A balbale to Inana and Dumuzid (Dumuzid-Inana D): translation

^1-3As I was strolling, as I was strolling, as I was strolling ...... the house, as I was strolling, he caught sight of my Inana.

^4-11"What did the brother say to you and speak to you? He of the loving heart and most sweet charms offered you a gift, my holy Inana. As I looked in that direction, my beloved man met you, and he fell in love with you, and he delighted in you alone! The brother brought you into his house and had you lie down on a bed dripping with honey."

^12-18When my sweet precious, my heart, had lain down too, each of them in turn kissing with the tongue, each in turn, then my brother of the beautiful eyes did it fifty times to her, exhaustedly waiting for her, as she trembled underneath him, dumbly silent for him. My dear precious passed the time with my brother laying his hands on her hips.

^19-20"Let me go, my sister! Let me go! Come, my beloved sister, let me go to the palace (1 ms. has instead: to our house)!"

^21-22"To my paternal eye you are still a small child. May Bau know you as a man. I'll let you go!"

²³A balbale of Inana.

Top | composite text | bibliography

Revision history

24.ix.1998-26.ix.1998 : JAB : adapting translation
30.xi.1998 : GZ : proofreading
26.ii.1999 : GC : tagging
05.viii.1999 : GC : minor corrections
15.x.1999 : ER : proofreading SGML
15.x.1999 : ER : converting to HTML 4.0
7.ix.2001 : ER : header and footer reformatted; substantive content of file not changed