Segment A

(beginning of 1st kirugu)

1-10 4 lines missing

The roaring storm covered it like a cloak, was spread over it like a sheet. It covered Eridug like a cloak, was spread over it like a sheet. In the city, the furious storm resounded ....... In Eridug, the furious storm resounded ....... Its voice was smothered with silence as by a sandstorm. Its people ....... Eridug was smothered with silence as by a sandstorm. Its people .......

11-18 Its king stayed outside his city as if it were an alien city. He wept bitter tears. The guardian of the city stayed outside the city as if it were an alien city, and wept bitter tears. For the sake of the harmed city, bitter tears were wept. Its protector, like a flying bird, left the city. The blessings of the city of holiest blessings were overturned. The blessings of the rites of the greatest blessings were altered. In Eridug everything was reduced to ruin, was wrought with confusion.

19-26 The evil-bearing storm went out from the city. It swept across the Land -- a storm which possesses neither kindness nor malice, does not distinguish between good and evil. Subir came down like rain. It struck hard. In the city where bright daylight used to shine forth, the day darkened. In Eridug where bright daylight used to shine forth, the day darkened. As if the sun had set below the horizon, it turned into twilight. As if the Most High had cursed the city, alone He destroyed it. As if God had frowned upon it, Eridug, Ec-abzu, bowed low.

27 1st kirugu.

28 It cried out bitterly: "O the destruction of the city! The destruction of the house!"

29 Its jicgijal.

30-37 A second time the storm destroyed the city -- its song was plaintive. ...... was breached (?). ...... intensified the lament. It cut the lock from its main gate. The storm dislodged its door. ...... It stacked the people up in heaps. ...... on its own destroyed it. It turned ...... into tears. ...... defiled ......

1 line missing

39-47 ...... It distorted its appearance. ...... It distorted its appearance. It circled its ...... wall. It overturned its foundations. Throughout the city, the pure, radiant (?) place, the foundations were filled with dust. It cast down its ziggurat, the shrine which reaches up to heaven, into a heap of debris. The loftiness of its awe-inspiring door-ornament, befitting a house, collapsed. It cut down the gate, its Great-Ziggurat-of-Heaven-and-Earth-Covered-with-Terrible-Awesomeness, its shining door, and it broke through its bolt. It ripped out its doorframe. The house was defaced.

48 2nd kirugu.

49 The destruction of Eridug! Its destruction was grievous.

50 Its jicgijal.

51-57 At its lion-faced gate, the place where fates are determined, it mutilated the copse (?) forming the architrave of the house ....... Ka-hejala and Igi-hejala, the doorkeepers of the house, ....... Prematurely they destroyed it utterly. They completely altered ....... At the gate of the fattening-shed, the animal-fattener ...... the great offerings. Its birds and fish were neglected there. Destruction ....... Throughout the house, radiant (?) in silver and lapis lazuli, tears .......

58-65 The hired man and the governor ....... The festivals ...... grandly ....... Holy songs, songs of all kinds ....... The cem drum and ala drum ....... The great blessings, all the blessings ....... The place of heaven and earth ....... The judgment by the king, the holy sceptre at his right side, ....... The en priestess, lumah priest and nindijir priestess .......

66-73 The minister Isimud ....... Strangers to the house ...... its side. Eridug, Ec-abzu, ...... silently. The enemy ...... the cleansed tugmah robe. ...... a man ...... the people ....... Along with the fluids spilled from his guts, his blood spilled forth. The ......, which like the azure sky was embellished forever, ...... grasped .......

74 3rd kirugu.

75-76

2 lines fragmentary

77 Its jicgijal.

78 ...... distressed and anxious ...... like a pigeon .......

1 line fragmentary

The birds of the destroyed city ...... a nest. The ukuku bird, bird of heart's sorrow, ...... the place. Pain ....... The area became entangled in wild thornbushes. It ...... wild thornbushes. The Cimackians and Elamites, the destroyers, looked at the holy kettles which no one may look at. In the E-jectug-Nisaba, the house of wisdom, ...... covered over ....... The blessings which embellish the abzu ....... When the holy treasures stored in the treasury were put ......, when, like a mist lying heavily on the earth, ......, they went like small birds shooed from their hiding places.

7 lines fragmentary

unknown no. of lines missing

Segment B

(continuation of 4th kirugu)

1 The guardian of the city uttered a lament for the city .......

2 4th kirugu.

3 Bitterly the guardian of the city uttered a lament.

4 Its jicgijal.

5-9 Because of this, the guardian of the abzu stayed outside the city as if it were an alien city. It bowed its neck down to the ground. Eridu's faithful protector, the compassionate one, clawed at her breast, clawed at her eyes. She uttered a frenzied cry. She held a dagger and a sword in her two hands -- they clashed together.

10-15 She tore out her hair like rushes, uttering a bitter lament: "You, my city whose woman does not dwell there, whose charms do not satisfy her -- where is a lament uttered bitterly for you? Eridug! You, my city whose woman does not dwell there, whose charms do not satisfy her -- where are tears wept for you? I fall like a bull in your lofty ...... falls ....... I am ....... My heart ...... queen ......."

unknown no. of lines missing (incorporating end of 5th kirugu)

Segment C

(continuation of 6th kirugu)

1-8 1 line fragmentary

...... far away ...... the angels. God, King of the lands, looked in anger upon Sumer. He demolished it. He destroyed the Ki-ur, the great place. He razed with the pickaxe all of the shining E-kur. He destroyed it but did not abandon it -- they still call upon His name.

9-20 In Kec, the creation place of the Land, the people saw inside its holy sanctuary where daylight had been unknown. By His decree it was destroyed, but not abandoned -- they still call upon His name. By His decree Urim was destroyed. He decimated the Land with famine. He committed a sacrilege against the E-kic-nu-jal. He struck at its heart. He destroyed it but did not abandon it -- they still call upon His name.

21-25 By His decree Unug was destroyed. Fleeing from the E-ana, the house of seven corners and seven fires......, it was destroyed, but not abandoned -- they still call upon His name.

26 (The guardian speaks:) "Who has ever seen such a destruction as that of your city Eridug!"

27 6th kirugu.

28 "For how long was it built? For how long is it destroyed? ...... adornment of the abzu."

29 Its jicgijal.

30-36 "Who has ever seen such a destruction as that of your city Eridug? Who has ever seen such a misfortune as that of Ec-abzu, your house?" No one goes up to the offering terrace. They do not call His name in the great hall. The guardian of the city felt distressed, felt anxious, began to wail, lay down and fasted.

37-44 You must not be distressed, you must not be anxious. Return your heart to your Ki-ur and your attention to your city. Living in an alien city is miserable -- return your attention to your city. Living in an alien house is miserable -- return your attention to your house. What can anyone compare with this city? -- Return your attention to your city. What can anyone compare with this house? -- Return your attention to your house. Eridug's day is long. Its night is over.

45-52 May your throne say to you "Sit down". May your bed say to you "Lie down". May your house say to you "Be rested". May your holy dais also say joyfully to you "Sit down". May God, the King of the heavens, satisfy your heart. A person, a humble man, brings you a lament over the faithful house. When he sings it before you, may that person soothe your heart. When he recites a prayer, look kindly upon him.

53 7th kirugu.

54 It destroyed your ...... and struck against your house.

55 Its jicgijal.

56-59 ...... and may he restore it for you.

2 lines fragmentary

Do not hide like a criminal .......

A version from Ur (UET 6 142)

Segment A

1-5 House of princely powers, standing in mighty water -- the waters have receded from it ....... One can walk on its wide swamp. Within it grow wild thornbushes. The delightful boat Antelope of the abzu -- the waters have receded from it; ...... its sheepfold ...... the wharf. They were Sirsir, the boatman, and the man who rides the boat. At the prow ...... was hurled down in front of them. Evildoers destroyed the house, and its rites were disturbed.

6-7 At the giguna shrine, the sacred house, evildoers ....... The E-unir -- the shrine raises its head as high as heaven. Its shadow .......

8-14 At the great gate, the lion-faced gate, the place where fates are determined, evildoers ....... They set fire to its door. Ka-hejala and Igi-hejala, the doorkeepers of the house, ....... ...... at the ...... place, ...... its people. ...... the destroyed place, the abzu ...... the powers of the angels.

3 lines fragmentary

unknown no. of lines missing (continuation of 3rd kirugu)

Segment B

1-6 Eridug ....... City in the reed-beds ....... In Eridug, bull and cow ....... Without being a marsh boar ....... Eridug, like a bull ....... The protector of the city cried, "My city ......!"

7 3rd kirugu.

8 O your house, o your city, o your people ...... the mountains.

9 Its jicgijal.