Inanna spoke

Anonymous, c. 2000 B.C.

Inanna spoke

Inanna spoke:
     I bathed for the wild bull,
     I bathed for the shepherd Dumazi,
     I perfumed my sides with ointment,
     I coated my mouth with sweet-smelling amber,
     I painted my eyes with kohl.

     He shaped my loins with his fair hands,
     The shepherd Dumazi filled my lap with cream and milk,
     He stroked my pubic hair,
     He watered my womb.
     He laid his hands on my holy vulva,
     He smoothed my black boat with cream,
     He quickened my narrow bed with milk,
     He caressed me on the bed.

     Now I will caress my high priest on the bed,
     I will caress the faithful shepherd Dumazi,
     I will caress his loins, the shepherdship of the land,
     I will decree a sweet fate for him.

                  *               *               *

Ninshubur, the faithful servant of the holy shrine of Uruk,
Led Dumazi to the sweet thighs of Inanna and spoke:
     My queen, here is the choice of your heart,
     The king, your beloved bridegroom.
     May he spend long days in the sweetness of your holy loins.
     Give him favorable and glorious reign.
     Grant him the shepherd's staff of judgment.
     Grant him the enduring crown with the radiant and noble diadem.

     From where the sun rises to where the sun sets,
     From south to north,
     From the Upper Sea to the Lower Sea,
     From the land of the huluppu-tree to the land of the cedar,
     Let his shepherd's staff protect all of Sumer and Akkad.
     As the farmer, let him make the fields fertile,
     As the shepherd, let him make the sheepfolds multiply,
     Under his reign let there be vegetation,
     Under his reign let there be rich grain.

     In the marshland may the fish and birds chatter,
     In the canebreak may the young and old reeds grow high,
     In the steppe may the mashgur-trees grow high,
     In the forests may the deer and wild goats multiply,
     In the orchards may there be honey and wine,
     In the gardens may the lettuce and cress grow high,
     In the palace may there be long life.
     May there be floodwater in the Tigris and Euphrates,
     May the plants grow high on their banks and fill the meadows,
     May the Lady of Vegetation pile the grain in heaps and mounds.

     O my Queen of Heaven and Earth,
     Queen of all the universe,
     May he enjoy long days in the sweetness of your holy loins.


             --from The Cycle of Inanna: The Courtship of Inanna and Dumazi
                Akkadian; trans. Diane Wolkstein & Samuel Noah Kramer