Third Tablet of the Series “The Exalted One Who Walketh” (e-lum didara) (No. 13)
The series elum didara is entered in the Assyrian liturgical catalogue, IV Raw. 53a 8, and the first tablet of this Enlil liturgy has been found in the Berlin collection and published by Reisner, SBH. No. 25.[477] The Berlin tablet belongs to a great Babylonian temple library of the Greek period redacted by a family of liturgists descendants of Sin-ibni. A fragment of the same first tablet of another Babylonian copy has been found, BM. 81-7-27, 203.[478] The catch line of tablet two is lost on SBH. 25 and no part of tablet two has been identified. In 1914 [pg 324] I copied BM. 78239 (=88-5-12, 94) the upper half of a large tablet carrying according to the colophon ninety-six Sumerian lines. The number of lines provided with an interlinear translation on this fragment is only two, which increases the actual number of lines to ninety-eight. Probably a few more should be added for Semitic lines on the lost portion. This tablet, also from a Babylonian redaction, belongs to an edition made by another school of liturgists and contains tablet three of elum didara.
The third tablet of elum didara began with a melody nin-ri nin-ri gû-am-me to the mother goddess Bau (I. 2), who in line 7 is identified with Nanâ. Lines 3-6 introduce by interpolation other local forms of the mother goddess, as a concession to cities whose liturgists succeeded in inserting these lines before the canon of sacred songs were closed in the Isin period. Hence Babylon is favored by a reference to Zarpanit in line 3; Barsippa by a reference to Tašmet in lines 4-6. Bau or Gula wails for Nippur whose destruction is here attributed to the moon-god, Sin. The introduction of a long passage to the moon-god in the weeping mother melody of an Enlil liturgy is unusual. The entire passage reflects the phraseology and ideas of the well-known Sumerian hymn to the moon-god magur azag anna.[479] The composer desiring to utilize these fine lines makes a setting for them by describing Sin as the god who visited Nippur with wrath, regardless of the inconsistency of placing such a passage in an Enlil song service which attributed the sorrows of Nippur to Enlil himself.
According to the catch line of tablet two of the Ninurta liturgy gud-nim kurra the third tablet of that series began by the same melody as tablet three of the elum didara.[480] It is probable [pg 325] that the first melody of tablet three of both series was identical. Melodies are always identified by their first lines and when these agree we assume that the entire melodies are identical. Since the musicians referred to all melodies by their first lines it was manifestly impossible to begin two different melodies with the same line. But tablet three of the weeping mother liturgy muten nu-nunuz-gim begins its first melody[481] nin-ri nin-ri gù-ám, etc., otherwise both melodies differ completely. This is the first known of example of two different melodies bearing the same title. It is curious indeed that an Enlil, a Ninurta and a mater dolorosa series all begin their third tablets in the same manner.
The obverse of BM. 78239 breaks away before the end of the melody nin-ri ninri gú-ám-me. Here forty-five Sumerian lines are lost; one or two melodies at least stood in this break. For the last passage on tablet three, the scribe borrows the first melody of the Ninurta series gud-nim kurra.[482] The litanies which begin these melodies or series of addresses to Ninurta differ greatly in the two redactions. Since SBH. No. 18 belongs to a Ninurta series the addresses therein are much more extensive. The composer of the Enlil series elum didara obviously introduced this irrelevant melody to obtain the fine passage to the weeping mother, Rev. 10-21 on BM. 78239. These lines are lost on the Berlin text SBH. No. 18. On the whole the liturgy elum didara is more inconsistent in the development of ideas than any song service of which extensive portions are known. Only tablets one and three are as yet identified and neither of these is much more than half complete.
ru-ba-tum (rubatum) ši-si-it âli i-šes-si ina lal-la-ra-ti
The princess, the princess, in misery shouts the wailing of the city.[483]
1. nin-ri nin-ri gú-ám-me úru in-ga-ám-me ù-li-li
1.
2. a gašan-mu nu-nunuz-šág-ga ù
2. How long my queen, the pious woman, in misery?[484]
3. é-gí-a é-sag-il-la[485] ù
3. The bride of Esagila in misery?
4. dumu-sag d.Uraša-a ù
4. First born daughter of Urasha in misery?
5. dumu-sag é-i-be- d.A-nu-um ù
5. First born daughter of the temple Ibe-Anum in misery?
6. gašan-gù-ur-a-sĭg ud-lal-a-ge ù
6. The obedient queen, she the ..., in misery?
7. gašan-mu d.Na-na-a ù
7. My queen Nana in misery?
8. é-zu é-zu-šú ù
8. (How long) shall thy temple for thy temple in misery be?
9. uru-zu uru-zu-šú ù
9. Thy city for thy city in misery be?
10. dam-zu dam-zu-šú ù
10. Thy wives for thy wives in misery be?
11. dumu-zu dumu-zu-šú ù
11. Thy sons for thy sons in misery be?
12. še-ib-šú še-ib-gí-gí ù
12. (How long) for the brick walls shall the brick walls restored wail?
13. saģar-šú saģar-gí-gí[486] ù
13. For the dust shall the restored dust wail?
14. si-mă[487] azag an-na še-ir-ma-al-la ní-te-na dirig-ga-zu-dé za-e dirig-ga-zu-dé
14. Bright horned light of heaven mighty of itself, in thy excellence, yea thou in thy excellence,
15. na-an-na-ru el-lu ša ša-me-e e-ṭil ra-ma-ni-šu ina šu-tu-ru-ti-ka at-tam
15.
16. a-a d.Nannar si-mă azag an-na še-ir-ma-al- a ní-te-na
16. O father Nannar bright horned light of heaven, mighty of itself, (in thy excellence, yea thou in thy excellence),
17. a-a d.Nannar umun-e an-šár
17. Father Nannar, lord of all the heavens,
18. umun d.Nannar umun d.Aš-ìm-ür-ra[488]
18. Lord Nannar, lord of the rising light,
19. umun gu-la galu nin-ģul-ma-al-la uru-zu ní-te-en-na še-ir-ma-al-la ní-te-en-na
19. Great lord, who himself has wrought evil to thy city,[489] mighty of himself,
20. uru-zu Nippur-(ki) galu nin-ģul-ma-al-la uru-zu
20. As for thy city Nippur, he who has wrought evil to thy city,
21. nigin kalam-ma-zu á-si ma-ni-ib-bi
21. All thy Land....
22. [uru?] kalam-ma-da-zu gig-ga-an-na-ag-eš
22. Thy city and land are afflicted with woe.
23. [ ] zu-gà[490] (galu) a-ba an-lăģ[491]-eš
23. In thy ... and thy ... the scribes are driven away.
24. [ ] zu-gà pag-da[492] ma-an-lá-lal-la-aģ(?)[493]-eš
24. In thy ... and thy ... the augurers are exiled.
25. ... zu ba-ni-ib-gul
25. Thy ... is destroyed.
26. ... zu ba-ni-ib-sĭg-sĭg
26.
27. ... ḪUL-AŠ-A (gloss) e-ga ib ...
27.
28. ... A-AN ḪUL ... e-ga ib ...
28.
29. ...
29. ...
Reverse
1. [gū-ud nim] kur-ra [mu-lu ta-zu mu-un-zu]
1. Exalted hero of the world, doth any one comprehend thy form?[494]
2. [kar-ra-]du ša-ku-u ša ma-a-tim kat-tuk [man-nu i-lam-mad]
2.
3. alim-ma umun ur-sag-gal
3. Honored one, lord, great champion.
4. ur-sag-gal umun si d.Mu-ul-lil-lá-ge
4. Great champion, lord, light of Enlil.
5. alim-ma abil é-kur-ra
5. Honored one, son of Ekur.[495]
6. ur-sag-gal umun é-šu-me-DU[496]
6. Great champion, lord of Ešume-du.
7. umun é-šag-maģ-a umun-e é-i-be-šu-gúd
7. Lord of Ešamaḫ, lord of E-ibe-šugud.[497]
8. umun sukkal-maģ-di[498] gal-ukkin d.Nusku-ge
8. Lord, great messenger, the herald Nusku.
9. d.Maš-tab-ba d.Lugal-gĭr-ra
9. The twin god, Lugalgirra.
10. dúg-ga-zu mu-lu ta-zu mu-un-zu
10. As to thy commands, who comprehends thy form?
11. taģ-a-zu mu-lu
11. As to thy succor, who comprehends thy form?
12. e-ne-em-zu mu-lu
12. As to thy word, who comprehends thy form?
13. edin-na di-di edin-na še-ám-du
13. She wanders on the plain, on the plain she wails.
14. ama gašan tin-dib-ba edin-na
14. The mother, queen who gives life to the dead, on the plain wails.
15. nin gašan nigín-gar-ra edin-na
15. The queen, lady Nigingar, on the plain wails.
16. nin gašan Lara-ak-(ki)-ge[499] edin-na
16. The queen, lady of Larak, on the plain wails.
17. nin gašan I-si-in-na-(ki) edin-na
17. The queen, lady of Isin, on the plain wails.
18. nin ama é-dúr[500]-azag-ga edin-na
18. The queen, mother of the holy city, on the plain wails.
19. nin ama ŠU-ḪAL-BI[501] edin-na
19. The queen, the ... mother, on the plain wails.
20. d.Ba-ú nu-númuz šág-ga edin-na
20. Bau, the pious woman, on the plain wails.
21. éš é-rab-ri-ri umun d.Sá-kut-maģ-a edin-a
21. The abode, Erabriri, of the lord Sakutmah on the plain wails.
22. e-lum-e la-lu u-'u-a u-'u-a
22. Oh honored one, the exuberant, alas, alas.
23. 96-ám mu-šid-bi-im duppu 3-kam e-lum di-da-ra nu al-tíl
23. Ninety-six is the number of its lines. Third tablet of Elum didara, unfinished.
24. gab-ri Bár-sip-(ki) kima labiri-šu ša-ṭir-ma barim duppu d.Bêl-iḳ-ṣur māri-šu ša d.Bêl-iškun-ni
24. Copy from Barsippa, according to its original, written and collated. Tablet of Bêlikṣur son of Belishkunni,
25. mar Iddin-d.Papsukkal pa-liḫ d.Nabu ina šar-tum la uštešir ù ina me-riš-tum la u-ša-bi[502]
25. son of Iddin-Papsukkal worshipper of Nebo. In fraud he has not translated it and with wilful readings has he not published it.