Monday, March 23, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Laments
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Texts
The Death of Ur-NammaA Sumerian lament for Ur-Namma, first king of the Ur III dynasty — his sudden death, his descent bearing gifts to every power of the underworld, his enthronement beside Gilgamesh, and his grief for the unfinished wall of Ur.The Lament for the Destruction of EriduA Sumerian city lament (c. 2000 BCE) mourning the storm-destruction of Eridu — oldest city of the gods and home of Enki's E-abzu. Father Enki weeps outside his ruined shrine. Damgalnuna departs like a bird. Isimud the minister abandons his post. The enemy enters. Then the consolation: as Enlil and Nanna restored their cities, Enki too shall return.The Lament for the Destruction of NippurOne of the five canonical Sumerian city laments, mourning the destruction and abandonment of Nippur by its gods, and celebrating the restoration of the city under Ishme-Dagan of Isin. Composed c. 1900–1800 BCE.The Lament for the Destruction of Sumer and UrA Sumerian city lament mourning the fall of the Third Dynasty of Ur, structured as a litany of divine abandonment and the cry of every city in the land.The Lament for the Destruction of UrA complete Sumerian balag-lament mourning the fall of Ur III to the Elamites and Amorites, c. 2004 BCE. The city's patron Nanna and his wife Ningal weep as every god abandons Sumer, the storm of Enlil destroys the land, and Ningal wanders homeless outside her ruined city — before the final prayer for restoration.The Lament for the Destruction of UrukA Sumerian city lament (c. 2000 BCE) mourning the storm-destruction of Uruk — Inanna's city, oldest inhabited urban center in the world. The most fragmentary of the five canonical City Laments: only Kiruguus 1–2 and Kirugu 12 survive in readable form. The closing prayer is addressed to Inanna for king Ishme-Dagan of Isin.