The Building of Ninĝirsu's Temple

Around 2100 BCE, Gudea ruled the small Sumerian city-state of Lagaš, in the south of what is now Iraq, in the interval between the collapse of the Akkadian Empire and the rise of the Third Dynasty of Ur. He is remembered less for conquest than for building: dozens of short inscriptions on statues, bricks, and foundation deposits record his temple-construction projects across his territory. But his masterwork is this pair of clay cylinders — inscribed in the twenty-second century BCE, and unearthed at Girsu (modern Tello) in the French excavations of the 1870s — which together carry roughly 1,400 lines of Sumerian, the longest connected literary text to survive from before the second millennium BCE.

The cylinders tell, in the register of hymn and epic rather than administrative record, how the warrior-god Ninĝirsu came to Gudea in a dream demanding that his ruined temple E-ninnu be rebuilt; how Gudea, unable to read the dream, sought out the goddess Nanše to interpret it; how he gathered cedar from the Amanus, gold and stones from Meluḫa and beyond, and copper and diorite from the eastern mountains; how the temple was raised, and how, finally, Ninĝirsu and his divine household — his wife Bau, his sons, his attendants, each named and given office — were welcomed into their new house amid feasting and the forgiveness of debts. It is the fullest surviving statement of what a Sumerian temple was understood to be and do.

This edition is drawn from the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Royal Inscriptions (ETCSRI), a born-digital scholarly edition built by Gábor Zólyomi and collaborators at Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, and released under an open license (see the Colophon below). ETCSRI's own English translation is reproduced here as continuous reading prose, organized by the cylinders' original column divisions; nothing has been added, paraphrased, or translated anew. Two stretches of several columns each — noted in place — are transliterated in the source but have not yet been given a running English translation by the ETCSRI project itself; that gap belongs to the source, not to this edition.

Contents

• Cylinder A — Louvre MNB 1511a — columns i–xxx
• Cylinder B — Louvre MNB 1511b — columns i–xxiv

Cylinder A

Clay cylinder, Girsu (Tello). Louvre Museum, Paris — MNB 1511a. CDLI no. P232300. RIME 3/1.01.07, Cylinder A.

Column i

On the day when in heaven and earth the fates were to be decided, Lagaš emerged prominently with great divine powers, and Enlil looked at lord Ninĝirsu with approval. In our city an eternal thing appeared. The heart overflowed with joy, Enlil's heart, a river in flood, oveflowed with joy, and just as the Tigris brings sweet water, so Enlil, whose will is an enormous flood, sparkling, and awe-inspiring, came to a sweet decision: "Its owner requested the temple and I will make the E-ninnu's divine powers known everywhere. Being a man of great wisdom, the ruler will act wisely achieving great things. He will direct faultless cattle and kids for offering. It is for him the fated brick is waiting. It is by him that the building of the holy temple is to be done." And on this day, in a nocturnal vision Gudea did see his master, Lord Ninĝirsu. Ninĝirsu spoke to him of his temple, of its building. He showed him an E-ninnu with all his great divine powers. In his solitary heart Gudea concerned himself with the message: "Well, I am going to tell her about this; well, I am going to tell her about this, so that she helps me in this matter! Being the shepherd, I am confronted with great challenges, but I do not understand the meaning of what the nocturnal vision brought to me. So I will take my dream to my mother and I will ask my dream-interpreter, an expert on her own, the sister, my goddess from Sirara, Nanše, to reveal its meaning to me."

Column ii

He stepped aboard his boat, directed it on the canal Id-Niĝin-dua towards her city Niĝin, and merrily cuthrough the waves of the river. After he had reached Bagara, the temple extending as far as the river, he offered bread, poured cold water. He stepped to the master of Bagara and prayed to him: "Warrior, rampant lion, who has no opponent! Ninĝirsu, important in the abzu, respected in Nibru! Warrior, I want to carry out faithfully what you have commanded me; Ninĝirsu, I want to build up your house for you, I want to make it perfect for you, so I will ask your sister, the child born of Eridug, an authority on her own, the lady, the dream-interpreter among the gods, the sister, my goddess from Sirara, Nanše, to direct me." His call was heard; his master, Lord Ninĝirsu, accepted from Gudea his prayer and supplication. Gudea celebrated the ešeš festival in the temple of Bagara. The ruler set up his bed near to Ĝatumdug. He offered bread and poured cold water. He stepped to holy Ĝatumdug and prayed to her: "My lady, child begotten by holy An, an authority on her own, proud goddess, living in the Land, advocate of her city! Lady, mother, you who founded Lagaš, if you but look upon your people, it brings abundance; the worthy young man on whom you look will enjoy a long life. For me, who has no mother, my mother is you; for me, who has no father, my father is you! You implanted my semen in the womb, you gave birth to me in the sanctuary, Ĝatumdug, sweet is your holy name!"

Column iii

"In the evenings I make you lie down for me; you are my great (fence of) camelthorn protecting me. You are young reeds planted in great waters, providing me with life; you are a broad sunshade; let me cool off in your shade. May the favourable, right-hand palm of your lofty hands, my lady Ĝatumdug, lend me protection! I am going to the city, may my omen be favourable! May your friendly guardian go before me, and may your friendly protecting genius walk with me on the way towards Niĝin, the mountain rising from the water. Well, I am going to tell her about this, well, I am going to tell her about this, so that she helps me in this matter! I will take my dream to my mother and I will ask my dream-interpreter, an expert on her own, my divine sister from Sirara, Nanše, to reveal its meaning to me." His call was heard; his lady, holy Ĝatumdug, accepted from Gudea his prayer and supplication."

Column iv

He stepped aboard his boat, towards her city Niĝin, he moored it at the quay of Niĝin. The ruler raised his head high in the courtyard of the goddess from Sirara. He offered bread and poured cold water. He stepped to Nanše and prayed to her: "Nanše, mighty lady, lady of most precious powers, lady who like Enlil determines fates, my Nanše, what you say is trustworthy and takes precedence. You are the interpreter of dreams among the gods, you are the lady of all the lands. Mother, my matter today is a dream:" "In the dream there was someone who was as enormous as the heavens, who was as enormous as the earth. His head was like that of a god, his wings were like those of the Anzud bird, his lower body was like a flood storm. Lions were lying at his right and his left. He spoke to me about building his house, but I could not understand what he exactly meant, then daylight rose for me on the horizon. "Then there was a woman -- whoever she was. She let sheaves protrude out from her head. She held a stylus of refined silver in her hand, placed a tablet with heavenly writing on her lap, and was consulting it."

Column v

There was a second one, a warrior. His arm was bent, holding a lapis lazuli tablet in his hand, and he was setting down the plan of the house. The holy basket stood in front of me, the holy brick mould was ready and the fated brick was placed in the mould for me. In a fine poplar tree standing before me tigidlu birds were spending the day twittering. My master's right-side donkey stallion was pawing the ground for me." Nanše, his mother, answered the ruler: "My shepherd, I will explain your dream for you in every detail. As regards the person who was as enormous as the heavens and as enormous as the earth, whose head was like that of a god, whose wings were like those of the Anzud bird, and whose lower body was like a flood storm, and at whose right and left lions were lying, he was no doubt Ninŋirsu, my brother; he commanded you to build his shrine, the E-ninnu. Concerning (the part) that the sun had risen for you on the horizon: Your personal god Ninŋišzida will rise because of you with (the E-ninnu's building) as the sun on the horizon." "The young woman, who let sheaves protrude out from her head, held a stylus of refined silver in her hand, placed a tablet with stars on her lap and was consulting it, she was no doubt Nisaba, my sister. She will tell you the holy instructions for the temple's building."

Column vi

"The second one, the warrior, who bent the arms, and held a lapis lazuli tablet in his hand, he was Ninduba, making the temple's plan conform completely to (the instructions)." The holy basket standing in front of you, the holy brick mould prepared, and the fated brick placed in the mould: (this part concerns) no doubt the true brickwork of the E-ninnu. Concerning (the part) that in a fine poplar tree standing before you tigidlu birds were spending the day twittering: the building of the temple will not let sweet sleep come into your eyes. Concerning (the part) that the right-side donkey stallion of your master pawed the ground for you: it is you who will paw the ground for the E-ninnu like a choice steed." "Let me advise you and may my advice be taken! Direct your steps to Ŋirsu, the foremost household in the land of Lagaš, open your storehouse up and take out wood from it; manufacture them into a chariot for your master and harness a donkey stallion to it; decorate this chariot with refined silver and lapis lazuli and equip it with arrows that will fly out from the quiver like sunbeams, and with the an - kar weapon, the heros ' arm; fashion for him his beloved standard and write your name on it, and then enter before the warrior who loves gifts, before your master Lord Ninĝirsu in E-ninnu-the-white-Anzud-bird, together with his beloved balaĝ drum Ušumgal-kalama, his famous instrument with which he takes counsel. Your requests will then be taken as if they were commands; and the heart of the lord, which is as inaccessible as the heavens, the heart of Ninĝirsu, the son of Enlil, will be be appeased for you, so he will reveal the design of his house to you in every detail. With his powers, which are the greatest, the warrior will make the house thrive (?) for you."

Column vii

The true shepherd Gudea is wise, and able too to realise things. Accepting what Nanše had told him, he opened his storehouse up and took out wood from it. Gudea checked (?) the wood piece by piece, taking great care of the wood. He smoothed meš wood, split ḫalub wood with an axe and manufactured them into a blue chariot for him. He harnessed to it the stallion Piriĝ-kaše-pada. He fashioned for him his beloved standard, wrote his own name on it, and then entered before the warrior who loves gifts, before his master Lord Ninĝirsu in E-ninnu-the-white-Anzud-bird, together with his beloved balaĝ drum Ušumgal-kalama, his famous instrument with which he takes counsel. He joyfully brought the drum to him in the temple. Gudea came out of the shrine E-ninnu with a radiant face.

Column viii

Thereafter the house was the concern of each and every day and night that he let elapse. He resolved all quarrels and dealt with the complaints: he cleared away the venom of (angry) mouths. Facing Šu-galam, the fearful place, the judges ' place, from where Ninĝirsu keeps an eye on all lands, the ruler had a fattened sheep, a fat-tail sheep, and a grain-fed kid rest on hides of a virgin kid. He put juniper, the mountains ' pure plant, onto the fire, and raised smoke with cedar resin, the scent of gods. He rose to his master in public and prayed to him; he stepped to him in the Ubšu-unkena and saluted him: "My master Ninĝirsu, lord who has turned back the fierce waters, true lord, semen ejaculated by the Great Mountain, noble young hero who cannot be praised enough! Ninĝirsu, I am going to build up your temple for you, but I do not know yet my ominous sign. Warrior, you requested an eternal thing, but, son of Enlil, Lord Ninĝirsu, you did not let me know your will as to how to achieve it. Your will, ever-rising as the sea, crashing down as a destructive flood, roaring like gushing waters, destroying cities like a flood-wave, battering against the rebel lands like a storm; my master, your will, gushing water that no one can stem; warrior, your will inaccessible as the heavens, as for me how can I know anything about it, son of Enlil, Lord Ninĝirsu?"

Column ix

For a second time (Ninŋirsu) stepped to the sleeper, to the sleeper in a vision, briefly touching him: "You who are going to build it for me, you who are going to build it for me, ruler, you who are going to build my temple for me, Gudea, I promise to give you the ominous sign concerning the building of my temple. I promise to tell you the heavenly writing of my ordinances." "As if at (the roaring of) the anzud bird, the heavens tremble at the roaring of my temple, the E-ninnu founded by An, the powers of which are the greatest, surpassing all other powers, at the temple whose king looks out over a great distance. Its fierce halo reaches up to heaven, the great fearsomeness of my temple settles upon all the lands. In response to its fame all lands will gather from as far as heaven's borders, even Magan and Meluḫa will come down from their mountains." "As for me, Ninĝirsu, who has turned back the fierce waters, the great warrior of Enlil's realm, a lord without opponent, my temple the E-ninnu, a crown, is bigger than the mountains; my weapon is the Šar-ur that subdues all the lands. No country can bear my fierce stare, nobody escapes my outstretched wings."

Column x

"Because of his great love, my father who begot me called me "The king is Enlil's flood, his fierce stare is never lifted from the mountains, Ninĝirsu is Enlil's warrior ", and endowed me with fifty divine powers." "I lay the ritual table and perform correctly the hand-washing rites. I raise my outstretched hands towards the holy sky with the food. My father who begot me eats the very best of the good things I prepare. An, king of the gods, called me "Ninĝirsu, the king, is the išib priest of An." "I made the foundation of the Tiraš shrine as deep as the abzu. Each month at the new moon the great rites, my "Festival of An ", are performed for me perfectly in it." "Like a fierce snake, I built E-ḫuš, my fierce place, in a dread location. When my heart gets angry at an unnamed land that rebels against me, it will produce venom for me like a snake that dribbles poison." "In the E-babbar, where I issue orders, where I shine like Utu, there I justly decide the lawsuits of my city like Ištaran. In the E-bagara, my dining place, the great gods of Lagaš gather around me."

Column xi

True shepherd Gudea, when my temple, the foremost temple of all lands, the right arm of Lagaš, the Anzud bird roaring on the horizon, the E-ninnu, my royal temple, will truly be cared for for me, then I will call up to heaven for humid winds so that plenty comes down to you from heaven and the land will thrive under your reign in abundance." "Laying the foundations of my temple will bring abundance: the great fields will grow rich for you, the levees and ditches will be full to the brim for you, the water will rise for you to heights never reached by the water before. Under you more oil than ever will be poured and more wool than ever will weighed in Sumer." "When you drive in my foundation pegs for me, when my house will truly be cared for for me, I shall direct my steps to the mountains where the north wind dwells so that the man with enormous wings, the north wind, brings you rain from the mountains, the pure place. He will give vigour to the Land, and thus one man will be able to do as much work as two. At night the moonlight, at noon the sun will send plentiful light for you so the day will build the house for you and the night will make it rise for you."

Column xii

"From the south I will import ḫalub and neḫan trees for you. From the uplands I will bring cedar, cypress and zabalum wood together for you. From the ebony mountains I will have ebony trees brought for you, in the mountains of stones I will have the great stones of the mountain ranges cut in slabs for you. Then I will touch your arm with fire and you will learn my omen." Gudea rose, it was sleep; he shuddered, it was a dream. Accepting Ninĝirsu's words, he went to perform extispicy on a white kid. He performed it on the kid and his omen was favourable. Ninĝirsu's intention became as clear as daylight to Gudea. He is wise, and able too to realise things. The ruler gave instructions to his city as to one man. The land of Lagaš became of one accord for him, like children of one mother. He opened manacles, removed fetters; established......, rejected legal complaints, and locked up (?) those guilty of capital offences (instead of executing them).

Column xiii

He undid the tongue of the goad and the whip; it was wool from lamb-bearing sheep that he placed instead in all hands. No mother shouted at her child. No child answered its mother back. No slave who...... was hit on the head by his master, no misbehaving slave girl was slapped on the face by her mistress. Nobody could make the ruler building the E-ninnu, Gudea, give a decision regarding them. The ruler cleansed the city, he let purifying fire loose over it. He expelled the persons ritually unclean, unpleasant to look at, and...... from the city. Along the brick making shed he had a kid lie down and performed extispicy with it concerning the brick. Its brick-pit found approval, so the shepherd, called by his name by Nanše, excavated it. Near the brick making shed on which he made a magical drawing and the brick pit he excavated, he made the anzud bird, the standard of his master, glisten as a banner. The citizens were purifying an area of 24 iku for him, they were cleansing that area for him. He put juniper, the mountains ' pure plant, onto the fire and raised smoke with cedar resin, the scent of gods. For him the day was for praying, and the night passed for him in supplications. In order to build the house of Ninĝirsu, the Anuna gods of the land of Lagaš stood by Gudea in prayer and supplication. The true shepherd Gudea was pleased by this.

Column xiv

Then the ruler imposed a conscription on his Land. He imposed a conscription on his realm of abundant......, on Ninĝirsu's Gu-edina. He imposed a conscription on his built-up cities and settlements, on Nanše's Gu-ĝišbara. There was a conscription for him in the territorial clans of Ninĝirsu "Rampant fierce bull which has no opponent "and "White cedars surrounding their master ". Lugal-kur-dub, their magnificent standard, went in front of them. There was a conscription for him in the territorial clan of Nanše "Both river banks and shores rising out of the waters, the huge river, full of water, which spreads its abundance everywhere ". The holy cormorant, the standard of Nanše, went in front of them. There was a conscription for him in the territorial clans of Inana "The net suspended for catching the beasts of the steppe "and "Choice steeds, famous team, the team beloved by Utu ". The rosette, the standard of Inana, went in front of them. In order to build the temple of Ninĝirsu,.......

Column xv

Elamites came to him from Elam, and Susians came to him from Susa. Magan and Meluḫa came from their mountains in submission. In order to to build the temple of Ninĝirsu they gathered for Gudea at his city Ĝirsu. (Ninĝirsu) commanded Ninzaga and he sent his copper, as much as if it were a transport of superb grain, for Gudea, the temple-builder. He (also) instructed Ninsikila and she sent large halub logs, ebony, and ĝešaba wood for the ruler building the E-ninnu. Lord Ninĝirsu directed Gudea into the impenetrable mountain of cedars and he cut down its cedars with great axes and carved the Šar-ur, the right arm of Lagaš, his master's flood-storm weapon, out of it. They were indeed floating like giant serpents on the water as, for Lord Ninĝirsu, Gudea had the long rafts floating downstream...... at the main quay of Kan-sura: logs of cedar wood from the cedar hills, logs of cypress wood from the cypress hills, logs of zabalum wood from the zabalum hills, tall spruce trees, plane trees, and eranum trees. Lord Ninĝirsu directed Gudea into...... and he brought back great stones in the form of slabs.

Column xvi

For Lord Ninĝirsu, Gudea had ships with hauna dock there, and ships with gravel, with water-scoop bitumen, surface crude bitumen, and gypsum from the hills of Madga, cargoes like boats bringing grain from the fields. Many important tasks lay ahead of the ruler building the E-ninnu. The copper mountain in Kimaš revealed its earth for him. He mined its copper from its orebody. To the man in charge of building his master's temple, the ruler, gold was brought in dust form from its mountains. For Gudea refined silver was brought down from its mountains. Translucent carnelian from Meluḫa presented itself lavishly to him. From the alabaster mountains alabaster was brought down to him. As the shepherd was going to use silver for building the temple, he made silversmiths take up residence next to it. As he was going to use precious stone for building the E-ninnu, he made jewellers take up residence next to it. As he was going to use copper and tin for building it, the accountants of the smiths, the very Nintur (i.e. the creators) of the Land, were summmoned to him. The heavy hammer-stones roared for him like a storm. The dolerite, the light hammer-stones,... two... craftsmen... as much as if it were a transport of superb grain,.... Because of building the temple for his master, he neither slept at night, nor did he rest his head during the siesta.

Column xvii

For the one looked on with favour by Nanše, for the favourite of Enlil, for the ruler... by Ninĝirsu, for Gudea, born in the august sanctuary by Ĝatumdug, Nisaba opened the house of understanding and Enki put right the design of the temple. Gudea went to the temple whose halo reaches to heaven, whose powers embrace heaven and earth, whose owner is a lord with a fierce stare, whose warrior Ninĝirsu is expert at battle, he went to E-ninnu-the-white-Anzud-bird, and inspected it from all directions. He measured out the area precisely, marked out its borders, and personally verified them. He was pleased by this. As the night fell, Gudea went to the old temple in prayer, appeasing the heart of the one from the dais of Ĝir-nun (i.e. Ninĝirsu). When day broke, he took a bath and arranged his outfit correctly. Utu let abundance come forth for him. Gudea left for Iri-kug a second time; he sacrificed a perfect bull and a perfect kid; went to the temple and saluted it.

Column xviii

He... the holy basket and the true fated brick mould... the E-ninnu. As he... and walked proudly, Lugal-kur-dub walked in front of him, Ig-alim directed him, and Ninĝišzida, his personal god, held him by the hand throughout the time. As the ruler libated in the brick making shed with propotious water, adab - drums, cymbals and ala - drums were playing for him. He anointed its brick pit, hoeing honey, ghee and precious oil into it. He worked resin and incense from all kinds of trees into the paste. He lifted up the holy carrying-basket and stepped to the brick mould. Gudea placed the clay into the brick mould and made an eternal thing appear. As he brought the (first) brick of the house into existence in the mould, and all the lands sprinkled oil, sprinkled cedar perfume together with him, his city and the land of Lagaš passed the day in joy thanks to him.

Column xix

He shook the brick mould and left the brick to dry. He looked at the brick pit, at the clay of its mixing basin with satisfaction. He anointed it with cypress essence and balsam (?). Utu rejoiced over the brick put into the mould by Gudea, and King Enki... the mixing basin rising like a great river.... and Gudea brought it into the temple. He carried the brick out of the brick making shed. He lifted the brick, a holy crown worn by An, and went around among his people: it was like Utu's holy team tossing (?) their heads. The brick lifting its head toward the temple was as if Nanna's cows were eager to be tethered in their pen. He laid the brick and went around in the temple. As if he himself were Nisaba knowing the inmost secrets of numbers, he started setting down (?) the ground plan of the temple. As if he were a young man building a house for the first time, sweet sleep never came into his eyes. Like a cow keeping an eye on its calf, he went in... to the house. Like a man who takes but little food into his mouth, he went around untiringly. The intention of his master had become clear for him, the words of Ninĝirsu had become as conspicuous as a banner to Gudea. In (?) his heart beating loudly because of building the house, someone... a propitious ominous remark. He was pleased by it.

Column xx

He performed extispicy on a kid and his omen was favourable. He added grain to... water and its appearance was propitious. Gudea made a dreamer lie down, and he elicited an answer for him: The building of his master's temple and the separation of the earth from the heaven by the Eninnu was there in a vision for him. He was pleased by it. He stretched out lines in the most perfect way; he set up (?) a sanctuary in the holy uzga. In the temple, Enki drove in the foundation pegs, while Nanše, the daughter of Eridug, took care of the oracular messages. The mother of Lagaš, holy Ĝatumdug, gave birth to its bricks amid cries (?), and Bau, the lady, first-born daughter of An, sprinkled them with oil and cedar essence. En and lagar priests were detailed to the temple to provide maintenance for it. The Anuna gods stood there full of admiration. As if it were a holy crown Gudea, the temple-builder, placed the carrying-basket for the temple on his head. He laid the foundation, set the walls on the ground. He marked out a square, aligned the bricks with a string. He marked out a second square on the site of the temple, saying, "It is the line-mark for a topped-off jar of 1 ban capacity (?)." He marked out a third square on the site of the temple, saying, "It is the Anzud bird enveloping its fledgling with its wings." He marked out a fourth square on the site of the temple, saying, "It is a panther embracing a fierce lion." He marked out a fifth square on the site of the temple, saying, "It is the blue sky in all its splendour." He marked out a sixth square on the site of the temple, saying, "It is the day of supply, full of luxuriance." He marked out a seventh square on the site of the temple, saying, "It is the E-ninnu bathing the Land with moonlight at dawn."

Column xxi

The E-ninnu was provided most lavishly with attractivness among the brickworks of Sumer.

Column xxii

The ruler built the temple, he made it high. He made it as high as a great mountain. Its abzu foundation pegs, big mooring stakes, he drove into the ground so deep they could take counsel with Enki in the E-engura. He had heavenly foundation pegs surround the house like warriors, so that each one was drinking water at the libation place of the gods. He fixed the E-ninnu, the mooring stake, he drove in its pegs shaped like praying wizards. He planted the pleasant poplars of his city, he made their shadow stretch far. He embedded its Šar-ur weapon beside Lagaš like a big standard, placed it in its dreadful place, the Šu-galam, and made it emanate fearsome radiance. On the dais of Ĝir-nun, on the place of making judgments, the provider of Lagaš lifted his horns like a mighty bull. It took a single year to bring the great stones in slabs and it took a single year to fashion them, and it did not take two or three days, but needed only a day's work to set up each one, and by the seventh day he had set them all up around the temple. He laid down the trimmings from the slabs as stairs, or fashioned basins from them, and had them all stand in the temple.

Column xxiii

The stela which he erected in the great courtyard he named for (the temple) as "The stela: The king who occupies the courtyard, lord Ninĝirsu, has made Gudea known from the Ĝir-nun ". The stela which he erected at the Kasura (gate) he named for it as "The king, Enlil's flood storm, who has no opponent, lord Ninĝirsu, has looked with favour at Gudea ". The stela which he erected facing the rising sun he named for it as "The king, Enlil's roaring storm, the lord without rival, lord Ninĝirsu, has chosen Gudea in his holy heart ". The stela which he erected facing the Šu-galam (gate) he named for it as "The king, at whose name the foreign countries tremble, Lord Ninĝirsu, has made Gudea's throne firm ". The stela which he erected facing the E-uru-ga he named for it as "Lord Ninĝirsu has determined a good fate for Gudea ".

Column xxiv

The stela which he erected at the perch of Bau he named for it as "The eyes of An know the E-ninnu, and Bau is the life source of Gudea ". He built his master's house exactly as he had been told to. The true shepherd Gudea made it grow so high as to fill the space between heaven and earth, had it wear a tiara shaped like the new moon, and had its fame spread as far as the heart of the highlands. Gudea made Ninĝirsu's house come out like the sun from the clouds, had it grow to be like hills of lapis lazuli and had it stand to be marvelled at like hills of white alabaster. He made its gate towers stand like wild bulls and made its dragons crouch on their paws like lions. He erected its divine audience chamber on a place as pure as the abzu. He made the metal tops of its standards twinkle as the horns of the holy stags of the abzu. Gudea made the house of Ninĝirsu stand to be marvelled at like the new moon in the skies.

Columns xxv–xxix

[The Sumerian is preserved on the cylinder here, but ETCSRI has not published a running English translation for columns xxv–xxix — this project is an ongoing scholarly corpus, not a finished book, and some stretches (mostly descriptive, formulaic passages on the temple's furnishings and architecture) remain untranslated as of this text's freeze date. No translation is invented to fill the gap; the narrative resumes below where ETCSRI's translation picks back up.]

Column xxx

This is the middle hymn of "The building of Ninŋirsu's temple ".

Cylinder B

Clay cylinder, Girsu (Tello). Louvre Museum, Paris — MNB 1511b. CDLI no. P232301. RIME 3/1.01.07, Cylinder B.

Column i

Temple, mooring post of the Land, grown so high as to fill the space between heaven and earth, E-ninnu, the true brickwork, for which Enlil determined a good fate, green hill standing to be marvelled at, standing out above all the lands! The temple is a great mountain reaching up to the skies; it is Utu filling the midst of the heavens; the E-ninnu is a white Anzud bird spreading its talons upon the mountain land. All people were appointed to it, the whole Land was detailed to it. The Anuna gods stood there in admiration. Being wise and knowledgeable, the ruler prostrated himself over and over before the divinities. With supplications and prayers, he lay fruits on the ground; the ruler prayed to the divinities of his city. For households consuming bread he increased the amount bread; for evening meals receiving mutton he increased the amount sheep. In front of the temple he lined up bowls like …… abundance ……. He stepped before the Anuna gods and prayed to them: "O all you Anuna gods, admired by the land of Lagaš, protectors of all the countries, whose command, a massive breach in a dam, carries away any who try to stop it. The worthy young man on whom you have looked will enjoy a long life. I, the shepherd, built the house, and now I will let my master enter his house. O Anuna gods, may you pray on my behalf!"

Column ii

The true shepherd Gudea is wise, and able too to realise things. His friendly guardian went before him and his friendly protecting genius followed him. For his master, Lord Ninŋirsu, Gudea gave numerous gifts to the house of yore, the old house, his dwelling place. He stepped to the lord in the E-ninnu, and prayed to him: "My master Ninŋirsu, lord who has turned back the fierce waters, lord whose commands take precedence, male child of Enlil, warrior, I have carried out faithfully what you have ordered me to do. Ninŋirsu, I have built up your temple for you; now I shall let you enter it in joy! My goddess Bau, I have set up your E-mi quarters for you: take up pleasant residence in them." His call was heard, his warrior Lord Ninŋirsu accepted from Gudea his prayer and supplication.

Column iii

The year ended and the month was completed. A new year started, a month began and three days elapsed in that month. As Ninŋirsu arrived from Eridug, beautiful moonlight shone illuminating the Land, and the E-ninnu competed with the new-born Suen. Gudea made a paste with cornelian and lapis lazuli and applied it to the corners. He sprinkled the floor with precious oil. He made the builders, who worked there (?), leave the house. Syrup, ghee, wine, sour milk, ĝipar fruit, fig-cakes topped with cheese, dates on panicle and small grapes, things untouched by fire, were the foods for the gods which he prepared with syrup and ghee. On the day when the true god was to come, Gudea was transferring these (foods) to the the evening meal from early morning on.

Column iv

For the temple, Asar cared about a propotious omen. Nin-mada made the purification in it. Enki provided the divine decision concerning it. Ninduba, the chief išib priest of Eridug, heaped up incense in it. The lady of precious rites, Nanše, versed in singing holy songs, sang for the house. A black ewe was shorn, the udder of the cow of heaven was milked. Cleaning the Eninnu with fresh tamarisk and..., they purified it. The ruler made the whole city kneel down, made the whole land prostrate itself. He resolved all quarrels and dealt with the complaints: the venom of (angry) mouths have been cleared away. It was as if the mother of a sick person had applied a potion to the city. The wild animals, creatures of the steppe, all had crouched together. Sweet sleep descended upon the lions, wildcats, and the dragons of the steppe.

Column v

He allotted to the temple fattened oxen and sheep. He set up bowls in the open air and filled all with liqour. He made the Anuna gods join Ninŋirsu at the place.

Column vi

To..., he appointed Ig-alim, the great door, the pole of Ŋir-nun, the chief bailiff of Ŋirsu, his beloved son, to Lord Ninŋirsu. To..., to see that in its brewery, the house of pure strenght, the emmer beer glugs like the water of a loud canal, to..., he appointed Šul-šaga, the lord of the pure hand-washings, the first-born son of E-ninnu, to Ninŋirsu.

Column vii

To..., he appointed Lugal-kur-dub, the warrior Šar-ur, who in battle subdues all the foreign lands, the mighty general of the E-ninnu, a falcon against the rebel lands, his general, to Lord Ninŋirsu. To..., he appointed the lord's second general, in whose hands the enemy land is but a small bird, to the son of Enlil.

Column viii

To..., he appointed his adviser, Lugal-si-sa, to Ninŋirsu. To..., he appointed Šakkan, the wild ram, the minister of the E-duga, his... servant, to Lord Ninŋirsu.

Column ix

To..., he appointed Kinda-zid, the man in charge of the E-duga, to Lord Ninŋirsu. To..., he appointed En-sig-nun, who roars like a lion, who rises like a flood storm, Ninŋirsu’s hurrying bailiff, his donkey herdsman, to Lord Ninŋirsu.

Column x

To..., he appointed his herdsman of the hinds, En-lulim, to Lord Ninŋirsu. To..., he appointed his beloved musician, Ušumgal-kalama, to Lord Ninŋirsu. To soothe the heart, to soothe the spirits, to dry weeping eyes, to banish mourning from the mourning heart, to calm down the lord’s heart that rises like the sea, washes away like the Euphrates, annihilates like a flood storm, that, after submerging the land hostile to Enlil, … overflows with joy, he appointed his balag drum, the king with a fierce face, to lord Ninŋirsu.

Column xi

Ḫeŋal-luḫi, his beloved lukur maiden, Zazaru, Iškur-pa-e, Ur-enunta-ea, Ḫe-Ŋir-nuna, Ḫe-šaga, Zurŋu, and Zarĝu, the septuplets of Bau, the offsprings of Lord Ninŋirsu, stepped forward to Lord Ninŋirsu with friendly entreaties on behalf of Gudea. To see that the great fields grow rich; to see that the levees and ditches of Lagaš will be full to the brim; to see that Ezina-Kusu, the pure stalk, will raise its head high in the furrows in Gu-edena, the plain befitting its owner; to see that the wheat, emmer and all kinds of pulses yielded by the fertile fields are piled up in mounds and enormous heaps in the land of Lagaš, he appointed Ŋišbar-e, Enlil's surveyor, the farmer of Gu-edena, to Lord Ninŋirsu.

Column xii

To..., he appointed Lama, the inspector of the fisheries of Gu-edena, to Lord Ninŋirsu. To administer the open country, the pleasant place, to give instructions concerning the Gu-edina, the pleasant open country..., he appointed Dim-gal-abzu, the herald of Gu-edena, to Lord Ninŋirsu. To..., he appointed Lugal, the guard of Iri-kug, to Lord Ninŋirsu.

Columns xiii–xvi

[The Sumerian is preserved on the cylinder here, but ETCSRI has not published a running English translation for columns xiii–xvi — this project is an ongoing scholarly corpus, not a finished book, and some stretches (mostly descriptive, formulaic passages on the temple's furnishings and architecture) remain untranslated as of this text's freeze date. No translation is invented to fill the gap; the narrative resumes below where ETCSRI's translation picks back up.]

Column xvii

When his master entered the temple, for seven days the slave girl was equal with her mistress, and slave and his master were peers. The ritually unclean was allowed to sleep only outside his city. He silenced the evil-speaking tongue and locked up evil.

Column xviii

He observed the laws of Nanše and Ninĝirsu. He provided protection for the orphan against the rich, and provided protection for the widow against the powerful. He had the daughter become the heir in the families without a son. A day of justice dawned for him. He set his foot on the neck of evil ones and malcontents. A day of justice dawned for him. He set his foot on the neck of evil ones and malcontents. Like Utu, he rose on the horizon for the city. He wound a turban on his head. He made himself known by the eyes of holy An. He entered the shrine of E-ninnu with raised head like a bull and sacrificed there faultless oxen and kids. He set up bowls in the open air and filled all with liqour. (The drum) Ušumgal-kalama was accompanied by tigi drums, and ala drums roared for him like a storm. The ruler stepped onto the outer wall and his city looked up to him in admiration. Gudea....

Column xix

.... The earth produced plenty of mottled barley for him, so Lagaš thrived in abundance with the ruler. For the warrior who had entered his new temple, for Lord Ninŋirsu, a rich banquet was arranged. An sat at the place of honour because of him. (Ninĝirsu) seated Enlil next to An and Ninmaḫ next to Enlil.

Column xx

.... Rejoicing over the temple, the king determined a fate for the brickwork of E-ninnu: "O brickwork of E-ninnu, may a good fate be determined for you! O brickwork of E-ninnu, may a fate be determined for you! May a good fate be determined for you! Temple, mountain founded by An, built in grandeur,...."

Column xxi

... determined a fate for the brickwork of E-ninnu: "O brickwork, may a fate be determined for you! O brickwork of E-ninnu, may a good fate be determined for you! Temple,... embers..., embracing heaven,... holy...."

Column xxii

.... At your name cow-pens will be erected and sheepfolds will be fenced off! The people will lie down in safe pastures. All lands will direct their eyes toward you in Sumer. An will elevate your temple, the anzud bird, for you.

Column xxiii

...,... built the... of Niŋin,..., grown together with Gilgameš, the throne erected for you cannot be contested. Your personal god is lord Ninĝišzida, the descendant of An. Your divine mother is Ninsumun, the bearing mother of healthy offsprings, adored by the offsprings. You are one born... by the true cow. You are the fecund meš tree of the land of Lagaš made to sprout forth by Ninŋirsu. From the south to the highlands your name has indeed been established. Gudea, nobody …… what you say. You are …… a man known to An. You are a true ruler, for whom the house has determined a good fate. Gudea, son of Ninŋišzida, you will indeed enjoy a long life!"

Column xxiv

The temple reaches up to heaven like a huge mountain and its fearsomeness and radiance have settled upon the Land. An and Enlil have determined the fate of Lagaš; Ninŋirsu's authority has become known to all the countries; E-ninnu has grown so high as to fill the space between heaven and earth. Ninŋirsu be praised! This is the last hymn of "The building of Ninŋirsu's temple ".

Colophon

Prepared for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church with
AI-assisted research, extraction, and editorial formatting.

Source and license. The Sumerian transliteration, lemmatization, and
English translation are the work of the Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian
Royal Inscriptions (ETCSRI) project, directed by Gábor Zólyomi at the
Department of Assyriology and Hebrew Studies, Eötvös Loránd University,
Budapest, with funding from the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA).
ETCSRI is a subproject of Oracc, The Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus
(http://oracc.org/etcsri). The project's published web pages carry the
notice "Copyright 2007–11 The GKAB Project; released under a CC-BY-SA 3.0
license"; the project's own machine-readable data files carry the further
statement "This data is released under the CC0 license"
(https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). Both statements are
recorded here; this edition credits ETCSRI and Gábor Zólyomi regardless of
which license term governs a given file, per academic courtesy and per the
Good Work Library's own attribution practice.

What this edition is. The English text above is ETCSRI's own published
translation, reproduced complete and verbatim from the project's HTML
reading edition (fetched 2026-08-02), reformatted from an interlinear
word-by-word display into continuous reading paragraphs, one per inscribed
column. No word has been altered, paraphrased, or supplied by this library;
the two gaps noted in place (Cylinder A columns xxv–xxix; Cylinder B columns
xiii–xvi) reflect stretches the ETCSRI project has not yet translated, not
an omission by this edition. A handful of single-word oddities native to the
source data (for example "cuthrough" for "cut through" in Cylinder A, column
ii) are reproduced exactly as ETCSRI's own markup has them, rather than
silently corrected, since this is a source-text intake rather than a Good
Works Translation.

Composite identification. The standard scholarly edition of this text is
D.O. Edzard, Gudea and His Dynasty (RIME 3/1, University of Toronto Press,
1997), where it appears as RIME 3/1.01.07, Cylinders A and B; the ETCSRI
composite text ID is Q000377 (CDLI composite nos. P232300, P232301). Further
exemplars, translations in Hungarian, and the full morphological analysis
underlying this English edition are available at ETCSRI's own site,
http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/etcsri/Q000377/html.

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