Wednesday, August 5, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Hymns and Temple Songs
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Texts
Ishme-Dagan C — A Hymn to Nibru and Išme-DaganA short Sumerian city-praise hymn addressed to the sacred shrine of Nibru (Nippur), celebrating its divine residents — Enlil, Ninlil, Ninurta, and the great minister Nuska — and presenting Išme-Dagan as the city's devoted provider, who casts himself at its feet.Ishme-Dagan D — An Adab to Enki for Išme-DaganA fragmentary adab (genre uncertain) to Enki on behalf of Išme-Dagan, king of Isin (c. 1953–1935 BCE), praising Enki as supreme judge among the gods, distributor of divine powers, and lord of the abzu at Eridug, then petitioning through his consort Damgalnuna for the king's radiant authority and a full agricultural blessing.Ishme-Dagan E — A Balbale to Enki for Išme-DaganA heavily damaged balbale (lyric hymn) to Enki for Išme-Dagan, king of Isin (c. 1953–1935 BCE), preserving a series of Enki epithets praising him as counsellor of An, foremost of the gods, and great bull of Eridug, with a closing petition for the king's longevity.The Keš Temple HymnThe ancient Sumerian hymn to the temple of Keš, sacred house of Nintur and Ašgi — one of the oldest literary compositions preserved from Mesopotamia, celebrating the temple's cosmic dimensions, divine inhabitants, and surpassing glory. Translated from Sumerian by the New Tianmu Anglican Church.