Old Babylonian

“Say to Puzur-Culgi, commander of the fortress Igi-hursaja: this is what Culgi, your lord, says: Where (1 ms. has instead: when) I had built the great fortress Igi-hursaja, the ...... not come out. The ...... cannot drink water, because of a breach (?) in (?) the Tigris and Euphrates (1 ms. has instead: ...... together with the Euphrates). In order that ...... should lie down, in order that ...... should be absolutely clean, in order that ...... should be put (?) ......, 1 line missing I will make ...... change ....... After sending you back ......, I (?) instructed you ....... I (?) have built there (?) ....... They returned (?) .......”

Source: ETCSL c.3.1.10: Letter from Shulgi to Puzur-Shulgi about waterways. 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.3.1.10

“Say to Puzur-Culgi, the commander ......: this is what Culgi, your lord, says: When I had ...... the fortress Igi-hursaja, and An and Enlil had ...... supreme rule over all the foreign lands and the widespread people, the cities and the Land ......, and the people of the widespread Land lay ....... 1 line fragmentary unknown no. of lines missing They should mobilise all these cities. When the master-builder (?) has taken up the work concerned, he is to re-establish securely any place where the fortification has fallen into ruins. Let him reinforce and also rebuild it. The neglected work load is to be completed within one month; I shall be questioning him about this work.”

Source: ETCSL c.3.1.08: Letter from Shulgi to Puzur-Shulgi about work on the fortress Igi-hursanga. 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.3.1.08

“Say to my lord: this is what the merchant Ur-dun, your servant, says: My lord gave me silver and sent me to a distant land in order to purchase cedar resin. After I had entered the land and had purchased cedar resin, Apillaca, the 'Sage of the Assembly', sent men to me and they took away my goods. When I arrived at his palace gate, no one enquired about my business. Aradju, your servant, and Babati, the ...... official, had gone from Zimudar to Simurrum and had learnt ...... and their messengers ....... ...... of my lord ....... Being in a weak (?) position, I was not able to ...... their illegal seizure.”

Source: ETCSL c.3.1.11.1: Letter from Ur-dun to Shulgi about the purchase of cedar resin. 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.3.1.11.1

“Speak to my lord, the bull (1 ms. has instead: wild bull) (1 other ms. has instead: bison (?)) with sparkling eyes, who wears a lapis-lazuli beard: Repeat to my golden statue born on a favourable day, to my water buffalo reared in a holy fold, chosen in the heart of holy Inana (1 ms. has instead: of holy Inana, ...... of Suen), to my lord, the trusted one of Inana: You are fashioned like the son of An. As with the words of a god, what you say is irrevocable (1 ms. has instead: all the foreign lands cannot answer (?) your words). Your words, like rain pouring from the skies, are uncountable (1 ms. has instead: are uncheckable) (1 other ms. has instead: are uncontrollable (?)): this is what Ur-saga, your servant, says:”

Source: ETCSL c.3.3.01: Letter from Ur-saga to a king fearing the loss of his father's household: composite text. 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.3.3.01

“Say to Nanna, the firstborn son of Enlil, who loves prayers; repeat to the lord whose light spreads widely, the crown of heaven and earth, the great lord who loves to revive man; the father of the black-headed; the merciful king, who can untie and release; the merciful, compassionate god who listens to appeals: You, who are perfect in lordship and wear the legitimate headdress, the one with gleaming appearance and noble countenance, holy form endowed lavishly with beauty: your greatness covers all countries. Your fearsome radiance overwhelms the holy sky. Your great awesomeness is imbued with…”

Source: ETCSL c.3.3.22: Letter from X to the god Nanna. 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.3.3.22

“The men (?) started irrigation work (?) on the watercourses, ...... the watercourses ...... (1 ms. has instead: and dug and cleaned them out thoroughly). These bandits and brigands applied their hoes to levelling the desert completely. As for their men and their women (1 ms. adds: ...... the road (?) ......): the man among them goes wherever he pleases, the woman among them (1 ms. has instead: the woman), holding a spindle and hair clasp in her hand, goes (?) (1 ms. has instead: ......) (1 other ms. has instead: going) the way of her choice. In the vastness of the desert they set up (1 ms. has instead: they knock up) animal pens, and after setting up their tents and camps (1 ms. has instead: they lie in (?) green meadows in their (?) tents and camps), their workers and agricultural labourers spend the day together on the fields.”

Source: ETCSL c.3.1.11: Letter to Shulgi about bandits and brigands. 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.3.1.11

“Lugalbanda lies idle in the mountains, in the faraway places; he has ventured into the Zabu mountains. No mother is with him to offer advice, no father is with him to talk to him. No one is with him whom he knows, whom he values, no confidant is there to talk to him. In his heart he speaks to himself: "I shall treat the bird as befits him, I shall treat Anzud as befits him. I shall greet his wife affectionately. I shall seat Anzud's wife and Anzud's child at a banquet. An will fetch Ninguenaka for me from her mountain home -- the expert woman, who redounds to her mother's credit, Ninkasi the…”

Source: ETCSL c.1.8.2.2: Lugalbanda. 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.1.8.2.2

“When in ancient days heaven was separated from earth, when in ancient days that which was fitting ......, when after the ancient harvests ...... barley was eaten (?), when boundaries were laid out and borders were fixed, when boundary-stones were placed and inscribed with names, when dykes and canals were purified, when ...... wells were dug straight down; when the bed of the Euphrates, the plenteous river of Unug, was opened up, when ......, when ......, when holy An removed ......, when the offices of en and king were famously exercised at Unug, when the sceptre and staff of Kulaba were…”

Source: ETCSL c.1.8.2.1: Lugalbanda in the mountain cave. 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.1.8.2.1