The Sacred Marriage (Inana & Dumuzi)
The oldest love songs on earth: a goddess and a shepherd-king, whose union was thought to ripen the whole land.
A cycle of exquisite Sumerian love-songs celebrates the courtship and union of the goddess Inana and the shepherd Dumuzi. In its royal application, a king (standing in for Dumuzi) was joined to the goddess (through her priestess or image), a union thought to secure the land's fertility and to confirm the king's god-favored rule. The poetry is tender, sensuous, and joyful. Scholars debate how far an actual 'sacred marriage rite' was performed versus how much is literary; the love-songs themselves are unmistakably real and among the oldest love poetry in the world.
Key passages(20)
My dearest, my dearest, my dearest, my darling, my darling, my honey of her own mother, my sappy vine, my honey-sweet, my honey-mouthed of her mother! The gazing of your eyes is pleasant to me; come
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The king sailed to Unug towards the princely divine powers. Sumer and Akkad marvelled at him as he moored the boat at the quay of Kulaba. With a large wild bull of the mountains with uplifted horns, a
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A balbale (?) to Inana (Dumuzid-Inana P)
…… of my …… is holy. I am she who directs ……. …… genitals ……. …… is perfect for august status. Subduing ……, fixing my gaze ……, I am she who directs ……. …… my genitals ……, my …… which is seemly for a
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The brother speaks gently to his sister, Utu speaks gently to his sister, he speaks tenderly to holy Inana: Young lady, the flax in the garden beds is full of loveliness, Inana, the flax in the garden
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(Ningal speaks:) I …… for the ……. The embrace of my spouse ……. The young man ……. Among his cows ……. My beloved who ……. I shall go ……! There with the lord ……. (Nanna addresses Ningal:) My spouse, ……,
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As I was strolling, as I was strolling, as I was strolling …… the house, as I was strolling, he caught sight of my Inana. What did the brother say to you and speak to you? He of the loving heart and
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A song of Inana and Dumuzid (Dumuzid-Inana R)
Maiden, glossy mane, lovely beauty, Inana, glossy mane, lovely beauty! Maiden, mane of the ibex, …… red deer, …… red deer, Inana, mane of the ibex, …… red deer, …… red deer! Maiden, colourful as a pil
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While I, the lady, was passing the day yesterday, while I, Inana, was passing the day yesterday, while I was passing the day, while I was dancing, while I was singing songs all day until evening, he m
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My sister, what have you been doing in the house? Little one, what have you been doing in the house? I was bathing, I was rubbing myself with soap. I was washing myself with water from the holy kettl
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The burgeoning one, he …… with his own mother; the one with kindly eyes takes counsel with his father. You are our brother, you are our brother. You are our brother in charge of the palace gate, you
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…… he who cools, who cools ……. He who uproots the grass for holy Inana, who uproots ……. He who gathers the dates, …… the date palm. He who gathers the dates for holy Inana, …… the date palm. Let him b
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A love song of Išme-Dagan (Išme-Dagan J)
Lady, going to the sweet-voiced cows and gentle-voiced calves in the cattle-pen, young woman, when you arrive there, Inana, may the churn sound! May the churn of your spouse sound, Inana, may the chur
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A song of Inana and Dumuzid (Dumuzid-Inana D1)
The …… of E-temen-ni-guru, the organisation of the house of Eridug, the radiance of the house of Suen, and the erected banners of the E-ana were all given as gifts to the house. My good house floats l
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Columns i and ii are not edited here Lacuna iii 1´–35´ The inscription of Sennacherib and measurements and descriptions of Zarpanītu’s bed and Marduk’s throne are not edited here Wording (of the inscr
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For Inana, his lady, Bur-Suen, the powerful king, king of Sumer and Akkad, fashioned this (statuette), and dedicated it to her for his well-being.
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Šulgi and Ninlil's barge: a tigi (?) to Ninlil (Šulgi R)
Oh barge, Enki assigned the quay of abundance to you as your fate. Father Enlil looked at you with approval. Your lady, Ninlil, commanded your construction. She entrusted it to the faithful provider,
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I, the queen, will look with wonder at the foliage. I, Inana, will gaze at the open foliage. May my bridegroom speak to me …… kindly words such as a farmer or a shepherd would speak. I, the queen, wi
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Lacuna th [ ey (the gods) allowed my mind to learn all of the scribal arts ]. They glorified the men [ tion of m ] y [ name ] (and) made my lordship g [ reater ] t [ han (those of all other) king ] s
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[ I, Ashurbanipal, great king, strong king, king of the world, king of Assyria, king of the four quarters (of the world), off ] spring [ of Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, gov ] ernor of B [ abylon, kin
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Lady, you who wander among sweet-voiced cows and gentle-voiced calves in the cattle-pen; young woman, no sooner will you arrive there, Inana, than the churn should sound! May the churn of your spouse
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