the favorite of the goddess Duzi-abzu. I am Ur-Bau; 5 the god Ningirsu is my King. The site of . . .11 he has excavated. The earth thence extracted, like precious stones, he has measured; like a precious metal he has weighed it. COLUMN III According to the plan adopted he has marked out a large space; into the middle of it he has carried this earth, and he has made its mundus. Above, a substructure 6 cubits high he has built. 5 Above this substructure the temple E-Ninnu, which illumines the darkness, 30 cubits in height, he has built. For the goddess Nin-gharsag, 12 the mother of the gods, COLUMN IV her temple of Girsu-ki he has constructed. For the goddess Bau, the good lady, 5 the daughter of Anna, her temple of Uru-azagga he has constructed. For the goddess Ninni, the lady august, the sovereign, her temple of Gishgalla-ki 10 he has constructed. For the god En-ki, the King of Eridu, his temple of Girsu-ki 11 Perhaps some edifice previously dedicated to the goddess Bau. The characters are destroyed. 12" The lady of the mountain." COLUMN V he has constructed. For the god Nin-dara, 13 the lord of destinies, his temple he has constructed. For the god Nin-agal, 5 his god, his temple he has constructed. For the goddess Nin-mar-ki 14 the good lady, 10 the eldest daughter of the goddess Nina, the Esh-gu-tur, the temple of her constant choice, In the House of Ningirsu his King, the image of Gudea the Patesi of Lagash, who built the temple E-Ninnu. One cab 16 13 Or Uras. 14" The lady of the city of Mar." 15 The consort of the god Martu, or Rimmon. 16 A cab is an ancient measure of about half a liter. VOL. I.-4. of strong drink, one cab of victual, half a cab of fine millet, half a cab of ground corn, as a continual offering 17 he appointed. If a Patesi revoke it, transgress Ningirsu's command may his own continual offering in the House of Ningirsu be revoked, his own behests be thwarted! COLUMN II To Ningirsu, the mighty Hero of Enlil (Bel), Gudea the Giver of Ornaments, the Patesi of Lagash, the Shepherd named by the heart's choice of Ningirsu, faithfully regarded by Nina (the Goddess of Nineveh), might-endowed by Nindara, gifted with eloquence 18 by the goddess Bau, the child born of the goddess Gatumdug, with kingship's high scepter endowed by the god Gal-elim, COLUMN III of the living, far and wide, Destroyer through Dunshagga; whose supremacy is the creation of Gishzida his god. When Ningirsu had looked upon his city with faithful eye, when he had named Gudea for faithful Shepherd of the land, when amid the magnates he had established his power, then. he purified and inspected the city, he made a ring-wall, the banks of the canal he examined. COLUMN IV The sodomites, the catamites, the..., he banished from the city. He who did not behave properly with women, powerful officers threw him into the canal. The House of Ningirsu, the Mansion of Heaven and Earth, in a pure place he built: a grave he violated not, a coffin he violated not; a mother (deceased) her child did not disturb. The Gatewardens (Prefects), the Mayors (chazans; city-governors), the Scribes, the sergeants, the overseers of this work, wore garments of goats' hair. The Scribes strengthened their hands. 17 I.e., to his own statue. The cultus of Gudea was maintained after his death. He was actually called "the god Gudea," like the Egyptian kings and the Roman emperors. 18 Gudea may mean "speaker, orator." COLUMN V In the city a coffin was not made, a body was not laid in earth; the wizard priest (sorcerer) performed no rite, poured forth no lamentation; the mother, the family uttered no lamentation. In the dominion of Sirgulla a man, having a suit, to the place of swearing brought no man: an architect (draughtsman) did not plan or build any man's house. For Ningirsu, his King, he prepared splendid adornments. In E-Ninnu, the chapel called "May Rimmon lighten the Darkness!" he rebuilt, and restored its dwelling-place. Within it his own chosen sepulcher of fragrant cedar he built him. When he had built the House of Ningirsu, Ningirsu his beloved King commanded, and from the Upper Sea unto the Lower Sea his way he opened. From Amanum,19 the mountain of cedars, trunks of cedar, whose length was 70 cubits, and trunks of cedar, whose length was 50 cubits, and trunks of box, whose length was 25 cubits, for beams he felled, and to this land from that mountain he conveyed. Many dikes, as a defense against floods, before it he made. Many sacrificial knives of flashing bronze, 7,000, he made. Of flashing bronze the water-pipes on its sides and front he made. Of flashing bronze the water-pipes of its cisterns he made. Of those cedars some into great doors he wrought; with splendid decoration he made them (i.e., the doors) surpassing, and in E-Ninnu he set them up: others of them in E-Mag-kia-sigde-da 20 he fashioned into beams. From the city of Ursu (Tassu), from Mt. Ibla, zabanum-trees, huge shadur-trees, Tuddibbum-trees, and gin-trees, for beams he felled. COLUMN VI In E-Ninnu into beams he fashioned them. Shamanum from the mountains of Menua, musalla from the mountains of the West County, and Nagal-stone he fetched; into inscribed slabs he made them, and on the side-walls of E-Ninnu he set 19 Probably Lebanon. 20 I.e., "The lofty House," the place into which the sick were carried for healing. them up. From Tidanum (Dedan) in the mountains of the West Country, Shirgal-gabbia-stone he brought; into urpadda (doorposts) he wrought them; for the door-bars in the House he set them up. At Kagal-ad-ki, in the Copper Mountains, he dug out copper; into weapons unsparing he wrought it. From the land of Meluchcha, he fetched ushu-wood; into . . . he made it. Much hulalu-stone he fetched; into weapons for the mighty he wrought it. Gold dust from the mountains of Gagum 21 he fetched; into weapons for the mighty he made it. Gold dust from the land of Meluchcha he fetched; for the E-Martu (House of the Storm-god) he wrought it. Lid-ri he fetched. From Gubin, the land of the galub-tree, he fetched galub-wood; into bolts he fashioned it. From Madga-land, from the mountains of the river Galruda, mineral pitch he fetched; the platform of E-Ninnu he built therewith. Imga-um he fetched. From the mountains of Barsib with nalua-stone great barges he filled; the base of E-Ninnu he surrounded therewith. With arms he crushed the city of Anshan in Elam; the spoils of it for Ningirsu in E-Ninnu he laid up. COLUMN VII Gudea, the Patesi of Sirgulla, when he had built E-Ninnu for Ningirsu and adorned it with decorations; when a House of Imagery (carven work), such as no pontiff-king had ever built for Ningirsu, he had built; his name he inscribed; an ornament, his own statue, he prepared; the commands of Ningirsu he faithfully performed. From the land of Magan hard stone (diorite) he fetched; into his own likeness (the statue) he formed it; LU.GAL-MU.EA.NI MU.NA.RU NAM.TI NI.BA.MU 22 for a name he called it; in E-Ninnu he placed it. Gudea to the statue gave command: "To the statue of my King say thou it!" 28 After I had built E-Ninnu, his beloved House, I enfranchised debtors, 24 I washed hands.25 During seven days corn 21 I.e., Khakh, southeast of Medina (Hommel). 22" My king, Whose House I have built, let Life be my reward!" 23 I.e., "the prayer expressed in thy name." 24 Literally, "loosed interest." 25 I.e., "cleared all liabilities." |