From “The Harps That Once…: Sumerian Poetry in Translation
(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)
(gods in blue)
It was just a city, just a city
But these chose to come settle,
(Mesopotamian cities of the giant alien gods)
Nippur (Enlil’s city) was just a city, but these chose to come settle,
Durgishimmar was just a city, but these chose to come settle.
Just Idsalla was its pure river, just Kargeshtina its harbor quay, just Karusar its mooring quay,
just Pulal its well of sweet water, just Nunbirdu its shimmering canal, if measured out, just fifty sar each were its arable lands.
Just Enlil was its young man just Ninlil was its young maiden just Ninbarshegunu, was its matron.
In those days did the mother who gave her birth advise the girl, Ninbarshegunu (Nisaba) advised Ninlil:
(Nisaba, Ninlil‘s mother, Master Scribe, Nisaba & spouse Haia brought down & established grains upon the Earth)
May you not, ‘o woman, bathe in the pure canal, in the pure canal, may you not ‘o Ninlil, come stepping back unto the bank of Nunbirdu!
(Enlil, son & heir to King Anu, Earth Colony Commander)
He who is all bright eyes, will be laying eyes upon you the great mountain, father Enlil, who is all bright (blue) eyes,
will be laying eyes upon you, the shepherd, the decision maker, who is all bright eyes, will be laying eyes upon you.
Forthwith that cock will come burgeoning he will be kissing you
and, happy, will gladly leave with you the glorious sperm filled into the womb.
To the mother who advised her she on her part lent ear.
In that selfsame pure canal, in that selfsame pure canal, the woman came and bathed,
and Ninlil was about to come stepping back unto the bank of Nunbirdu.
(Enlil, Earth’s Commander-in-Chief)
He who is all bright eyes, the master, who is all bright eyes, laid eyes upon her, the great mountain, father Enlil,
who is all bright eyes, laid eyes upon her, the shepherd, the decision maker, who is all bright eyes, laid eyes upon her:
“Let me make love with you!” he was saying to her, but was not thereby able to make her agree to it.
“Let me kiss you!” Enlil was saying to her, but was not thereby able to make her agree to it.
“My parts are little, know not how to stretch, my lips are little, know not how to kiss!
If my mother learned about it she would be slapping my hand, if my father learned about it,
he would be grabbing hold of me harshly, and it would not be for me, now, to tell my girlfriend, I should be drying up on her!
Enlil said to his page, Nusku: Nusku, my page! “Yes, pray!”
Great trust of the Ekur (Enlil‘s temple residence in Nippur)! “Yes, my master!”
With a girl so nice, so shapely, with Ninlil, so nice, so shapely, one gets an urge to make love one gets an urge to kiss!
The page brought to his master the likes of a boat brought to him the likes of a towline of a small boat
brought to him the likes of a big boat:
My master, willing, let me float him down on it, so he can follow the urge to make that love,
follow the urge to kiss those lips, father Enlil willing let me float him down on it
so he can follow the urge to make that love, follow the urge to kiss those lips!
As he was hugging her he held her hands, followed the urge to kiss those lips;
and she for her part was making lie up next to him the bottom and the little moist place.
He followed the urge to make that love, followed the urge to kiss those lips,
and at his first making love, at his first kiss, he poured into the womb for her the sperm,
(Nanna / Nannar / Sin / Suen, symbolized by the Moon Crescent)
germ of Suen (Sin) the moon, the bright lone divine traveler!
Enlil was passing through Kiur, and as Enlil was passing through Kiur
the fifty great gods, and the seven gods of formulating the decisions, were seizing Enlil in Kiur:
The sex offender Enlil will leave the town!
The sex offender Nunamnir (Enlil) will leave the town!
(ancient artifact image of Enlil)
Enlil, in accordance with what has been decided about him, left town.
Enlil was walking along, Ninlil was following, Nunamnir (Enlil) was walking along, the girl was pursuing.
Enlil said to the man in charge of the city gate:
Man of the city gate, man of the bolt, man of the lock, man of the holy bolt!
Your mistress Ninlil will be coming, and she asks you about me, do you not show her where I am!
Ninlil said to the man in charge of the city gate:
Man of the city gate, man of the bolt, man of the lock, man of the holy bolt!
Where did Enlil your master go?
Enlil had the man of the city gate answer her.
My master never deigned to exchange pleasantries with me, Enlil never deigned to exchange pleasantries with me!
Having decided in my mind, I made my plans, and was filling from him my empty womb,
Enlil, king of all lands made love with me.
As Enlil is your master so also am I your mistress!
And you be my mistress let my hand touch your pudenda!
A sperm, your future master, a lustrous sperm, is in my womb,
(Suen / Nannar, patron god of Ur, symbolized by the Moon Crescent)
a sperm, germ of Suen the moon, a lustrous sperm is in my womb!
May the sperm, my future master, go heavenward, and may my sperm go to the netherworld,
may my sperm instead of the sperm, my future master come to the netherworld!
Enlil, as the man of the city gate had her lie down in the latter’s chamber, made love with her, kissed her;
and at his lovemaking, at his first kiss,
(Nergal)
he poured into the womb for her the sperm, germ of Nergal, the one issuing forth from Meslam!
Enlil was walking along, Ninlil was following, Nunamnir (Enlil) was walking along, the girl was pursuing.
Enlil drew near the river of the mountains, the man-nourishing river,
and to the man in charge of the river of the mountains, the man-nourishing river,
Enlil said: Your mistress Ninlil will be coming and she ask you about me do you not show her where I am!
Ninlil was nearing the river of the mountains, the man-nourishing river,
and to the man in charge of the river of the mountains, the man-nourishing river,
Ninlil said: Where did Enlil your master go?
Enlil had the man of the river of the mountains answer her.
My master never deigned to exchange pleasantries with me, Enlil never deigned to exchange pleasantries with me!
Having decided in my mind, I made my plans, and was filling from him my empty womb,
Enlil, king of all lands made love with me.
As Enlil is your master so also am I your mistress!
An you be my mistress let my hand touch your pudenda!
A sperm, your future master, a lustrous sperm, is in my womb,
(Nannar, giant alien god of Ur, home of high-priest Terah, & his son Abraham)
a sperm, germ of Suen the moon, a lustrous sperm is in my womb!
May the sperm, my future master, go heavenward, and may my sperm go to the netherworld,
may my sperm instead of the sperm, my future master come to the netherworld!
Enlil, as the man in charge of the river of the mountains
had her lie down in the latter’s chamber, made love with her, kissed her;
and at his lovemaking, at his first kiss, he poured into the womb for her the sperm,
germ of Ninazu (Enlil‘s son sometimes, Ereshkigal‘s son sometimes), owner of the temple manor Egida!
Enlil was walking along, Ninlil was following, Nunamnir (Enlil) was walking along, the girl was pursuing.
Enlil drew near Silulim the ferryman Enlil said:
‘Your mistress Ninlil will be coming and she ask you about me do you not show her where I am!’
Ninlil drew near the ferryman and said to him: ‘O ferryman, where did Enlil your master go?
Enlil had the man Silulim make answer:
My master never deigned to exchange pleasantries with me, Enlil never deigned to exchange pleasantries with me!
Having decided in my mind, I made my plans, and was filling from him my empty womb,
Enlil, king of all lands made love with me.
(Inanna, Ninlil, Nannar/Suen, & Enlil)
As Enlil is your master so also am I your mistress!
And you be my mistress let my hand touch your pudenda!
A sperm, your future master, a lustrous sperm, is in my womb,
a sperm, germ of Suen the moon, a lustrous sperm is in my womb!
May the sperm, my future master, go heavenward, and may my sperm go to the netherworld,
may my sperm instead of the sperm, my future master come to the netherworld!
Enlil, as Silulim had her lie down in the latter’s chamber,
made love with her, kissed her; and at his lovemaking, at his first kiss,
he poured into the womb for her the sperm, germ of Enbilulu, the river warden!
Thou art lord! Thou art master! Enlil, thou art lord!
(Skyfather Anu & son Enlil, Sky Lord)
Thou art master! Nunamnir, thou art lord! Thou art master!
A lord, carrying great weight, lord of the storehouse, art thou!
The lord making the barley sprout forth, the lord making the vines sprout forth, art thou!
Lord of heaven, lord making yields be, and lord of the earth, art thou!
Lord of the earth, lord making yields be, and lord of heaven art thou!
Enlil being lord, Enlil being master, and inasmuch as a lord’s word cannot be changed!
(Enlil & Ninlil on ancient city wall)
Give praise unto Mother Ninlil!
Father Enlil, praise!
Enlil and Ninlil
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature
” by Thorkild Jacobsen. Yale University Press, Publishers; Copyright 1987.
(short version B of Ninlil‘s Descent)
(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)
(gods in blue)
There was a city, there was a city — the one we live in.
(Enlil‘s ancient city of Nippur located far below his ziggurat mountain residence)
Nibru (Nippur) was the city, the one we live in.
Dur-jicnimbar was the city, the one we live in.
Id-sala is its holy river, Kar-jectina is its quay. Kar-asar is its quay where boats make fast. Pu-lal is its fresh-water well.
Id-nunbir-tum is its branching canal, and if one measures from there, its cultivated land is 50 sar each way.
Enlil was one of its young men, and Ninlil was one its young women.
Nun-bar-ce-gunu (Nisaba) was one of its wise old women.
(Nisaba 2 unidentified gods, spouse Haia, daughter Ninlil)
At that time the maiden was advised by her own mother, Ninlil was advised by Nun-bar-ce-gunu (Ninlil‘s mother):
“The river is holy, woman! The river is holy — don’t bathe in it!
Ninlil, don’t walk along the bank of the Id-nunbir-tum!
His eye is bright, the lord’s eye is bright, he will look at you!
The Great Mountain, Father Enlil — his eye is bright (blue), he will look at you!
The shepherd who decides all destinies — his eye is bright, he will look at you!
Straight away he will want to have intercourse, he will want to kiss!
He will be happy to pour lusty semen into the womb, and then he will leave you to it!”
She advised her from the heart, she gave wisdom to her.
The river is holy; the woman bathed in the holy river.
As Ninlil walked along the bank of the Id-nunbir-tum, his eye was bright, the lord’s eye was bright, he looked at her.
The Great Mountain, Father Enlil — his eye was bright, he looked at her.
The shepherd who decides all destinies — his eye was bright, he looked at her.
The king said to her, “I want to have sex with you!”, but he could not make her let him.
Enlil said to her, “I want to kiss you!”, but he could not make her let him.
“My vagina is small, it does not know pregnancy.
My lips are young, they do not know kissing.
If my mother learns of it, she will slap my hand! If my father learns of it, he will lay hands on me!
But right now, no one will stop me from telling this to my girl friend!”
(Enlil with plow, Nusku, Ninurta Bau seated with her guard dog)
Enlil spoke to his minister Nuska: “ Nuska, my minister!”
“At your service! What do you wish?”
“Master builder of the E–kur (Enlil‘s temple residence in Nippur)!”
“At your service, my lord!”
“Has anyone had intercourse with, has anyone kissed a maiden so beautiful, so radiant —
Ninlil, so beautiful, so radiant?”
The minister brought his master across by boat, bringing him over with the rope of a small boat, bringing him over in a big boat.
The lord, floating downstream to ……
— he was actually to have intercourse with her, he was actually to kiss her! — father Enlil, floating downstream to ……
— he was actually to have intercourse with her, he was actually to kiss her! — he grasped hold of her whom he was seeking —
he was actually to have intercourse with her, he was actually to kiss her! — so as to lie with her on a small bank …….
He actually had intercourse with her, he actually kissed her.
At this one intercourse, at this one kissing he poured the seed of Suen– Acimbabbar (Nannar / Sin) into her womb.
(giant alien Anunnaki god Nannar / Sin / Acimbabbar, who lived in Ur)
Enlil was walking in the Ki-ur.
As Enlil was going about in the Ki-ur, the fifty great gods and the seven gods who decide destinies had Enlil arrested in the Ki-ur.
Enlil, the ritually impure, left the city.
Nunamnir (Enlil), the ritually impure, left the city.
(2 mss. have instead: “ Enlil, ritually impure, leave the city! Nunamnir, ritually impure, leave the city!”)
Enlil, in accordance with what had been decided,
(Ninlil Enlil in the Underworld)
Nunamnir, in accordance with what had been decided, Enlil went. Ninlil followed.
Nunamnir went, the maiden chased him.
Enlil spoke to the man at the city gate: “City gatekeeper! Keeper of the barrier! Porter!
Keeper of the holy barrier!
When your lady Ninlil comes, if she asks after me, don’t tell her where I am!”
Ninlil addressed the city gatekeeper: “City gatekeeper! Keeper of the barrier! Porter!
Keeper of the holy barrier! When did your lord Enlil go by?”
She spoke to him; Enlil answered as the city gatekeeper:
“My lord has not talked with me at all, O loveliest one.
Enlil has not talked with me at all, O loveliest one.”
“I will make clear my aim and explain my intent.
You can fill my womb once it is empty — Enlil, lord of all the lands, has had sex with me!
Just as Enlil is your lord, so am I your lady!”
“If you are my lady, let my hand touch your ……!”
“The seed of your lord, the bright seed, is in my womb.
The seed of Suen, the bright seed, is in my womb.”
“My master’s seed can go up to the heavens!
Let my seed go downwards! Let my seed go downwards, instead of my master’s seed!”
Enlil, as the city gatekeeper, got her to lie down in the chamber.
He had intercourse with her there, he kissed her there.
At this one intercourse, at this one kissing he poured the seed of Nergal–Meslamta-eda into her womb.
(Nergal with his high-tech alien weaponry, & foot upon earthling)
Nunamnir went, the maiden chased him.
Enlil approached the man of the Id-kura river of the underworld, the man-eating river.
“My man of the Id-kura, the man-eating river!
When your lady Ninlil comes, if she asks after me, don’t you tell her where I am!”
(Ninlil, spouse to Earth Colony Commander Enlil)
Ninlil approached the man of the Id-kura, the man-eating river.
“My man of the Id-kura, the man-eating river!
When did your lord Enlil go by?”, she said to him.
Enlil answered as the man of the Id-kura: “My lord has not talked with me at all, O loveliest one.
Enlil has not talked with me at all, O loveliest one.”
“I will make clear my aim and explain my intent.
You can fill my womb once it is empty — Enlil, lord of all the lands, has had sex with me!
Just as Enlil is your lord, so am I your lady!”
“If you are my lady, let my hand touch your ……!”
“The seed of your lord, the bright seed, is in my womb.
The seed of Suen, the bright seed, is in my womb.”
“My master’s seed can go up to the heavens!
Let my seed go downwards! Let my seed go downwards, instead of my master’s seed!”
Enlil, as the man of the Id-kura, got her to lie down in the chamber.
He had intercourse with her there, he kissed her there.
At this one intercourse, at this one kissing he poured into her womb the seed of Ninazu (son of Enlil‘s or son of Ereshkigal‘s),
the king who stretches measuring lines over the fields.
Enlil went. Ninlil followed. Nunamnir went, the maiden chased him.
Enlil approached SI.LU.IGI, the man of the ferryboat.
“SI.LU.IGI, my man of the ferryboat!
When your lady Ninlil comes, if she asks after me, don’t you tell her where I am!”
Ninlil approached the man of the ferryboat.
“Man of the ferryboat! When did your lord Enlil go by?”, she said to him.
Enlil answered as the man SI.LU.IGI:
“My lord has not talked with me at all, O loveliest one.
Enlil has not talked with me at all,
O loveliest one.” “I will make clear my aim and explain my intent.
You can fill my womb once it is empty — Enlil, king of all the lands, has had sex with me!
(Ninlil & Enlil, equal Earth Colony Commanders)
Just as Enlil is your lord, so am I your lady!”
“If you are my lady, let my hand touch your ……!”
“The seed of your lord, the bright seed, is in my womb.
The seed of Suen, the bright seed, is in my womb.”
“My master’s seed can go up to the heavens!
Let my seed go downwards! Let my seed go downwards, instead of my master’s seed!”
Enlil, as SI.LU.IGI, got her to lie down in the chamber.
He had intercourse with her there, he kissed her there.
At this one intercourse, at this one kissing he poured into her womb the seed of Enbilulu, the inspector of canals.
(Adad, son to Enlil, god of canals)
You are lord! You are king! Enlil, you are lord! You are king! Nunamnir, you are lord! You are king!
You are supreme lord, you are powerful lord!
Lord who makes flax grow, lord who makes barley grow, you are lord of heaven,
Lord Plenty, lord of the earth! You are lord of the earth, Lord Plenty, lord of heaven!
Enlil in heaven, Enlil is king! Lord whose utterances
(2 mss. have instead: whose pronouncements) cannot be altered at all!
His primordial utterances will not be changed!
For the praise spoken for Ninlil the mother,
praise be to (one ms. adds: the Great Mountain,) Father Enlil!