Position in chronology
A hymn to Nergal (Nergal B)
Written in modern English
Nergal is hailed as the majestic, terrifying son of Enlil — a hero who crashes into rebel lands like a battering storm and roars over them like a surge of floodwater. Lord Meclamta-eda (another name for Nergal) radiates such dread that the hostile land finds no release from his grip; his great horn and weapons strike with devastating force. Several lines are too damaged to read, but what survives describes him as Enlil's offspring, placed and positioned in his full heroic power. He lifts his head, speaks with a commanding and resonant voice, and moves through the heavens fully conversant with the divine powers of the gods, bringing order to everything.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — scholar edition
ETCSLHero, majestic, awe-inspiring son of Enlil, battering like a storm and roaring against the rebel lands! Immense at his front, at his rear surging as a flood, after he ......, ...... this place; lord Meclamta-eda inspiring terrifying awe, his magnificent strength not releasing the hostile land, his luxuriant horn ...... in the Land, struck ...... with weapons. ......, sired by Enlil, great ......, ...... flood ......; he has placed you ......, he has positioned you in your heroic strength. Raising his head, authoritative with a ringing voice, knowing the divine powers of the gods, ...... of the Land, he travels through heaven and organises everything.
Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature — scholar edition (Oxford, Black/Cunningham/Robson/Zólyomi).
Scholarly note
Composition c.4.15.2 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.4.15.2: A hymn to Nergal (Nergal B). 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.4.15.2.
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