A praise poem of Shulgi (Shulgi C): translation

SEGMENT A

^1-17I am the king, a wild bull of acknowledged strength, a lion with wide-open jaws! I am Culgi, a wild bull of acknowledged strength, a lion with wide-open jaws! I am a great storm let loose from heaven, sending its splendour far and wide! I am good stock, with brindled body, engendered by a breed-bull! I am a king born from a cow, resting amid butter and milk! I am the calf of a thick-necked white cow, reared in the cow-pen! Dressed in a ...... royal robe and holding out a sceptre, I am perfect for ....... I am also the good shepherd who takes joy in justice, the scourge and stick of all evil! Strength of lions, hero of battle -- I have no rivals! Handsome of limb, ferocious lion, I am perfection in warfare! Grasping a lapis-lazuli mace and a battle-axe, with long fingers I sharpen a tin knife to untie knots. In the turbulent affray of battle, in the conflict, I shoot out my tongue, a muchuc darting out its tongue at the foreign lands, a dragon raging (?) at men.

^18-20I am a hero! Let them appropriately acknowledge my fame! I am a shepherd! Let them repeatedly bless me in prayer according to the heavenly stars! Let them tell in song a perfect recital of all my praiseworthy deeds!

^21-31Since I first arose in human form, a bull-calf born in a year of plenty and announced at a time of prosperity, nourished on good milk, my head was refulgent with the crown. As I rose over my city like Utu, suspended in its midst, I filled the E-temen-ni-guru, founded with divine powers, with princely cornelian. I touched it and made it perfect with royal hand-washing rituals. I cleansed myself in water of purification from Eridug. Its seven wisdoms attended upon me, and they were not negligent of me, the radiant heart dressed in a robe.

^32-34I am a hero! Let them appropriately acknowledge my fame! I am a shepherd! Let them repeatedly bless me in prayer according to the heavenly stars! Let them tell in song a perfect recital of all my praiseworthy deeds!

^35-49In the house of wise knowledge of the Land, I, Culgi, king of Sumer, set a good example. My hand guides the holy reed stylus correctly.
4 lines unclear
...... the fields in the holy ...... and the holy agricultural land with a lapis-lazuli measuring line, bringing in plentiful harvests, ...... top-quality flax, top-quality barley. I am greatly expert in assigning work with the pickaxe and the brick-mould, in drawing plans, in laying foundations, and in writing cuneiform inscriptions on pedestals; I can make things absolutely clear on tablets of lapis lazuli. I also have a solidly based knowledge of the intelligent implementation of the counting, accounting and planning of the Land.

^50-52I am a hero! Let them appropriately acknowledge my fame! I am a shepherd! Let them repeatedly bless me in prayer according to the heavenly stars! Let them tell in song a perfect recital of all my praiseworthy deeds!

^53-75I am fair of mouth with well-formed lips. My heart .......
1 line fragmentary
I also have a solidly based knowledge of ....... In my assembly where grand deliberation takes place, where the black-headed are gathered together, a minister ...... message from the foreign lands. Eloquent in the assembly and refined, he
2 lines fragmentary
He roared like a bull.
12 lines missing or fragmentary

^76-81I am a shepherd who, apart from being one who always makes the right decisions on what he has sworn, is also fully able to re-establish ...... in the Land and to ...... forcefully the house of the rebel lands; who grasps hold of the righteous as if they were great bulls, and who darts (?) out his tongue at the wicked like a ...... snake. I never frighten the just, and I never ...... the evil.

^82-84I am a hero! Let them appropriately acknowledge my fame! I am a shepherd! Let them repeatedly bless me in prayer according to the heavenly stars! Let them tell in song a perfect recital of all my praiseworthy deeds!

^85-111I am the leader living in Sumer! I am engaged in carrying out the planning! When I stand against the cities and territories of the hostile rebel lands, my battle is a hurricane that cannot be overwhelmed. When I surround their contingents from the south and cut the people off,
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In the great palace, where I take decisions, when I ...... a pure lamb, on the right ...... favourable ......, as I ...... on my great throne. In my well-established dwelling, I can tell whether to strike with weapons or not to strike with weapons. Since from birth I am also a Nintud (creator deity) , wise in all matters, I can recognise the omens of that extispicy in a pure place. I keep a look-out that ....... I am a lord ......, as I range about in my anger. I also have a solidly based knowledge of ....... My vision enables me to be the dream-interpreter of the Land; my heart enables me to be the Ictaran (god of justice) of the foreign lands. I am Culgi, good shepherd of Sumer. Like my brother and friend Gilgamec, I can recognise the virtuous and I can recognise the wicked. The virtuous gets justice in my presence, and the wicked and evil person will be carried off by ....... Who like me is able to interpret what is spoken in the heart or is articulated on the tongue?

^112-114I am a hero! Let them appropriately acknowledge my fame! I am a shepherd! Let them repeatedly bless me in prayer according to the heavenly stars! Let them tell in song a perfect recital of all my praiseworthy deeds!

^115-142Since I am also wise and highly intelligent,
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Also I know Amorite as well as I do Sumerian. ...... mountain people walking in the hills ......, they greet me and I reply to them in Amorite. Also I know the Elamite language as well as I do Sumerian. ...... in Elam ......, they greet me and I reply in Elamite.
4 lines missing or fragmentary
In wrestling and athletics I am ....... I am the shepherd who with nimbly gripping fingers ....... Who can resist me, on the exercise ground as well as in battle? The greatest heroes of the Land, the notable strong men and athletes from the foreign lands, the ...... of Sumer, the totality of combatants, ...... at my wrists.
1 line unclear
I am powerful in athletics, and I am strong ...... in wrestling. I am Culgi, the good shepherd of Sumer, and no one can equal me!

^143-145 I am a hero! Let them appropriately acknowledge my fame! I am a shepherd! Let them repeatedly bless me in prayer according to the heavenly stars! Let them tell in song a perfect recital of all my praiseworthy deeds!

¹⁴⁶ I am a runner who is successful in his aspirations.
unknown no. of lines missing

SEGMENT B

^1-16Lion, feline ......
5 lines fragmentary or unclear
May its glory cover the cities, and its battle-cry smother the foreign lands! May the people be terrified at its roaring, as at a storm in the heavens! I am Culgi, the good shepherd of Sumer! May he bring me the muscles of a lion, the sinews of a lion! May he receive (?) my spear!
3 lines unclear
The black-headed will look on in amazement, and ...... in my city.

^17-19I am a hero! Let them appropriately acknowledge my fame! I am a shepherd! Let them repeatedly bless me in prayer according to the heavenly stars! Let them tell in song a perfect recital of all my praiseworthy deeds!

^20-71Where I stand, I destroy foreign lands; where I sit, I plunder cities. At my command, ....... Where my weapons strike, .......
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Their bricks are dug up from the footings ....... The city which I smash shall not be restored; the houses which I destroy shall be counted as ruin mounds; the walls proudly rising to heaven shall not open .......
1 line unclear
...... I have been given great strength.
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...... arrows of my quiver ...... a flying bird. As if ......; ...... like a wild bull in a meadow. My spear goes straight. My great emblems are raised at the edge of the mountains. When day breaks and Utu comes forth and looks upon the hills, I shall marvel at them.
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...... may they be terrified, and may his troops be frightened.
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Since I am a king who puts the Land on track,
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Night falls,
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The rebel lands ....... They are scattered by force, like sheep that have no shepherd.
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May concord be promoted in the Land. May my attack cause them to collapse, like a wild bull going to its resting place.
1 line unclear
May the numerous people in their well-established dwelling be avenged.

^72-74I am a hero! Let them appropriately acknowledge my fame! I am a shepherd! Let them repeatedly bless me in prayer according to the heavenly stars! Let them tell in song a perfect recital of all my praiseworthy deeds!

^75-101Since I am also pleasure-loving and a devotee of singing, I can perform tigi, adab and great malgatum compositions. When fixing the frets of the great lutes, I know how to raise and lower them. I am adept enough to play perfectly all the seven instruments. ...... balbale on the flute; ...... their divergent strings; ...... the sa-ec instrument ......
4 lines missing, fragmentary or unclear
a performing musician ......
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I also have a solidly based knowledge of ....... ...... praying in a melodious voice, capering joyfully to the sound of the holy balaj drum
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...... in song, for my sister Jectin-ana, my own mother Ninsumun ...... in wisdom ......
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^102-110
4 lines fragmentary
in the ...... of Enlil, Ninlil and Nintud, ...... Nanna and Ninurta, in the ...... of holy Inana
2 lines fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing

SEGMENT C

^1-14 9 lines fragmentary
To my brother and friend Gilgamec
4 lines fragmentary
unknown no. of lines missing

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Revision history

11.viii.1998-20.i.1999 : JAB : adapting translation
28.vii.2000 : GZ : proofreading
31.vii.2000 : GC : tagging
01.ix.2000 : ER : proofreading SGML
01.ix.2000 : ER : converting to HTML 4.0