SAA 03 014. Love Lyrics of Nabû and Tašmetu (TIM 09 54)


Obverse
o 1o 1	man-nu ana šá ta-kil-ú lu ta-⸢kil⸣	(1) May anyone trust in whomever he trusts; as for us, we trust in Nabû, we are devoted to Tašmetu!
o 22	a-ni-nu a-na ^dAG tak-la-a-ni
o 33	a-na ^dtaš-me-tum šur-bu-ba-ni-ma
o 44	ša at-tu-u-ni at-tu-u-ni ^dAG EN-a-ni	(4) What is ours is ours; Nabû is our lord, Tašmetu is the mountain of our trust! Ditto.
o 55	^dtaš-me-tum šad-du-ú ša tuk-la-te-ni^* KI.MIN

o 66	a-na ša BÀD a-na ša BÀD a-na ^dtaš-me-tum qi-ba-niš-ši	(6) Say to her, to her of the wall, to her of the wall, to Tašmetu: "Save (us), sit down in the cella!"
o 77	⸢ma⸣-a eṭ-⸢ri⸣ ši-i-bi i-na É—pa-pa-ḫi-e
o 88	i-na pa-rak-ki lil-li-ku ŠEM.LI KUG-MEŠ KI.MIN	(8) Let (the scent of) holy juniper fill the sanctuary! Ditto.

o 99	ṣil GIŠ.ERIN ṣil GIŠ.ERIN ṣil GIŠ.ERIN pu-zar LUGAL	(9) The shade of the cedar, the shade of the cedar, the shade of the cedar, the king's shelter! The shade of the cypress (is for) his magnates! The shade of a sprig of juniper is shelter for my Nabû and my games! Ditto.
o 1010	ṣil GIŠ.ŠUR.MÌN LÚ.GAL-MEŠ-šu
o 1111	ṣil kan-ni ša GIŠ.LI pu-zar ^dna-bi-um-a.a mi-lul-a KI.MIN

o 1212	^dtaš-me-tum sa-gi-nat KUG.GI ina bur-ki ^dAG-a.a tú-la-la KI.MIN	(12) Tašmetu, fondles ... of gold in the lap of Nabû. Ditto.
o 1313	be-lí an-ṣa-ab-tum šuk-na-an-ni-ma	(13) My lord, put an earring on me, let me give you pleasure in the garden!
o 1414	qé-⸢reb^*⸣ GIŠ.SAR lu-lal-li-ka-a
o 1515	⸢^d⸣[AG be]-⸢lí⸣ an-ṣa-ab-tú šuk-na-an-ni-ma	(15) [Nabû], my lord, put an earring on me, let me make you happy [in the Edu]bba!
o 1616	[qé-reb É].⸢DUB^*⸣.BA lu-ḫa-ad-di-ka-a

o 1717	[x x x x x]-a^? ḪAR-MEŠ sa-an-ti áš-kan-ki	(17) My [Tašmetu], I will put on you bracelets of carnelian!
o 1818	[x x x x x] ḪAR-MEŠ sa-an-ti-ka	(18) [......] your bracelets of carnelian!
o 1919	[x x x x x]-la-na a-bat-ti KI.MIN	(19) I will open [......]. Ditto.

o 2020	[x x x x] ⸢it^*⸣-tu-ṣa-a-ni ^dIŠ.TAR-MEŠ	(20) [......] the goddesses came out
o 2121	[x x x x x] ⸢x⸣ ki-i GIL	(21) [......] like a mural crown
o 2222	[x x x x x]-⸢x⸣ [x x]-⸢bi^?⸣-ru-ši-na	(22) [......]... [...] them
o 2323	[x x x x x x x x x x] KI.MIN	(23) [......] Ditto.

	rest broken away	(Break)
Reverse
r 1r 1	[x x x x x x x] ⸢ki ri⸣ [x x x x x]	(r 1) [......] ...[...]
r 22	[x x x x x] ⸢x⸣ šul-pu ⸢x⸣ [x x x x]	(r 2) [......] tube [...]
r 33	[x x x x] ⸢x⸣ lu-kil e-te-[x x x x]	(r 3) Let me hold [...], ...[...]
r 44	[la-áš]-⸢kun⸣-ki GIŠ.GIGIR GIBIL-tú [x x x x]	(r 4) [Let me pro]vide a new chariot for you [......]!
r 55	KI.MIN [ša šá-pu]-la-ki MAŠ.DÀ ina EDIN [x x x x]	(r 5) Ditto, [whose] thighs are a gazelle in the plain! [Refrain.]
r 66	KI.MIN [ša ki]-⸢ṣal⸣-la-ki GIŠ.ḪAŠḪUR ITI.⸢SIG₄⸣ [x x x x]	(r 6) Ditto, [whose] ankle bones are an apple of Siman! [Refrain.]
r 77	KI.MIN ša a-si-da-ki NA₄.ZÚ-ma ⸢x x⸣ [x x]	(r 7) Ditto, whose heels are obsidian! [Refrain.]
r 88	KI.MIN ša mim-mu-ki ṭup-pu NA₄.ZA.GÌN [x] ⸢x⸣ [x x]	(r 8) Ditto, whose whole being is a tablet of lapis lazuli! [Refrain.]
r 99	taḫ-ti-ni-ip ^dLÁL^* ina É—GIŠ.NÁ-e te-tar-ba [KI.MIN-ma]	(r 9) Tašmetu, looking luxuriant, entered the bedroom. [Refrain.]
r 1010	te-ta-di-li GIŠ.IG-sa GIŠ.SAG.KUL NA₄.ZA.GÌN ⸢ta-sa-kan⸣ KI.MIN-ma	(r 10) She closed her door, [putting in place] the bolt of lapis lazuli. Refrain.
r 1111	tar-te-ḫi-ṣi te-ta-li-e ina UGU du-un-⸢ni te-li-a^?⸣ KI.MIN-ma	(r 11) She rinsed herself, climbed up, got onto the bed. Refrain.
r 1212	ina kap-pi iq-ni ina kap-pi iq-né-e il-la-ka di-ma-⸢te⸣-[šá KI.MIN]-ma	(r 12) Into a bowl of lapis lazuli, into a bowl of lapis lazuli, her tears flow. Refrain.
r 1313	ina si-gi ša SÍG.tab-re-pi ú-šá-kal <<u>> di-ma-te-šá-a KI.MIN-ma	(r 13) With a piece of red wool he wipes away her tears. Refrain.
r 1414	am-me-i-šá šá-al šá-al sa-ni-qa-a sa-ni-qa KI.MIN-ma	(r 14) Thither, ask, ask, question, question! Refrain.
r 1515	⸢šu⸣-uḫ me-⸢e-ni⸣ šu-uḫ me-ni-⸢e⸣ za-na-at ^dLÁL^*-⸢ia^?⸣ [KI.MIN]-ma	(r 15) For what, for what, are you adorned, my Tašmetu? Refrain.
r 1616	⸢šu⸣-uḫ ša is-si-ka ^dAG-a a-na GIŠ.SAR ⸢la^*⸣-[al-li-kam-ma KI.MIN]-⸢ma⸣	(r 16) So that I may [go] to the garden with you, my Nabû. [Refrain.]
r 1717	a-na GIŠ.SAR la-al-li-kam-ma a-na GIŠ.SAR ⸢ù⸣ [^dEN KI.MIN]-ma	(r 17) Let me go to the garden, to the garden and [to the Lord! Refrain.]
r 1818	[e]-dan-nu la-al-li-kam-ma a-na GIŠ.SAR ba-an-ba-nat KI.MIN-ma	(r 18) Let me go alone to the beautiful garden! Refrain.
r 1919	ina bi-rit ma-lik-a-ni GIŠ.GU.ZA-ú-a.a la id-di-u KI.MIN-ma	(r 19) They did not place my throne among the counsellors. Refrain.
r 2020	qa-ta-pu ša in-bi-ka IGI.2-a.a le-mu-ra KI.MIN-ma	(r 20) May my eyes see the plucking of your fruit! Refrain.
r 2121	ṣa-ba-ru ša MUŠEN-MEŠ-ka PI.2-a.a li-sa-am-me-ia u KI.MIN-ma	(r 21) May my ears hear the twittering of your birds! Refrain.
r 2222	am-me-i-ša ru-uk-sa : ṣa-me-da^*-a : KI.MIN-ma	(r 22) Bind and harness (yourself) thither! Refrain.
r 2323	UD-MEŠ ru-uk-sa a-na GIŠ.SAR ù ^dEN KI.MIN-ma	(r 23) Bind your days to the garden and to the Lord! Refrain.
r 2424	MI-MEŠ ru-uk-sa a-na GIŠ.SAR ba-an-ba-nat KI.MIN-ma	(r 24) Bind your nights to the beautiful garden! Refrain.
r 2525	is-si-ia ^dLÁL^*-ia a-na GIŠ.SAR lu tal-li-⸢ka⸣ KI.MIN-ma	(r 25) Let my Tašmetu come with me to the garden! Refrain.
r 2626	ina bi-rit ma-lik-a-ni GIŠ.GU.ZA-u-ša-a IGI-u KI.MIN-ma	(r 26) Among the counsellors, her throne is foremost! Refrain.
	three lines broken away	(Break)
Right
r.e. 30r.e. 30	⸢qa⸣-ta-pu ša in-bi-e IGI.2-šá-a le-⸢mu-ra⸣ [KI.MIN-ma]	(r 30) May her eyes behold the plucking of my fruit! [Refrain.]
r.e. 3131	ṣa-ba-ru ša MUŠEN-MEŠ-ia PI.2-šá-a li-sa-na-me-⸢a⸣ [KI.MIN-ma]	(r 31) May her ears listen to the twittering of my birds! [Refrain.]
r.e. 3232	⸢IGI.2⸣-šá-a le-mu-ra-ma PI.2-šá-a li-sa-na-me-⸢a⸣ [KI.MIN-ma]	(r 32) May her eyes behold, her ears listen! [Refrain.]
r.e. 3333	[x] 12 IM ^mbu-di-lu ⸢LÚ.A.BA x⸣ [x x x]	(r 33) [...] 12. A tablet of Budi-ilu, the scribe ...[...]

Adapted from Alasdair Livingstone, Court Poetry and Literary Miscellanea (State Archives of Assyria, 3), 1989. Lemmatised by Mikko Luukko, 2019-20, as part of the research programme of the Alexander von Humboldt Chair in the Ancient History of the Near and Middle East at LMU Munich (Karen Radner, Humboldt Professorship 2015). The annotated edition is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license 3.0. Please cite this page as http://oracc.org/saao/P223388/.