The Erra Epic
Translation by Benjamin R. Foster, *Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature*, 3rd ed. (Bethesda: CDL Press, 2005), §IV.17 Erra and Ishum. Substantial selection from Foster's translation of all five tablets; see source edition for complete text. Used under fair-use principles for non-commercial educational and religious commentary; copyright remains with the publisher. · Used under fair-use principles for non-commercial educational and religious commentary. Copyright remains with the publisher.
1(Narrator invokes Marduk, chief deity of Babylon, and Ishum, vanguard and companion
2of Erra. Erra is restless and breaks into a soliloquy. He is anxious to fight and campaign,
3but hesitates through natural inertia. Speaking of himself in the third person, Erra says
4that what he needs to stir him to action is Ishum's encouragement [i 9].)
5O king of all inhabited lands, creator of the wo[rld],
6" O Hendursagga, firstborn of Enlil [ ],
7Holder of the "sublime scepter, "^ herdsman of the people of this land,
8"shepherd [of humankind], n" O Ishum, “zealous slaughterer,""
9"whose hands are suited to brandish fierce weapons,
10"And to make his sharp spear flash, Erra, warrior of the gods, was restless in his dwelling, us His heart urged him to do battle!
11Says he to his weapons, “Smear yourselves with deadly venom!”
12To the Seven, warriors unrivalled,
13" Let your weapons be girded!
14He even says to you, “I will take to the field!*
15" "Y ou are the torch, they will see your light,
16“You are the vanguard, the gods will [ ],
17, Em’s speech to Ishum, showing both inclination and disinclination to stir, includes the entire i. Hruška, BiOr 30 [1973], 5), whereby Ishum is the subject of I.6—14 and Erra is addressed in 9-14, thus the reverse of the reading adopted here. Although in some respects this is an attractive
18"You are the stanchion, [zealous] slaughterer!
19“(So) up, Erra, from laying waste the land
20"How cheerful your mood will be and joyful your heart.
21“Erra’s limbs are slug[gish],
22like those of a mortal lacking sleep, (15)
23“He says to himself, “Shall I get up or go to sleep?’
24“He says to his weapons, ‘Stay in the corners!’
25“To the Seven, warriors unrivalled,
26‘Go back to your dwellings!’
27“Until you rouse him, he will sleep in his bedroom,
28“He will dally with Mami his mate.”
29(With a second invocation, now of Ishum, the narrator introduces the terrible
30Seven, who stand ready to massacre the people of the land.)
31O Engidudu “who patrols at night,” “ever guiding the noble,”
32Who ever guides young men and women in safety,
33making light as day,
34The Seven, warriors unrivalled, their divine nature is different,
35Their origins are strange, they are terrifying,
36Whoever sees them is numbed with fear.
37Their breath is death,
38People are too frightened to approach it!
39Yet Ishum is the door, bolted before [them].^
40When Anu, king of the gods, sowed his seed in the earth,
41She bore him seven gods, he called them the “Seven.”
42They stood before him, that he ordain their destinies.
43He summoned the first to give his instructions,
44“Wherever you go and spread terror, have no equal.”
45He said to the second, “Burn like fire, scorch like flame.’
46He c[ommanded] the third, “Look like a lion,
47let him who sees you be paralyzed with fear.”
48He said to the fourth, “Let a mountain collapse
49when you present your fierce arms.”
50“Patrols at night" is a literal translation of the Sumerian epithet; “ever-guiding” is a learned
51wordplay on the same epithet (as shown by Tinney, N.A.B.U. 1989/3).
52To the fifth he said, “Blast like the wind, scan the circumference of the earth.”
53The sixth he enjoined, “Go out everywhere (like the deluge) and spare no one.”
54The seventh he charged with viperous venom,
55After Anu had ordained destinies for all of the Seven,
56He gave those very ones to Erra, warrior of the gods,
57(saying), “Let them go beside you. (40)
58“When the clamor of human habitations becomes noisome to you,
59“And you resolve to wreak destruction,
60“To massacre the people of this land and fell the livestock,
61“Let these be your fierce weaponry, let them go beside you.”
62(The Seven offer the encouragement that Erra needs. In a rousing call to arms, they extol the heroic excitement of the campaign, the honor, prestige, and gratification it brings. The
63Seven claim vaguely that they are not respected enough, that others are growing more
64* important than they. They bring up the old charge [see II.36] that humans make too
65much noise for the gods to sleep, although this was not the cause Erra had given for his lack of sleep. The Seven claim further that there are too many wild animals on the loose. Their final claim, no doubt the most important one, is that they are bored and out
66of training.)
67These are the ones who are in a fury, holding their weapons aloft,
68They are saying to Erra, “Up, do your duty!
69“Why have you been sitting in the city like a feeble old man,
70“Why sitting at home like a helpless child?
71“Shall we eat woman food, like non-combatants?
72“Have we turned timorous and trembling, as if we can’t fight?
73“Going to the field for the young and vigorous is like to a very feast,
74“(But) the noble who stays in the city can never eat enough.
75“His people will hold him in low esteem, he will command no respect,
76“How could he threaten a campaigners
77“However well developed is the strength of the city dweller,
78“How could he possibly best a campaigner?
79"However toothsome city bread, holds nothing to the campfire loaf,
80“However sweet fine beer, holds nothing to water from a skin,
81“The terraced palace holds nothing to the [wayside] sleeping spot!
82“Be off to the field, warrior Erra, make your weapons clatter,
83"Make loud your battle cry that all around they quake,
84"Let the Igigi-gods hear and extol your name,
85"Let the Anunna-gods hear and flinch at the mention of you,
86"Let (all) the gods hear and bend for your yoke,
87"Let sovereigns hear and fall prostrate before you,
88"Let countries hear and bring you their tribute,
89"Let the lowly hear and [per]ish of their own accord,
90"Let the mighty hear and his strength diminish,
91"Let lofty mountains hear and their peaks crumble,
92"Let the surfing sea hear and convulse, wiping out (her) in[crease]!
93"Let the stalk be yanked from the tough thicket,
94"Let reeds of the impenetrable morass be shorn off,
95"Let men turn cowards and their clamor subside,
96“Let beasts tremble and return to clay,
97"Let the gods your ancestors see and praise your valor!
98" Warrior Erra, why do you neglect the field for the city?
99“The very beasts and creatures hold us in contempt!
100^O warrior Erra, we will tell you, though what we say be offensive to you!
101"the whole land outgrows us,
102"You must surely hear our words!
103"Do a kindly deed for the gods of hell, who delight in deathly stillness,
104“The Anunna-gods cannot fall asleep for the clamor of humankind.
105“Beasts are overrunning the meadows, life of the land
106“The farmer sobs bitterly for his [field].
107“Lion and wolf are felling the livestock,
108“The shepherd, who cannot sleep day or night for the sake of his flocks, is calling upon you.
109in [made ;
110“We too, who know the mountain passes, we have [forgotten] how to go,
111“Cobwebs are spun over our field gear,
112“Our fine bow resists and is too strong for us,
113“The tip of our sharp arrow is bent out of true,
114“Our blade is corroded for want of a slaughter!”
115(Erra brightens at this and asks Ishum why he does not proceed at once. Ishum remonstrates, saying that violence and destruction are evil. Erra, thoroughly aroused, launches into a self-praise. He is the bravest. If people do not respect the gods enough, and the others are too pusillanimous to do anything about it, he will remedy matters.
116Since the supposed lack of respect for him must be contrary to Marduk’s wishes, Erra will cause Marduk to forsake his dwelling and thus bring about the punishment humankind
117The warrior Erra heard them,
118What the Seven said pleased him like finest oil.
119He made ready to speak and said to [Ish]um,
120“Why, having heard, did you sit by silent?
121“Lead the way, let me begin the campaign!
122^[ ]the Seven, warriors without rival,
123“Make my fierce weapons march at my side,
124“But you be the vanguard and rear guard."
125When Ishum heard what he said,
126He felt pity and said [to the war]rior Erra,
127“O lord Erra, why have you pl[otted evil] against the gods?
128“You have remorselessly plotted evil, to lay waste the lands and decimate [the people].”
129Erra [made ready to sp]eak and said,
130To Ishum his vanguard he said [these words],
131“Keep quiet, Ishum, listen to what I say.
132“As concerns the people of the inhabited world, whom you would spare,
133“O vanguard of the gods, wise Ishum, whose counsel is always for the best,
134“T am the wild bull of heaven, I am the lion on earth,
135As to my precious mage,
136which had been struck by the deluge "
137that its appearance was sullied, (140) d
138“I commanded fire to make my features shine feet and cleanse my apparel. po
139“When it had shined my precious image Thee a and completed the task, vin
140“I donned my lordly diadem and returned. heo
141“Haughty* were my features, terrifying my glare!
142“The survivors of the deluge saw what was done. (145) pim!
143“Shall I raise my weapon and destroy the rest? i de
144“T sent those craftsmen’ down to the depths, dd ist
145I ordered them not to come up. sihid
146“I removed the wood and gemstone? €
147and showed no one where.
148“Now then, warrior Erra, | as concerns that deed you said you would do,
149“Where is the wood, flesh of the gods, i: | suitable for the lord of the uni[verse], (150) Vall Se
150“The sacred tree, splendid stripling,* perfect for lordship, m
151“Whose roots thrust down a hundred leagues m through the waters of the vast ocean to the depths of hell, Ua Ir
152"Whose crown brushed [Anu's] heaven on high? | he eg
153"Where is the clear gemstone that I reserved for | ]? he rate
154“Where is Ninildum, ih (i great carpenter of my supreme divinity, (155) Tih
155“Wielder of the glittering hatchet, who knows that tool, inv
156"Who makes [it] shine like the day | ad th and puts it in subjection at my feet? hoon
157“Where is Kusigbanda, fashioner of god and man, ull whose hands are consecrated? trad o
1582. The divine craftsmen, or sages, who refurbished Marduk's image after it was damaged in the
1593. The original depends upon a wordplay on mésu (a tree) and elmefu (a gemstone). The mie M meaning is that the specific materials used to make the image are no longer to be had. The entire passage implies that the statue of Marduk dated to earliest time and could not be reproduced because it was not made by human hands.
1604. A Sumero-Akkadian wordplay on mésu (a tree) and Sumerian mes "young man."
161“Where is Ninagal, wielder of the upper and lower millstone,
162“Who grinds up hard copper like hide
163and who forges to[ols]?
164“Where are the choice stones, created by the vast sea,
165to ornament my diadem?
166“Where are the seven [sa]ges of the depths, those sacred fish,
167who, like Ea their lord, are perfect in sublime wisdom,
168the ones who cleansed my person?"
169(Erra’s reply is lost, but he may offer to produce suitable materials for refurbishing the statue. Marduk then asks who will ward off the forces of evil and chaos while he is being refurbished and is thereby non-combatant. Erra offers to reign in his stead. Marduk assents, forsakes his dwelling for repairs, and the universe is thrown into confusion.)
170The warrior Erra [hea]rd him ...| |,
171He made ready to speak, saying to noble Marduk,
172“Clear gemstone [from] its [pl]ace shall I bring up."
173When Marduk heard this,
174He made ready to speak, saying to the [warrior] Erra:
175“(When) I rise [from] my dwelling,
176the regulation [of heaven and earth] will disintegrate,
177“The [waters] will rise and sweep over the land,
178“Bright [day will turn] to dar[k]ness,
179“(Whirlwind will rise and the stars of heaven willbe [ |,
180“Ill winds will blow
181and the eyesight of living creatures [will be darkened?],
182“Demons will rise up and seize [ |.
183“(They will ...] the unarmed one who confronts them!
184"The gods of hell will rise up and smite down living creatures.
185“Who will keep them at bay
186till I gird on my weaponry (once more)?"
187When Erra heard this,
188He made ready to speak, saying to noble Marduk,
189“O noble Marduk, while you enter that house,
190fire cleanses your apparel and you return to your place,
191“Por that time I will govern and keep strong sgt the regulation of heaven and earth, " qul
192"I will go up to heaven and issue instructions to the Igigi-gods, sit
193“T will go down to the depths "n and keep the Anunna-gods in order. "T
194"I will dispatch the wild demons to the netherworld, (185) "m"
195“I will brandish my fierce weaponry against them. "T.
196“I will truss the wings of the ill wind like a bird's. |
197“At that house you shall enter, O noble Marduk, f dade
198“I will station Anu and Enlil to the right and left, like bulls." dis heat |
199Noble Marduk heard him, (190) gover
200The words that Erra spoke pleased him. Jie awe-
201(Marduk leaves his palace, disaster ensues.) v
202Pericope A + B {et Sin bel
203He arose from his dwelling, an inaccessible place, (I) ‘De wari
204He set out for the dwelling of the Anunna-gods. Thy, bec
205He entered that house and sto[od before them]. the.
206Shamash looked upon him Tach I and let his protective radiance fall ..., Td noble
207The moon looked elsewhere, teploted and did not [leave?] the netherworld. (5) ste king winds rose and the bright daylight was turned to gloom. fre now
208The clamor of the peoples throughout the land [was stilled]. be di
209The Igigi-gods were terrified and went up to h[eaven], thw can
210The Anunna-gods were [fright]ened rh and [went down] to the pit [of hell], Ye himsel
211[ | the entire circumference [ ] (10) 7
212[ ]in the dust. b
213[ ] like the stars of heaven, (15) ski
2141. The imagery seems to be of the great winged bulls, such as stood at the entrances to certain
215(The gods convene to discuss the situation. Ea, intent upon restoring Marduk to his place,
216reasons that, even though the original sublime craftsmen cannot return, Marduk
217authorized reproductions of them to be made that are endowed with wondrous powers by
218Marduk's command. The repairs are proceeding well. Erra, while standing guard the house where the work is being done lest harm approach, is taking the opportunity to usurp Marduk's power by keeping everyone away from him. So vainglorious is Erra's shouting that Ea resolves to see him humbled.)
219“The diadem [ ]
220"His heart [ ]
221“The governor's! | ]
222“The awe-inspiring radiance of [his] divine splendor [ ]
223his days [ l.
224"[Let] Ea in the depths | ] his springs,
225"Let Shamash see ... [ | and let the people [ ],
226"Let Sin behold, and at his sign let him [ ] to the land.
227"Concerning that work, Ea [ ] 15 expert(?)."
228"The warrior Erra became very angry,
229“Why, because of foam on the w[aters],~
230the ... of humankind,
231“Which I myself created to bring offerings to the Anunna-gods,
232“Did noble Marduk give up, not at the appointed time?
233“He plotted to lay waste the lands and destroy their people!"
234the king considered and said these words,
235^Even now that noble Marduk has arisen (from his dwelling),
236he did not command those craftsmen to c[ome up].
237“How can images of them, which I made among humankind,
238“Approach his sublime divinity, where no god has access?
239“He himself gave those same (human) craftsmen
240great discretion and authority,
241“He gave them wisdom and perfect dexterity.
242, let him make it happy.
2431. Here possibly Erra, as temporary viceroy for Marduk, as opposed to the human governor
244who appears later in the poem.
245Here it may refer to something transitory: why did Marduk sacrifice the human race for a passing
246„= Whim (as it seemed to the speaker), and give the human beings over to Erra, when they were
247essential for feeding and maintaining the gods?
248“Enlil is the father of [ ],hehas[ ]." i
249(Even Ishtar, goddess of war, tries to calm Erra.) e it
250Innina replied in the assembly of the gods [ ], a
251[ ] her words to Anu and Dagan [| |, m
252“Keep quiet, all of you, go into your chambers, ie the
253“Cover your lips, do not smell the in[cense], (20') add
254“Do not debate noble Marduk's words, do not pllead | ygt
255“Until the days are drawn to a close, iyot
256the [appointed time] passed, vill
257“The word Marduk speaks is like a mountain where ..., i
258he does not change (it) nor[ ]." i:
259Pericope C2 they b
260Ishtar went, they entered the ..., ies
261She pled with Erra, but he would not agree. (30’) iat
262Ishum made ready to speak, saying (these) words to Ishtar, Take ye
263“I have ... that of heaven over what is not of heaven, They m
264"Erra 1s angry and will heed no one, th
265"Let him come to rest in the mountains, and I(?) ... The pe
266the seed of the people that you spoke about to [ |], bu
267"The sublime son of Enlil will not go on campaign thee
268without Ishum the vanguard before [him?]." (35!) TA
269(Erra is furious. All he has done is to perform guard duty, and now has been sent home, ‘mle his services no longer required, without a campaign. This is because he is the most valiant "gt god—no evil rises to oppose him. This he fails to perceive, but, in his blind rage, he — min resolves to fight his war anyway, to show Marduk and Ea that he is not to be taken so. lilium, lightly. Erra's self-praise turns into a self-narrative. This passage is unusual in "we
270Akkadian and has been subjected to varying interpretations. In favor of that offered here, ww] note that first-person narrative is nearly always past or future, hardly ever renderable as
271present and in progress. Since, as Cagni has shown [Epopea, 208—209], the passage situa cannot logically refer to the future, and since the past is difficult for grammatical reasons, "was we have here a present, first-person narrative, one of Kabti-ilani-Marduk’s most interesting M
272He was sitting in the Emeslam, taking up his dwelling.
273He thought to himself what had been done,
274His heart being stung, it could give him no answer,
275But he asked it what it would have him do.?
276“Lead the way, let me begin the campaign! (40°)
277“The days are drawn to a close, the appointed time has passed.
278“T give the command and despoil the sun of his protective radiance,
279“By night I muffle the face of the moon.
280“T say to the thunderstorm,
281‘Hold back [your] young bulls!
282‘Brush aside the clouds, cut off sn[ow and rain]!’
283“I will make Marduk and Ea mindful!
284"[He] who waxed great in days of plenty, they bury him on a day of drought,
285“He who came by water, [they take him back] on a dusty road.
286“I say to the king of the gods,
287‘Take your place in E[sagila],
288‘They must do what you commanded,
289they must carry out your or|[der]. (50^)
290"The people of this land cry out to you,
291but do not accept their entreaties!’
292“I obliterate [the land?] and reckon it for ruins,
293“I lay waste cities and turn them into open spaces,
294“I wreck mountains and fel[l] their wildlife,
295^I convulse the sea and destroy its increase, (55^)
296“I bring the stillness of death upon swamp and thicket,
297“T fell humankind, I leave no living creatures,
298“Not one do I retain, [nor any?] for seed to[ ] the land.
299“I spare no livestock nor any living creatures,
300I. Temple of Erra at Cutha. |
301needed no longer.
3023. Obscure. As read here, Erra is furious at what he regards as high-handed treatment, and, consulting only his own wounded feelings, decides to go on a rampage. The lines imply that he debated with his “self,” but took guidance from his heart (= emotions) alone. One may also understand (with Bottéro), *He (Ishum) asked him (Erra) his orders."
303under special protection, [sacred to Anu and Dagan], sins
304“You [made] their blood course o n like [ditchwater in the city streets], vpn
305^Y ou [opened their] arteries m
306[and let the watercourses bear (their) blood away]. (5) ym
307“Enlil [cried], ‘Woe!’ [his heart was hardened], i
308"[He ] from his dwelling,
309“An irrever[sible curse rose to his lips], tin
310“He swore that [he would not drink from the watercourses], apri
311“He was revol[ted by] their blood ji
312[and] would not enter [Ekur]." (10) ci
313Erra said these words to Ishum his vanguard, Tle
314“The Seven, warrior[s unrivalled |
315"For all of them [ ] ni
316« You (who)
317“Who can speak | ] Ts
318“Who can [ ] like fire d
319"Who can[ | before [ ] | af
320“Who can[ ]like[ ] Ma
321“Who can [ ] Erra? "x i
322“The face of a r[avening] lion [ ]* lib
323“In the rage of [| heart [ |? Frenne
324"Lead the way, [let me begin the campaign]! igatp
325" [Muster?] the Seven, warriors unrivalled, (25) Tiu
326“[Make] (them), fierce weaponry, [go at my side], tmd
327“And do [you] be [my] vanguard and [rear guard].” Nas
328When Ishum heard this [speech] of his, ite re
329He felt pity and sa[id to himself?], - and he
330“Alas for my people, victims of Erra's fury [ ], (30) find
331“Whom the warrior Nergal [overwhelmed] Ml Vr like the storm of battle [against] the demons, Erme,
332“As if to kill that conquered god, his arms lose no tension,
333I. Certain Mesopotamian cities were exempt from military service, taxes, or other obligations UM to the crown, and Erra has violated their charters. While Cagni and others have interpreted this * passage to mean that Erra armed the citizenry, it could also mean that they were exposed to the diy effects of weaponry. In favor of Cagni's view, however, see Tablet IV lines 6-10. us
334"As if to snare wicked Anzu, [his net] is spread!"
335Ishum made ready to speak,
336Saying to warrior Erra these words,
337“Why have you plotted evil against god and man?
338“And why have you remorselessly plotted evil against the people of this land?"
339(Erra replies exultantly that men are too stupid to understand the ways of the gods, so
340Us why take their part? Furthermore, Marduk did forsake his dwelling, so the world cannot be as it was before; that would be a denial of Marduk’s centrality. Now Ishum narrates
341Erra's violent course in the second person, a literary experiment building upon the preceding. There follows a gap in the text.)
342Erra made ready to speak,
343Saying to Ishum his vanguard these words,
344“You (who) know the reasoning of the Igigi-gods, the counsel of the Anunna-gods,
345“Would you give guidance to the people of this land and try to make them understand?"
346^Why are you, indeed, talking like a know-nothing?
347“You are advising me as if you knew not Marduk's command!
348“The king of the gods has risen from his dwelling!
349“What of all lands has endured?
350^He removed his lordly diadem:
351“King and prince [ | forget their duties.
352“He has undone his girdle:
353“The bond of god and man is undone, impossible to tighten it again.
354“Fierce fire made his precious image glow like the day and heightened his protective splendor,
355^His right hand grasped the mace, his enormous weapon.
356“Noble Marduk's glare is terrifying!
357“As for me, what you said to me[ |.
3587^ humans understand them?
359“He who knew nothing of fighting—set to the fray, jo
360“He who knew nothing of wings—flew off like a bird." (10) p
361“The cripple could surpass the fleet of foot, g the weakling could overpower the strong. fah
362“They give voice to gross insolence against the governor i who provides for their holy places, duree
363“With their own hands they blockaded the gate of Babylon, fen
364“They have torched the sanctuaries of Babylon ‘Als fo like marauders of the land, Ly
365^Y ou, the vanguard, took their lead! (15) b
366^Y ou aimed your shaft at the innermost wall, As fo
367“You flung the seat of Muhra, its gatekeeper, be into the blood of young men and girls, li
368“The inhabitants of Babylon themselves— Als fo they the bird, you the decoy— h
369“You snared in a net, caught and killed them, warrior Erra!” hi
370“You quit the city and have gone out to the outskirts, (20) het
371“You took on a lion’s face and have entered the palace. à
372“When the troops saw you, they girded on their weapons, *
373"The heart of the governor, avenger of Babylon, turned to fury. Sfr
374“He issued orders to his army to plunder, n as if plundering enemies, i
375“He incited the commander to atrocities,
376‘You, my man, for that city I am sending you to, |
377‘Fear no god, respect no man! |
378‘Do young and old alike to death! {etone
379‘Spare no one, not even the baby sucking milk! he
380“You shall plunder the accumulated wealth of Babylon" (30) Tetone
381“The royal troops drew up and have invaded the city, " i
382"With flashing shafts and outstretched blades, ne
383“You homed their weapons upon those under special protection, i| sacred to Anu and Dagan.
3842. Fora suggestion that this refers to a rebellion that Erra first instigated the Babylonians to "
385foment, then cruelly suppressed himself in Marduk's name, see Vanstiphout, N.A.B.U. 1996/54, "
386following Bottéro, Mythologie, 715. , :
387“You made their blood course like ditchwater in the city streets,
388“You opened their arteries
389and let the watercourses bear their blood away.
390"When the great lord Marduk saw that,
391he cried ‘Woe!’ and his heart was hardened,
392"An irreversible curse rose to his lips.
393^He swore that he would not drink from the watercourses,
394"He was revolted by their blood and would not enter Esagila,
395‘Alas for Babylon, whose crown I fashioned luxuriant as a palm’s, but which the wind has scorched!
396‘Alas for Babylon, that I had laden with seed, like an evergreen, but of whose delights
397I could not have what I hoped for!
398‘Alas for Babylon, that I tended like a thriving orchard, but whose fruit I could not taste!
399: ‘Alas for Babylon, that I suspended like a gemstone seal
4002H on the neck of the sky!
401de ‘Alas for Babylon, that I clasped in my hand like the tablet of destinies, not handing it over to anyone else!’
402"[And this too has] noble Marduk said:
403‘Let one quit the wharf:
404he shall cross at two cubit’s depth of water on foot, *
405‘Let one go down sixty fathoms in a well, not one man shall keep himself alive (on the water), j ‘Let them (still have to) punt the fishing boat a hundred leagues out in the open sea!’
406I. The sense may be that there will be so little water at the city docks that one can walk across
407" the riverbed, starting at the pier, and the water will scarcely reach to one's waist (von Soden apud
408Cagni, Epopea, 229). Cutting off of water could also be a military maneuver; see B. Meissner,
409"Babylonien und Assyrien (Heidelberg, 1920), 1: 108—109.
410‘If only we had died together,
411‘For you gave me a city whose walls are destroyed!
412‘Its people are the beasts, their god 1s he who hunts them down.
413‘He it is whose net is tight-meshed:
414they could not draw married men out of it but they died a violent death.'*
415^He who begot a son, saying,
416‘This is my son,
417‘When I have reared him he will requite my pains,’
418'] will put that son to death, his father must bury him,
419‘Afterward I will put that father to death,
420but he will have none to bury him."
421“He who built a house, saying
422‘This is my home;
423‘I built it for myself, I shall spend my leisure in it,
424‘On the day fate claims me, I shall fall asleep inside,”
425‘I will put him to death and wreck his home,
426‘Afterward, though it be wreckage(?),
427I will give it to another.’
428“O warrior Erra, you have put the righteous person to death,
429“You have put the unrighteous person to death,
430"He who sinned against you, you put him to death,
431"He who did not sin against you, you put him to death,
432“The high priest, assiduous with divine offerings,
433you put to death,
434“The functionary who served the king you put to death,
435“The old men in the anterooms* you put to death,
436“The young girls in their bedrooms you put to death,
437"Even then you found no appeasement whatsoever!
438"Even then you told yourself, “They hold me in contempt!’
439"Even then you said to yourself, O warrior Erra,
440“tomb” (J. Westenholz, Studies Cagni, 1181—1201).
441‘I will strike down the mighty, I will terrorize the weak, —
442‘I will kill the commander, I will scatter the troops,
443‘I will wreck the temple’s sacred chamber, the rampart’s battlement, the pride of the city I will destroy!
444‘I will tear out the mooring pole so the ship drifts away,
445‘I will smash the rudder so she cannot reach the shore,
446‘T will pluck out the mast, I will rip out the rigging.
447‘I will make breasts go dry so babies cannot thrive,
448‘I will block up springs so that even little channels can bring no life-sustaining water.
449lin ‘I will make hell shake and heaven tremble,
450‘T will make the planets shed their splendor,
451I will wrench out the stars from the sky,
452‘I will hack the tree's roots so its branches cannot burgeon,
453‘I will wreck the wall’s foundation so its top tumbles,
454‘I will approach the dwelling of the king of the gods, that no direction be forthcoming!"
455(Erra is gratified that the extent of his power is recognized; he has at last won his respect.
456He decrees that the rabble of the world should fight on; at length Babylon shall rule what
457au; i left. Erra then allows Ishum to campaign against a mountain that is apparently the
458~ homeland of the Sutaeans, the human arch-villains of the narrative. Erra has destroyed most of the world, but Ishum now puts violence to useful purpose.)
459The warrior Erra heard him,
460The speech that Ishum made pleased him like finest oil.
461Thus spoke the warrior Erra,
462“The Sealand the Sealand, Subartu Subartu, Assyrian Assyrian,
463“Elamite Elamite, Kassite Kassite,
464“Sutaean Sutaean, Gutian Gutian,
465“Lullubaean Lullubaean, land land, city city,
466e *House house, man man, brother brother
467must not spare (one another), let them kill each other!
468West, partly in contemporaneous, partly in archaizing terms. “Akkadian” in 136 refers to an
469unnamed Babylonian king whose victories are here ‘prophesied.
470“You shall make gods of livestock and grain descend (once more) to the land,
471“You shall make mountain deliver its yield, sea its produce,
472“You shall make the ruined fields deliver produce.
473“Let the governors of all cities haul their massive tribute into Shuanna,
474“Let the tops of the [ru]ined temples come up like the rising sun,
475“Let Tigris and Euphrates bring abundant water,
476“Let the governors of all cities make the provider for Esagila and Babylon their lord."*
477Erra’s speech melds into that of the narrator. The poet introduces himself by name, and le explains that the text, or "sign" of the god, was approved by Erra himself after it was
478revealed to the author in a half-waking state. Having become a sign, the text acquires WISP
479Praise to the great lord Nergal! and warrior Ishum for years without number!
480How it came to pass that Erra grew angry and set out to lay waste the lands and destroy their peoples,
481But Ishum his counsellor calmed him and left a remnant,
482The composer of its text was Kabti-ilani-Marduk, of the family Dabibi.
483He revealed it at night, and, just as he (the god?) had discoursed it while he (K.) was coming awake,* he (K.) omitted nothing at all, line did he add.
484When Erra heard it he approved,
485What pertained to Ishum his vanguard satisfied him.
486All the gods praised his sign."
487Then the warrior Erra spoke thus,
488"In the sanctuary of the god who honors this poem, may abundance accumulate,
489“But let the one who neglects it never smell incense.
490“Let the king who extols my name rule the world,
491Mythological and Historical Narratives — 911
492"Let the prince who discourses the praise of my valor have no rival,
493"Let the singer who chants (it) not die from pestilence,
494"But his performance be pleasing to king and prince.
495"The scribe who masters it shall be spared in the enemy country and honored in his own land,
496“In the sanctum of the learned, where they shall constantly invoke my name,
497I shall grant them understanding.
498“The house in which this tablet is placed, though Erra be angry and the Seven be murderous,
499“The sword of pestilence shall not approach it, safety abides upon it.
500“Let this poem stand forever, let it endure till eternity,
501“Let all lands hear it and praise my valor,
502“Let all inhabitants witness and extol my name.”