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The Exaltation of Inana: Annotated translation
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𒊩𒌆 𒈨 𒄭 𒊏 𒌓 𒈦𒄘𒃼 𒌓𒁺 𒀀
nin me šar2-ra u4 dalla_e3-a
lady me all-of day shine-that
nin me šara u dalla ea
1 – Lady of all me, resplendent daylight,
The first two words of the poem, nin and me, are both keywords that play a crucial role throughout the text. On the nature of the me, see this page. The word nin, “lady,” recurs at regular frequencies, mostly to open or close a section of the poem. Note that šar2, “all,” can also mean “countless.” One manuscript renders the line as: “lady of sweet (du10) me”; this is likely due to a graphic confusion of the two signs šar2 and du10, which look almost identical.
𒊩 𒍣 𒈨 𒉈 𒅍 𒊒 𒆠 𒉘 𒀭 𒅁 𒀀
munus zi me-lam2 gur3-ru ki-aĝ2 an uraš-a
woman true terrifying_light carry-that beloved An Urash-of
munus zi melam guru kiaĝ An Uraša
2 – righteous woman, laden with a terrifying light, loved by An and Urash,
An and Urash are the deified forms of heaven and earth, respectively. The me-lam2 is the awe-inducing halo of light that surrounds gods and other supernatural beings. Zgoll (301–302) notes that the signs munus zi, “righteous woman,” also form an archaic spelling of the word zirru, which was one of Enheduana’s titles as high priestess. The writing of the word zirru had since changed into nunuz-zi, but it is possible that the older form lingered in the background, instilling a connection between Inana and Enheduana herself.
𒉡 𒈪𒉭 𒀭 𒈾 𒊑 𒆟 𒃲 𒃲 𒆷
nu-gig an-na MUŠ3 KEŠ2 gal-gal-la
nugig An-of jewels?-bound? great-of
nugig Ana suh? keše? galgala
3 – nugig of An, she of the great jewels,?
The nugig was originally a designation for a wetnurse or midwife, often of high status and sometimes affiliated with a temple. It is used as an epithet for Inana and other goddesses, but its meaning was confused already in antiquity: for the history of the term, see Brisch. The reading of the signs MUŠ3 KEŠ2 is unclear. Zgoll, Foster, and Black et al. take it to mean “pectoral jewels,” an emblem of power worn on the breast. Attinger understands it as “bound” (keše2) “coronets” (suh10): the phrase would then mean “she to whom the great coronets are bound,” that is, “she who holds the great coronets.”
𒂇 𒍣 𒉈 𒆠 𒉘 𒉆 𒂗 𒈾 𒁺 𒈠
aga zi-de3 ki-aĝ2 nam-en-na tum2-ma
crown righteous loves en-ship suitable_for-that
aga zide kiaĝ namena tuma
4 – she who loves the righteous crown, who is suitable for en-ship,
The en-ship can refer to the position of either a political ruler or a high priestess—en can mean both. The second part of the line is here taken to describe Inana, but it could also describe the crown, as in: “She who loves the righteous crown that befits the high priestess.” The ambiguity may be intentional, again implying a connection between Inana and Enheduana herself, who was the en of Nanna.
𒈨 𒅓 𒁉 𒋗 𒁲 𒅗 𒂵
me imin-bi šu_sa2_du11-ga
me seven-its take-that
me iminbi šu sa duga
5 – who has taken hold of its seven me!
“Its” may refer back to en–ship; alternatively, it can be read as “their” (of the gods) or just “these.” The number “seven” is not necessarily to be taken literally: it hints at Inana’s many me (which, as noted in l. 1, are innumerable), but also signposts the poetic structure of the following section, which consists of stanzas of seven lines, introduced by the phrase nin-ĝu10, “my lady.” Note that the emphasis of the line is on Inana taking her divine powers herself—the agency is clearly hers—perhaps recalling the story Inana and Enki, which tells of how she tricked Enki into giving her the me.
𒊩𒌆 𒈬 𒈨 𒃲 𒃲 𒆷 𒊕 𒆟 𒁉 𒍝 𒂊 𒈨 𒂗
nin-ĝu10 me gal-gal-la saĝ-keše2-bi za-e-me-en
lady-my me great-of guardian-their you-are
ninĝu me galgala saĝkešebi zaemen
6 – My lady! Of the great me, you are their guardian:
This is the first appearance of the phrase nin-ĝu10, “my lady,” which in this section introduces a new stanza.
𒈨 𒈬 𒂊 𒅍 𒈨 𒋗 𒍪 𒂠 𒈬 𒂊 𒇲
me mu-e-il2 me šu-zu-še3 mu-e-la2
me lift me hand-your-to hang
me mueil me šuzuše me muela
7 – You have lifted the me, you have hung the me from your hand,
Here as elsewhere, the me are depicted as physical objects, hanging from Inana’s hand perhaps like beads on a string.
𒈨 𒈬 𒂊 𒌴 𒈨 𒃮 𒍝 𒉈 𒋰
me mu-e-ur4 me gaba-za bi2-tab
me gather me breast-your-at clutch
me mueur me gabaza me bitab
8 – You have gathered the me, you have clutched the me to your breast.
This heavily patterned couplet (me–verb–me–body part–verb) is also structured by a heavy alliteration on m-, with all but the last verb beginning with mu-.
𒃲𒁔 𒁶 𒆳 𒊏 𒅜 𒁀 𒂊 𒋧
ušumgal-gin7 kur-ra uš11 ba-e-šum2
ušumgal–like mountain-upon venom give
ušumgalgin kura uš baešum
9 – Like an ušumgal, you have deposited venom on the foreign land,
The ušumgal, often translated “basilisk” or “dragon,” is a giant horned serpent with fangs and (evidently) a venomous spit. A relief depicting a similar creature, the mušhuššu, gives us an idea of what they were thought to look like. Note also that the word kur can mean “mountain,” “foreign land,” “enemy,” and just “land.” These multiple meanings are in play throughout the poem.
𒀭 𒅎 𒁶 𒆠 𒅲 𒄄 𒀀 𒍝 𒀭 𒊺𒊺𒉪 𒆷 𒁀 𒂊 𒅆 𒅅
diškur-gin7 ki še27_gi4-a-za dašnan la-ba-e-ši-ĝal2
Ishkur-like place shout-that-your-in Ashnan not-exist
Iškurgin ki še giaza Ašnan labašiĝal
10 – like Ishkur, where you shout, Ashnan disappears before you.
Ishkur is the god of storms and Ashnan the goddess of grain. The line thus compares Inana’s howl to a storm that flattens the farmland, by either bending the grain stalks or wrenching them from the ground.
𒀀 𒈠 𒊒 𒆳 𒁉 𒋫 𒇯𒁺 𒉈
a-ma-ru kur-bi-ta e11-de3
flood mountain-its-from stream
amaru kurbita ede
11 – Flood that streams down from these mountains,
Since kur can also mean “foreign land,” the line may refer to Inana as a destructive force descending upon the enemy, but the preposition -ta, “from,” makes it more likely that mountains are meant.
𒊕 𒆗 𒀭 𒆠 𒀀 𒀭 𒈹 𒁉 𒈨 𒂗
saĝ-kal an ki-a dinana-bi-me-en
foremost heaven earth-on Inana-their-are
saĝkal an kia Inanabimen
12 – supreme in heaven and earth: you are their Inana.
The ending of the line is striking, especially since Inana is almost never referred to by name in this poem. Various interpretations are possible. The word Inana could also mean “goddess” in general, leading to translations such as “you are their goddess,” or, in Foster, “you are their warrior goddess.” According to Attinger, the line is an attempt to explain Inana’s name. In- can be taken as a shortened form of nin, “lady” and An-a means “of heaven.” The line could thus be read: “leader of heaven and earth: this lady-of-heaven (Inana) is you.”
𒉈 𒉈 𒉈 𒊏 𒌦 𒂊 𒀀𒀭 𒂷
izi bar7-bar7-ra kalam-e šeĝ3-ĝa2
fire blaze-that land-upon rain-that
izi barbara kalame šeĝa
13 – Blazing fire raining on the land!
In this section, every seventh line begins with nin-ĝu10, “my lady,” except this line, where the expected phrase is replaced by another kind of repetition: the threefold repetition of the cuneiform sign ne.
𒀭 𒉌 𒈨 𒋧 𒈠 𒊩𒌆 𒌨 𒊏 𒄷𒋛 𒀀
an-ne2 me šum2-ma nin ur-ra u5-a
An me give-that lady beast-on ride-that
Ane me šuma nin ura ua
14 – She to whom An gave the me, lady riding on lions,
Here, in l. 128 below, and in l. 23 of the Hymn, the word ur, which generally means “beast” or “dog,” seems to refer to lions, which is the animal most often associated with Inana. Note also the play on sounds at the end of the line: ura ua.
𒅗 𒆬 𒀭 𒈾 𒋫 𒅗 𒅗 𒅗
inim ku3 an-na-ta inim du11-du11
word pure An-of-from word speak
inim ku Anata inim dudu
15 – who, by the holy order of An, gives orders.
The syntactical structure of the line is difficult—see the discussion in Attinger—but however one understands the grammar, it must refer to An empowering Inana to give orders. As in l. 13, the same cuneiform sign, here ka, is used three times in a row, representing different sounds.
𒉺𒀭 𒃲 𒃲 𒆷 𒃻 𒍪 𒀀 𒁀 𒀀 𒈬 𒌦 𒍪
biluda gal-gal-la niĝ2-zu a-ba-a mu-un-zu
rites great-of thing-your who know
biluda galgala niĝzu aba munzu
16 – Who can understand the great rites that are your possession?
Much as with the me, the “rites” mentioned in this line are best understood as activities that must be performed over and over again to keep the cosmos aright: other possible translations of biluda include “duties” and “ordinances.” The line thus makes the point that Inana plays a crucial, but unfathomable role in maintaining the world order—including the destruction of enemy lands. Note also the play on the syllable zu, which means first “your” and then “to know” (another play on the same syllable comes in l. 27).
𒆳 𒄢 𒄢 𒌓 𒉈 𒀉 𒁀 𒂊 𒋧
kur gul-gul u4-de3 a2 ba-e-šum2
mountain destroy storm-to strength give
kur gulgul ude a baešum
17 – Destroyer of mountains, you give force to the storm.
This couplet is tightly constructed. In the previous line, the second word was gal-gal, “great”; here, it is gul-gul, “to destroy.” In the previous line, the second-to-last word was aba,“who”; here, that same sound is split into two words, a2, “force,” and the prefix ba– in “you give.” Note that the description of Inana as “destroyer of mountains” alludes to the myth of Inana and Ebih.
𒆠 𒉘 𒀭 𒂗 𒆤 𒇲 𒌦 𒈠 𒉎 𒈪 𒅔 𒊑
ki-aĝ2 den-lil2-la2 kalam-ma ni2 mi-in-ri
beloved Enlil-of land-in fear impose
kiaĝ Enlila kalama ni minri
18 – Beloved by Enlil, you impose fear on the land.
Beside “impose,” ri can also mean “to inject” or “to pour.”
𒀉 𒉘 𒂷 𒀭 𒈾 𒆤 𒁀 𒁺 𒁉 𒂗
a2-aĝ2-ĝa2 an-na-ke4 ba-gub-be2-en
command An-of-at stand
aĝa Anake baguben
19 – At the command of Enlil, you stand ready.
Note the symmetry with the previous line: both begin with the sequence word-deity-of, and both have aĝ2as their second sign.
𒊩𒌆 𒈬 𒍝 𒉺 𒉘 𒍪 𒂠 𒆳 𒉌 𒃵𒃵 𒂊
nin-ĝu10 za-pa-aĝ2-zu-še3 kur i3-gigurum-e
lady-my scream-your-at mountain bends
ninĝu zapaĝzuše kur igigurume
20 – My lady! The enemy land bends at your battle cry.
A new section is introduced by the repetition of nin-ĝu10.
𒉎 𒈨 𒉈 𒍇 𒇻 𒁕 𒉆 𒇽 𒍇 𒇻
ni2 me-lam2 u18-lu-da nam-lu2-u18-lu
fear terrifying_light storm-from humanity
ni melam uluda namlu-ulu
21 – When humanity, (fleeing) from fear, terrifying light, and storms
Note the play on u18-lu, which means “storm,” but which also forms part of the word “humanity.” The u18-lu is in some texts identified as the south wind, which in southern Iraq was a sandstorm blowing in from the Arabian desert.
𒃻 𒈨 𒃻 𒄊 𒁉 𒅇 𒈬 𒊑 𒁺
niĝ2-me-ĝar ĝiri3-bi u3-mu-re-gub
silence feet-their foot-their walk
niĝmeĝar ĝiribi umuregub
22 – stood before you in silence,
This is the third line in a row to start with the sound ni; note also the similarity with the previous line: ni-me vs. niĝme. The expression ĝiri_gub, “to walk the foot,” is unclear: it might mean “to walk” or “to stand in attendance.” This translation follows Attinger in taking the movement in the previous line as implicit, resulting in humanity standing before Inana in this line, while Zgoll takes the couplet as describing one action: “When humanity directed its step to you in silence, through fear, terrifying light, and storms…”
𒈨 𒋫 𒈨 𒄭𒄊 𒁉 𒋗 𒁀 𒂊 𒊑 𒋾
me-ta me-huš-bi šu_ba-e-re-ti
me-from me-horrific-their take
meta mehušbi šu baereti
23 – you took the most terrifying of the me:
That is, Inana takes the most horrific of the cosmic duties upon herself. The sound me has been lurking in the background, as the second syllable of the previous two lines; here it is brought forth and emphasized.
𒄿 𒁾 𒀀𒅆 𒊏 𒆤
…
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Sumer Sanskrit Translated andtoo Google Universalees
| Albert Godswind <godswindalbert@gmail.com> | 4:05 PM (1 minute ago) |
to needhambankorg, dingirfirm@gmail.com  |
The Exaltation of Inana: Annotated translation
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𒊩𒌆 𒈨 𒄭 𒊏 𒌓 𒈦𒄘𒃼 𒌓𒁺 𒀀
nin me šar2-ra u4 dalla_e3-a
lady me all-of day shine-that
nin me šara u dalla ea
1 – Lady of all me, resplendent daylight,
The first two words of the poem, nin and me, are both keywords that play a crucial role throughout the text. On the nature of the me, see this page. The word nin, “lady,” recurs at regular frequencies, mostly to open or close a section of the poem. Note that šar2, “all,” can also mean “countless.” One manuscript renders the line as: “lady of sweet (du10) me”; this is likely due to a graphic confusion of the two signs šar2 and du10, which look almost identical.
𒊩 𒍣 𒈨 𒉈 𒅍 𒊒 𒆠 𒉘 𒀭 𒅁 𒀀
munus zi me-lam2 gur3-ru ki-aĝ2 an uraš-a
woman true terrifying_light carry-that beloved An Urash-of
munus zi melam guru kiaĝ An Uraša
2 – righteous woman, laden with a terrifying light, loved by An and Urash,
An and Urash are the deified forms of heaven and earth, respectively. The me-lam2 is the awe-inducing halo of light that surrounds gods and other supernatural beings. Zgoll (301–302) notes that the signs munus zi, “righteous woman,” also form an archaic spelling of the word zirru, which was one of Enheduana’s titles as high priestess. The writing of the word zirruhad since changed into nunuz-zi, but it is possible that the older form lingered in the background, instilling a connection between Inana and Enheduana herself.
𒉡 𒈪𒉭 𒀭 𒈾 𒊑 𒆟 𒃲 𒃲 𒆷
nu-gig an-na MUŠ3 KEŠ2 gal-gal-la
nugig An-of jewels?-bound? great-of
nugig Ana suh? keše? galgala
3 – nugig of An, she of the great jewels,?
The nugig was originally a designation for a wetnurse or midwife, often of high status and sometimes affiliated with a temple. It is used as an epithet for Inana and other goddesses, but its meaning was confused already in antiquity: for the history of the term, see Brisch. The reading of the signs MUŠ3 KEŠ2 is unclear. Zgoll, Foster, and Black et al. take it to mean “pectoral jewels,” an emblem of power worn on the breast. Attinger understands it as “bound” (keše2) “coronets” (suh10): the phrase would then mean “she to whom the great coronets are bound,” that is, “she who holds the great coronets.”
𒂇 𒍣 𒉈 𒆠 𒉘 𒉆 𒂗 𒈾 𒁺 𒈠
aga zi-de3 ki-aĝ2 nam-en-na tum2-ma
crown righteous loves en-ship suitable_for-that
aga zide kiaĝ namena tuma
4 – she who loves the righteous crown, who is suitable for en-ship,
The en-ship can refer to the position of either a political ruler or a high priestess—en can mean both. The second part of the line is here taken to describe Inana, but it could also describe the crown, as in: “She who loves the righteous crown that befits the high priestess.” The ambiguity may be intentional, again implying a connection between Inana and Enheduana herself, who was the en of Nanna.
𒈨 𒅓 𒁉 𒋗 𒁲 𒅗 𒂵
me imin-bi šu_sa2_du11-ga
me seven-its take-that
me iminbi šu sa duga
5 – who has taken hold of its seven me!
“Its” may refer back to en–ship; alternatively, it can be read as “their” (of the gods) or just “these.” The number “seven” is not necessarily to be taken literally: it hints at Inana’s many me (which, as noted in l. 1, are innumerable), but also signposts the poetic structure of the following section, which consists of stanzas of seven lines, introduced by the phrase nin-ĝu10, “my lady.” Note that the emphasis of the line is on Inana taking her divine powers herself—the agency is clearly hers—perhaps recalling the story Inana and Enki, which tells of how she tricked Enki into giving her the me.
𒊩𒌆 𒈬 𒈨 𒃲 𒃲 𒆷 𒊕 𒆟 𒁉 𒍝 𒂊 𒈨 𒂗
nin-ĝu10 me gal-gal-la saĝ-keše2-bi za-e-me-en
lady-my me great-of guardian-their you-are
ninĝu me galgala saĝkešebi zaemen
6 – My lady! Of the great me, you are their guardian:
This is the first appearance of the phrase nin-ĝu10, “my lady,” which in this section introduces a new stanza.
𒈨 𒈬 𒂊 𒅍 𒈨 𒋗 𒍪 𒂠 𒈬 𒂊 𒇲
me mu-e-il2 me šu-zu-še3 mu-e-la2
me lift me hand-your-to hang
me mueil me šuzuše me muela
7 – You have lifted the me, you have hung the me from your hand,
Here as elsewhere, the me are depicted as physical objects, hanging from Inana’s hand perhaps like beads on a string.
𒈨 𒈬 𒂊 𒌴 𒈨 𒃮 𒍝 𒉈 𒋰
me mu-e-ur4 me gaba-za bi2-tab
me gather me breast-your-at clutch
me mueur me gabaza me bitab
8 – You have gathered the me, you have clutched the me to your breast.
This heavily patterned couplet (me–verb–me–body part–verb) is also structured by a heavy alliteration on m-, with all but the last verb beginning with mu-.
𒃲𒁔 𒁶 𒆳 𒊏 𒅜 𒁀 𒂊 𒋧
ušumgal-gin7 kur-ra uš11 ba-e-šum2
ušumgal–like mountain-upon venom give
ušumgalgin kura uš baešum
9 – Like an ušumgal, you have deposited venom on the foreign land,
The ušumgal, often translated “basilisk” or “dragon,” is a giant horned serpent with fangs and (evidently) a venomous spit. A relief depicting a similar creature, the mušhuššu, gives us an idea of what they were thought to look like. Note also that the word kur can mean “mountain,” “foreign land,” “enemy,” and just “land.” These multiple meanings are in play throughout the poem.
𒀭 𒅎 𒁶 𒆠 𒅲 𒄄 𒀀 𒍝 𒀭 𒊺𒊺𒉪 𒆷 𒁀 𒂊 𒅆 𒅅
diškur-gin7 ki še27_gi4-a-za dašnan la-ba-e-ši-ĝal2
Ishkur-like place shout-that-your-in Ashnan not-exist
Iškurgin ki še giaza Ašnan labašiĝal
10 – like Ishkur, where you shout, Ashnan disappears before you.
Ishkur is the god of storms and Ashnan the goddess of grain. The line thus compares Inana’s howl to a storm that flattens the farmland, by either bending the grain stalks or wrenching them from the ground.
𒀀 𒈠 𒊒 𒆳 𒁉 𒋫 𒇯𒁺 𒉈
a-ma-ru kur-bi-ta e11-de3
flood mountain-its-from stream
amaru kurbita ede
11 – Flood that streams down from these mountains,
Since kur can also mean “foreign land,” the line may refer to Inana as a destructive force descending upon the enemy, but the preposition -ta, “from,” makes it more likely that mountains are meant.
𒊕 𒆗 𒀭 𒆠 𒀀 𒀭 𒈹 𒁉 𒈨 𒂗
saĝ-kal an ki-a dinana-bi-me-en
foremost heaven earth-on Inana-their-are
saĝkal an kia Inanabimen
12 – supreme in heaven and earth: you are their Inana.
The ending of the line is striking, especially since Inana is almost never referred to by name in this poem. Various interpretations are possible. The word Inana could also mean “goddess” in general, leading to translations such as “you are their goddess,” or, in Foster, “you are their warrior goddess.” According to Attinger, the line is an attempt to explain Inana’s name. In- can be taken as a shortened form of nin, “lady” and An-a means “of heaven.” The line could thus be read: “leader of heaven and earth: this lady-of-heaven (Inana) is you.”
𒉈 𒉈 𒉈 𒊏 𒌦 𒂊 𒀀𒀭 𒂷
izi bar7-bar7-ra kalam-e šeĝ3-ĝa2
fire blaze-that land-upon rain-that
izi barbara kalame šeĝa
13 – Blazing fire raining on the land!
In this section, every seventh line begins with nin-ĝu10, “my lady,” except this line, where the expected phrase is replaced by another kind of repetition: the threefold repetition of the cuneiform sign ne.
𒀭 𒉌 𒈨 𒋧 𒈠 𒊩𒌆 𒌨 𒊏 𒄷𒋛 𒀀
an-ne2 me šum2-ma nin ur-ra u5-a
An me give-that lady beast-on ride-that
Ane me šuma nin ura ua
14 – She to whom An gave the me, lady riding on lions,
Here, in l. 128 below, and in l. 23 of the Hymn, the word ur, which generally means “beast” or “dog,” seems to refer to lions, which is the animal most often associated with Inana. Note also the play on sounds at the end of the line: ura ua.
𒅗 𒆬 𒀭 𒈾 𒋫 𒅗 𒅗 𒅗
inim ku3 an-na-ta inim du11-du11
word pure An-of-from word speak
inim ku Anata inim dudu
15 – who, by the holy order of An, gives orders.
The syntactical structure of the line is difficult—see the discussion in Attinger—but however one understands the grammar, it must refer to An empowering Inana to give orders. As in l. 13, the same cuneiform sign, here ka, is used three times in a row, representing different sounds.
𒉺𒀭 𒃲 𒃲 𒆷 𒃻 𒍪 𒀀 𒁀 𒀀 𒈬 𒌦 𒍪
biluda gal-gal-la niĝ2-zu a-ba-a mu-un-zu
rites great-of thing-your who know
biluda galgala niĝzu aba munzu
16 – Who can understand the great rites that are your possession?
Much as with the me, the “rites” mentioned in this line are best understood as activities that must be performed over and over again to keep the cosmos aright: other possible translations of biluda include “duties” and “ordinances.” The line thus makes the point that Inana plays a crucial, but unfathomable role in maintaining the world order—including the destruction of enemy lands. Note also the play on the syllable zu, which means first “your” and then “to know” (another play on the same syllable comes in l. 27).
𒆳 𒄢 𒄢 𒌓 𒉈 𒀉 𒁀 𒂊 𒋧
kur gul-gul u4-de3 a2 ba-e-šum2
mountain destroy storm-to strength give
kur gulgul ude a baešum
17 – Destroyer of mountains, you give force to the storm.
This couplet is tightly constructed. In the previous line, the second word was gal-gal, “great”; here, it is gul-gul, “to destroy.” In the previous line, the second-to-last word was aba,“who”; here, that same sound is split into two words, a2, “force,” and the prefix ba– in “you give.” Note that the description of Inana as “destroyer of mountains” alludes to the myth of Inana and Ebih.
𒆠 𒉘 𒀭 𒂗 𒆤 𒇲 𒌦 𒈠 𒉎 𒈪 𒅔 𒊑
ki-aĝ2 den-lil2-la2 kalam-ma ni2 mi-in-ri
beloved Enlil-of land-in fear impose
kiaĝ Enlila kalama ni minri
18 – Beloved by Enlil, you impose fear on the land.
Beside “impose,” ri can also mean “to inject” or “to pour.”
𒀉 𒉘 𒂷 𒀭 𒈾 𒆤 𒁀 𒁺 𒁉 𒂗
a2-aĝ2-ĝa2 an-na-ke4 ba-gub-be2-en
command An-of-at stand
aĝa Anake baguben
19 – At the command of Enlil, you stand ready.
Note the symmetry with the previous line: both begin with the sequence word-deity-of, and both have aĝ2as their second sign.
𒊩𒌆 𒈬 𒍝 𒉺 𒉘 𒍪 𒂠 𒆳 𒉌 𒃵𒃵 𒂊
nin-ĝu10 za-pa-aĝ2-zu-še3 kur i3-gigurum-e
lady-my scream-your-at mountain bends
ninĝu zapaĝzuše kur igigurume
20 – My lady! The enemy land bends at your battle cry.
A new section is introduced by the repetition of nin-ĝu10.
𒉎 𒈨 𒉈 𒍇 𒇻 𒁕 𒉆 𒇽 𒍇 𒇻
ni2 me-lam2 u18-lu-da nam-lu2-u18-lu
fear terrifying_light storm-from humanity
ni melam uluda namlu-ulu
21 – When humanity, (fleeing) from fear, terrifying light, and storms
Note the play on u18-lu, which means “storm,” but which also forms part of the word “humanity.” The u18-lu is in some texts identified as the south wind, which in southern Iraq was a sandstorm blowing in from the Arabian desert.
𒃻 𒈨 𒃻 𒄊 𒁉 𒅇 𒈬 𒊑 𒁺
niĝ2-me-ĝar ĝiri3-bi u3-mu-re-gub
silence feet-their foot-their walk
niĝmeĝar ĝiribi umuregub
22 – stood before you in silence,
This is the third line in a row to start with the sound ni; note also the similarity with the previous line: ni-me vs. niĝme. The expression ĝiri_gub, “to walk the foot,” is unclear: it might mean “to walk” or “to stand in attendance.” This translation follows Attinger in taking the movement in the previous line as implicit, resulting in humanity standing before Inana in this line, while Zgoll takes the couplet as describing one action: “When humanity directed its step to you in silence, through fear, terrifying light, and storms…”
𒈨 𒋫 𒈨 𒄭𒄊 𒁉 𒋗 𒁀 𒂊 𒊑 𒋾
me-ta me-huš-bi šu_ba-e-re-ti
me-from me-horrific-their take
meta mehušbi šu baereti
23 – you took the most terrifying of the me:
That is, Inana takes the most horrific of the cosmic duties upon herself. The sound me has been lurking in the background, as the second syllable of the previous two lines; here it is brought forth and emphasized.
𒄿 𒁾 𒀀𒅆 𒊏 𒆤
…
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