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

Ishme-Dagan E — A Balbale to Enki for Išme-Dagan

✦ ─── ⟐ ─── ✦

Patient-hearted, who rides upon all the divine powers —
Enki, great bull of Eridug.

(Note: This text survives in four heavily damaged segments. Segments B and C preserve only scattered signs. What follows represents the legible content; extensively damaged passages are marked [...].)

[Segment A]

[...] in the holy heart [...] [...].
Whose word is mighty, who [...] decisions —
foremost of the gods, who knows all things [...].

Enki, counsellor of holy An, adviser of the Great Mountain [...].
Foremost of the gods, who knows all things [...].
Enki, counsellor of holy An, adviser of the Great Mountain [...].

Whose statements cannot be countermanded;
whose ways are suffused with fearsomeness.
Patient-hearted, who rides upon all the divine powers, like Enlil [...].

Nudimmud [...] the holy dais [...].
Lord imbued with fearsomeness, born of An and Uraš, eldest brother [...].
King whose ways are recognized by Enlil, caretaker of [...].

Surpassing [...], firstborn child of holy An,
whose divine powers hands cannot approach [...].
Junior Enlil of trustworthy utterances [...].
Nudimmud, lord who determines the fates, who strengthens the Land [...].
Enki, great bull of Eridug [...].

Surpassing, brighter than the Anuna [...].
[...] [...].
[...] [...].

[Segment B] (heavily damaged — only scattered signs preserved)

[...] [...].
[...] Išme-Dagan [...].
[...] [...].
[...] the house (?) of Enlil [...].
[...] Enlil [...] his statements [...].
[...] counsellor of holy An [...].
[...] [...].

[Segment C] (heavily damaged — only scattered signs preserved)

Nudimmud [...].
Lord of Eridug [...].
Išme-Dagan [...].
Son of Enlil [...].
[...] gives you instructions [...].
Wise [...].
Who holds divine plans [...].
Your holy knowledge [...].
Great [...].
[...] [...].

[Segment D]

[...] excellent divine powers [...].
[...] [...].
[...] liquor and emmer beer [...].
At the royal offering-place let him salute you with full hands;
let him speak the prayer to you [...].

May Išme-Dagan, son of Enlil,
be granted life — may the days of his vigour be long!
Father Enki, may Išme-Dagan, son of Enlil,
be granted life — may the days of his vigour be long!

(Its ĝišgiĝal.)

A balbale of Enki.

Colophon

Translated from Sumerian (ETCSL c.2.5.4.05) by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026. ETCSL English translation (t.2.5.4.05) consulted as reference; all English independently derived from the Sumerian transliteration. Text heavily damaged throughout. Segments A lines 1–4, 17–19 substantially lacunose. Segments B and C almost entirely damaged; content reduced to scattered legible signs. Segment D lines 1–5 fragmentary. Lines 6–7 the most complete in the composition. Scribal credit: liberation-translator, 2026-03-21.

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Source Text

Sumerian Transliteration (ETCSL c.2.5.4.05)

Segment A

  1. [line missing]
  2. [...] /cag4 kug-ga\ X [...]
  3. /inim sig10-sig10-ge inim-ma-ni u18-ru ec-bar-e X [...]
  4. X X palil dijir-re-e-ne nij2-nam-ma gal-/zu\ [...]
  5. [X X] den-ki cag4 kuc2 an kug-ga ad gi4-gi4 kur /gal\ [...]
  6. [...] palil dijir-re-e-ne nij2-nam-ma gal-/zu\ [...]
  7. [X X] den-ki cag4 kuc2 an kug-ga ad gi4-gi4 /kur\ [gal ...]
  8. [sa2] pad3-de3 dug4-ga-ni nu-kam3-me a-ra2-a-ni ni2 [...]
  9. cag4 su3-ud-jal2 me car2-ra u5-a /den?-lil2-gin7 [...]
  10. dnu-dim2-mud barag kug si-par3-si-par3 AN [...]
  11. en ni2 guru3 an urac-e tud-da pap gal [...]
  12. lugal a-ra2 zu den-lil2-la2 saj en3 tar [...]
  13. [...] zag dib dumu-saj an kug-ga me-ni /cu\ nu-/tej3-[ja2 ...]
  14. [den]-lil2 ban3-da dug4-ga zid-da jic-hur-e X [...]
  15. dnu-dim2-mud en nam tar-tar-re kalam /ge-[en ...]
  16. den-ki gud gal eridugki-ga il2 [...] X X
  17. X buluj3 dirig da-nun-ke4-[ne] [...]
  18. X NU DUB UN /KA?\ [...]
  19. [...] u8?-gin7 [...]

Segment B

  1. [...] X jal2-la [...]
  2. [dic-me]-[d]/da-gan\ [...]
  3. [...] X UD HA [...]
  4. [...] /NE\ e2? den-/lil2\ [...]
  5. [...] den-lil2-la2-ra /KA\ [...] dug4-ga-/ni?\ [...]
  6. [...] cag4 kuc2 an kug-/ga\ [...]
  7. [...] X ZI TA /DU?\

Segment C

  1. dnu-dim2-[mud] [...]
  2. en eridugki [...]
  3. dic-me-d[da-gan] [...]
  4. dumu den-lil2-[la2] [...]
  5. a2?-zu mu-da-[...-aj2 ...]
  6. igi-jal2 pad3 [...]
  7. jic-hur tuku [...]
  8. kug-zu nij2-/nam-[ma ...]
  9. /kij2?\ mah [...]
  10. X X [...]

Segment D

  1. [...] me /dirig\ [...]
  2. [...] AGA? TUM LI [...]
  3. [...] X kurun2 &kac;ulucin3 X [...]
  4. [KI]./LUGAL.GUB-a cu si ha-/ra-[...-sa2 ...] giri17 cu ha-ra-[...-jal2]
  5. [...] /sizkur2-ra ma--ni-ib2-be2 X [...]
  6. [dic-me]-dda-gan dumu den-lil2-la2-ke4 /nam-[til3-la-na ud zig3-ga] /ud\ ha-ba-ni-ib2-su3-[ud X]
  7. a-a den-ki dic-me-dda-gan dumu den-lil2-la2-[ke4] nam-til3-la-na ud zig3-ga [ud ha-ba-ni-ib2-su3-ud X]
  8. jic-gi4-jal2-bi-im
  9. bal-bal-e den-ki-ka-[kam]

Source: Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL c.2.5.4.05), Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. Accessed 2026-03-21.

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