Position in chronology
A shir-namshub to Nininsina (Nininsina B)
Written in modern English
Bring the finest oils — let them be poured out for her, so she can be anointed and softened. For the beautiful one who is luxuriance herself, for Lady Ninsirsir, for Ama-ugu-kuku, for Lady Nininsina seated in wine, who bathes like a swallow and makes fire blaze in the sky — bring cedar oil and cypress oil, the aromatic beloved of the gods, cimgig oil, a further oil whose name is damaged, holy butter and fresh milk from the sacred cattle-pen, ghee from the holy herd, milk from the sheepfold, ligidba plant oil, and white cedar oil, all of them rising into the heart of heaven like burning resins. Let every one of them glisten on her skin.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — scholar edition
ETCSLSoftened with the finest oils, softened with the finest oils -- for her let the finest oils be brought! So that she can be softened with the finest oils, let flowing oil be brought for her. For my beautiful ......, who is luxuriance, for my lady Ninsirsir, Ama-ugu-kuku, for my lady sitting in wine, for Nininsina sitting in wine, to make the fire blaze in the sky; for my lady bathing like a swallow, let cedar oil and cypress oil, and cedar oil, the aromatic which is beloved of the gods, and cimgig oil, and ...... oil, and holy cow's butter and dairy cow's milk, and ghee brought from the holy cattle-pen and milk brought from (?) the sheepfold, oils wafting up into the heart of heaven like aromatic resins, and ligidba plant oil and white cedar oil -- let them all glisten on her!
Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature — scholar edition (Oxford, Black/Cunningham/Robson/Zólyomi).
Scholarly note
Composition c.4.22.2 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.4.22.2: A shir-namshub to Nininsina (Nininsina 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.4.22.2.
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