Position in chronology
A tigi of Enki for Ur-Ninurta (Ur-Ninurta B)
Written in modern English
Enki holds vast and inscrutable divine powers — a ruler of broad wisdom over the Anuna gods, he casts spells, provides guidance, weighs decisions, clarifies verdicts, and dispenses counsel from dawn to dusk. He is the lord of all true words, and the text declares intent to praise him. His father An, the king who brought human seed into being and placed all of humanity on the earth, has charged Enki with guarding the divine powers of heaven and earth and has raised him to rule over them as their prince. The passage breaks off mid-line as An is named again.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — scholar edition
ETCSLLord of complex divine powers, who establishes umderstanding, whose intentions are unfathomable, who knows everything! Enki, of broad wisdom, august ruler of the Anuna, wise one who casts spells, who provides words, who attends to decisions, who clarifies verdicts, who dispenses advice from dawn to dusk! Enki, lord of all true words, I will praise you. Your father, An the king, the lord who caused human seed to come forth and who placed all mankind on the earth, has laid upon you the guarding of the divine powers of heaven and earth, and has elevated you to be their prince. An, king of the…
Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature — scholar edition (Oxford, Black/Cunningham/Robson/Zólyomi).
Scholarly note
Composition c.2.5.6.2 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
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Translation excerpted from ETCSL c.2.5.6.2: A tigi of Enki for Ur-Ninurta (Ur-Ninurta 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.2.5.6.2.
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