Lamentation to the Goddess of ŠirpurlaAuthor(s): St. LangdonSource: The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Apr.,1908), pp. 282-285Published by: The University of Chicago PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/527608 .

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LARIENTATION TO THE GODDESS OF SIRPURLA

BY ST. LANGDON Oxford

It is now quite well known that most of the so-called inter- linear hymns and ritllals are based upon Sumerian originals. For instance the well-known lament to Enlil over the fall of Nip- pur in IV R., 28*, No. 4, is based in the obverse upon the old Sumerian hymn, CT, xXt 10, and in the reverse upon CT, XV, 13.* A great many other well-known poems have already been traced, in part, to pure Stlmerian originals and we often find the Semitic interlinear translation so faulty and filled with glosses that its secondary nature must be apparent to any candid student. The ancient psalm concerning a calamity that befell Lagas, which forms the subject of this artiele, is at least older than the period of :ammurabi and may b* assigned to about 2500 B. a., which was in fact the golden age of Sumerian litxrature. The calamity described would indicate an invasion such as was made by Lugal- zaggisi in the time of Urukagina. The graphic description of how the city was destroyed, its temples plundered and its people slain, is given upon the stone tablet of Urukagina, published in the Revue d'Assyriologte, VI, pp. 26 f. It may be that the fol- lowing psalm to Bau(-(;ula), chief goddess of Lagas, was in- spired by the same event. The text is published in OT, XV, pl. 22.

Tezt 1. URU A USAN 1 BAR-MU BA-B-GA-AM 2 2. URU-MU GEIR-SU-(1II) A USAN BAR-MU BA-E-GEA-AM 3. SE-IB EI-SIR-BUR-LA-(EI) A USAN BAR-MU BA-E-GA-AM 4. SS £-NINNU-MU A USAN BAR-MU BA-E-GA-AM 5. DUL NINA ki - 3 MU A USAN BAR-MU BA-E-GA-AM

* See a1SO JaStrOWS Relir.gton, II, 55, nOte5 9 and 10. 1 The SigN iS Br. 8189 = USAN, CT, XI, 18 a 31, in arChaiC fOrm; X1I, 19 b 8 = Bab. MiSC1

P1. 11, V 5. 2 FOr GA-AM = i § a S S i s Wai1 See SBH, 39, 28; 83, 1. 3 WritteII NIN-NA.

282

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LAMENTATION TO THE GODDESS OF SIRPURLA 283

6. SE IB UD MA NINA TAG 4(1II) MU A USAN BAR_MU BA_E_GA_A[

7. G-BAR5 SIR BUR LA (1II) A A USAN BAR_MU BA_E (}A AM

8. URU MU USAN_BI BA BIR BIR RI

9. GIR_SU_(1II) ZAGINA 6 TUR TUR BA-I 7- I_E

10. URU SAG BI TA UDA IN GA AM 1IA8

11 GIR SU (1II) BAR BI TA AN 1IAL9 AZAG GA MU 12. SA-BA BARA BAR RA NA MU UN BA AL

13. MU_MA RU-NA MU SU NA MIJ-UN-BA-AL

14. AM MU US G UL LA SF MU UN BA AL

15. DAM UR SAG GAL A SF MU UN BA AL

16. GA SA AN BI_TA NAM MA RA E

17. GA-SA-AN GU-LA E BI TA BA_RA_E

18. EGI10 URU ME A DUG GA A [TA GAR NI]11

19. AME GA-SA-AN SUN NA D15G GA A_[TA_GAR_NI]

20. ZIGAR SX SA SA IM GAB ........

21 MU A_A_MU SAG PA KAB DU ES12

Rev. 22 .. d MU UL LIL E ...... SAL

23. CRU MU GF DFR A MU NI IB G A LAM18 A

24. GIR_SU_(1II) G_DFR_A MU_NI IB G A_LAM A

25. SIR BUR LA GF DCR A MU NI IB G A_LAM A

26. SIRARAki GF DFR A MU NI IB G A-LAM-A

27. NINAki G_DFR_A MU NI IB G A_LAM A

4Br. 7853 sIRAR=UD-MA-NINA-§IR-sI; in Gudea, Statue I, 3, 1, is found a temple called UD-MA-NINA-(sI)-TAG; Thureau-Dangin VAB, I, p. 86, reads therefore -SIRARA- gUM, assuming the omission of SIR. It is highly probable these are all different writings for the same place.

5 G-BAR = G-EDIN, a section of the territory of Lagas. For this equivalence cf. IV R., 21*b, rev. 19, and for EDIN = BAR or BIR, CT, XII, 27, 3. EDIN, probably identical with the mythical land of paradise, followed the analogy of the Greek Elysiunw and came to mean the land of the blessed dead. Here Tammuz resided during his stay in the underworld, CT, XV, 19, 29.

6 Read here locative.

7Sign is Br. 11208= aCAsu 'be gloomy,' IV R., 22, No. 2, 4.

8A temporal dependent phrase indicated by the oblique particle KA; cf. Babyloniaca, I, 240, and 239b.

9 AN-KAL, usually translated by a n du n a n i HWB, 225a, but by Tallqvist, Maklu, 135, and Zimmern, Surpu, a4, du tu = ' bodily appearance.' The meaning ' good health,' synonym of b a l t u is probable in King, Magic, No. 22, 64.

10 NIN iS visibly composed of KU with feminine prefi2: SAL. This form of KU (cf. Thureau- Dangin, REC, 468 and 355) means s u b a t u ' cloth ' and r u b u ' prince ' to be pronounced EG[(I), Br. 10501 and 5845: the root is probably connected with AG(E) = AGU ' a crown.' From this gloss we know that NIN was used for both genders and pronounced EG for belu and NIN for b e l t u . See also my list of l oan Words in BabyConiaca, II2 under e r e s u .

ll Restored after CT, XV, 13, 22 = IV R., '28*, No. 4, rev. 33, a passage discussed in Baby- loniaca, II3 (in press).

12 Br. 3603 = s a r n k u ' to give,' cf. H WB, 692a, PwAI,-R = s a r r a k t u a priestess concerned with sacrifices(?). As verb in sense of 'present offerings,' Ean. Galet, A VII, 6; (}udea, Cyl. B 14, 1'9.

13 For G'ALAM = b a 1 n k u cf. St. Vaut., rev. 8, 2: Urukagina, Pl. Ovale 4, 19; SBH, 73,11.

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284 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SEMITIC LANGFUAGFES

28. ,AB RUI BI BA NI IB TE EN

29. ,AB RU RU BI 15-BA-NI-IB-TE-EN-TE-EN

30. MU LU SIR RA A ALU MU A NIGINA MU A NA GAL DIB BI

ER ,EM MA d BA_f _1IAM

SIR DINGIR-AD-DA-MU

Translation

1. " In the city how long the darkness," my soul doth sigh. 2. " In my city Girsu how long the darkness," my soul doth sigh. 3. "Within the brick walls of girpurla how long the darkness,"

my soul doth sigh. 4. "In the house of my Eninnul5 how long the darkness," my

soul doth sigh. 5. "In the abode of my Nina how long the darkness," my soul

doth sigh. 6. " In the brick walls of Sirar how long- the darkness," my soul

doth sigh. 7. " In GUBAR in Sirpurla how long the darkness," my soul doth

sigh. 8. Over my city darkness is spread.l6 9. In shining Girsu the little ones are distressed.

10. Into the interior of the city upon a woeful day.l7 11. Into the plainsl8 of Girsu, my holy land(?). 12. Into the interior of the splendid shrine they pressed. 13. Into the MUMARUN and MUS,UN they pressed. 14. Into joyful AMMUS, they pressed. 15. Unto the spouse of the great herol9 they pressed. 16. Unto the queen unto whom none should ascend. 17. The august queen from her temple they brought forth.20 18. The lord of my city is estranged, when will he repent? 19. The mother, all powerful queen, is, estranged, when will she

repent ? 20. ? ? ? ?

21 my, my father, the presents l4Aabru IIWB, 639b and Muss-Arnolt lOOda, is a loan-word. In favor of a meaning

'interpreter of dreams' or better 'astronomer,' is the Sumerian G'AS = sabrd Br. 4688; the same ideogram = ZIB = s i m t u = s i m e t a n, ' twilight ;' cf. Br. 8195 and Kugler, Stern7runde, I, p. 9.

15 Chief temple at Lagas. 16 BA-BIR-BIR-RI is a passive form indicated by BA in the instrumental case.

LiterallY 'when men lament.' 18 Literally 'in the outskirts,' BAR = a h A t u HWB, p. 40a.

19 I. e., BAU as consort of NINGIRSU (N i n i b) . 20 Subject of these verbs is impersonal ' one ' or ' the enemy,' hence the forms are singular,

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LAMENTATION TO THE GODDESS OF SIRPURLA 285

Rev. 22 ... ENLIL

23. In my city which they have destroyed with ....... 24. In Girsu which they have destroyed with .........

.

25. In Sirpurla which they have destroyed with ....... 26. In Sirar which they have destroyed with ......... 27. In Nina which they have destroyed with ......... 28. The interpreters they have silenced; 29. The interpreters they have silenced 30. So that the psalmist in my city and my domain takes up his

strain no more(!).21

Psalm of lament to the flute for Bau. Psalm of Dingir-adda-mu92

The above article was sent to the redaction bfefore the writer had seen the edition of the same psalm by Professor Prince in this, periodical for October, 1907. He had the edition of Pro- feB,sor Prince before him when correcting the proofs, but found that a commentary on the work would be impossible upon a proof.

21 For the subjunctive use of NA in negative sentences cf. Babylonzaca, 1, 272, n. 7.

22 A proper name,= ' God is my watchman,' or something synonomous. AD iS a word for father and ADDA jS a title of Kudurmabuk who is called ADDA of MABTU, CT, XXI, &S, 4. MU in these names scarcely meane n a d a n u as Huber, Personennamen, p. 44b.

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