SAA 03 003. Assurbanipal’s Hymn to the Ištars of Nineveh and Arbela (OECT 6 11)


Obverse
o 1o 1	šu-uš-qa-a šu-uš-ri-ḫa ^dbe-lit—URU.ni-na-a	(1) Exalt and glorify the Lady of Nineveh, magnify and praise the Lady of Arbela, who have no equal among the great gods!
o 22	šur-ba-a na-ʾi-i-da ^dbe-lit—URU.arba-ìl [o]
o 33	šá ina DINGIR-MEŠ GAL-MEŠ šá-ni-na la i-šá-a
o 44	šu-qur zi-kir-ši-na a-na ^dIŠ.TAR-MEŠ	(4) Their names are most precious among the goddesses! Their cult centres have no equal among all the shrines!
o 55	ma-ḫa-za-ši-na la un-da-áš-šá-lu DÙ-šú-nu BARAG-MEŠ
o 66	zi-kir šap-te-ši-na ^dGIŠ.BAR nap-ḫu	(6) A word from their lips is blazing fire! Their utterances are valid for ever!
o 77	at-mu-ši-na kun-nu-u a-na da-riš
o 88	a-na-ku ^maš-šur—DÙ—A bi-bil ŠÀ-bi-ši-in	(8) I am Assurbanipal, their favourite, most valued seed of Assur, offspring of Nineveh, product of Emašmaš and Egašankalamma, whose kingship they made great even in the House of Succession. In their pure mouths is [voic]ed the endurance of my throne.
o 99	NUMUN^* BAL^.TIL.KI^ ra^-⸢bu^⸣-[u i]-⸢lit^*⸣-ti URU.ni-na-a
o 1010	bi-nu-ut É.⸢MAŠ^.MAŠ^⸣ [ù] ⸢É^*⸣.GAŠAN.KALAM.MA
o 1111	ša ul-tu ŠÀ É—⸢re⸣-[du-ti ú-šar]-ba-a LUGAL-u-ti
o 1212	[ina] ⸢pi⸣-i-ši-na el-⸢li⸣ [qa-bu]-ú la-bar GIŠ.GU.ZA-ia
o 1313	ul i-di AD u um-me ina^* ⸢bur^⸣-ki^ ⸢^{d^}⸣U.DAR-MEŠ^-ia ár-ba-a ana-ku	(13) I knew no father or mother, I grew up in the lap of my goddesses. As a child the great gods guided me, going with me on the right and the left.
o 1414	it-tar-ru-un-ni-i-ma DINGIR-MEŠ GAL-MEŠ GIM la-ʾe-e
o 1515	im-ni u šu-me-li it-tal-la-ku it-ti-ia
o 1616	^dALAD dum-qí ^dLAMA dum-qí ú-kin-nu i-di-ia	(16) They established at my side a good genie and a good angel, assigned my life to guardians of well-being and health.
o 1717	a-na EN.NUN-MEŠ šul-me u TI.LA ú-paq-qí-du ZI-tì
o 1818	ú-⸢šár^-ri^⸣-ḫu^* gat-ti ú-dan-ni-nu e-mu-qi-ia	(18) They glorified my stature and fortified my strength; they spread my fame over all rulers.
o 1919	ú-šab-bi-u zi-kir šu-me-⸢ia⸣ UGU ka-li-šú-nu ma-li-ki
o 2020	⸢iš^⸣-mu-ú-ma ⸢LÚ^v^⸣.[KÚR-MEŠ DÙ]-⸢šú⸣-nu i-ru-bu pal-ḫiš	(20) [All enem]ies heard (of me), [all] the recalcitrant lands, which did not submit to the kings, my fathers, and did not bring [tribute and] gifts before them, trembled with fear.
o 2121	[DÙ] ⸢KUR⸣-MEŠ šip-ṣa-a-te ša la ik-nu-šu a-na LUGAL-MEŠ AD-ME-ia
o 2222	[bil]-⸢tum^⸣ u^ kàt-ra-a la e-me-du-u-ni ma-ḫar-šú-un
o 2323	[a-na-ku] ^maš-šur—DÙ—A bi-nu-ut ŠU.2 DINGIR-MEŠ GAL-MEŠ	(23) [I am] Assurbanipal, the creation of the hands of the great gods.
o 2424	[x x] ^dU.⸢DAR⸣-[MEŠ x x x x x] ma^*-aʾ-diš	(24) [...] god[desses ......] greatly
Reverse		(24) [...] god[desses ......] greatly
r 1r 1	[x x x x x x x x x x x]+⸢x⸣-ni	(r 1) (Break)
r 22	[x x x x x x x]-⸢ia⸣ qí-bit-su-un	(r 2) [......]... their command
r 33	[x x x x x x] ⸢x x⸣ i-nim-me-šú-un	(r 3) [......] their words.
r 44	[ul ina da-na]-ni-ia ul ina da-na-ni GIŠ.BAN-ia	(r 4) Not [with] my [own strength], not with the strength of my bow, but with the power [... and] strength of my goddesses, I made the lands disobedient to me submit to the yoke of Aššur.
r 55	ina e-⸢muq⸣ [x x x x ù] da-na-ni ^dU.DAR-MEŠ-ia
r 66	KUR-MEŠ la ⸢ma-gi⸣-ri-ia ú-šak-ni-šá ana ni-ir ^daš-šur
r 77	IGI.SÁ-e [šad-lu-ti] la na-par-ka-a šat-ti-šam	(r 7) Unceasingly, yearly they bring me [sumptuous] presents and protect daily the gate of Aššur and Mullissu.
r 88	ú-⸢ra^*⸣-nim-ma KÁ.GAL ^daš-šur u ^dNIN.LÍL i-na-ṣa-ru UD-me-šam
r 99	i-na ut^-nin^-na ù tas-pi-te ú-ba-ʾu-u sa-li^*-me	(r 9) They seek peace with me in prayer and in supplication; with observance and prayers, they kiss my feet.
r 1010	ina ṣu-ul-le-e u su-up-pe-e ú-na-áš-šá-qu GÌR-u-a
r 1111	ia-a-ti ^maš-šur—DÙ—DUMU.UŠ ŠÀ—ŠÀ-bi LUGAL-u-te	(r 11) As for me, Assurbanipal, scion of kingship, who slays the recalcitrant and calms the heart of the gods, the great gods gave me confidence, and blessed my weapons.
r 1212	⸢mu-šam⸣-qit šip-ṣu-u-te mu-ni-iḫ ŠÀ-bi DINGIR-MEŠ
r 1313	ú-tak-kil-un-ni-i-ma DINGIR-MEŠ GAL-MEŠ ik-ru-bu GIŠ.TUKUL-MEŠ-ía
r 1414	^dbe-lit—URU.ni-ná-a um-mu a-lit-ti-ia	(r 14) The Lady of Nineveh, the mother who bore me, endowed me with unparalleled kingship; the Lady of Arbela, my creator, ordered everlasting life (for me).
r 1515	taš-ru-ka LUGAL-u-tu šá la šá-na-a-ni
r 1616	^dbe-lit—URU.arba-ìl ⸢ba^*⸣-[ni]-⸢ti⸣-ia taq-ba-a TI.LA da-ra-a-te
r 1717	i-ši-ma ši-ma-o^*-ti be-lu-ut ⸢kal⸣ da-ád-me e-pe-ši	(r 17) They decreed as my fate to exercise dominion over all inhabited regions, and made their kings bow down at my feet.
r 1818	LUGAL-MEŠ-ni-šú-nu ú-šak-ni-šá še-pu-ú-a

r 1919	^dbe-lit—URU.NINA be-lit za-ma-ri LUGAL-⸢tú li^?-šar^?⸣-bi	(r 19) May the Lady of Nineveh, the lady of (this) song, magnify (my) kingship for ever!
r 2020	a-na da-ra-a-ti

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/P336306/.