Wednesday, March 25, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org

Ur-Namma C — A Praise Poem of Ur-Namma

✦ ─── ⟐ ─── ✦

I am the shepherd Ur-Namma — my praise-song is sweet.

This is one of the longest surviving compositions about Ur-Namma (c. 2112–2095 BCE), the founding king of the Third Dynasty of Ur and builder of some of history's most enduring monuments — the Great Ziggurat of Ur, the law code that bears his name, the canal network that fed Sumer for generations. Unlike Ur-Namma B, which addresses him from the outside, this text speaks in his own voice. It is a royal self-praise poem, a well-established Sumerian genre in which the king catalogs his divine favors and earthly accomplishments. The voice throughout is intimate and declarative: "I am," "I did," "I built."

The text moves through several registers: a city-praise opening addressed to Urim (Ur) in the second person; a catalog of divine bestowals (An gives rain, Enlil gives blessing, Enki gives fish and grain, Nintu fashions the body, Utu places the word of justice); a first-person account of judicial reform, canal work, and military campaigns; a temple-building sequence; and a closing genealogy that claims descent from Ninsun — the divine mother of Gilgamesh — making Ur-Namma "the great elder brother of Gilgamesh." This claim of heroic kinship, linking the historical Ur III dynasty to the legendary age of Uruk, is one of the most audacious moments in Sumerian royal literature.

The text is substantially damaged in the middle sections (lines 40–70, 85–100). Irrecoverable lacunae are noted honestly. Translation from ETCSL c.2.4.1.3 (Sumerian composite transliteration). Reference translation t.2.4.1.3 consulted for disambiguation. The English derives independently from the Sumerian.

I. Praise of Urim

City where the divine powers are good —
lofty throne-dais of kingship.
Shrine Urim, pre-eminent in Sumer,
built on holy ground.

City whose great walls are laid,
grown up from the abzu.
City adorned like heaven, laden with allure,
brilliant in the great place.

Shrine Urim — gipar established,
dwelling of An and Enlil.
Your great palace, the E-kiš-nu-ĝal,
where fate is decreed.

Your outer courtyard — its awesome radiance
spreads over all the foreign lands.
Its platform temple like a white cloud
in the midst of heaven, wondrous to behold.
Its [pillars] flashing like lightning
in the heart of the shrine [...].

[...] like a yoked bull with legs folded,
gleaming [...].
The pure table, beloved of Suen —
O E-kiš-nu-ĝal, the pure table beloved of Suen.

The king's standing-place,
filling the great courtyard with its fitting ornaments.

Ur-Namma, the great one, whose arm none turns back [...],
Urim, the [...] wide-spreading [...].

[Lines 15–17 heavily fragmentary.]

II. Divine Favor

[By his own nature] he truly praised himself.

When a good fate was decreed for Ur-Namma, king of Urim,
he set his foot on the right path.

An opened his holy mouth
and because of me rain was produced.
The earth's heart was set straight;
abundance was brought for me.

Enlil praised me truly; the people [...].
Enki praised me truly —
he gave me as a gift the estub-fish, Ezina, and spotted grain.
Nintu fashioned me; I have no equal.

[...] I am the king of the land.
[...] I am the righteous one;
the fold and pen spread wide for me.

Utu placed his word in my mouth.
My judgment-rendering set Sumer and Akkad
in one voice.
Ningublaga gave me strength.
In my battle that covers all of heaven and earth,
no one has passed beyond me.

III. The Just King

I am Ur-Namma, king of Urim,
the protecting genius of my city.
I overthrow the insolent; I strike down the wicked.

[Line 33 fragmentary.]

I seized Sumer and Akkad with my judgment-rendering,
with a single cord.
I placed my foot on the neck of the thief
within Utu's territory.
I wrapped the hostile criminal, snake-like,
who stretched out his hands.
I turned back the one who fled
and set the heart of the land in order.

I made justice manifest.
I leveled wickedness.
Like Gibil the fire-god, my steady brow
placed the land in one voice.

[Lines 40–41 heavily fragmentary.]

Its offerings in his E-kiš-nu-ĝal
gladdened Nanna.

IV. The Birth

When my seed was placed in the holy womb,
Suen looked upon me with wonder in his beloved place.
Into Nanna's allure I entered.

Enlil called a good name —
rising like the sun over the land.
The birth-nurse stood at my giving birth.
From the womb of my mother Ninsun,
a good fate decreed came forth for me.

V. Abundance

I am Ur-Namma;
I am the protecting genius of the lands of Sumer and Akkad.
I am the good life of the land —
may my breath endure!

[Lines 52 fragmentary.]

In the field, evil reeds and rushes did not grow.
In the steppe, organized like a festival,
I straightened the paths.
The farmer went out to his field with confidence
and stood tall.
The son of the poor, having gone to gather fodder,
returned to his mother.

VI. Divine Selection

[Lines 57 fragmentary.]

Enlil chose me by divination
in his favorable time.
He proclaimed the true voice for Sumer;
I arose in the house.

For my broad understanding,
An the king gave [the sovereignty] into my hands.
I am the foremost one of Sumer.

[Lines 63–69 heavily fragmentary.]

VII. The Good Shepherd

Ur-Namma, born pure toward heaven [...].
The assembly was set in order before me.
Enlil gave you the well-ordered army,
returning the land to your hand.

At the gipar, I was clothed in linen garments.
I lay down on the fresh fragrant bed,
the sweet sleeping place.

I fed the people with good food;
I am their Enkimdu.
I am the good shepherd whose sheep multiply greatly.
The wide fold and pen I opened wide;
I have no equal.
The shepherd — his good pastures [flourished].

VIII. Canal and Harvest

I seized the lordship of it.
My great harvest lifts itself up
without tribute being exacted.
At my command, the great wall in the foreign land
was gloriously built.

My city's frontier in Sumer —
its joy was sweet for me.
Sumer's canals — I released the waters;
trees rose along its banks.
Its chieftains rose up [...].

[Line 85 fragmentary.]

I returned Urim to its proper hands.
He turned back into his foreign land.

Its barley was weighed on the grain-ship;
its storehouse was filled.
Its son returned to his house;
his labor-basket was brought back.

The Gutians — I disarmed them with empty hands.
I restored the channel of Utu at its mouth.
The wall [that had fallen] I restored [...].

[Squeezed line: The city [...] destroyed — the shrine of Urim [...]]

IX. The King in His Strength

I am the proud young man of Enlil,
and offerings [accompany me].

[Lines 94–100 fragmentary — approximately 7 lines irrecoverable.]

X. Temple Building

In the city, juniper trees flourished [...].
Playing in joy, [I went forth...].

The king's canal brought abundance
into Enlil's house.
He sent a boat to Enlil's temple from the wine quay.
He sent a boat from Nanna's lapis-lazuli quay.
Sweet wine was poured out for Enlil.

I am the shepherd Ur-Namma —
may my allotted life be fulfilled!

For Nanna my lord I built his great palace.
The E-kiš-nu-ĝal — like a verdant mountain,
I made it stand in the great place.
Its platform temple was covered in gold and lapis lazuli.

XI. The Genealogy

I am the handiwork of Nanna.
I am the great elder brother of Gilgamesh.
I am the child born of Ninsun;
I am the seed of the en-priesthood.
Kingship descended from heaven for me.

I am the shepherd Ur-Namma —
my praise-song is sweet.

Colophon

Ur-Namma C (ETCSL c.2.4.1.3) is a first-person royal self-praise hymn attributed to Ur-Namma (c. 2112–2095 BCE), founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur. It is one of the most sustained first-person royal voices in Sumerian literature — moving from city-praise through divine bestowal, judicial reform, shepherding, canal management, and temple-building to the remarkable closing genealogy. The final four lines assert that Ur-Namma is the child of Ninsun (the divine mother also shared by Gilgamesh), making him Gilgamesh's "great elder brother" — a claim that links the Ur III dynasty to the heroic age of Uruk. This identification is not merely boastful: Ninsun was a real goddess of the Sumerian pantheon, and descent from her was a high claim of divine kinship.

The middle sections of the text (lines 40–70 and 85–100) are substantially damaged; all lacunae are marked honestly. No attempt has been made to reconstruct missing lines.

Translated from the Sumerian by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, March 2026. Source text: ETCSL c.2.4.1.3 (composite text, Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, University of Oxford). Reference translation t.2.4.1.3 consulted for disambiguation; the English derives independently from the Sumerian.

Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

🌲

Source Text

Ur-Namma C — A Praise Poem of Ur-Namma (ETCSL c.2.4.1.3)
Sumerian composite transliteration

1.   iri me dug3-dug3-ga barag mah nam-lugal-la
2.   ec3 urim5ki gu2-gal /ki\-en-gi-ra ki kug-ga du3-a
3.   iri bad3 gal ki jar-ra-zu! abzu-ta mu2-a
4.   iri an-gin7 sig7-ga hi-li gur3-ru ki gal-la gun3-gun3
5.   ec3 urim5ki ji6-par4 ki jar-ra ki-tuc an den-lil2-la2
6.   e2-gal mah-zu! e2-kic-nu-jal2 cag4-ga nam tar-ra
7.   dub-la2-zu me-lem4 du8-du8-a kur-kur-ra dirig-ga
8.   gi-gun4-na-bi dungu babbar-gin7 an-cag4-ga u6-di
9.   jicRU-bi nim jir2-jir2-e-gin7 ec3 cag4-ga PA.PA-mu
10.  1 gud jiccudul4-a-gin7 ur2 gur-ra X kug da-ra-ga
11.  jicbancur /sikil-la\ ki aj2 dsuen-na
12.  e2-kic-nu-jal2 jicbancur /sikil\-la ki aj2 dsuen-na
13.  lugal KI.LUGAL.GUB-la he2-du7-bi /kisal\ mah-e si-a
14.  /ur!\\-dnamma uru16 a2 nu6-gi4-a /den\\-X X X-ma
15.  [(X)] /urim5\\ki /iri?\ dajal-/ba?\ /SAR?\ X [(X) X X]
16.  [...] nam X X /GA pa?\ ba-e-ni-a-ed2
17.  [...] X (X) [(X) X] X nir-jal2-e
18.  [ni2-te-a]-ni mi2 zid i-ri in-ga-am3-me
19.  /ur-dnamma\ lugal urim5ki-ma nam dug3 tar-ra-ba jiri3 si mu-un-da-ab-sa2
20.  an-e ka /kug\\-ga-ni mu-un-ba cejx(IM.A) ma-u3-tud
21.  ki-ce3 cag4-ga si ba-an-sa2 he2-jal2 ma-ra-de6
22.  den-lil2-le mi2 zid mu-un-dug4 UN mu-ci-in-X
23.  d/en\\-ki-ke4 mi2 zid mu-un-dug4 a ectubku6 dezina2 ce gu-nu saj-e-ec mu-un-rig7
24.  /dnin\\-tu-re je26-e mu-un-dim2-dim2-en gaba (ms: ga) -ri-ju10 nu-tuku
25.  [...] X dug3-bi bi2-in-pec-en lugal kalam-ma-me-en
26.  [...] /jal2\ zid-da-me-en tur3 amac mu-da-/dajal\\
27.  dutu ka-ja2 inim ba-ni-in-jal2
28.  di ku5-ru-ju10 ki-en-gi ki-uri ka tec2-a bi2-in-sig10
29.  dnin-gubalag-ke4 a2 ma-an-cum2
30.  me3-ju10 an ki cu2-a-bi lu2 la-ba-ra-ed2
31.  ur-dnamma lugal urim5ki-ma dlama iri-ja2-me-en
32.  nir-da mu-dub2 su mu-un-sig3-sig3
33.  ni2 su-e bi2-us2-sa-ju10 X X-a i-na mu X X ri-ia-ac
34.  di ku5-ru-ju10 ki-en-gi ki-uri us2 dili-a mi-ni-ib-dab5
35.  ni2-zuh lu2 i-dutu-ka gu2-ba jiri3 bi2-gub
36.  erim2-du muc-gin7 cu gid2-gid2-da cu im-da-an-cu2-cu2
37.  lu2-kar-da gur5-ru-uc im-da-ab-be2 cag4-bi si bi2-ib-sa2
38.  nij2-si-sa2-e pa ed2 bi2-ak nij2-erim2 sa2 bi2-dug4
39.  dgibil6-gin7 saj-ki gid2-da-ju10 /ka\ tec2-a bi2-/sig10\\
40.  inim-ju10 me-me DU8-ba gub-bi UN X A [...] X (X) E
41. DAG X (X)-la ma-da kur-/kur\\-[ra ...] urim5/ki-e?\ X /kur\ [...]
42.  nidba-bi e2-kic-nu-/jal2-la-na\ dnanna-ar mi-ni-in-hul2-le
43.  a!-ju10 cag4 kug-ge ba-ri-a-ta
44.  dsuen-e u6-e ki aj2-ni
45.  dnanna-ar hi-li-na ba-ni-in-kur9-re
46.  den-lil2-le dutu-gin7 kalam-ma ed2-de3 mu dug3 mu-un-/sa4\\
47.  dnin (ms: nin9) -tud tu-/tu\\-a mu-un-gub-bu!
48.  cag4 ama-ju10 dnin-sun2-ka-ta
49.  nam tar-ra sag9-ga ma-ta-ed2
50.  ur-dnamma-me-en ma-da ki-en-gi ki-/uri\ dlama mu-un-da-an-tuku
51.  kalam-ma ki ur5 sag9-ge-bi je26-e-me-en zi-ju10 he2-u3-tud
52.  ug ucumgal X A KA IGI (X) LA2 a-cag4 mu-da-babbar2
53.  /gana2?\ gi hul mu2-a cuba2 nu-mu-u8-da-lu
54.  edimx(EDIN)-ma ezen-gin7 du3-a-ba jiri3 si mu-un-da-ab-sa2
55.  lu2 a-cag4-ga nir-jal2-bi mu-un-DU gaba-na ib2-ta-an-zig3
56.  dumu uku2-ra u2 il2-i-de3 jen-na ama-ni-ir mu-un-gi4-gi4
57.  /a?\\-ma-ru /gi4?\\-ba i-ti ma-gi4 X X-a-ba
58.  den-lil2-le /ud\ dug3-dug3-ga-na mac2-e /bi2-in\\-pad3-de3-en
59.  ki-en-gi-/ra\ gu3 zid mu-un-de2 e2!-a in-da-an-zig3-ge-en
60.  /jectug2 dajal\ igi-jal2-tuku-ju10-ce3
61. X [an] /lugal\\-e cu-ju10-ce3 ba-an-cum2
62.  [ki-en]-/gi\\-ra ud5-saj-bi je26-e-me-en
63.  [...] X [(X)] X X sag9-ga-me-en
64.  [...]-/a?\\-me-en
65.  [...] X [...] X kalam-ma-me-en
66.  [...] X tum2-mu
67. X X X [...]
68. X /HI?\ X [...]
69.  en-me-/en zi?\ X X X [...] X X [...]
70.  ur-dnamma an-ce3 tud-/da\ kug-ge-ec X [...]
71.  /unken?\ igi-ju10-ce3 si im-sa2
72.  erin2 silim-ma kalam cu-a gi4-gi4 den-lil2-le ma-ra-an-/cum2\\
73.  ji6-par4-ra /tug2?\ gada nam-mi-la2
74.  jicnu2 gi-rin-na ki-nu2 dug3-ba mu-nu2
75.  uj3-e u2 nir-jal2 bi2-ib2-/gu7?\\-en den-ki-im-du-bi-me-en
76.  sipad zid udu-ni dirig jal2-la-me-en
77.  tur3 amac dajal KAxMAC-bi jal2 bi2-taka4 gaba-ri-ju10 nu-tuku
78.  sipad u2 naj-ja2-bi cuba2 ma-car2 X-X mu?-ni-car2
79.  nam-en-na-bi u3-me-ni-tag
80.  buru14 mah-ju10 ni2-bi il2-il2-i nij2-kud nu-ak-e
81.  a2 aj2-ja2-ju10 bad3 gal kur-ra-ka a-ne hul2-la mu-e
82.  iri-ja2 ki-sur-ra ki-en-gi-ra giri17-zal-bi ma-dug3
83.  ki-en-gi id2-ba a cu bi2-ba jic gu2-ba mu-zig3
84.  saj-ur-saj-bi jiccudul4-bi mu-zig3
85.  [...] /kur\\-ra-ka zag-la2-/bi? mu-\\/du8?\\
86.  /urim5ki cu\\-ba im-mi-gi4
87. X-ba JA2xMI?-gin7 kur-/ra\\-na bi2-gi4
88.  ce-bi ma2-gur8-ra-ke4 bi2-la2 ja2-nun-bi /bi2\\-gi4
89.  dumu /KIJ2?\\-bi e2-a-ni (ms: IR) im-mi-gi4 dusu-bi mu-gi4
90.  gu-ti-umki lu2-CAG4xTAR?.A-ke4 cu sis-na mu-du8
91.  i-dutu ka-ba um-mi-gi4
92.  bad3? bi2-/cub?\\-ba bi2-gi4 cag4 su3-ra-ju10 X
     [Squeezed:] iri? DU mu-gul? ec3 urim5[ki] [...]
93.  juruc? gu2-/tuku\ den-lil2-la2-me-en nidba X (X) X-me-/en\\
94. X /uj3\ (X) /dajal\\-bi an-da X X (X)
95.  [...] X-bi an-da /NI?\ X (X)
96.  [...] X [(X)] X X [...] /dug3?\\
97.  [...] X [...] X
     [1 line missing]
99.  [...] X [...]
100. /JIC\\? X jiccinig? /JIC\ [...]
101. iri-a jicbun-e mu-/da-an\\-[...]
102. e-ne-di hul2-la jar-ra-ce3 je26?-e? X [...]
103. id2 /lugal\\-la e2 den-lil2-la2-ce3 he2-jal2 mu-un-da-/kur9\\
104. kar jectin-na den-lil2-la2-ce3 ma2 na-an-ga-mu-ni-/in\\-ri
105. kar za-gin3-na dnanna-ka ma2 na-an-ga-mu-ni-in-ri
106. den-lil2-ra kurun2 lal3 ba-an-na-de2
107. sipad ur-dnamma-me-en til3 nij2-ba-ju10 he2-a
108. dnanna lugal-ju10 e2-gal-la-na mu-na-du3
109. e2-kic-nu-jal2 hur-saj sig7-ga-gin7 ki gal-la bi2-gub
110. gi-gun4-na-bi kug-sig17 na4za-gin3-na dub-ba-an ba-la2
111. cu dug4-ga-e dnanna-a-me-en
112. cec dgilgamec2 gu-la-me-en
113. [dumu] /tud\\-da dnin-sun2-ka-me-en numun nam-en-na-me-en
114. [an]-ta nam-lugal ma-ra-ed3 (ms: SI.DU)
115. [sipad] ur-dnamma-me-en za3-mi2-ju10 dug3-ga-am3

Source Colophon

Composite text from the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL), University of Oxford. Text designation: c.2.4.1.3. Manuscript sources: Nippur. The text was prepared and made available online by the ETCSL project; consulted March 2026.

🌲