The Great Hymn to Shamash One of the most beautiful praise hymns every written.
Emerging ...... below and gazing upwards, Utu, great physician, father of the black-headed, wearing a lapis-lazuli beard in the E-babbar! Utu, great hero, focus of the assembly, king, bison running over the mountains! Utu, bison running over the mountains!
A young wild cow ......, a young gazelle (?) caught in a trap, Utu, the son born with the city to Ningal in the E-nun-ana, a bull, a cedar fed with water thriving among cypresses, holy (?), patient-hearted, playful, radiating light, he is iridescent radiance!
Then, as my king comes forth, the heavens tremble before him and the earth shakes before him. After he has left the palace he ....... The heavens ....... May the bolt of heaven ....... The stars ...... are awe-struck. His mother ...... in the streets. She spreads her protection towards Utu. He has raised his head over the mountains; he is indeed their king!
Utu who decrees judgments for all countries, the lord, the son of Ningal, who renders decisions for all countries, the lord who is highly skilled at verdicts, the son of Enlil, highly knowledgeable and majestic Utu, the son of ...... -- Utu has placed the ...... on his head.
The lord, the son of Ningal, holds the 50 ...... in his hand and thunders over the mountains like a storm. He has lifted his head over the Land. My king Utu, you cross all the shining mountains like an eagle! He has lifted his gaze over the mountains.
Whoever has eaten good bread has also drunk good beer, in the house where the righteous man has filled the bowls with liquor -- the lord of the storehouse, the Great Mountain Enlil; the lady of the storehouse, great mother Ninlil; youthful Utu, lord of the mountain; Cerida, youthful leader of battle; the Enki and Ninki deities; Enmul and Ninmul.
1st kirugu.
Unto distant days, indeed forever, stand by the righteous man who gives you bread, O exalted one, O exalted one, O exalted one -- elalu! Unto distant days, indeed forever, stand by the most righteous of men who gives you bread, O lord of the storehouse, Great Mountain Enlil! O lady of the storehouse, great mother Ninlil! O youthful Utu, lord of the mountain! O Cerida, youthful leader of battle! O exalted one, O exalted one, O exalted one -- elalu!
May the righteous man have a long life, indeed forever! May the most righteous of men have a long life, indeed forever! Stand by him, O exalted one, O exalted one, O exalted one -- elalu!
2nd kirugu.
Auamma! -- in the house -- ulili! Alliliamma! -- in the house -- ulili! Pour out beer for him, pour out liquor for him, O minister, pour out liquor for your lord, O Nuska, pour out liquor for Enlil! Beer has now been poured out: let me give you this beer to drink. Liquor has now been poured out: let me give you this liquor to refresh yourself. O lord, eat and drink! May it be acceptable (?) to you! O Enlil, eat and drink! May it be acceptable (?) to you!
As you eat, flax comes into being, grain comes into being. As you drink, early floods come into being in the rivers. As you eat, mottled grain comes into being in the fields. Accept what the righteous man has brought to you! Accept the flour that the most righteous man has brought to you! He has paid homage to you. He says to you "Eat", he says to you "Drink".
3rd kirugu.
The beer for the bur-gia offerings has been filled to overflowing. Among the offerings of the house, at the place where the huge bowls have been stood under the heavens, where bread has been offered by pure hands, at the house where the righteous man has offered prayers, where the most righteous of men has offered prayers, where the god of the man has offered prayers, where lord Enki has offered prayers, there the righteous man has filled to overflowing the beer for the bur-gia offerings.
The righteous man, the most righteous of men, has filled them to overflowing. O lord of the storehouse, Great Mountain Enlil, he has filled them to overflowing. O lady of the storehouse, great mother Ninlil, he has filled them to overflowing. The most righteous of men has ...... the bowls with your beer. May this bronze vessel increase his long life. When Nibru had been fully built, when ...... had been ......, when the brickwork of this house had been ......, the living spouse ......, the seed of the house, the seed .......
4th kirugu.
Gaze upon him, gaze upon him! O Utu, gaze upon him, gaze upon him! O wild bull of the E-babbar, gaze upon him, gaze upon him! O bearded one, son born to Ningal, ......, gaze upon him! When you gaze upon the bulls in the cattle-pen, bulls fill the cattle-pen. When you gaze upon the sheep in the fold, sheep fill the fold. When you have gazed upon the man, .......
5th kirugu.
From the malt I will gather ...... from the small birds for you. From the grain I will gather plums (?) for you. From the ...... I will gather the ...... of the small birds (?) for you. May the lord eat this produce -- he has eaten ....... May the hero, youthful Utu, drink -- he has drunk ....... May youthful Utu ...... -- he will give it to me to eat; may he ...... -- he will give it to me to drink.
6th kirugu.
The beer ...... your seat in the brewery. Over your brewing vats ....... The good minister ...... the gala priest. The minister of the good house ....... Youthful Utu .......
7th kirugu.
When the heart ......, the precious seed ....... The holy offerings ....... Youthful Utu .......
8th kirugu.
Ulili
......! Enlil .......
2 lines missing
21 lines fragmentary
...... kirugu.
(This composition is inscribed on a tablet whose colophon specifies it as a cir-namcub of Utu)
17 lines
fragmentary
Youthful Utu ......, calf of the wild cow, calf of the
wild cow, calf of the righteous son, Utu, royal brother
of Inana! He who brings thirst to streets and paths
(?), Utu, he of the tavern, provided beer, youthful
Utu, he of the tavern, provided beer.
(Inana speaks:) "My brother, awe-inspiring lord, let me ride with you to the mountains! Lord of heaven, awe-inspiring lord, lord, let me ride with you to the mountains; to the mountains of herbs, to the mountains of cedars, to the mountains; to the mountains of cedars, the mountains of cypresses, to the mountains; to the mountains of silver, the mountains of lapis lazuli, to the mountains; to the mountains where the gakkul plants grow, to the mountains; to the distant source of the rolling rivers, to the mountains.
"My brother, come, let me ....... My brother, the midst of the sea ...... my eyes. My brother, women ....... Utu, women .......
"I am unfamiliar with womanly matters, with ....... I am unfamiliar with womanly matters, with sexual intercourse! I am unfamiliar with womanly matters, with kissing! I am unfamiliar with sexual intercourse, I am unfamiliar with kissing!
"Whatever exists in the mountains, let us eat that. Whatever exists in the hills, let us eat that. In the mountains of herbs, in the mountains of cedars, in the mountains of cedars, the mountains of cypresses, whatever exists in the mountains, let us eat that.
"After the herbs have been eaten, after the cedars have been eaten, put your hand in my hand and then escort me to my house. Escort me to my house, to my house in Zabalam. Escort me to my mother, to my mother Ningal. Escort me to my mother-in-law, to Ninsumun. Escort me to my sister-in-law, to Jectin-ana."
For those who venture forth single-handed, who venture forth from a man's house, for those who venture forth from a man's house, who venture forth single-handed, Utu: you are their mother, Utu, you are their father. Utu, as for the orphans, Utu, as for the widows, Utu: the orphans look to you as their father, Utu, you succour the widows as their mother. With you .......
( This composition is inscribed on a tablet whose colophon specifies it as a cir-namcub of Utu)