Two Accadian Hymns
I
1 O shepherd,1 Lord Tammuz, Bridegroom2 of Istar! 2 Lord of Hades, Lord of Tul-Sukhba! 3 Understanding one, who among the papyri the water drinks not! 4 His brood in the desert, even the reed, he created not.3 5 Its bulrush in his canal he lifted not up. 6 The roots of the bulrush were carried away. 7 O god of the world, who among the papyri the water drinks not! …..4
Notes
1 The early Accadian kings frequently call themselves “shepherds.” According to Berosus, Alorus, the first antediluvian king of Babylonia, gave himself the same title. Compare the Homeric [Greek: poimaen laon].
2 “Khamir,” literally “red” or “blushing one,” in reference to the glow of the setting sun.
3 Or, “was not green.”
4 Lacuna.