Position in chronology
A shir-namgala to Meshlamta-eda and Lugal-era for Ibbi-Suen (Ibbi-Suen B)
Written in modern English
An unknown number of lines are missing at the start, and two more are too damaged to read clearly. What survives opens with a fragment mentioning encouragement and the god Meshlamta-eda before breaking off again. The text then picks up mid-hymn: Ibbi-Suen is hailed as superlative, his power stretching to the very edges of heaven. Lugal-era receives the same praise — his power too reaches heaven's outer limits, his divine offices uniquely and masterfully formed, beyond compare. He is a sea of high waves, charged with terrifying force, a mighty god whose overwhelming presence blankets both heaven and earth.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — scholar edition
ETCSLunknown no. of lines missing 2 lines fragmentary ...... encouragement, your heart ....... Meclamta-eda, faraway ....... 4th kirugu. You of august power, my prince Ibbi-Suen! Its jisgijal. You are superlative, my master, you are superlative! Your power reaches to the outer limits of heaven. Lord Lugal-era, you are superlative, your power reaches to the outer limits of heaven. Your divine powers are artfully fashioned divine powers, incomparable divine powers! Sea with high waves, you are imbued with terrible fearsomeness! Mighty god who dwells in the Land, your great awesomeness covers heaven and earth!
Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature — scholar edition (Oxford, Black/Cunningham/Robson/Zólyomi).
Scholarly note
Composition c.2.4.5.2 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.2.4.5.2: A shir-namgala to Meshlamta-eda and Lugal-era for Ibbi-Suen (Ibbi-Suen 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.2.4.5.2.
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