Two Dumuzi-Inanna Love Songs

Dumuzi-Inanna Q and an Unidentified Song

Yitschak Sefati and Jacob Klein

The love song Dumuzi-Inanna Q1 survives in two fragmentary sourc-

es. The first source is the obverse of the unpublished imgida-collection
tablet, CBS 8534+N 1015. It is edited here as Source A. The reverse
of the above tablet has been edited elsewhere by Sefati as source C of
Dumuzi-Inanna R.2 The second source of DI Q is CBS 12613, obv.
i, edited here as Source B.3 This two-column tablet, most probably
also a collection tablet, was copied by E. Chiera in his Sumerian Epics
and Myths, as no. 75. Obverse ii of this tablet is entirely destroyed;
reverse i and ii constitute another, unidentified composition. There-
fore, we will edit these two columns separately. Accordingly, the first
part of our study will focus on Dumuzi-Inanna Q and the second part
on CBS 12613 rev. cols. i and ii.

We dedicate this study to Aaron Skaist, our long time friend and colleague,
who had the privilege to study Sumerian with Samuel Noah Kramer, the
discoverer and first exponent of Sumerian love literature. Bibliographic
references and abbreviations are according to the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary
(abbreviated as CAD), The Sumerian Dictionary of the University Museum of
the University of Pennsylvania (abbreviated as PSD), and http://cdli.ucla.edu/
wiki/doku.php/abbreviations_for_assyriology.
1 So designated by M. Civil in his unpublished Catalogue of Sumerian
Literary Texts. This song had not been hitherto edited.
2 Sefati 1998, 237f. The new join N 1015, which was unavailable to the
author at the time of editing DI R, source C, enables us to restore the
last 3 lines of this source (see Appendix below). For a photograph of CBS
8534+N 1015 rev. see pl. II. We are grateful to Jeremiah Peterson for
providing us with the excellent photographs published in pls. I–V below.
3 However, only seven lines (i.e. ll. 1’–7’) of this column correspond to
source A (see n. 6 below).

309
310 Yitschak Sefati and Jacob Klein

DUMUZI-INANNA Q
Since the prologue and the epilogue of this poem are extremely frag-
mentary, it is difficult to make a coherent sense of the text and determine
the plot and its background. It seems that two figures appear in the
poem: Inanna, who is mentioned by her epithet (lú ki-sikil) and her
name (dinanna) in lines 13–14 (A) and 9'–10' (B); and probably Dumuzi,
who is mentioned only by his epithets am di “wandering wild-bull” (A 4–
5), dumu gal ddur7-tur (A 5) and mu-lu-™u10 “my man” (A 6).4 The con-
tent and structure of the poem can be tentatively reconstructed as fol-
lows:
Lines 1–6 form the prologue, consisting of two strophes: In the first
strophe (ll. 1–3) the poet seems to have introduced Inanna as speaking,
using the adverbial expression ud-ri-a to set the plot of the poem in
remote mythological past. Inanna’s actual address is given in the second
strophe (ll. 4–6). The goddess seems to request that Dumuzi bring to her
house certain products, qualified in ll. 4–5 as “small ones” and “large
ones.”
In lines 7–24, which constitute the main part of the poem, we discern
three strophes of six lines each (7–12, 13–18, 19–24) whose structure is
identical. Each strophe mentions four plants in the same sequence:
™iÍÓaÍÓur, which recurs in the first three lines of each strophe (7–9, 13–

15, 19–21); and the three plants lu-úbsar (10, 16, 22), ™iÍasal2 (11, 17, 23),
and ™iÍ™eÍtin (12, 18, 24).5 In the first strophe (7–12) the wish is expressed
that all these plants may grow and flourish; accordingly all verbal forms
are intransitive in the precative mood. The second strophe (13–18)
seems to relate that Inanna performed certain acts in order to ensure that
these plants will grow and flourish; accordingly the same verbs appear in
the non-finite marû form R-ed-e “in order to make the (plant name)
flourish” etc. The third strophe (19–24) relates that the wishes expressed
in the first strophe materialized; accordingly all the verbs in this strophe
appear in indicative intransitive forms (im-ma-ab-R).

4 Note that the reverse of this collective tablet (=DI R, Source C) mentions
explicitly the protagonist’s names and epithets: Dumuzi, AmauÍum, Ama-
uÍumgalanna, and Íuba.
5 Note the reference to other plant names in the reverse (Dumuzi-Inanna
R), such as ™iÍasal, únumun2, úrib-ba, and úin-nu-uÍ, thus, constituting a link
between the two compositions on the same tablet.
 Two Dumuzi-Inanna Love Songs 311

The four plants figuring in this poetic narrative belong to four dif-
ferent realms of the vegetation world and symbolize fertility, being
essential for human existence: (1) the apple tree, which is the major
concern of the poet, is an important fruit-bearing tree and, in partic-
ular, is associated with Dumuzi in the DI love literature, as well as
being occasionally connected with the temple courts (see below); (2)
the turnip is an important vegetable in the diet; (3) the poplar is a fruit-
less tree that provides shade and perhaps symbolizes water(-courses);
and (4) the vine symbolizes luxury products, which are also very
important for the cult.
In the fragmentary ll. 27–28 (Source A), Inanna resumes her mono-
logue and refers to her house (cf. é-™u10-Íè). This recalls the expression
é-me-Íè in the prologue (l. 6) and may indicate that the above two
lines constitute the epilogue of DI Q (cf. comment to ll. 27–28 below).
The deviant lines 8'–14' of Source B may be a variant conclusion to
our poem. In this fragmentary passage Inanna seems to be addressed by
one or more of her female companions, who refer to Dumuzi with the
epithets “our laborer” and “our guide” (ll. 8'–9') in an obscure con-
text.
Sources
A: CBS 8534 + N 1015 obv. = 1–28
B: CBS 12613 (SEM 75) obv. i 1'–7'6 = 18–24
1 A [x x x ] x x u4 ri-a ba-‚daŸ?-[x x]
2 A [x x x x] x u4 ri-a (space)
3 A [x x x x] LU u4 ri-a [(space?)]
4 A di-di am di? ‚dumuŸ!? [gal]? ‚éŸ?-me?-Íè? [(x)]
5 A gal-gal am? di? dumu gal? ‚dŸ?d[ur7?-t]ur?-ra é-[me?-Íè?]
6 A é-me-Íè mu-lu-™u10 Íu [x] x ‚tùmŸ?-ma-x-[x]
7 A Óé-bulu™3-e Óé-bulu™3-e ‚™iÍŸ?ÓaÍ[Óur] x x [Óé-bulu™3-e]?
8 A ™iÍÓaÍÓur lál-a Óé-bulu™ -e ™iÍ?Óa[ÍÓur? <Óé-bulu™ -e>]
3 3
9 A ™iÍÓaÍ[Óur]-‚eŸ KU Óé-kéÍ-re ™iÍ?ÓaÍ[Óur?-e? ]
10 A lu-úbsar en-te-en-e úr Ó[é-gur4?-re? x x x x]
11 A ™iÍA.T[U].‚GABŸ.LIfi-e ™iÍ!?il-ú[r Óé-íl?-e]

6 B 8'–14' deviates from A 25ff. (see transliteration below).

312 Yitschak Sefati and Jacob Klein

12 A ki ™iÍ™eÍt[in-n]a Íu Óé-gur-r[e x x x x]
13 A lú ki-si[kil] [™]iÍÓaÍÓur bulu™3-e-d[è x x x x]
14 A dinanna ™iÍÓaÍÓur bulu™3-e-d[è x x x x]
15 A ™iÍÓaÍÓur-e KU kéÍ-re-[e-dè x x x x]
16 A lu-úbsar en-te-en-‚eŸ [úr gur4?-e-dè x x x x ]
17 A ™iÍA.TU.‚GAB.LIfiŸ-e i[l? ur íl?-e-dè x x x x ]
18 ki ™iÍ™eÍtin-na Íu gur-ru-d[è x x x x ]
A ki ™iÍ™eÍtin-na Íu gur-ru-d[è x x x x ]
B ‚ki? ™eÍtinŸ-‚*aŸ [. . . . . . . . . .]
19 in-™á-bulu™3 im-™á-bulu™3 < ™iÍÓaÍÓur im-™á-bulu™3>
A in-™á-bulu™3 im-™á-bulu™3 [x x x x x]
B in-™á-bulu™3 in-‚™á-bulu™3Ÿ x [. . . . . .]
20 ™iÍÓaÍÓur li-a im-™á-bul[u™ ™iÍÓaÍÓur <x x x x>]
3
A ™iÍÓaÍÓur li-a im-™á-bul[u™3 . . . . . . ]
B ™iÍÓaÍÓur *lál-a in-™á-b[ulu™3 . . . . . . ]
21 ™iÍÓaÍÓur-e KU im-ma-ab-kéÍ ‚™iÍŸ[ÓaÍÓur-e .…]

A ™iÍÓaÍÓur-e KU im-ma-[. . . . . . . . . . .]
B ‚™iÍŸÓaÍÓur-e *KU im-ma-*ab-kéÍ ‚™iÍŸ[. . . . . . . ]
22 lu-úbsar en-te-en-e úr im-ma-a[b-gur4?]
A lu-úbsar en-te-en-‚eŸ [. . . . . . . . . ]
B [lu-úb]sar en-te-en-*e úr im-ma-a[b-x]
23 ™iÍasal -e il-ur im-ma-a[b?-íl?]
2
A ™iÍasal2-e ™iÍ-[. . . . . . . . . .]
B ™iÍasal2-*e il-ur im-ma-a[b?-x]
24 ki ™iÍ™eÍtin-na Íu im-ma-ab-[gur?]
A ‚kiŸ ™iÍ™eÍtin-e Íu im-m[a-ab?-gur? x x x x]
B ki [™iÍ][™eÍt]in-na úr im-ma-ab-[gur(4)?]

From this point Source A and Source B deviate:

SOURCE A SOURCE B
25 (erasure) 8' kí™-gi4-a-me-[x]
26 (erasure) 9' lú ki-sikil-e zu-‚meŸ àm-ga-[x] /
 Two Dumuzi-Inanna Love Songs 313

27 [x] PA-a é-™u10-Íè? [...] èn-‚me àmŸ-ga-‚tarŸ-[re]

28 [ ™eÍt]in-na ‚™iÍ Ÿ [...] 10' inanna-ke4 zu-me àm-ga-[x]
™iÍ ? d

(ca. 2 lines missing from bottom) 11' èn-me àm-‚ga-tarŸ-r[e]

12' [...] x x [...]
13' [...] x x [...]
14' [...] x x [...]
(remainder of column broken)

1 […] … in those days ……..

2 […] … in those days …….
3 […] … in those days …….
4 Small ones, the wandering ‘wild-bull’, [the eldest] son, to our
house ……..
5 Large ones, the wandering ‘wild-bull’ the eldest son of Durtur,
[to our] house,
6 To our house, my man bring in ... hands [….]!
7 May it flourish, may it flourish, may the ... [apple] tree [flourish]!
8 May the delightful apple tree flourish, may the ... ap[ple] tree
< flourish>!
9 May the apple tree become firm of base, [may] the ap[ple] tree
[<flourish>]!
10 May the turnip [grow stout] of roots in the winter!
…………
11 [May] the poplar [bear] (its) fruit!
12 May the place of the grape-vine be full of tangled vines! ……..
13 The maiden—to make the apple trees flourish, [………]
14 Inanna—to make the apple trees flourish, [………]
15 [To] make the apple tree firm of base, [………],
16 [To] make the turnip [grow stout of roots] in the winter,
[…………..]
17 [To make] the poplar [bear] (its) fruit, [………….]
18 To make the place of the grape-vine be full of tangled vines;
[………..]
19 It flourished, it flourished, <the apple tree flourished>,
20 The delightful apple tree flourished, [the apple tree < flour-
ished>],
21 The apple tree became firm of base, [the apple tree flourished],
22 The turnip [grew] stout of roots in the winter …………
314 Yitschak Sefati and Jacob Klein

23 The poplar [bore] (its) fruit,

24 The place of the grape-vine became full of tangled vines; ……..
(From this point Source A and Source B deviate)
Source A
25 (erasure)
26 (erasure)
27 [...] provider to my house ...
28 In the grapes ...
(ca. 2 lines missing from bottom)
Source B
8' [He], our laborer,
9' Maiden, our guide [will] also ..., he [will] also look after us,
10' Inanna, our guide [will] also ...
11' will also look after us.
(remainder illegible)

Commentary
1–3: At the end of these lines there seems to have been a refrain, which
was fully written in line 1 (u4 ri-a ba-‚da?Ÿ-[x x]) and only partly writ-
ten in ll. 2–3, with an empty space left by the scribe after u4 ri-a. This
refrain may have been repeated twice in line 1 (to be restored [u4 ri-
a ba-da?-x x] u4 ri-a ba-‚daŸ-[x x]). The time unit expression u4 ri-a,
which usually appears in prologues or epilogues of literary composi-
tions of different genres, is used by the poets in various types of literary
parallelism or repetition to express the concepts of remote past and
remote future in which the story takes place (cf. Enki and NinmaÓ 1;
Enki’s Journey to Nippur 1; How Grain Came to Sumer 1–2; The
Instructions of fiuruppak 1–4; Enkidu and the Nether World, Version
A 1–4; Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta 6; Sheep and Grain 20 and
passim). For another Dumuzi-Inanna love song with a similar time-
setting prologue, see DI B1 1–3 (Kramer 1973, 243–53). For the for-
mulaic expression u4-ri-a in Sumerian literature see J. Klein, “Some
Observations on the Use of Terms Denoting Time Units in Meso-
potamian Literature” (forthcoming). Since in ll. 4–6 Inanna is speak-
ing in the 1st person, she is probably introduced by the narrator/poet
in ll. 1–3.
 Two Dumuzi-Inanna Love Songs 315

The LU in l. 3 could be restored as udu, [mu]-lu or [si]pad

([PA].LU). If udu is meant, the adjectives di-di and gal-gal may qual-
ify various types of sheep brought to Inanna by Dumuzi (cf. l. 6
below), who is referred to by the epithet am (cf. ll. 4–5). However,
if this hypothesis is correct, the relation of the prologue to the main
part of the poem, which deals with horticulture, is unclear.
4: It is assumed, on the basis of the parallel (l. 5), that di-di at the begin-
ning of this line is a phonetic writing for di4-di4.7 For the antony-
mous adjectives di4-di4(-lá) and gal-gal(-la) in poetic parallelism cf.
the unique example Dumuzi and Enkimdu 59–60a (gú di4-di4-lá-ni
Óa-ma-ab-sum-mu / ‚gúŸ [gal-gal-la-ni Óa-ma-ab-sum-mu]). Oth-
erwise gal-gal is always paralleled by TUR-TUR, which may be read
tur-tur or di4-di4 (cf. GilgameÍ and °uwawa A 102–3; Grain and
Sheep 134–35 [qualifying tum9 “winds”]; Inanna’s Descent 294–95
[qualifying the gal5-lá]; Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta 312–13
[bur gal-gal/bur tur-tur]; °endursa™a Hymn 22–23 [qualifying ku6];
Enlil and Sud 114: ga-àr gal-gal ga-àr gazi ga-àr tur-[tur …] “large
cheeses, mustard-flavored cheeses, small cheases…”). See especially
GilgameÍ and Enkidu 17–18, where the adjectives tur-tur and gal-
gal are introduced without the noun that they qualify:
lugal-ra tur-tur ba-an-da-ri
den-ki-ra gal-gal ba-an-da-ri

Against the king (a storm of) small (hailstones) arose,

against Enki (a storm of) large (hailstones) arose.
am di “wandering wild bull,” seems to be a unique epithet of
Dumuzi. For am/ù-mu-un as an epithet of Dumuzi see DI P ii 9 et
passim (cf. Sefati 1998, 76f.); Cohen, ErÍemma, erÍemma no. 60, ll. 1–
2 passim; erÍemma 97, l. 101. For this epithet pertaining to Enki, see
Cohen, Lamentations, 82, l. 142 [ù-mu-un am d]i-di.
6: In light of the occurrence of en-te-en “winter” in the following
lines (10, 16, 22) one cannot preclude the possibility, though far less
attractive, that é-me-Íè may have to be read é-me-éÍ “summer,”

7 This phonetic writing seems to be a hapax. Otherwise di-di is a participial

form of either du11(-g) or ™in. See especially the refrain in Dumuzi-
Inanna R Source C ll. 8'–16' (constituting the reverse of the present
tablet), where we assume that di-di is the Emesal form for ™en-™en “to
go,” “going.”
316 Yitschak Sefati and Jacob Klein

although the writing is exclusively é-me-eÍ. In any case, the line

remains obscure. For the various grammatical forms of the verbal root
túm/de6 see recently Meyer-Laurin 2010, 1–14. For the assumed
imperative form ‚tùmŸ?-ma-x-[x] in a similar context cf. Nanna B 55
(balbale of Nanna), where Ningal addresses her husband: ù-mu-un
d‚nannaŸ tùm-ma?-[ab] “Lord Nanna, bring them (various milk prod-

ucts) to me!”
7–8: We would expect ÓaÍ[Óur] in l. 7 to be followed by lál-a, but the
traces are illegible. At the end of the line we restore [Óé-bulu™3-e]?,
assuming a repetition of the verbs from the first half of the line. The
empty space at the end of l. 8 should be reconstructed accordingly. For
occurrences of the verb bulu™3 (Akk. rabû, rubbû, Íam⁄Óu) in associa-
tion with plants see PSD B 177–79 s.v. Cf. especially the following
instructive parallel (Hoe and Plow 148–49):
™iÍÓaÍÓur ù-mu-bulu™ -™e ní™-sa-Óa àm-è
3 26
ní™-sa-Óa-bi é di™ir gal-gal-e-ne-ka me-te-aÍ im-mi-ib-™ál
After I have made the apple-tree grow, it is I who bring forth its
fruits.
These fruits adorn the temples of the great gods.
For ™iÍÓaÍÓur “apple tree” in general see Powell 1992, 114f. In one
of the DI love songs Inanna likens Dumuzi to a fruitful and well-
watered apple tree (cf. DI E 4). In another song she addresses Dumuzi
with the epithets of endearment ™iÍkiri6 ™iÍÓaÍÓur-a ul gùr-ru-™u10 “my
blossoming garden of apple trees” and ™iÍkiri6 ™iÍmes-a gurun íl-la-
™u10”my fruitful garden of mes trees” (DI B 28–29). Elsewhere she
seems to converse with him among the apple trees along with fig and
willow trees (DI F1 16–20). In other amatory songs it is the female pro-
tagonist who is likened to a blossoming apple tree; cf. the love incan-
tation BL IV 5–7 = JCS 8, 146: 7 (Falkenstein 1964, 115) ki-sikil dúr-
a-ni ™iÍkiri6 ÓaÍÓur-a ul gùr-ru-àm “When the young girl is sitting, she
is a blossoming garden of apple trees” (see also The Message of Lud-
ingira 35). Note finally fiulgi Z rev. 16 where fiulgi invites Inanna to
go with him to his “apple tree” planted in his garden: nin9-™u10
™iÍ?ÓaÍÓur-™u -Íè? ga-ba-e-dè-™en “My sister, I would go with you to
10
my garden.” In the present song, the cultivation of the apple tree
proper, which grows in the garden, is the main concern of both the
poet and Inanna.
 Two Dumuzi-Inanna Love Songs 317

The present translation assumes that lál-a (cf. the variant li-a in
l. 20) is a short form of la-la (Akk. lalû). For la-la in connection with
plants, cf. The Message of Ludingira 35 ™iskiri6 la-la (var. me-a)8 i-si-
is lá-lá e (var. asil-lá si-a) “a garden of delights, full of joy” (var.
“filled with rejoicing”).
9: The underlying (compound) verb, which is repeated in this poem
three times (cf. ll. 15 and 21), seems to be dúr–kéÍ. dúr may refer to
the lower part of the tree, i.e., to its base or roots; cf. dúr = iÍdum,
Íaplum (MSL 14, 140:7–8); see also CAD I/J 239b sub iÍdu 3d. Note
especially eÍdi ‰arbatte (AfO 14, pl. IX i 9 [Etana Epic]). Accordingly
the hapax verb dúr–kéÍ may mean “to consolidate the base/roots,”
i.e., to make the tree grow sturdy. Although the Sum. verb seems
not to be attested in this meaning elsewhere, one of the meanings of
the Akk. equivalents ka‰⁄ru and rak⁄su is “to consolidate, make
firm.” See perhaps BRM 4 32:11 (quoted in CAD K 261a) k‹ma
qulipti b‹ni ka‰ar “tight as the bark of the tamarisk”; CAD ibid. 440f.
sub ki‰ru 7 (joint of a plant); see also the idiom iÍdam rak⁄sum (CAD
R 96a sub rak⁄su 2d 2').
10: (//16//22): For lu-úbsar (=laptu) cf. CAD L 96 sub laptu A; AHw
537 sub laptu I. This vegetable is unattested elsewhere in DI texts;
but cf. Silver and Copper D 73–74 Íúm-ÓuÍ Íúm-sikil Íúm-za-Óa-
din gu7-a lu-úbsar absin3-na la gur-gur-ra “...red onions, white
onions, edible bulbous leeks and turnips flourishing in the furrows.”
en-te-en-e probably means “in the winter” or else -e could stand for
the vowel of the genitive morpheme -a(k), the compound to be
translated “winter turnip”; cf. siki en-te-na “winter wool,” ukuÍ en-
te-nasar “winter cucumber” etc. (cited in CAD K 596a sub ku‰‰û
adj.). For the phrase úr gur(4) “to grow stout of root/base” or the like,
see especially fiulgi N 2–5:
ù-ru-ru-™á Óé-em-ma-*gur4-e
ù-ru-ru-™á Óé-em-ma-bulu™3-e (li-iÍ-mu-uÓ)
™iÍi-ri -na-gin úr Óé-*gur-re
9 7
úÍakir -ra-gin pa Óé-tál-tál-e
3 7
May he grow sturdy through my crooning,
may he flourish through my crooning!

8 Probably to be read *lál-a with van Dijk 1967, 253 and n.70.
318 Yitschak Sefati and Jacob Klein

May he grow stout of root like the irina-tree,

may he spread branches wide like a Íakir plant!
See also fiulgi P A 17 [x] x erina8-™u10-um úr ‚ma-*gurŸ “He is my
spikenard-herb; he grows for me stout of roots”9; IÍmedagan A 239
™iÍmes maÓ úr gur-ra pa mul da™al-la-me-en “I (IÍmedagan) am a tall

mes tree with thick roots and broad shining branches.” We assume that
the original underlying verb in this phrase was gur4 (=kubburu), gur in
the later sources being a secondary phonetic writing.
11 (//17//23): For ™iÍ asal 2 (A.TU.GAB.LIfi) Akk. ‰arbatu, in another
Dumuzi-Inanna love song cf. DI R Source C 12' (the reverse of our
tablet). For this tree see further Powell 1992, 107–11; Volk 1995, 182
ad l. 109. (™iÍ)il-úr is a shortened form of (™iÍ)il-lu-ur (=ill›ru); this short
form, seems to occur elsewhere only once, in Hh III Forerunner from
Nippur 114–15 (Ms. M.W. Green, UM) giÍnumun-asal2, ™iÍil-úr. For il-
lu-ur in general cf. CAD I/J 87 s.v., mng. 2~ “fruit, berry or flower of
reddish color.” Cf. also Hh III 421ff. (MSL 5, 130), where both ™iÍnu-
mun-asal (“the seed of the poplar”) and ™iÍil-lu-ur are equated with
zanzaliqqu (for the latter cf. AHw 1511, s.v.). For another occurrence
of ™iÍasal2 and il-lu-ur in association, cf. CT 58, No. 42:82 (Kramer
1980, 8) ™iÍasal2 il-lu-ur-bi ba-ab-gul-la ™izzu-bi ba-ni-ib-[lá] “the asal-
tree, whose fruit had perished, [stretched] its shadow there” (a sec-
ondary version of the Death of Dumuzi); CT 58, no. 13:31–32 en ddu-
mu-zi mu-un-Íi-™en-na / ™iÍasal2 il-lu-ur-bi-ta mu-un-Íi-™en-na “to
the lord Dumuzi, who came toward me, who came toward me from
the foliage of the asal-tree.”10 The tentative restoration of the verb íl
is based on the fact that this verb normally takes gurun “fruit,” a syn-
onym of il-lu-ur, as its direct object (cf. Enki’s Journey to Nippur 76;
DI B 29; Enlil A 123 et passim); this synonymous pair is usually jux-
taposed in the vocabularies.
12 (//18//24): For the multivalent compound verb Íu–gur cf. Civil
1987, 51–54. The highly tentative translation of this verb in this line
is based on the image of the tangled creeping vines of a blossoming
vineyard and its meaning “to roll up,” “wrap around.” M. Civil points
to the lexical equation Íu-gur-ra = 8 (=qat⁄pu) Ía kar⁄ni (Nabnitu

9 Klein 1981a, 34; with comment on p. 39.

10 For the present translation of these lines cf. Kramer 1984, 6; for a different
translation of the same see Volk 1995, 182 ad l. 109.
 Two Dumuzi-Inanna Love Songs 319

XVII 314 [MSL 16, 164]) “to pick grapes,” and accordingly he offers
a different translation for this line.
19–20: For the prefix in-™á-/im-™á- in these lines, which obviously
represents the conjugation prefix im-ma- (</ima-/), see Krecher
1967–1968, 4; idem 1978, 60f.; Woods 2008, 161ff. The form in-™á-
is attested mainly in Emesal contexts (cf. Krecher 1978, ibid.); see,
for example, Inanna I, Seg. B 22–25: in-™á-e-re8-dè-en in-™á-[e-
re8-dè-en] / me-en-dè Íùd-dè in-™á-[e-re8-dè-en] / Íùd ‚ù-mu-
unŸ-[na-Íè] <in-™á-e-re8-dè-en> / Íùd lugal-la-Íè <in-™á-e-re8-dè-
en> “We shall go! We shall go! / We shall go in supplication! / We
shall go for the supplication of the lord! / We shall go for the sup-
plication of the king!” A Hymn to Inanna 33 (Sjöberg 1988, 168:10–
11): ‚uÍumŸ-gal-an-na-ke4 / me ‚namŸ-dam-Íè in-™á!-‚anŸ-pà-da-dè
“UÍumgal-ana called upon me to be his wife.” The variant im-™á
seems not to be attested elsewhere.
For lál-a in l. 20 (B) see above l. 8 with comment. li-a in source
A may be a phonetic variant of lál-a, assuming that it is related to
onomatopoeic terms such as lál, la-la, a-la, whose basic meaning
seems to be similar or identical. Alternatively, li-a may be a synonym
of lál-a, perhaps to be connected with the same adjectival element in
the common expression ì-li/u5-li “fine oil” (see MSL 4, 24:178; cf.
AHw 995, sub ruqqû; 1411 sub ulû(m)).11
24: For the expression Íu–gur (A) see comment to l. 12 above. Source
B reads here úr (for Íu of A). It cannot be determined whether the
verbal root in this source was gur or gur4 (cf. above comment to ll.
10 and 22).
Source A 27–28: Due to the preceding two-line erasure (25–26) and
the fragmentary state of the present lines, it cannot be determined
whether the last four lines of the obverse constituted the conclusion
of DI Q or the opening of DI R, Source C. A third possibility,
namely that the reverse of our tablet was not part of DI R, but it con-
stituted the second part of DI Q, cannot be precluded. In either case,
it is Inanna who seems to be speaking in these lines. The obscure PA-
a in line 27 could be a verbal adjective, qualifying a noun lost in the

11 The adjective li in this context is generally derived from the root li(-b),
Akk. Óadû, r‹Í⁄tu etc.; see Flückiger-Hawker 1999, 165, comment to l.
104.
320 Yitschak Sefati and Jacob Klein

beginning of the line. If the missing noun was an epithet to Dumuzi,

one could assume that PA-a stands for ux(PA)-a(=ú-a), and restore
[Íul] or the like; cf. Nippur Lament 162 Íul ú-a-ni-Íè “the hero, his
provider” (for PA-a as a variant of ú-a see, e.g., fiulgi R 4; Urnammu
D, Nippur Recension 34–35 et passim); if the missing noun was an
object, one could read [x] kún-a “shining …” (cf. fiulgi P Sect. B 31
túg-ba13 kún-a-™u10 “my shining festive-garment”; see also fiulgi C
Sect. A 7 31 túg-ba13 kún-kún). A third possible reading for PA-a in
this context could be mu6-a; cf. Ea I 307 (MSL 14, 192) mu-ú-a PA
= eˇ-lu.
Source B 8'–11':12 Our translation of these lines assumes that lú ki-
sikil-e // dinanna-ke4 are in the vocative voice; that one or more of
her female companions is addressing Inanna; and that the epithets
kí™-gi4-a-me // zu-me refer to Dumuzi.
8': For kí™-gi4-a meaning “laborer, worker,” cf. Summer and Winter
22 a-gàr gal-gal-e kí™-gi4-a-aÍ gi4-gi4 “to send out laborers to the
large arable tracts…” (quoted by PSD A/I 78b sub a-gàr); The
fiumunda Grass 20–21: ú-Íumunda kí™-gi4-a ba-an-gaz / kí™-gi4-a
ba-an-gaz saÓar-Óub-bé ba tuÍ “the Íumunda-plant crushed them by
labor, crushed them by labor, made them sit in the dust.” The epi-
thet “laborer” seems to fit Dumuzi better than “messenger,” the
more common meaning of kí™-gi4-a.
9'–11': For the obscure phrase zu-me with the possible meaning
“guide,” see GilgameÍ and °uwawa B 145 lú-zu-me Óé-a “he could
be our guide” (so ETCSL; Edzard 1993, 32:138 translates: “unser
Vertrauter”; for lú-zu-a see further Klein 1981b, 207f.). The prefix
chain àm-ga-, which recurs in these lines four times, represents the
conjugation prefix ì- combined with the conjunctive prefix –nga-,
whose standard form is in-ga- (<i-nga-). The unique form àm-ga-
seems to be attested at least twice in late cultic Emesal texts; cf.
erÍemma 171:104f. (Cohen, ErÍemma, 99) ga-àm-ga-TUfi. See espe-
cially the bilingual text in Cohen, Lamentations, 106, ll. 251–52 (SBH
33 rev. 20–23+):
mu-uÍ-túggeÍtu -ga-na a-na ma-al-la-bi
2
ina uz-ni-Íú mi-nu ib-Íá-a

12 For Source B ll. 1'–7', see above ll. 19–24 with commentary.
 Two Dumuzi-Inanna Love Songs 321

mu-uÍ-túg geÍtu2-kù-ga-na ta àm-ga-mu-ri-a-bi

ina uz-ni-Íú el-le-ti mi-nam iÓ-su-sa
What does he have in his mind?
What more does he plot in his holy mind?
For a standard version of these lines see KAR 375 ii 5–8:
mu-uÍ-túggeÍtu -ga-na a-[na]-àm ma-al-la-bi
2
dmu-ul-líl uz-ni-Íú el-le-tim mi-nu-u MIN
mu-uÍ-túggeÍtu kù-ga-na ta-àm an-ga-mu-un-ri-a-bi
2
ina uz-ni-Íú el-le-tim mi-nam iÓ-su-sa-an-ni
(Enlil—) what does he have in his holy mind?
What more does he plot in his holy mind against me?
(for a monolingual parallel to these lines see erÍemma 160, ll. 20–21
[Cohen, ErÍemma, 127]). Note further, an-ga-àm in Instructions of
fiuruppak 195 (Alster 2005, 90) with variant (N4) àm-ga-àm.

UNIDENTIFIED DUMUZI-INANNA SONG

It seems that the remaining three columns of CBS 12613 (SEM 75),
i.e., obv. ii, and rev. i–ii, contained one or more unidentified
Dumuzi-Inanna poems.13 Column ii of the obverse is completely
destroyed. On rev. i, there are remains of signs at the beginning of thir-
teen lines. All the words preserved in this column belong to the vocab-
ulary of the Dumuzi-Inanna song cycle. This extremely fragmentary
passage seems to refer to the female lover (cf. ki-sik[il] in l.8'; see also
l. 5'), probably Inanna, who apparently anoints herself (or is anointed)
with fine oil (cf. ì-li in ll. 2'–3', 9'–10') for her meeting with the shep-
herd Dumuzi (cf. sipa // lú in ll. 12'–13'), perhaps in the ™ipar or at
night-time (cf. comment to l. 1').
In the rest of the preserved text (rev ii and the left edge) Inanna seems
to address an unnamed king, presumably Dumuzi or one of his royal
incarnations (cf. lugal-™u10 and lugal? in rev. ii 3'–4'). The first part of
Inanna’s monologue (ii 1'–8') is too fragmentary to be comprehended.
In this part she refers to the banks of the Tigris and the Euphrates, as
well as to the royal city, in an obscure context. In the second part of
her monologue (ii 9'–13') Inanna promises the king support for his

13 For a photograph of CBS 12613 rev. and left edge see below.
322 Yitschak Sefati and Jacob Klein

reign. She assures him that the “star” (presumably symbolizing Inanna)
will never cease (ll. 9'–10'). Then she vows that she will be the pro-
tective udug-spirit of his eyes (11'), the lamma-spirit of his mouth (12'),
and his footstool (13'), using the recurrent refrain Óé-me-en “let me
be” (see also Óé-™ál “may it be” in ii 9'; and mùÍ nam-ba-an-túm-mu
“may it never cease” in ii 10'). The following passage (ll. 14'–17') con-
tains a number of similes with imagery related to the basic living com-
modities: beer and bread, oil and clothing. Due to the fragmentary
state of this passage, it cannot be determined whether the similes per-
tain to Inanna or Dumuzi. In the last part of her monologue (l.e. 1–4),
Inanna apparently bestows upon the king various blessings, related to
his own person, and marked by the refrain Óé-me-en “may you be.”
A close parallel to the last portion of our song (rev. ii) is DI O, which
seems to exhibit similarity both in content and literary structure. The
above song, which is a monologue of Inanna, consists of two parts: (a)
A short prologue (ll. 1–7) in which Inanna describes her walking along
the bank of the Euphrates, searching for Dumuzi; in this passage she
uses temporal clauses expressed by the so-called “pronominal conju-
gation” (di-da-™u10-dè “as I proceed…”, dib-ba-™u10-dè “as I pass…”
etc.).14 (b) In the main part of the song (ll. 8–33), Inanna addresses
Dumuzi, heaping upon him various blessings, using the verbal form
Óé-me-en “may you be” throughout the entire song as a refrain.15 The
possibility cannot be precluded that the formulaic verbal form Óé-me-
en, in our poem, as well as in DI O, should be interpreted as assertive
laudatory statements (“you are indeed…”), rather than blessings
(“may you be…”).16

14 For a possible parallelism between the prologue of DI O and ll. ii 1'–

3' in our poem see comment to these lines below.
15 Cf. Sefati 1998, 210ff. Contrary to the previous interpretation, we take
ll. 8–12 of DI O as part of Inanna’s blessings (so already Alster 1985,
155ff.). For a further DI love song, containing blessings of Inanna to
Dumuzi, expressed by the formula Óé-me-en, see DI Y 56–61.
16 Cf. DI G 3–11, where Inanna’s companions are praising Dumuzi, using
the formulaic expression Óé-me-en “you indeed are…” They call him
“our brother,” and liken him to a series of administrative office holders,
whose leadership guarantees the prosperity of the city and its inhabitants.
 Two Dumuzi-Inanna Love Songs 323

OBV. ii (destroyed)
REV. i
1' ™i6-[par4? ] In/from the ni[par ]
2' ‚ì Ÿ-l[i
? ? ] Fine oil [ ]
3' [ì?]-l[i? ] Fine oil [ ]
4' [ ] [ ]
5' ‚munus du10 Ÿ [
!? ? ] The good woman [ ]
6' [ ] [ ]
7' mùÍ-me [ ? ] [Fair] countenance [ ]
8' ki-sik[il ] The maiden [ ]
9' ì-li [ ] Fine oil [ ]
10' ì-‚liŸ [ ] Fine oil [ ]
11' x nin9 [ ] [ ]
12' sipa x [ ] The shepherd [ ]
13' lú [ ] The man [ ]
(remainder of the column broken)
REV. ii
1' [gú A.EN]GUR.id[igna [ On the bank] of the Tig[ris …]
x x x (x)]
2' gú i7UD.KIB.‚*NUN?.*KI?Ÿ On the bank of the Euphrates…
[x x x]
3' lugal-™u10 uruki-zu? x x [x x]My king, your
city………..
4' lugal? dnin-x gú x [x] The king, who ……… by Nin-
[...],
5' di4-di4-lá b[a?-x-x-x-x-z]i!? The small ones…………….
6' [ ……………..…..] (6' – 8' destroyed)
7' [ ……………..…..]
8' x [x x x x] A x x
9' [mul?] ‚usan?!Ÿ Íà?-an?-na May it be the evening [star] of
Óé-™ál heaven midst,
324 Yitschak Sefati and Jacob Klein

10' mul Íà?-an-na mùÍ The star of heaven midst,

nam- ba-an-‚ túmŸ- mu
* * * may it never cease!
11' igi-za udug-bi Óé-me-en Let me be the (protective) udug-
spirit of your eyes,
12' ka-za lamma-bi Óé-me-en Let me be the (protective) lamma-
d

spirit of your mouth,

13' ™iri3-gub ki-gub sa6-ga Let me be the footstool of (your)
Óé-me-en good stand,
14' kaÍ ninda-gin7 igi- a sa6 dù Like beer (and) bread …….. good
* * ?

for the eyes,

15' x x x-gin7 x x x x x dù ? Like…………………….,
16' ì-li-gin7 su -a x-‚du10 -du10 Ÿ Like fine oil, pleasing the flesh,
? ? ? ? ?

17' ‚túg giri17?-zal?Ÿ-g[in7? ] Like a splendid garment………..

(remainder of the column broken)
Left Edge
1 [dumu? di™ir?]-‚za?Ÿ Óé-me-en May you be [the son] of your
[god]!
2 [inim -ma nu]-kúÍ-ù
? ? May you be the one who [never]
Óé-me-en grows weary [of speaking]!
3 [x x x-e]n IM-bi Óé-me-en [……….] may you be its…….!
?

4 Óúl-la x x x gi4 / nu-[x x] x May you be a ……joy,

Óé-me-en who never….…!

Commentary
REV. i
1': Alternative possible restorations of the beginning of the line are: ™i6/
™i6-[ù-na] “night, night-time”; ™i6-[ba-a] “midnight.” Cf. DI Y 62
™i6-a ™á-nu ™i6-a gub-ba “come at night, stay at night.”
2': The term ì-li (cf. also ll. 3', 9' and 10') in similar context in the
Dumuzi-Inanna love songs is attested only once; cf. DI R Source C
7' [i]n-nin9-e ì-li sa™ Óé-em-me-eb?-Íé[Í-e]. Elsewhere in these songs,
other terms for fine oil are applied: ì du10 (DI C1 ii 13) and u5 zé-eb (DI
C 6; DI E1 rev. 9'; DI R Source A 12). The term ì-li, on the other
 Two Dumuzi-Inanna Love Songs 325

hand, is a key word in the ÍirnamÍub of Nininsina (Nininsina B); cf.

ll. 1, 18, 20–22, 24. The above composition is, according to W.
Römer, a Dumuzi-Inanna-type love song (1969, 304) and accord-
ing to M. Cohen a description of a cultic ritual in preparation of a
divine statue (1975, 593).
7': For the supposed mùÍ-me (Akk. z‹mu, b›nu) “face, appearance,” in
similar context, see, e.g., Rimsin B 12 mùÍ-me sag9 nitalam2 ki á™
dnun-bar-Íe-gu-nu “Fair of features, beloved spouse of Nun-bar-Íe-

gunu”; Enlil and Sud Version B 12 ‚denŸ-ba-tibira mùÍ-me mi-ni-

in-sig7 “He made beautiful En-batibira’s (=Aruru’s?) countenance.”
Note the possibility that the second visible sign is ‚ZAŸ (rather than
ME). In that case there are two possible readings: mùÍ-za “of/in your
countenance” or Íuba3 “a precious stone”/”brilliant.” For the latter
cf. the epithet of Dumuzi Íuba-ke4 “he of the Íuba-stones” (DI I 25–
26); see also fiulgi X 55 Íuba3 iri12-gal an-na-me-èn “You, the bril-
liant one of An’s Irigal.”
11': The second sign is almost certainly nin9 (MUNUS.‚KUŸ). For nin9 as
an epithet of Inanna, see DI C 1 passim; DI Y 24 passim (for a list of
the epithets of Inanna and Dumuzi in the love songs, see Sefati, Love
Songs, 386–91).
12': The broken sign following sipa is perhaps a[maÍ].
REV. ii
1'–2': The parallelism gú i7idigna // gú i7buranun-na in literary texts is
rare; see Laws of Urnamma (Prologue) 151–52; Letter from Puzur-
fiulgi to Ibbisin 44(//8); Samsu-iluna F Seg. B 5 (gú i7idigna gú i7bur-
na). See especially DI O 3–6: di-da-™u10-dè di-da-™u10-dè / gú i7
nun-na dib-ba-™u10-dè / gú i7buranun-na Íu ni™in2-na-™u10-dè /
[z]a-pa-á™ ù-mu-un-e gub-ba-™u10-dè “As I proceed, as I proceed,
as I walk along the bank of the princely river (=Euphrates), as I roam
around the bank of the Euphrates…, as I stand beside the lord (to
hear his) cry.” Since the above poem is closely parallel to rev. ii of our
text in content and structure (see discussion in the introduction
above), we should perhaps restore at the ends of ll. 1'–3' di-da-™u10-
dè, dib-ba-™u10-dè and Íu ni™in2-na-™u10-dè, and translate these lines
accordingly: “[As I proceed along the bank] of the Tigris, [as I walk
along] the bank of the Euphrates, my king, [as I roam around] your
city.”
326 Yitschak Sefati and Jacob Klein

3': For lugal as one of the epithets of Dumuzi see Sefati 1998, 387, sub
lugal. For Inanna addressing Dumuzi with the epithet lugal-™u10 see
DI F 14; DI C1 iii 4–5, 7; Dumuzi and Enkimdu 37; fiusin A 27. The
sign following uruki seems to be ZU rather than fiÀ of the copy. For
uru-zu in other passages where Dumuzi or his incarnation is addressed
see fiusin A rev. 17 uru-zu ku5-da-gin7 Íu Óe-íb-[m]ú ù-mu-un dÍu-
suen-™u10 “May your city like a cripple stretch out hands to you, my
lord, fiusin!”; DI X 107–108 (Festschrift Klein, 260) [dn]in-sún-na-ke4
mí mu-un-e ama-né mí mu-un-e / uru-zu me-a-m uru-zu ki lul!-la
ma-ra-an-á™ “Ninsun speaks gently, his mother speaks gently: ‘Your
city, shepherd, loves you feigningly’” (for a different reading cf. CAD
R 427, sub ruÍÍiÍ).
4'–5': The first sign in l. 4', copied as an incomplete LUGAL, could also
be LÚ!. In view of DI X 107, cited above, one would expect the DN
following lugal? to be dnin-‚súnŸ, but the traces exclude this restora-
tion. The alternative restoration dnin-‚galŸ (cf. DI I 21; Sefati 1998, 399
sub dga-Ía-an-gal) is also excluded. For a possible parallel to these lines
see DI C 17: za tur-tur gú-™á im-mi-si “small lapis-lazuli beads I tied
on my neck”; Inanna’s Descent 19: na4za-gìn di4-di4-lá gú-na ba-an-lá
“she hung small lapis-lazuli beads around her neck” (also ibid. 107;
135).
9'–10': We tentatively assume that the epithet mul (usan) in ll. 9'–10'
refers to Inanna, who elsewhere is identified with Venus, the evening
and morning star; cf. Iddindagan A 89 (see also ibid. 135) an-usan-na
mul ‚dallaŸ [è-a muldili-bad] u4 gal an kù-[ge si-a] “When at evening,
the radiant star, the Venus star (=Inanna), the great light that fills the
holy heavens…”; Dumuzi and Enkimdu 8: [x x x]-ta mul-™en “I am
a star from [my mother’s womb]…!” In case these two lines are uttered
by Inanna, we have to posit that the goddess refers to herself as Venus,
standing lonely in the midst of heaven, speaking about herself in the
third person. Alternatively, one could assume that the poet uttered
these two lines. However, in that case, the transition to the following
passage, in which obviously Inanna speaks in the first person about
herself, would be abrupt. For the motif of the eternal existence of the
stars cf., e.g., fiulgi E 248–49: mul an ság nu-di “(To these) indestruc-
tible ‘heavenly stars’…”
11'–12': The pair udug//lamma is widespread in literature; Gudea Cyl.
A iii 20–21; Cyl. B ii 9–10; Urnamma A 176–77; fiulgi D 221 et passim.
 Two Dumuzi-Inanna Love Songs 327

See further BM 12232 (Statue of fiulgi; cf. M. Civil, Sjöberg FS 35)

iv 25 lú-ba dlamma-a-ni Óé-me “let me be his protective lamma-
spirit.” For a similar promise formula of Inanna-Nanaya to her lover
see Inanna H 21–22: íd na-an-ba-al-le íd-zu Óé-me-en a-Íà na-an-
ur11-ru a-Íà-zu Óé-me-en “Do not dig a canal, let me be your canal.
Do not plow a field, let me be your field.”
13’: For ™iri3-gub (Akk. kilzappu) “footstool,” “pedestal,” cf. Letter
from Arad™u to fiulgi about ApillaÍa 17–18: ™iÍ™iri3-gub kù-sig17-ka
™iri3-ni i-íb-™ar / ™iri3-ni na-ma-ta-an-kúr “His feet rest upon a
golden footstool. He would not remove his feet in my presence!” ki-
gub (= manz⁄zu) “stand” (literally “standing place”), in the present
context, may be short for ki-lugal-gub “royal stand” (for the latter
cf. Klein 1981b, 162, comment to l. 131).
14': For the pair kaÍ ninda, a merismic expression for the food supply
of divine statues, cf. SiniqiÍam 1: obv. iv 23 (RIME 4, 192); rev. v 12'
(ibid. 196): kaÍ ninda u6 di-dè (in a blessing and curse formula). See
also the pair Íikaru // akalum In Akkadian literature; cf. e.g., Descent
of IÍtar 33 (KAR 1:35 and dupls.); Epic of GilgameÍ P iii 8 (George
2003, 177:90–92).
For igi-a sa6 in a fragmentary context see Silver and Copper, Seg.
E 7. Another possible rendering of igi-a, could be “in front of…” or
the like. The possibility that IGI.A in this contexts stands for imÓur
(Akk. ÓurÓummatu) “foam” cannot be excluded. In that case, the
expression “good foam” would qualify the beer mentioned at the
beginning of the line.
16': For a close parallel to this line see Enlil A 161: inim-ma-ni su-a bí-
du10-ga-bi ì li Íà-ga-kam “his words bring pleasure to the flesh, being
fine oil for the heart.” For su(-a) du10 in royal literature see further
Nippur Lament 308; IÍmedagan A 295; fiulgi E 83 (su uru!-na-ke4
nam-bí-ib-du10-ge “May he not please the ‘flesh’ of his city!”);
IÍmedagan 6 v 13' (RIME 4, p. 34); Nur-Adad 7 (RIME 4, p. 148)
passim.
17': Our tentative restoration of this line is based on an assumed par-
allelism with the three preceding lines. However, we could not find
a precedent for the expression túg giri17-zal. Alternatively TÚG can
be read egi; cf. Ninlil A 3: ‚anŸ ki-Íè maÓ-di egir2? giri17-zal nin me
nam-nun-na-[ka] “magnificent princess, lady with the princely
divine powers.”
328 Yitschak Sefati and Jacob Klein

LEFT EDGE
1: For the tentative restoration of this line cf. DI O 20: Óé-me-en dumu
di™ir-za Óé-[me-en] “May you be, may you be the son of your god!”
2: For the restoration of this line cf. DI O 33: Íà kúÍ-ù inim-ma nu-kúÍ-
ù Ó[é-me-en] “May you be the soother of the heart who never grows
weary of speaking!”
APPENDIX
The concluding three lines of DI R, Source C (i.e ll. 17'–19')17 can now
be partially restored with the help of the reverse of join N 1015 as fol-
lows:18
nu-u8-gig-ge ‚xŸ [ ]
su8-ba ddu[mu-zi]-ra mí-du11-ga [ ]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Íìr-[nam]-sipa-da ddumu-‚ziŸ-[da-kam]?
The hierodule [ ]
Having spoken gently to the shepherd Du[muzi] [ ]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[It is a] “Shepherdship-song” [of] Dumuzi.
17'–18': A possible parallel to these lines is Nisaba A 56–57: nun-e dni-
saba-ra mí du11-ga a-a den-ki zà-mí-zu du10-ga-àm “The Prince (Enki)
having cherished Nisaba—O Father Enki, it is sweet to praise you!”
Accordingly, at the end of l. 18' we should perhaps restore [dInanna zà-
mí].19 For nu-u8-gig-ge in a similar context, cf. IÍbierra C A 3: gal-zu
nu-u8-gig-ge nin kur-kur-ra zi-dè-eÍ-Íè pà-da “Wise one, correctly
chosen as lady of all the lands by the Mistress (Nanaya).” Alternatively,
these lines may have constituted a concluding praise to Inanna and
Dumuzi, having been parallel in content and structure. In that case,
the -e in nu-u8-gig-ge would not be an ergative suffix, but the loca-
tive-terminative suffix: “To the hierodule..., to the shepherd Dumuzi

17 Cf. Sefati 1998, 238.

18 For a photograph of this join see below.
19 For similar concluding formulaic doxologies cf. fiulgi A 101–102: dÍul-gi
dumu nir-™ál an-na-ke4 mí du11-ga dnisaba zà-mí; GilgameÍ and °uwawa A 201–
202 (for variants see Edzard 1991, 232) kala-ga dbil4-ga-mes mí du11-ga / dnisaba
zà-mí et passim.
 Two Dumuzi-Inanna Love Songs 329

praise …” For nu-u8-gig-e in similar context see Iddindagan A 219

nu-u8-gig-e ki kù ki sikil-la Íìr-ra mu-na-an-™ál “In the holy place,
the pure place, they celebrate the Mistress in songs.”
19': The generic subscript Íìr-[nam]-sipa-da is not attested elsewhere.
The present restoration of this subscript is based on parallels, such as
bal-bal-e dInanna-kam (DI A 55 passim); cf. also Iddin-Dagan A 230:
Íìr-nam-ur-sa™-™á d[nin]-si-an-na-ka; Ninurta G 185–86: Íìr-nam-
Íub-‚baŸ dnin-‚urta-kamŸ. A less probable alternative restoration
could be: Íìr-[nam]-sipa-da ddumu-‚ziŸ [zà-mí] “A ‘Shepherdship-
song’. Dumuzi [be praised]!”