Sumerian Jams Reborn - Song Of The Hoe, Lines 1-27 - Nergal Sinatra

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NOTES 03 AUG 2025:
- Linguistic updates made possible by Kormos Krisztián. Check out his Sumerian dub of Pulp Fiction. He wanted me to point out that this lovely abomination was made using AI, and that the phonemes are wrong.

- I like the idea of competing artists gathering around temples, marketplaces and watering holes to put on the best performance of sacred songs poems.

- This is part of an ongoing archaeological art revival project I'm working on for my own satisfaction.

- Sources are included below, so you can go look as deeply into the real-world, demonstrable artifacts (including receipts!) as you want. Dig it if you do, but either way be sure to snag my art and books.

-Bobby

www.RobertEnnisArt.com

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From
https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section5/tr554.htm#para3


The song of the hoe: translation
In this composition, the word al 'hoe' is used as often as possible, as well as many nouns or verb forms beginning with -- or merely containing -- the syllable al (occasionally also ar).

1-7 Not only did the lord make the world appear in its correct form -- the lord who never changes the destinies which he determines: Enlil, who will make the human seed of the Land come forth (3 mss. have instead: up) from the earth (2 other mss. have instead: chamber) -- and not only did he hasten to separate heaven from earth, and hasten to separate earth from heaven, but, in order to make it possible for humans to grow in 'Where Flesh Came Forth' (2 mss. have instead: 'Where Flesh Grew') [the name of a cosmic location], he first suspended (2 mss. have instead: raised) the axis of the world at Dur-an-ki.

8-17 He did this with the help of the hoe (al) -- and so daylight broke forth (aled). By distributing (altare) the shares of duty he established daily tasks, and for the hoe (al) and the carrying-basket wages were even established. Then Enlil praised his hoe (al), his hoe (al) wrought in gold, its top inlaid with lapis lazuli, his hoe (al) whose blade was tied on with a cord, which was adorned with silver and gold, his hoe (al), the edge of whose point (?) was a plough of lapis lazuli, whose blade was like a battering ram standing up to a great (gal) wall (1 ms. has instead: born for a great (gal) person (?)). The lord evaluated the hoe (al), determined its future destiny and placed a holy crown on its head .......

18-27 Here, in 'Where Flesh Came Forth' (1 ms. has instead: 'Where Flesh Grew') [the name of a cosmic location], he set this very hoe (al) to work; (1 other ms. has instead: in 'Where Flesh Grew' the unassailable (?),) he had it place the first model of mankind in the brick mould. His Land started to break through the soil towards Enlil. He looked with favour at his black-headed people. Now the Anuna gods stepped forward to him, and did (jal) obeisance to him. They calmed Enlil with a prayer, for they wanted to demand (al-dug) the black-headed people from him. Ninmena, the lady who had given birth to the ruler, who had given birth to the king, now set (aljaja) human reproduction going.


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https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section5/c554.htm#line46


en-e nij2-du7-e pa na-an-ga-mi-in-ed2en nam tar-ra-na shu nu-bal-e-de3den-lil2 numun kalam-ma ki-ta ed2-de3an ki-ta ba9-ra2-de3 saj na-an-ga-ma-an-sumki an-ta ba9-ra2-de3 saj na-an-ga-ma-an-sumuzu-ed2-a saj mu2-mu2-de3dur-an-ki-ka bulug nam-mi-in-la2jissu-e mu-un-jar ud al-ed2esh2-jar mu-un-du3 nam al-tar-rejissu-e jissu-e a2 si ba-ab-sa2-eden-lil2-le jissu-a-ni za3-mi2 ba-an-dug4jissu-a-ni kug-sig17-ga saj-bi na4za-gin3-najissu sa la2-a-ni kug-me kug-sig17-gajissu-a-ni a2 bulug-ba apin na4za-gin3-na-kamzu2-bi gud-si-dili bad3 gal ed2-de3-damen-e jissu mu-un-sid nam mi-ni-ib-tar-reki-in-du men kug saj-ja2 mu-ni-in-jal2uzu-ed2-a jissu am3-mi-ni-in-du3saj nam-lu2-ulu3 u3-shub-ba mi-ni-in-jarden-lil2-she3 kalam-ma-ni ki mu-un-shi-in-dar-resaj gig2-ga-ni-she3 igi zid mu-shi-in-barda-nun-na mu-un-na-sug2-sug2-ge-eshshu-bi giri17-ba mu-un-ne-jal2den-lil2 a-ra-zu-a mu-ni-in-hug-e-neug3 saj gig2-ga al mu-un-da-be2-nenin en u3-tud-de3 lugal u3-tud-de3dnin-men-na-ke4 tud-tud al-ja2-ja2