A hymn to Inana (Inana C): translation

^1-10The great-hearted mistress, the impetuous lady, proud among the Anuna gods and pre-eminent in all lands, the great daughter of Suen, exalted among the Great Princes (a name of the Igigi gods) , the magnificent lady who gathers up the divine powers of heaven and earth and rivals great An, is mightiest among the great gods -- she makes their verdicts final. The Anuna gods crawl before her august word whose course she does not let An know; he dares not proceed against her command. She ../changes her own action, and no one knows how it will occur. She makes perfect the great divine powers, she holds a shepherd's crook, and she is their magnificent pre-eminent one. She is a huge shackle clamping down upon the gods of the Land. Her great awesomeness covers the great mountain and levels the roads.

^11-17At her loud cries, the gods of the Land become scared. Her roaring makes the Anuna gods tremble like a solitary reed. At her rumbling, they hide all together. Without Inana great An makes no decisions, and Enlil determines no destinies. Who opposes the mistress who raises her head and is supreme over the mountains? Wherever she ......, cities become ruin mounds and haunted places, and shrines become waste land. When her wrath makes people tremble, the burning sensation and the distress she causes are like an ulu demon ensnaring a man.

^18-28She stirs confusion and chaos against those who are disobedient to her, speeding carnage and inciting the devastating flood, clothed in terrifying radiance. It is her game to speed conflict and battle, untiring, strapping on her sandals. Clothed (?) in a furious storm, a whirlwind, she ...... the garment of ladyship. When she touches ...... there is despair, a south wind which has covered ....... Inana sits on harnessed (?) lions, she cuts to pieces him who shows no respect. A leopard of the hills, entering (?) the roads, raging (?), ......, the mistress is a great bull trusting in its strength; no one dare turn against her. ......, the foremost among the Great Princes, a pitfall for the disobedient, a trap for the evil, a ...... for the hostile, wherever she casts her venom .......

^29-38Her wrath is ......, a devastating flood which no one can withstand. A great watercourse, ......, she abases those whom she despises. The mistress, a hurin bird who lets no one escape, ......, Inana, a falcon preying on the gods, Inana rips to pieces the spacious cattle-pens. The fields of the city which Inana has looked at in anger ....... The furrows of the field which the mistress ...... grass. An opposes her, ....... Setting on fire, in the high plain the mistress ....... Inana ....... The mistress ...... fighting, ......, conflict .......

^39-48...... she performs a song. This song ...... its established plan, weeping, the food and milk of death. Whoever eats ...... Inana's food and milk of death will not last. Gall will give a burning pain to those she gives it to eat, ...... in their mouth ....... In her joyful heart she performs the song of death on the plain. She performs the song of her heart. She washes their weapons with blood and gore, ....... Axes smash heads, spears penetrate and maces are covered in blood. Their evil mouths ...... the warriors ....... On their first offerings she pours blood, filling them with blood.

^49-59On the wide and silent plain, darkening the bright daylight, she turns midday into darkness. People look upon each other in anger, they look for combat. Their shouting disturbs the plain, it weighs on the pasture and the waste land. Her howling is like Ickur's and makes the flesh of all the lands tremble. No one can oppose her murderous battle -- who rivals her? No one can look at her fierce fighting, the carnage, the ....... Engulfing (?) water, raging, sweeping over the earth, she leaves nothing behind. The mistress, a breaking plough opening hard ground, ....... The braggarts do not lift their necks, ....... Her great heart performs her bidding, the mistress who alone fashions (?) ....... Exalted in the assembly, she occupies the seat of honour, ...... to the right and left.

^60-72Humbling huge mountains as if they were piles of litter, she immobilises ....... She brings about the destruction of the mountain lands from east to west. Inana ...... wall ...... gulgul stones, she obtains victory. She ...... the kalaga stone ...... as if it were an earthenware bowl, she makes it like sheep's fat. The proud mistress holds a dagger in her hand, a radiance which covers the Land; her suspended net piles up fish in the deep, ....... As if she were a clever fowler no bird escapes the mesh of her suspended net. The place she has pulverised ......., ...... the divine plans of heaven and earth. The intention of her word does not ...... to An. The context of her confusing advice in the great gods' assembly is not known.
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^73-79The mistress, a leopard among the Anuna gods, full of pride, has been given authority. Not having ...... struggle ......, Inana ....... She ...... the adolescent girl in her chamber, receiving her, ...... heart ...... charms. She evilly ...... the woman she rejects. In the entire (?) country she ....... She lets her run around in the street ....... ...... of a house the wife sees her child.

^80-90When she had removed the great punishment from her body, she invoked blessings upon it; she caused it to be named the pilipili. She broke the spear and as if she were a man ...... gave her a weapon. When she had ...... punishment, it is not ....... She ...... the door of the house of wisdom, she makes known its interior. Those who do not respect her suspended net do not escape ...... when she suspends the meshes of her net. The man she has called by name she does not hold in esteem. Having approached the woman, she breaks the weapon and gives her a spear. The male jicgisajkec, the nisub and the female jicgi ritual officiants, after having ...... punishment, moaning ....... The ecstatic, the transformed pilipili, the kurjara and the sajursaj ....... Lament and song ....... They exhaust themselves with weeping and grief, they ...... laments.

^91-98Weeping daily your heart does not ....... 'Alas' ...... heart ...... knows no relaxation. Beloved lady of holy An, your ...... in weeping ....... In heaven ....... On your breast ....... You alone are majestic, you have renown, heaven and earth ...... not ....... You rival An and Enlil, you occupy their seat of honour. You are pre-eminent in the cult places, you are magnificent in your course.

^99-108Acnan ...... august dais ....... Ickur who roars from the sky ....... His thick clouds ....... When ...... the great divine powers of heaven and earth, Inana, your victory is terrifying ....... The Anuna gods bow down in prostration, they abase themselves. You ride on seven great beasts as you come forth from heaven. Great An feared your precinct and was frightened of your dwelling-place. He let you take a seat in the dwelling-place of great An and then feared you no more, saying: "I will hand over to you the august royal rites and the great divine rites."

^109-114The great gods kissed the earth and prostrated themselves. The high mountain land, the land of cornelian and lapis lazuli, bowed down before you, but Ebih did not bow down before you and did not greet you. Shattering it in your anger, as desired, you smashed it like a storm. Lady, pre-eminent through the power of An and Enlil, ....... Without you no destiny at all is determined, no clever counsel is granted favour.

^115-131To run, to escape, to quiet and to pacify are yours, Inana. To rove around, to rush, to rise up, to fall down and to ...... a companion are yours, Inana. To open up roads and paths, a place of peace for the journey, a companion for the weak, are yours, Inana. To keep paths and ways in good order, to shatter earth and to make it firm are yours, Inana. To destroy, to build up, to tear out and to settle are yours, Inana. To turn a man into a woman and a woman into a man are yours, Inana. Desirability and arousal, goods and property are yours, Inana. Gain, profit, great wealth and greater wealth are yours, Inana. Gaining wealth and having success in wealth, financial loss and reduced wealth are yours, Inana. Observation (1 ms. has instead: Everything), choice, offering, inspection and approval are yours, Inana. Assigning virility, dignity, guardian angels, protective deities and cult centres are yours, Inana.
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^132-154...... mercy and pity are yours, Inana. ...... are yours, Inana. To cause the ...... heart to tremble, ...... illnesses are yours, Inana. To have a wife, ......, to love ...... are yours, Inana. To rejoice, to control (?), ...... are yours, Inana. Neglect and care, raising and bowing down are yours, Inana. To build a house, to create a woman's chamber, to possess implements, to kiss a child's lips are yours, Inana. To run, to race, to desire and to succeed are yours, Inana. To interchange the brute and the strong and the weak and the powerless is yours, Inana. To interchange the heights and valleys and the ...... and the plains (?) is yours, Inana. To give the crown, the throne and the royal sceptre is yours, Inana.
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^155-157To diminish, to make great, to make low, to make broad, to ...... and to give a lavish supply are yours, Inana. To bestow the divine and royal rites, to carry out the appropriate instructions, slander, untruthful words, abuse, to speak inimically and to overstate are yours, Inana.

^158-168The false or true response, the sneer, to commit violence, to extend derision, to speak with hostility, to cause smiling and to be humbled or important, misfortune, hardship, grief, to make happy, to clarify and to darken, agitation, terror, fear, splendour and great awesomeness in radiance, triumph, pursuit, imbasur illness, sleeplessness and restlessness, submission, gift, ...... and howling, strife, chaos, opposition, fighting and carnage, ......, to know everything, to strengthen for the distant future a nest built ......, to instill fear in the ...... desert like a ...... poisonous snake, to subdue the hostile enemy, ...... and to hate ...... are yours, Inana.

^169-173To ...... the lots ......, to gather the dispersed people and restore them to their homes, to receive ......, to ...... are yours, Inana.
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^174-181...... the runners, when you open your mouth, ...... turns into ....... At your glance a deaf man does not ...... to one who can hear. At your angry glare what is bright darkens; you turn midday into darkness. When the time had come you destroyed the place you had in your thoughts, you made the place tremble. Nothing can be compared to your purposes (?); who can oppose your great deeds? You are the lady of heaven and earth! Inana, in (?) the palace the unbribable judge, among the numerous people ...... decisions. The invocation of your name fills the mountains, An (?) cannot compete with your .......

^182-196Your understanding ...... all the gods ....... You alone are magnificent. You are the great cow among the gods of heaven and earth, as many as there are. When you raise your eyes they pay heed to you, they wait for your word. The Anuna gods stand praying in the place where you dwell. Great awesomeness, glory ....... May your praise not cease! Where is your name not magnificent?
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^197-202Your song is grief, lament ....... Your ...... cannot be changed, your anger is crushing. Your creation cannot be ......, An has not diminished your ...... orders. Woman, with the help of An and Enlil you (?) have granted ...... as a gift in the assembly. Unison ...... An and Enlil ......, giving the Land into your hand. An does not answer the word you have uttered to him.

^203-208Once you have said 'So be it', great An does not ...... for him. Your 'So be it' is a 'So be it' of destruction, to destroy ....... Once you have said your ...... in the assembly, An and Enlil will not disperse it. Once you have made a decision ......, it cannot be changed in heaven and earth. Once you have specified approval of a place, it experiences no destruction. Once you have specified destruction for a place, it experiences no approval.

^209-218Your divinity shines in the pure heavens like Nanna or Utu. Your torch lights up the corners of heaven, turning darkness into light. ...... with fire. Your ...... refining ...... walks like Utu in front of you. No one can lay a hand on your precious divine powers; all your divine powers ....... You exercise full ladyship over heaven and earth; you hold everything in your hand. Mistress, you are magnificent, no one can walk before you. You dwell with great An in the holy resting-place. Which god is like you in gathering together ...... in heaven and earth? You are magnificent, your name is praised, you alone are magnificent!

^219-242I am En-hedu-ana, the high priestess of the moon god. ......; I am the ...... of Nanna.
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^243-253Advice ......, grief, bitterness ......, 'alas' ....... My lady, ...... mercy ...... compassion ...... I am yours! This will always be so! May your heart be soothed towards me! May your understanding ...... compassion. May ...... in front of you, may it be my offering. Your divinity is resplendent in the Land! My body has experienced your great punishment. Lament, bitterness, sleeplessness, distress, separation ......, mercy, compassion, care, lenience and homage are yours, and to cause flooding, to open hard ground and to turn darkness into light.

^254-263My lady, let me proclaim your magnificence in all lands, and your glory! Let me praise your ways and greatness! Who rivals you in divinity? Who can compare with your divine rites? May great An, whom you love, say for you "It is enough!". May the great gods calm your mood. May the lapis lazuli dais, fit for ladyship, ....... May your magnificent dwelling place say to you: "Be seated". May your pure bed say to you: "Relax". Your ......, where Utu rises, .......

^264-271They proclaim your magnificence; you are the lady ....... An and Enlil have determined a great destiny for you throughout the entire universe. They have bestowed upon you ladyship in the gu-ena. Being fitted for ladyship, you determine the destiny of noble ladies. Mistress, you are magnificent, you are great! Inana, you are magnificent, you are great! My lady, your magnificence is resplendent. May your heart be restored for my sake!

^272-274Your great deeds are unparallelled, your magnificence is praised! Young woman, Inana, your praise is sweet!

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Revision history

03.ii.1999-04.iii.1999 : GC : adapting translation
9.v.1999-30.vi.1999 : JAB : proofreading
14.x.1999 : GZ : SGML tagging
20.iv.2000 : ER : proofreading SGML
20.iv.2000 : ER : converting to HTML 4.0
7.ix.2001 : ER : header and footer reformatted; substantive content of file not changed