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- THE ADORATION OF INANNA OF UR
- by Enheduanna
- (Note: Please read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Me_(mythology) to understand some of her language choices here!)
- Queen of all the ME, Radiant Light,
- Life-giving Woman, beloved of An (and) Urash,
- Hierodule of An, much bejeweled,
- Who loves the life-giving tiara, fit for High Priestesshood,
- Who grasps in (her) hand, the seven ME,
- My Queen, you who are the Guardian of All the Great ME,
- You have lifted the ME, have tied the ME to Your hands,
- Have gathered the ME, pressed the ME to Your breast.
- You have filled the land with venom, like a dragon.
- Vegetation ceases, when You thunder like Ishkur,
- You who bring down the Flood from the mountain,
- Supreme One, who are the Inanna of Heaven (and) Earth,
- Who rain flaming fire over the land,
- Who have been given the me by An,
- Queen Who Rides the Beasts,
- Who at the holy command of An, utters the (divine) words,
- Who can fathom Your great rites!
- Destroyer of the Foreign Lands,
- You have given wings to the storm,
- Beloved of Enlil - You made it (the storm) blow over the land,
- You carried out the instructions of An.
- My Queen,
- the foreign lands cower at Your cry,
- In dread (and) fear of the South Wind, mankind
- Brought You their anguished clamor,
- Took before You their anguished outcry
- Opened before You wailing and weeping,
- Brought before You the "great" lamentations in the city streets.
- In the van of battle, everything was struck down before You,
- My Queen,
- You are all devouring in Your power,
- You kept on attacking like an attacking storm,
- Kept on blowing (louder) than the howling storm,
- Kept on thundering (louder) than Ishkur,
- Kept on moaning (louder) than the evil winds,
- Your feet grew not weary,
- You caused wailing to be uttered on the "lyre of lament."
- My Queen,
- [all] the Anunna, the great gods,
- Fled before You like fluttering bats,
- Could not stand before Your awesome face,
- Could not approach Your awesome forehead. Who can soothe Your angry heart!
- Your baleful heart is beyond soothing!
- Queen, Happy of "Liver," Joyful of Heart,
- (But) whose anger cannot be soothed, daughter of Sin,
- Queen, Paramount in the Land,
- Who has (ever) paid You (enough) homage!
- The mountain who kept from paying homage to You -
- vegetation became "tabu" for it,
- You burnt down its great gates,
- Its rivers ran with blood because of You,
- its people had nothing to drink,
- Its troops were led off willingly (into captivity) before You,
- Its forces disbanded themselves willingly before You,
- Its strong men paraded willingly before You,
- The amusement places of its cities were filled with turbulence,
- Its adult males were driven off as captives before You.
- Against the city that said not "Yours is the land,'
- That said not "It belongs to the father who begot you,"
- You promised Your Holy Word, turned away from it,
- Kept Your distance from its womb,
- Its woman spoke not of love with her husband,
- In the deep night she whispered not (tenderly) with him,
- Revealed not to him the "Holiness" of Her heart.
- Rampant Wild Cow, elder daughter of Sin,
- Queen, greater than An,
- who has (ever) paid You (enough) homage!
- You who in accordance with the life giving me,
- Great Queen of Queens,
- Have become greater than Your mother who gave birth to you,
- (as soon as) you came forth from the Holy Womb,
- Knowing, Wise, Queen of All the Lands,
- Who multiplies (all) living creatures (and) peoples --
- I have uttered Your Holy song.
- Life-Giving Goddess, fit for the ME,
- whose acclamation is exalted,
- Merciful, Live-Giving Woman, Radiant of Heart,
- I have uttered it before You in accordance with the ME.
- I have entered before You in my holy gipar,
- I the En, Enheduanna,
- Carrying the masab-basket, I uttered a joyous chant,
- (But now) I no longer dwell in the goodly place You established.
- Came the day, the sun scorched me
- Came the shade (of night), the South Wind overwhelmed me,
- My honey-sweet voice has become strident,
- Whatever gave me pleasure has turned into dust. Oh Sin, King of Heaven, my (bitter) fate,
- To An declare, An will deliver me,
- Pray declare it to An, he will deliver me.
- The kingship of heaven has been seized by the woman (Inanna),
- At whose feet lies the flood-land.
- That woman (Inanna) so exalted,
- who has made me tremble together the city (Ur),
- Stay Her, let Her heart be soothed by me.
- I, Enheduanna will offer supplications to Her,
- My tears, like sweet drinks.
- Will I proffer to the Holy Inanna, I will greet Her in peace,
- Let not Ashimbabbar (Sin) be troubled.
- She (Inanna) has changed altogether the rites of Holy An,
- Has seized the Eanna from An,
- Feared not the great An,
- That house (the Eanna) whose charm was irresistible,
- whose allure was unending,
- That house She has turned over to destruction,
- Her . . . that She brought there has . . .
- My Wild Cow (Inanna) assaults there its men, makes them captive.
- I, what am I among the living creatures!
- May An give over (to punishment)
- the rebellious lands that hate your (Inanna's) Nanna,
- May An split its cities asunder,
- May Enlil curse it,
- May not its tear-destined child be soothed by her mother,
- Oh, Queen who established lamentations,
- Your "boat of lamentations," has landed in an inimical land,
- There will I die, while singing the holy song.
- As for me, my Nanna watched not over me,
- I have been attacked most cruelly.
- Ashimbabbar has not spoken my verdict.
- But what matter, whether he spoke it or not!
- I, accustomed to triumph, have been driven forth from (my) house,
- Was forced to flee like the cote like a swallow, my life is devoured,
- Was made to walk among the mountain thorns,
- The life-giving tiara of En-ship was taken from me,
- Eunuchs were assigned to me -
- "These are becoming to you," it was told me.
- Dearest Queen, Beloved of An,
- Let your Holy heart, the Noble, return to me,
- Beloved wife of Ushumgalanna (Dumuzi),
- Great Queen of the Horizon and the Zenith,
- The Anunna have prostrated themselves before you.
- Although at birth You were the younger sister,
- How much greater You have become than the Anunna,
- the Great Gods!
- The Anunna kiss the ground before You.
- It is not my verdict that has been completed,
- it is a strange verdict that has been turned into my verdict,
- The fruitful bed has been abolished,
- (So that) I have not interpreted to man the commands of Ningal.
- For me, the Radiant En of Nanna,
- May your heart be soothed, You who are the Queen beloved of An.
- "You are known, You are known" -
- it is not of Nanna that I have recited it,
- it is of You that I have recited it.
- You are known by Your heaven-like height,
- You are known by Your earth-like breadth,
- You are known by Your destruction of rebel-lands,
- You are known by Your massacring (their people),
- You are known by Your devouring (their) dead like a dog,
- You are known by Your fierce countenance.
- You are known by the raising of Your fierce countenance,
- You are known by Your flashing eyes.
- You are known by Your contentiousness (and) disobedience,
- You are known by Your many triumphs" --
- It is not of Nanna that I have recited it,
- it is of You that I have recited it.
- My Queen, I have extolled You,
- who alone are exalted,
- Queen Beloved of An, I have erected your daises,
- Have heaped up the coals, have conducted the rites,
- Have set up the nuptial chamber for You,
- may Your heart be soothed for me,
- Enough, more than enough innovations,
- Great Queen, have I made for You.
- What I have recited to You in the deep night,
- The gala-singer will repeat for You in midday.
- It is because of Your captive spouse, your captive son,
- That Your wrath is so great, Your heart so unappeased.
- The foremost Queen, the prop of the assembly,
- Accepted Her prayer.
- The heart of Inanna was restored,
- The day was favorable for Her,
- She was clothed with beauty, was filled with joyous allure,
- How she carried (her) beauty -- like the rising moonlight!
- Nanna who came forth in wonder true,
- (and) her Ningal, proffered prayers to Her,
- Greeted her at the doorsill (of the Temple).
- To the hierodule whose command is noble,
- The destroyer of foreign lands, presented by An with the me,
- My Queen garbed in allure,
- O Inanna, praise!
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