Pabilsang's journey to Nibru: translation

SEGMENT A

^1-15The wild bull with brindled thighs, whose house is noble! My king, the wild bull with brindled thighs, whose house is noble! Pabilsaj, the wild bull with brindled thighs, whose house is noble! His house, the house of Larag, is noble, his house is noble! His city, a mighty city, is abundant, and his house is noble! The warrior's house is the house of Larag; Lord Pabilsaj's city is a mighty city ....... His birthplace was the shrine Nibru ....... The place where he drank good milk was the house ....... From the place, the pure place, ....... Isin, the unique house ....... The place which the bull embraces ....... Like a scorpion rising up from among the thorns, he is a fearsome scorpion; like a wolf rising up from his lair, he is likely to growl; like a lion rising up in the pathway, he is likely to beat .......

^16-21At that time, he wished to dig (?) in the meadows; the lord wished to dig (?) in the meadows. The lord Pabilsaj wished to dig (?) in the meadows; in the meadows, the meadows of Isin, my king wished to dig (?). So then my king set off for Nibru.

^22-36And as the warrior Pabilsaj set off in Enlil's direction, as he he set off, now he turned (?) in front of that house in Isin. And then my lady in Isin came out ....... At the spacious house, the house of Isin, she ...... her hair, then she ...... the hair in curls (?) ....... Its (her?) face....... She addressed Pabilsaj joyfully: "Good-looking ...... the house of Isin! Warrior Pabilsaj ...... borne to Nintud! You who are travelling from (?) Larag to ...... that house in Isin, say to your father, "May she be my spouse!" Say further to Enlil, "...... with me!" Fix your sights on it, fix your sights on it, and may you be its lord! The house of Isin ....... May you, Pabilsaj, be its lord, and may I be its lady!"
small no. of lines missing

SEGMENT B

It is possible, but less likely, that Segment B belongs after Segment D

^1-3 (Enlil speaks:) "...... and may its flax be flax! ...... and may its grain be grain! ...... may its ...... be good for eating."

^4-13And now, under that very sun and on that day, so it really happened. ...... waved their tails in the Kir-sig watercourse, waved ....... ...... established the house ....... ...... the most righteous ....... ...... the good bull-calf, the ruler ....... ...... established the house ....... ...... its flax was flax. ...... its grain was grain. ...... its ...... was good for eating.
small no. of lines missing

SEGMENT C

^1-7Nininsina ....... In the Kir-sig watercourse ...... their tails ...... Isin ....... Joyfully his son married a wife ......; joyfully lord Pabilsaj married Nininsina ....... She ...... him the digging implement for the Kir-sig watercourse. ...... their tails ...... Isin ...... for him.

^8-13Enlil stood beside the river and spoke to it. He stood beside the Kir-sig watercourse and ......: "River, may ...... your outlet be ...... for him. May you establish ...... the house here. ...... the most righteous ......, ...... great wild bull ......."
approx. 1 line missing

SEGMENT D

^1-20
3 lines unclear
But Pabilsaj would not eat (?) the bull in his mouth; nor would ...... Pabilsaj eat (?) the sheep in his mouth. He did not rub the ...... pot ....... "Don't go ...... to ......." They raised the ...... lament, and put ....... They raised lord Pabilsaj, and put ....... They set him down (?) in the city of his sister. His sister came out to him from the house.
5 lines unclear
But Pabilsaj would not eat (?) the bull in his mouth; nor would ...... Pabilsaj eat (?) the sheep in his mouth. He did not rub the ...... pot ....... "Don't go ......!"
unknown no. of lines missing

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Revision history

12.iii.1999-16.iii.1999 : JAB : translating
18.iii.1999 : JAB : minor corrections
12.viii.1999 : GZ : proofreading
12.viii.1999 : GZ : SGML tagging
27.viii.1999 : ER : proofreading SGML
27.viii.1999 : ER : converting to HTML 4.0
7.ix.2001 : ER : header and footer reformatted; substantive content of file not changed