Accadian Songs
26 (If) evil
thou hast done,
(to) the sea forever
…[1] thou goest.
23 My city bless:
among my men
fully prosper me.
26 Bless everything;
and to (my) dress be favorable.
28 Before the oxen as they march
in the grain thou liest down.
30 My knees are marching,
my feet are not resting:
with no wealth of thine own,
grain thou begettest for me.
34 A heifer am I;
to the cow I am yoked:
the plough-handle is strong;
lift it up, lift it up!
53 May he perform vengeance:
may he return also
(to him) who gives.
55 The marsh as though it were not he passes;2
the slain as though they were not …[3] he makes good.
57 To the waters their god4
has returned:
to the house of bright things
he descended (as) an icicle:
(on) a seat of snow
he grew not old in wisdom.
….3
10 Like an oven
(which is) old
against thy foes
be hard.
15 Thou wentest, thou spoiledst
the land of the foe;
(for) he went, he spoiled
thy land, (even) the foe.
18 Kingship
in its going forth
(is) like a royal robe(?)
19 Into the river thou plungest, and
thy water (is) swollen
at the time:5
into the orchard thou plungest, and
thy fruit
(is) bitter.
34 The corn (is) high,
it is flourishing;
how
is it known?
The corn (is) bearded,
it is flourishing;
how
is it known?
42 The fruit of death
may the man eat,
(and yet) the fruit of life
may he achieve.
Notes
2 I have translated this line from the Accadian, the Assyrian text being wanting, and the words “a recent lacuna” being written instead. This makes it clear that the scribe who copied the tablet for Assur-bani-pal’s library did not understand Accadian and could not therefore supply the translation.
3 Lacunæ.
4 This seems to be quoted from a hymn describing the return of
Oannes to the Persian Gulf.
5 See “Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia,” vol. i. 25, 10.