To any extent to which the texts included here have a unity in content, it is that the majority are concerned with, or express in one way or another various aspects of the raison d'être, idealized functions, and goals of the Assyrian state, naturally within the parameters of hymnic and mythological diction, and mainly from the view point of Assyrian kingship. In view of this, there is no question about the appositeness of their inclusion under the rubric "Court Poetry". It is notable that the main principal deities and cities which might have been expected are included: Aššur and the Ištars of Nineveh and Arbela on the Assyrian side, and as originally Babylonian imports, Marduk (with spouse Zarpanitu) and Nabû (with spouse Tašmetu), the latter being equivalent to Muati with spouse Nanaya; among the cities Assur, Nineveh and Arbela are represented but Calah is missing.
It must however be stressed that this apparent completeness is totally illusory, since the individual works come from various find-spots, and although they are all classifiable as hymns, they are diverse, both stylistically and in the contexts in which it appears likely that they might have been used. The word "hymn" has been used for convenience, but it should be understood that elements of prayer ( with emphasis on petition ) are also involved.
The metrical schemes employed are various. The traditional short line with ( usually ) four beats to the line and an iambus at the end is represented in nos. 1, 4 and probably 6. No. 8, in praise of the city of Arbela, has a short line, but with a different structure. The most complex example is the acrostic, no. 2, with some short lines of the traditional type, but many long ones, required in order to encompass the learned subject matter. There are a few other examples from the late period of royal acrostic hymns. This acrostic reads a-na-ku aš-[šur-ba-ni]-ap-li šá il-su-ka bu-u[l-li-ṭ]a-[ni-m]a ma-[r]u-du-uk da-li-li-ka lu-ud-lul, "I am Assurbanipal, who has called out to you: Give me life, Marduk, and I will sing your praises! " Nos. 4, 6, 7, and 11 include allusions which suggest or prove that they were used in cultic or ceremonial contexts.
Of the hymns to cities, nos. 8 and 1 0 concentrate on the cities themselves and activities within them. This type of literature may be a native Assyrian development, since there are very few hymns to cities and no exactly corresponding examples in Babylonian literature, compared with the three Assyrian examples within a very much smaller corpus.[[14]] The Nineveh example is only partially relevant. The first three lines are in praise of the city, leading to one line in praise of Emašmaš, and the rest praises the Lady of Nineveh and petitions her on behalf of Assurbanipal.
In spite of the lack of Babylonian parallels, these compositions can be seen as a development from hymns to temples, a genre which goes back to the earliest times. The hymn praising Uruk, no. 9, brings Uruk into association with other cult centers, both Assyrian and Babylonian. It is possible that what lies behind this is the special position occupied by Uruk at certain times in the politics of Assyria in relation to Babylonia.
The general points which are particularly stressed in these hymns are the appointment and genealogical position of Assurbanipal in relation to Aššur or the Ištars, the prosperity of Assyria and its cities, the contentedness of the citizens, and the need to educate mankind in the praise of the gods of Assyria.
14 One example is hymnic material praising Babylon: E. Ebeling, KAR 321:1-11 ; Th. Pinches, TBWW p. 15ff.
Alasdair Livingstone
Alasdair Livingstone, 'Hymns to Gods, Temples, Cities and Kings', Court Poetry and Literary Miscellanea, SAA 3. Original publication: Helsinki, Helsinki University Press, 1989; online contents: SAAo/SAA03 Project, a sub-project of MOCCI, 2020 [http://oracc.org/saao/saa03/natureandcontent/hymns/]