Enlil and Ninlil
-
- From "The Harps That Once...: Sumerian
Poetry in Translation" by Thorkild Jacobsen. Yale University
Press, Publishers; Copyright 1987.
-
- It was just a city, just a city
- But these chose to come settle,
- Nippur was just a city,
- but these chose to come settle,
- Durgishimmar was just a city,
- but these chose to come settle.
-
- Just Idsalla was its pure river,
- just Kargeshtina its harbor quay,
- just Karusar its mooring quay,
- just Pulal its well of sweet water,
- just Nunbirdu its shimmering canal,
- if measured out, just fifty sar
each
- were its arable lands.
-
- Just Enlil was its young man
- just Ninlil was its young maiden
- just Ninbarshegunu, was its matron.
-
- In those days
- did the mother who gave her birth
- advise the girl,
- Ninbarshegunu
- advised Ninlil:
- May you not, 'o woman,
- bathe in the pure canal,
- in the pure canal,
- may you not 'o Ninlil,
- come stepping back
- unto the bank of Nunbirdu!
- He who is all bright eyes,
- will be laying eyes upon you,
- the great mountain, father
Enlil,
- who is all bright eyes,
- will be laying eyes upon you,
- the shepherd, the decision
maker,
- who is all bright eyes,
- will be laying eyes upon you.
- Forthwith that cock
- will come burgeoning
- he will be kissing you
- and, happy, will gladly leave with
you
- the glorious sperm filled into the
womb.
-
- To the mother who advised her
- she on her part lent ear.
- In that selfsame pure canal,
- in that selfsame pure canal,
- the woman came and bathed,
- and Ninlil was about to come
stepping
- back unto the bank of Nunbirdu.
-
- He who is all bright eyes,
- the master, who is all bright eyes,
- laid eyes upon her,
- the great mountain, father Enlil,
- who is all bright eyes,
- laid eyes upon her,
- the shepherd, the decision maker,
- who is all bright eyes,
- laid eyes upon her:
-
- "Let me make love with you!"
- he was saying to her,
- but was not thereby able
- to make her agree to it.
- "Let me kiss you!"
- Enlil was saying to her,
- but was not thereby able
- to make her agree to it.
-
- "My parts are little,
- know not how to stretch,
- my lips are little,
- know not how to kiss!
- If my mother learned about it
- she would be slapping my hand,
- if my father learned about it,
- he would be grabbing hold of me
harshly,
- and it would not be for me,
- now, to tell my girlfriend,
- I should be drying up on her!
-
- Enlil said to his page, Nusku:
- Nusku, my page!
- "Yes, pray!"
- Great trust of the Ekur!
- "Yes, my master!"
- With a girl so nice, so shapely,
- with Ninlil, so nice, so shapely,
- one gets an urge
- to make love
- one gets an urge to kiss!
-
- The page brought to his master
- the likes of a boat
- brought to him the likes of a
towline
- of a small boat
- brought to him the likes of a big
boat:
- My master, willing,
- let me float him down on it,
- so he can follow the urge
- to make that love,
- follow the urge to kiss those lips,
- father Enlil willing
- let me float him down on it
- so he can follow the urge
- to make that love,
- follow the urge to kiss those lips!
-
- As he was hugging her
- he held her hands,
- followed the urge to kiss those
lips;
- and she for her part
- was making lie up next to him
- the bottom and the little moist
place.
- He followed the urge
- to make that love,
- followed the urge to kiss those
lips,
- and at his first making love,
- at his first kiss,
- he poured into the womb for her
- the sperm, germ of Suen the moon,
- the bright lone divine traveler!
-
- Enlil was passing through Kiur,
- and as Enlil was passing through
Kiur
- the fifty great gods,
- and the seven gods
- of formulating the decisions,
- were seizing Enlil in Kiur:
- The sex offender Enlil
- will leave the town!
- The sex offender Nunamnir
- will leave the town!
- Enlil, in accordance
- with what has been decided about
him,
- left town.
-
- Enlil was walking along,
- Ninlil was following,
- Nunamnir was walking along,
- the girl was pursuing.
- Enlil said to the man
- in charge of the city gate:
- Man of the city gate,
- man of the bolt,
- man of the lock,
- man of the holy bolt!
- Your mistress Ninlil
- will be coming
- an she ask you about me
- do you not show her where I am!
-
- Ninlil said to the man
- in charge of the city gate:
- Man of the city gate,
- man of the bolt,
- man of the lock,
- man of the holy bolt!
- Where did Enlil your master go?
-
- Enlil had the man of the city gate answer
her.
-
- My master never deigned
- to exchange pleasantries with me,
- Enlil never deigned
- to exchange pleasantries with me!
-
- Having decided in my mind,
- I made my plans,
- and was filling from him
- my empty womb,
- Enlil, king of all lands
- made love with me.
- As Enlil is your master
- so also am I your mistress!
-
- An you be my mistress
- let my hand touch your pudenda!
-
- A sperm, your future master,
- a lustrous sperm, is in my womb,
- a sperm, germ of Suen the moon,
- a lustrous sperm is in my womb!
-
- May the sperm, my future master,
- go heavenward,
- and may my sperm
- go to the netherworld,
- may my sperm
- instead of the sperm, my future
master
- come to the netherworld!
-
- Enlil, as the man of the city gate
- had her lie down in the latter's
chamber,
- made love with her, kissed her;
- and at his lovemaking,
- at his first kiss,
- he poured into the womb for her
- the sperm, germ of Nergal,
- the one issuing forth from Meslam!
-
- Enlil was walking along,
- Ninlil was following,
- Nunamnir was walking along,
- the girl was pursuing.
- Enlil drew near
- the river of the mountains,
- the man-nourishing river,
- and to the man in charge
- of the river of the mountains,
- the man-nourishing river,
- Enlil said:
- Your mistress Ninlil
- will be coming
- an she ask you about me
- do you not show her where I am!
-
- Ninlil was nearing
- the river of the mountains,
- the man-nourishing river,
- and to the man in charge
- of the river of the mountains,
- the man-nourishing river,
- Ninlil said:
- Where did Enlil
- your master go?
-
- Enlil had the man of the river of the
mountains answer her.
-
- My master never deigned
- to exchange pleasantries with me,
- Enlil never deigned
- to exchange pleasantries with me!
-
- Having decided in my mind,
- I made my plans,
- and was filling from him
- my empty womb,
- Enlil, king of all lands
- made love with me.
- As Enlil is your master
- so also am I your mistress!
-
- An you be my mistress
- let my hand touch your pudenda!
-
- A sperm, your future master,
- a lustrous sperm, is in my womb,
- a sperm, germ of Suen the moon,
- a lustrous sperm is in my womb!
-
- May the sperm, my future master,
- go heavenward,
- and may my sperm
- go to the netherworld,
- may my sperm
- instead of the sperm, my future
master
- come to the netherworld!
-
- Enlil, as the man in charge of the river
of the mountains
- had her lie down in the latter's
chamber,
- made love with her, kissed her;
- and at his lovemaking,
- at his first kiss,
- he poured into the womb for her
- the sperm, germ of Ninazu,
- owner of the temple manor Egida!
-
- Enlil was walking along,
- Ninlil was following,
- Nunamnir was walking along,
- the girl was pursuing.
- Enlil drew near Silulim the
ferryman
- Enlil said:
- Your mistress Ninlil
- will be coming
- an she ask you about me
- do you not show her where I am!
-
- Ninlil drew near the ferryman
- and said to him:
- 'O ferryman, where did Enlil
- your master go?
-
- Enlil had the man Silulim
- make answer: