ......, your greatness shines forth to heaven and earth, your divine powers are ...... powers. When you speak it is the command of An, ...... named by An ....... Your divinity is pre-eminent in the throne-hall (?), your great ways are ....... With An, you give judgment on earth; with Enlil .......

Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature — scholar edition (Oxford, Black/Cunningham/Robson/Zólyomi).

Scholarly note

Composition c.2.8.2.6 in the ETCSL catalogue. Sumerian literary text reconstructed from multiple cuneiform manuscripts, the great majority Old Babylonian (c. 1900–1600 BCE). Translation reproduced from the ETCSL edition.

Attribution

Image: .
Translation excerpted from ETCSL c.2.8.2.6: A hymn to Inana for Hammu-rabi (Hammu-rabi F). Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E. & Zólyomi, G. (eds.), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.2.8.2.6.

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