ETCSLtransliteration : c.4.16.1 ETCSL homepage

A hymn to Nisaba (Nisaba A)

Old Babylonian version

1. nin mul-an-gin7 gun3-a dub za-gin3 šu {du8} {(3 mss. have instead:) du7} (Cited in OB catalogue from Urim (U1), 0.2.03, line 17; OB catalogue from Urim (U2), 0.2.04, line 1)
2. dnisaba immal2 gal duraš-e tud-da
3. šeg9-bar naĝa kug-ga ga zid gu7-a
4. gi {DI} {(1 ms. has instead:) DIM} 7-e ka ba-a
5. me gal 50-e šu du7-a
6. nin-ĝu10 a2-nun-ĝal2 e2-kur-ra
7. ušumgal ezen-e dalla e3-a
8. da-ru-ru kalam-ma im-ta KA-KA dug4
9. {ki im-si ud-da} {(1 ms. has instead:) ki-ĝar a sed-de3} šag4 kuš2-u3 (da?-/ti\ X [&ḫellip;] ša?-am-ša?-X [&ḫellip;])
10. kur {i3-ḫe-nun-ta} {(3 mss. have instead:) ḫe-nun-ta} mi2 zid dug4-ga
11. ĝeštug2 ĝar kur gal-e tud-da
12. munus zid dub-sar maḫ an-na saĝ-tun3 den-lil2-la2
13. gal-zu igi-ĝal2 diĝir-re-e-ne
14. ab-sin2-na še gu mu2-mu2-de3
15. dezina2 nam-en-na u6 di-de3
16. barag gal 7-e mi2 zid di?-dam
17. gu zi-zi-dam še zi-zi-dam
18. buru14 ezen {gal} {(1 ms. has instead:) maḫ} den-lil2-la2-ke4 ([&ḫellip;]-im [&ḫellip;] X-a)
19. nam-nun gal-la-ni su nam-mi-in-su-ub
20. tug2-ba13 kug šag4-ge {nam-mi-in-mur10} {(1 ms. has instead:) nam-mi-in-la2}
21. nidba nu-ĝal2-la ĝa2-ĝa2-de3
22. ne-saĝ gal kurun2-na de2-e-de3
23. diĝir nam2-/nir\-[ra] den-lil2 ḫuĝ-e-de3
24. dku3-su3 arḫuš sud dezina2 ḫuĝ-e-de3
25. en gal mu-un-ḫuĝ-e ezen mu-un-ḫuĝ-e
26. en gal kalam-ma im-ma-ḫuĝ-e
27. ki-sikil dnisaba šudu3-de3 mu-un-gub
28. nidba sikil-la si nam-mi-in-sa2 (ni-/in\-[da-ba] el-[la-am …])
29. e2-ĜEŠTUG2.dNISABA-ke4 ĝal2 nam-mi-in-taka4 (bi-[it …])
30. dub za-gin3 dub3-ba nam-mi-in-ĝar
31. dub mul-an kug-ta šag4 im-ma-da-kuš2-u3
32. arattaki e2-za-gin3-na šu-ni-še3 mu-un-ĝar (i-na […] bi-tim [i-na] qa2-ti-ša /i\-[…])
33. ereš2ki ḫe-nun-na mu-un-du3-u3-nam (e-re-eš i-na /ṭu3\-[uḫ-di-im] i-pe-/eš15\)
34. šeg12 naĝa di4-di4-la2 ki ĝar-ra (i-na li-bi-it-/tim\ el-le-tim a-na /aš\-[ri] ta-ša-ak-ka-/an\)
35. ĝeštug2 nam-galam-ma saĝ-e-eš rig7-ga (/uz\-[…] X ru bu […])
36. abzu men gal eridugki 3 ḫal-ḫa-la
37. /nun\ [] nun ḫal-ḫa-la
38. engar gal nam-nun-na e2 ni2 gur3-ru nagar eridugki-ga
39. lugal šu-luḫ-luḫ-ḫa-ke4 en muš3 en gal-la den-ki-ke4
40. e2-engur-ra ki-tuš-a-ni (/a\-gu-ur i-na /wa\-[ša]-bi-šu)
41. abzu eridugki-ga du3-du3-a-ni (/ap\-sa3-am e-ri-du i-na e-pe-ši-i-šu)
42. ḫal-an-kug šag4 kuš2-u3-da-ni (i-na ḫa-al-la-an-ku i-na mi-it-lu-ki-šu)
43. e2 ĝištaškarin tun3 bar-ra-ni (bi-it ti-is-ka-ri-in-ni-im i-na šu-pe-/el\-ti-i-šu)
44. abgal siki bar-ra du8-a-ni (ab-gal-lum ša pe-re-et-su2 a-na wa-ar-ki-i-šu i-na wu-uš-šu-ri-im)
45. e2 ĝeštug2-ga-ke4 ĝal2 taka4-a-ni (bi-it /uz-ni-im\ i-na pe-te-e-/ša\)
46. ĝišig ĝeštug2-ga sila-ba gub-ba-ni ([da]-la-at uz-ni-[im …])
47. unu2 gal ĝišerin-a til3-la-ni ([X]-/li-iš\ ra-bi-iš […] X-li i-/na\)
48. šita ĝišĝišnimbar šu du8-a-ni
49. šita-ba tug2-ba13 sag3-sag3-a-ni
50. dnisaba um-me gal-gal-la X 7 mu-un-na-dug4
51. dnisaba munus zid munus sag9-ga munus {kur-ra} {(1 ms. has instead:) kur-re} tud-da ([&ḫellip;] X /ul\-du-u2)
52. dnisaba tur3-ra i3 ḫe2-me-en amaš-a gara2 ḫe2-me-en ([d]/nisaba\ i-na ta-ar-ba-ṣi-im /lu-u2\ ša-am-nu-um at-ti [i-na] su-pu-ri-im /lu-u2 li\-iš-/du\-um /at-ti\)
53. e2 niĝ2-gur11-ra {kišib-ĝal2} {(2 mss. have instead:) kišib-la2} ḫe2-me-en ([i-na bi]-it ma-ku-ri-im [ka]-ni-ik-ta-šu /at\-ti)
54. e2-gal-la aĝrig zid ḫe2-me-en
55. guru7-du6 guru7-maš-a guru7 gu2 gur ḫe2-me-en (/ka\-re-e ti-li [ka]-re-e ma-a-ši [ka-re]-e ki-ša-da-/ti\-šu-nu […]-ba-ri)
56. nun-e dnisaba-ra mi2 dug4-ga (ru-bu-u2 d[X] u2-ki-in […])
57. a-a den-ki za3-mi2-zu dug3-ga-am3 (/a\-bu-um […] X […])

A version of the beginning, preserved on a stone tablet from Lagaš perhaps dating to the Ur III period

1. nin mul-an gun3-a
2. dub za-gin3 šu du8
3. dnisaba gal immalx(TUR3) uraš-še3 tud-da
4. GI naĝa kug-ge ga zid gu7-a
5. gi ŠID 7-na ka ba-a
6. me gal 50 šu du7-a
7. nin-ĝu10 a2-nun-ĝal2 e2-kur-ra
8. a-ru12-ru12 kalam-ma
9. im-da KA-KA dug4

Print sources

Alster 1976, p. 119 and n. 31: commentary

Hallo 1970, p. 123-134: commentary, composite text, translation, handcopy (notes on individual sources)

Hallo 1997a: translation, commentary

Selz 1989, p. 495: commentary

Sullivan 1979, p. 97-103: score transliteration, translation (bilingual)

Thureau-Dangin 1909: score transliteration, translation, handcopy, commentary

Electronic sources

Krecher 1996: composite text

Krecher 1996a: composite text, translation

Cuneiform sources

CBS 15141

N 3041 + N 3042

NFT 171 = RA 7 107

Ni 9942 (ISET 1 140)

UET 6 66 + UET 6 71

UET 6 388 + UET 6 *6 + UET 6 *17 + UET 6 *28 bil.

UET 6 389 bil.

UET 6 *72

UET 6 *106

UET 6 *250

UET 6 *288 bil.

YBC 13523 (CRRA 17 126f.)


Revision history

01.viii.1999-07.vi.2000: JAB, editor: standardisation
10.viii.2000: GC, editor: proofreading
11.viii.2000: GC, editor: SGML tagging
08.xii.2000: ER, editor: proofreading SGML
20.x.2000: ER, editor: web publication
01.vi.2003: GC/JE, editor/technical developer: XML/TEI conversion
30.iii.2005: GC/JE, senior editor/technical developer: lemmatised version published

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