Nisaba holds two things at once: the grain and the reed. She is the grain that rises in the furrow, and she is the stylus that writes the stars. The scribal schools were hers. The harvest was hers. The fifty divine powers were laid in her hands before the world began.
This hymn — catalogued in ancient times and copied across the Old Babylonian period — opens with her blazing like a multicolored sky, moves through her cosmic powers and agricultural roles, and turns, in its second half, to her bond with Enki. He is the god of wisdom, lord of the Abzu at Eridu. She is his companion in knowledge. The poem ends not with her name but with his: as though wisdom given is never complete until it finds a father.
ETCSL c.4.16.1 (Old Babylonian composite). Translated from Sumerian by the New Tianmu Anglican Church.
My lady, multicolored as the stars,
holding the lapis tablet —
Nisaba, great wild cow born from the underworld,
a fallow deer fed on sacred wort and true milk,
a reed that opens its mouth to speak —
perfected in all fifty divine powers.
My lady, mighty-armed in the E-kur,
dragon rising bright at the great festival,
shaper of the land, speaking from the clay,
who fills the earth with daylight,
speaking tenderly from the mountain's abundance —
wisdom planted in the great mountain at birth.
True woman, celestial scribe, land-registrar of Enlil,
wise, far-sighted among the gods —
who makes grain and flax grow in the furrows,
who brings Ezina to wonder in her lordship,
who tends the great throne with care,
who makes the flax rise and the grain rise.
At the harvest festival of Enlil
she clothes his great nobility.
The sacred garment rests on the heart.
She lays out offerings where there were none.
She pours the great first-fruits in wine.
To appease the commanding god Enlil.
To calm Kusu's anger, to placate Ezina.
The great lord appeased, the festival appeased.
The great lord — and the land grows calm.
The pure maiden Nisaba stands in prayer.
She sets the pure offerings in order.
She opens the E-Geshtug-Nisaba.
She places the lapis tablet on her knee.
She studies the star-tablet from the holy sky.
She lays Aratta's gleaming temple in her hands.
She makes Eresh a place of abundance.
She sets the small sacred bricks in their places.
She bestows clever wisdom in the mind.
The Abzu, great crown, the shrine at Eridu spreading —
the prince who spreads his abundance.
Great farmer of noble standing,
house filled with awe, builder of Eridu —
the king who purifies all,
lord of the flat plain, great lord Enki.
The E-engura, his dwelling place.
The Abzu at Eridu, his built place.
In holy Hal-an-ku, turning things over in his heart.
The house of the boxwood-grove, revealed by him.
The sage with loosened hair, revealed.
The house of wisdom, opened by him.
The door of the ear-house standing in its street.
The great hall alive among its cedars.
Palm branches spread as his sacred staff —
his garment beating against them.
Nisaba — the great mothers spoke to her:
Nisaba, true woman, good woman, woman born in the land —
may you be butter in the cattle-pen,
cream in the sheepfold.
May you be the seal-keeper of the house of riches.
May you be the true steward of the palace.
May you be the great grain heap, the mounded heap,
the heaped grain circling its neck.
The prince speaks tenderly to Nisaba.
Father Enki — your praise is sweet.
Colophon
Translated from Sumerian (ETCSL c.4.16.1, Old Babylonian composite) by the New Tianmu Anglican Church with AI assistance, March 2026.
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Source Text
A hymn to Nisaba (Nisaba A) — ETCSL c.4.16.1
Old Babylonian composite transliteration:
- nin mul-an-gin7 gun3-a dub za-gin3 šu du8
- dnisaba immal2 gal duraš-e tud-da
- šeg9-bar naĝa kug-ga ga zid gu7-a
- gi [DI/DIM] ka ba-a
- me gal 50-e šu du7-a
- nin-ĝu10 a2-nun-ĝal2 e2-kur-ra
- ušumgal ezen-e dalla e3-a
- da-ru-ru kalam-ma im-ta KA-KA dug4
- ki im-si ud-da šag4 kuš2-u3
- kur i3-ḫe-nun-ta mi2 zid dug4-ga
- ĝeštug2 ĝar kur gal-e tud-da
- munus zid dub-sar maḫ an-na saĝ-tun3 den-lil2-la2
- gal-zu igi-ĝal2 diĝir-re-e-ne
- ab-sin2-na še gu mu2-mu2-de3
- dezina2 nam-en-na u6 di-de3
- barag gal mi2 zid di-dam
- gu zi-zi-dam še zi-zi-dam
- buru14 ezen den-lil2-la2-ke4
- nam-nun gal-la-ni su nam-mi-in-su-ub
- tug2-ba13 kug šag4-ge
- nidba nu-ĝal2-la ĝa2-ĝa2-de3
- ne-saĝ gal kurun2-na de2-e-de3
- diĝir nam2-nir-ra den-lil2 ḫuĝ-e-de3
- dku3-su3 arḫuš sud dezina2 ḫuĝ-e-de3
- en gal mu-un-ḫuĝ-e ezen mu-un-ḫuĝ-e
- en gal kalam-ma im-ma-ḫuĝ-e
- ki-sikil dnisaba šudu3-de3 mu-un-gub
- nidba sikil-la si nam-mi-in-sa2
- e2-ĜEŠTUG2.dNISABA-ke4 ĝal2 nam-mi-in-taka4
- dub za-gin3 dub3-ba nam-mi-in-ĝar
- dub mul-an kug-ta šag4 im-ma-da-kuš2-u3
- arattaki e2-za-gin3-na šu-ni-še3 mu-un-ĝar
- ereš2ki ḫe-nun-na mu-un-du3-u3-nam
- šeg12 naĝa di4-di4-la2 ki ĝar-ra
- ĝeštug2 nam-galam-ma saĝ-e-eš rig7-ga
- abzu men gal eridugki eš3 ḫal-ḫa-la
- nun ḫal-ḫa-la
- engar gal nam-nun-na e2 ni2 gur3-ru nagar eridugki-ga
- lugal šu-luḫ-luḫ-ḫa-ke4 en muš3 en gal-la den-ki-ke4
- e2-engur-ra ki-tuš-a-ni
- abzu eridugki-ga du3-du3-a-ni
- ḫal-an-kug šag4 kuš2-u3-da-ni
- e2 ĝištaškarin tun3 bar-ra-ni
- abgal siki bar-ra du8-a-ni
- e2 ĝeštug2-ga-ke4 ĝal2 taka4-a-ni
- ĝišig ĝeštug2-ga sila-ba gub-ba-ni
- unu2 gal ĝišerin-a til3-la-ni
- šita ĝišĝišnimbar šu du8-a-ni
- šita-ba tug2-ba13 sag3-sag3-a-ni
- dnisaba um-me gal-gal-la mu-un-na-dug4
- dnisaba munus zid munus sag9-ga munus kur-ra tud-da
- dnisaba tur3-ra i3 ḫe2-me-en amaš-a gara2 ḫe2-me-en
- e2 niĝ2-gur11-ra kišib-ĝal2 ḫe2-me-en
- e2-gal-la aĝrig zid ḫe2-me-en
- guru7-du6 guru7-maš-a guru7 gu2 gur ḫe2-me-en
- nun-e dnisaba-ra mi2 dug4-ga
- a-a den-ki za3-mi2-zu dug3-ga-am3
Source: ETCSL (Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature), University of Oxford. Text c.4.16.1 — 'A hymn to Nisaba (Nisaba A)', Old Babylonian composite. Freely available at etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk.
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