Monday, March 23, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org

A Balbale to Suen

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The moon is a herd of cattle. The dark-bodied cows are the night sky, speckled lapis. The white ones are the full moon rising. Suen the moon god is their divine herdsman — lord of the fold, driving his cattle home each night with a lapis cord. This is the governing image of the balbale: the moon as living thing, tended by a god.

A balbale is a liturgical composition, likely sung. The poem moves through the imagery of the herd and the herdsman, then into the prayers of Ninlil — Suen's birth-mother — interceding with Enlil on her son's behalf. It closes with Enlil and An bestowing on Suen the great titles: herdsmanship of the land, kingship of heaven, the city of Ur as his dwelling.

ETCSL c.4.13.01. Translated from Sumerian by the New Tianmu Anglican Church.

Where are the cows? Where do they wander?
The milk-cows of Suen — where do they roam?
The dark ones: blue-green as wet lapis.
The white ones among them: the moon rising.

The small ones trickle toward you like scattered grain.
The great ones rush toward you like wild bulls.
The cows that roam, in their full sheepfold —
in the splendor of heaven, he has settled.
The milk of his golden cows pours across the table.
With pure hands, the milk is brought.

My lord, his evening work finished —
Suen with a lapis cord driving his herd home,
the cows scatter, the cows go to rest.
He himself has taken up the shepherdship of the cows.

His birth-mother, the mistress of Nippur,
speaks a prayer to the lord across the open land,
a prayer to the cowherd, a prayer:
May the sweet grassland fill with cows for you.
Come near in the depths of night.
Be born in the E-kur, most precious shrine.

He is its beloved — he is its beloved.
The lord of the E-kur — he is its beloved.
He is Enlil's delight, the one who is his joy.
Suen is the longing-song of his mother's heart.
From her beloved heart, his birth-mother
does not cease to sing praise to Suen.

You are what soothes the beloved heart.
Suen, the lapis calf fattened on the sacred knee —
whatever your heart desires,
every precious thing heaped in your heart —
may the rising be fitting for the E-kur.
Speak sweetness to Enlil.
May you be born in the splendor of heaven.
May your longing-song resound in the E-kur.
May the people love the breath of your life.
May Suen surpass all things in heaven and earth.

The cows drip their rich milk across the table.
Suen has set the purification rites in order.
What my hands have touched is clean.
May my father Enlil eat of the sweetness.

Lord of the sacred barge sailing above —
his mother sings his praise in joy:
You are rightly called the wild bull of heaven.
Your name spreads sweetly across every land.
Lord of the holy sheepfold, the rites shine bright —
how holy the shrine, where the lapis cord hangs.
Child born of the warrior Ninlil,
Nanna, the beloved meadow watered by sacred heaven —
the heavens have bestowed on you the herdsmanship of the land.
Enlil has given you his sweet name.
You are true-spoken, son of Enlil.
In his great heart, An has given you kingship.
Your city Ur has been chosen in his heart.
The great river brings you its fish and birds.
Firstborn of Enlil, given the lordship —
heavenly kingship has been given to you.
You are the god of heaven, laden with beauty.
Your moon is holy, it is radiant.
Like Utu, you shepherd the land.
Nanna the king rises to the light.

This is the balbale of Suen.

Colophon

Translated from Sumerian (ETCSL c.4.13.01, Old Babylonian composite) by the New Tianmu Anglican Church with AI assistance, March 2026.

Scribal notes: Line 8 contains the unusual sign group EŠ2.NUN.SUD.EŠ2.TU, an unclear compound not found elsewhere; translated conservatively as "the splendor of heaven." Line 12, sign BAD, is read as "open/release" in context (the cow released to go rest). Line 37, sign ĜAR.NE, is an uncertain compound; translated based on context (the cows dripping milk). Line 55 has minor lacunae marked in the source composite.

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Source Text

A balbale to Suen (Nanna A) — ETCSL c.4.13.01

Old Babylonian composite transliteration:

  1. me-a lu ab2 me-a lu-lu
  2. šilam dsuen me-a lu-lu
  3. gig2-bi na4za-gin3 duru5-am3
  4. ab2-ba babbar-bi iti6 e3-a-am3
  5. tur-tur-bi še-gin7 ma-ra-ši-sur
  6. gal-gal-bi am-gin7 ma-ra-ši-lu
  7. ab2 lu-a tur3 lu-a-na
  8. giri17-zal an-na-ke4 EŠ2.NUN.SUD.EŠ2.TU-ma ba-ni-in-du8
  9. ga ab2 sig7-a-bi banšur-ra i-ni-in-de2
  10. šu dadag-ge ga na-tum3-tum3
  11. lugal-ĝu10 kiĝ2-ĝa2 til3-la-ni
  12. dsuen saman za-gin3 ab2 BAD ak-a
  13. ab2 am3-ra-ra-ra ab2 am3-KU-KU-KU
  14. e-ne ab2-ba nam-sipad mu-un-ak
  15. ama ugu-ni nin nibruki-ke4
  16. en-ra edin-a-na a-ra-zu mu-na-ab-be2
  17. a-ra-zu unud a-ra-zu
  18. edin dug3-ga ab2 ḫu-mu-ra-ši-lu
  19. ĝi6 u3-na um-ma-te-a-ta
  20. e2-kur eš3 kal-kal za-e ḫe2-me-u3-tud
  21. ki aĝ2-bi na-nam ki aĝ2-bi na-nam
  22. en e2-kur-ra ki aĝ2-bi na-nam
  23. den-lil2-la2 lu2 la-la-ni na-nam
  24. dsuen ama ugu-ni i-lu-ni na-nam
  25. ama ugu-ni šag4 ki aĝ2-ĝa2-ni-ta
  26. dsuen-ra mi2-e-eš na-mu-un-e
  27. [ki] aĝ2 šag4-ga niĝ2 šag4 te-en-na-me-en
  28. dsuen amar za-gin3 dub3 kug-ga peš-a
  29. niĝ2-nam šag4-ge al dug4-ga-zu
  30. niĝ2 kal-kal-la šag4-ge guru7-a-zu
  31. [...] zi-zi ḫe2-du7 e2-kur-ra
  32. dug3 den-lil2-la2-ka za-e al dug4-ba-ni-ib
  33. giri17-zal an-na za-e ḫe2-me-u3-tud
  34. i-lu-zu e2-kur-re ḫe2-em-me
  35. zi-zu uĝ3-e ḫe2-em-mi-ib-aĝ2-ĝe26
  36. dsuen an ki-a ḫe2-em-dirig-ge-en
  37. ab2 ĜAR.NE ga-bi banšur-ra i-ni-in-de2
  38. dsuen-e šu-luḫ-e si bi2-in-sa2
  39. niĝ2 šu dug4-ga-ĝu10 dadag-ga-am3
  40. a-a-ĝu10 den-lil2-le dug3-ga ḫe2-gu7-e
  41. lugal ma2-gur8 kug an-na dirig-ga
  42. ama-ni ul-la mi2 na-mu-un-e
  43. am an-ne2 zid-de3-eš pad3-da-ĝu10
  44. mu-zu kur-kur-ra ze2-be2-eš im-ma-al
  45. en tur3 kug-ga šu-luḫ dadag-ga-am3
  46. a ra eš3 kug-ga-am3 saman za-gin3-na
  47. dumu ur-saĝ dnin-lil2-le tud-da
  48. dnanna a-gar3 a ru-a ki aĝ2 an kug-ga
  49. nam-sipad kalam-ma an-ne2 ma-ra-an-šum2
  50. den-lil2-le mu dug3-ga mi-ri-in-sa4
  51. dug4-ga zid dumu den-lil2-la2-me-en
  52. an-ne2 šag4 maḫ-a-na nam-lugal ma-ra-an-šum2
  53. iri-zu urim2ki šag4-ge bi2-pad3
  54. id2 nun-e ku6 mušen ma-ra-ab-tum3
  55. dumu-saĝ den-lil2-la2 nam-en-na [...]
  56. nam-lugal an-na za-ra mu-ra-an-šum2
  57. diĝir an-na ḫi-li gur3-ru-me-en
  58. iti6-zu kug-ga-am3 dadag-ga-am3
  59. dutu-gin7 su8-ba kalam-ma-me-en
  60. dnanna lugal-ra ud-de3-eš-e mu-un-e3
  61. bal-bal-e dsuen-na-kam

Source: ETCSL (Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature), University of Oxford. Text c.4.13.01 — 'A balbale to Suen (Nanna A)'. Freely available at etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk.

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