-
Inanna and Bilulu
(Jacobsen, Kraemer, 172-179)
- In the desert, my Dumuzi, I sing with
ther the wail,
- the wail for you, the wail for you;
- In the temple Arali I sing with her;
- In Bad-tibira I sing with her;
- In Dushuba I sing with her;
- In the shepherding country I sing with
her,
- in the sheepfold of Dumuzi...........
-
- (some twenty to twenty-one lines of the
text are missing at
- this point. From a few broken words
that reamain, one would
- conclude that they described -after the
introductory motif of
- lament had come to a close- the yound
Inanna longing in her
- mother's house to be reunited with her
husband, Dumuzi, who
- is in the desert with the flocks. When
the text resumes she
- is in tears:)
-
- ....She broods on it:
- "O Dumuzi, of the fair(-spoken) mouth,
of the ever kind eyes!"
- In tears she sobs forth,
- "O you of the fair(-spoken) mouth, of
the ever kind eyes!"
- Lad, husband, provider, (sweet as the)
date,
- O Dumuzi!" she sobs forth,
- in tears she sobs forth.
- Holy
Inanna.....................................................
- ................................................................
- The
lady........................................................
- The maiden
Inanna...............................................
- In the chamber of the mother who bore
her was pacing (to and
- fro),
- While in prayer and supplication
respectfully they stood in
- attention on her,
- "O my
mother....................................................
- to the fold with your permission I
would go!
- "O my mother
Nigal.........................to the fold with your
- permission I would go!"
- My father has shoe forth for me, in
lordly fashion..............
- Sin (the moon) has shone forth for me,
in lordly fashion........
- Like a child sent on an errand by its
mother from....she went
- out,
- Like one sent on an errand by Mother
Nigal from the chamber she
- went out.
- Full knowledgeable My-lady was, and
also she was full apt,
- Full knowledgeable holy Inanna was, and
also she was full apt:
- (Lager) beer laid up in remote days, in
long (past) days........
-
- (At this point some eighteen lines are
missing. It may be
- assumed that they told of Inanna's
preperations for the
- journey to the fold and-with a
temporary change of scene
- -of an attack on Dumuzi's fold by
Bilulu and Girgire in
- which Dumuzi was killed. When the text
resumes Inanna
- would seem to be nearing, or to have
arrived at, the fold.
- A messenger, perhaps the partridge
mentioned later in the
- composition, is bringing her terrible
news:)
-
- "..................................................[I
went(?)]
- To the brick-built house of Belili [I
went(?)]
- There the shepherd, had beten
in,...[lay on the ground(?)]
- Dumuzi, head beaten in...........[lay
on the ground(?)]
- Ama-ushumgal-anna, head beaten
in.....[lay on the ground(?)]
- The sheep of my master, of Dumuzi, [I
saw] in the desert,
- O Inanna, a man who was not the shepard
- Was returning beside my masters sheep!"
- (My)lady gave birth to a song to
Dumuzi,fashioned a song to him:
- "O you who lie at rest, shepherd who
lie at rest, you stood guard
- over them,
- Dumuzi, who lie at rest, you stood
guard over them,
- Ama-ushumgal-anna, who lie at rest, you
stood guard over them,
- Rising with the sun you stood guard
over my sheep,
- Lying down by night (only), you stood
guard over my sheep!"
- That day the son of the old woman
Bilulu,
- Matriarch and her own mistress,
- Girgire, the good householder,
- He being fit to govern and a
knowledgeable man,
- Was filling pen and fold with captured
cattle,
- And was stacking his stacks and piles
(of grain).
- His (victims) struck down with the mace
he (left) scattered in
- the feilds,
- SIR-RU of Edin-lil-la, no(one's) child
and no(one's) friend,
- Sat before him, with him he held
converse.
- That day was in (My-)lady's heart?
- What was in holy Inanna's heart?
- To hill the provider Bilulu,
- (that) was in her heart!
- To make good the resting-place for her
beloved young husband,
- for Dumuzi, for Ama-ushumgal-anna,
(that) was in her heart!
- To(?) Bilulu in Edin-lil-la My-lady
went(?)
- Her son Girgire like the wind there
did........................
- SIR-RU of Edin-lil-la, no(one's) child
and no(one's) friend,
- did......
- Holy Inanna entered the alehouse,
- Stepped into a seat, determined fate:
- "Begone! I have killed you, so is it
verily,
- "Begone! I have killed you, so is it
verily,
- and with you I destroy (also) your
name:
- May you become the water skin for cold
water that (men carry) in
- the desert!"
- "(Yea: and) may her son Girgire and she
- Become the utukku and the lamma(the
numina) of the desert,
- May SIR-RU of Edin-lil-la, no(one's)
child and no(one's) friend,
- Stand in the desert and keep count of
flour.
- When for the lad wandering in the
desert water is libated and
- flour strewn from the (water-skin)
- Let the utukku of the desert and the
lamma of the desert
- Call out: 'A libation!', call out: 'A
strewing!'
- and (thereby) cause him to be present
in the place from which he
- vanished, in the desert,
- Let the old woman Bilulu gladden his
heart!"
- And immidiately, on that day and (under
that) sun, it truely
- became so.
- She became the water skin for cold
water that (men carry)in the
- desert,
- And while her son Girgire and she
- Became the utukku and the lamma of the
desert
- SIR-RU of Edin-lil-la, no(one's) child
and no(one's) friend,
- stood in the desert and kept count of
flour.
- When for the lad wandering in the
desert water is libated and
- flour strewn from the (water-skin)
- The utukku of the desert and the lamma
of the desert
- Call out: "A libation!", call out: "A
strewing!"
- And (thereby) cause him to be present
in the place from which he
- vanished, in the desert,
- And the old woman Bilulu gladdens his
heart.
- Inanna [put out her] hand to the land
on the ground,
- [Put out her hand] to Dumuzi on the
ground,
- his (death-)bound
hands........................................
-
- (Some eleven lines are missing here.
They may have told how
- Inanna carried out her second purpose:
to make good the
- resting-place for Dumuzi. When the text
resumes the
- partridge(?) is taking counsel with
itself. Its role here
- and its words are not clear.)
-
- To the......of its.......the
partridge(?) did..................
- To the birth-place(?) of Dumuzi the
partridge did..............
- Like a dove in its nest it took counsel
with itself,
- the partridge(?) in its shelter took
counsel:
- "Only his mother Duttur can gladden my
master
- Only his mother Duttur can gladden
Dumuzi!"
- My-lady, born in Kuar,
- The maiden who is the crown of
(all)...........,
- The admiratin and acclaim of the
black-headed (people),
- The (fore-)dancer who voices the wail
and the cry,
- Sokesman of prayer to the king,
- Geshtin-anna, to (My)-lady
did.................................
- ...............................................................
- The maiden the
admiration......................................
- Geshtin-anna to Inanna
did.....................................
- The sacred one, (Inanna)........in
(her) hand..................
- .................................together......................
- .................................together......................
- ............................was
countering (in song:)
- "I will sing with you (Inanna) the wail
(for Dumuzi): 'The wail
- for you, the wail for you!'
- In the temple(?) I will sing with you
(Inanna): 'O (my)
- ....brother! the wail for you!'
- In ......................I will sing:
'The wail for you!'
- In ....................I will sing:
'The wail for you!'
- In ....................I will sing:
'The wail for you!'
- In ................I will sing: 'The
wail for you!'
- In the sheparding country I will sing
with you (Inanna): 'The
- wail for you!'"
- How (truely) the lady provided the
equal to her betrothed,
- How (truely) holy Inanna proved the
equal of the shepard Dumuzi,
- To make good his resting place, unto
the lady-
- To avenge (him), unto Inanna was
(granted and) given into her
- hand!
- "I with sing with you (Geshtin-anna)the
wail (for Dumuzi), 'The
- wail for you, the wail for you!'
- "I will sing with you (Geshtin-anna)
'The wail for you, the wail
- for you!'
- In the place of bringing forth(?) 'The
wail for you!'
- In the desert, 'O my Dumuzi the wail
for you!'
- In the temple Arali 'The wail for you!'
- In Dushuba 'The wail for you!'
- In Bad-tibira 'The wail for you!'
- In the sheparding country 'The wail for
you!', the wail (for
- Dumuzi) I will sing with you
(Geshtin-anna).!"
- How (truely) she proved the equal of
Dumuzi, avenged (him);
- (By) killing Bilulu
- Ubabba proved equal to him!
- An u-lil-la (song) for Inanna
-
- Babylonia
Index
-
-
-
-