Cuthean Legend of Naram-Sin

... with him. ... lord of the land, I was constantly pondering ... ... a messenger, ... of kingship. ... I seized ..., ... this ... ... to me, ... (that) I (did not) know. ... to me, ... for the distant future, ... from of old. ... came to me, ... of my friend, ... I seized ... The first time, I sent out against it 180,000 troops, It defeated them, it left no one! The second time, I sent out against it 120,000 troops, It defeated them, it filled the plains (with their corpses)! The third time, I sent out against it 60,000 troops, It made a greater slaughter than the one before! Having killed 360,000 troops, It made the greatest slaughter ever! As for me, I was confounded, bewildered, I was at a loss, exhausted, anxious, and reduced to naught. I said, 'O god, what have I brought upon my reign?' I am a king who brings no well-being to his land, And a shepherd who brings no well-being to his people. As for me, what has my reign brought me? How shall I place myself that I may bring myself out of this? He has mobilized against me a mighty foe to lay low the plains of Akkad. He has raised up against me the Hari-people and Malgium, ... and Gukkanium, ... to lay low ... of the Akkadian steppe. Sanctuaries ... The land was utterly devastated, the middle regions of ... The ... that Adad called out over the land, It has stamped out its hubbub, scattered its reason. It laid low cities, hamlets, and holy places, It has levelled everything completely! Like that deluge of water that arose Among the peoples ... of former times, It has transformed the land of Akkad, It has laid the land low, It has so diminished (the land) as if it had never been, The land is destroyed, all of it reduced to nothing! Because of the anger of the gods, ... was painful ... Cities are laid waste, hamlets are laid low, It has diminished and stamped out the hubbub of the land. Like a flooding channel, it has transformed the land, ... has destroyed ... ... Ishtar, ... to play their ..., ... in battles .... he ... them. He was ... ... that he had heard. ... filthy ones ... ... he let them defeat me. ... and high market prices, ... them. ... of his ... He contrived battle against it Reducing it into ruins. Enmerkar did not write for me a stela. He was not my brother and did not take my hand, so I did not bless him before Shamash. In the face of them, humankind entered caves, City, in the face of them, was no city, Ground, in the face of them, was no ground. They were six kings, allies they were, glorious, and 600 their troops, Ea, the lord, sent them to bring bereavement. With his own hand he created them and them with the awesomeness of lions. Death, fates, mourning, windburn, starvation, famine, prices, the Great One sent off with them. Ea, the lord, made ready to speak, Said to the gods his brethren, I made this host, do you pronounce its fate, Lest it utterly destroy humankind, let its name be spoken of. For all time, let them reverence the wall, Let the bricks of the wall be their god, let them worship it. Let it not seize the city of Shamash the warrior, Let it do no plundering, nor let it thrive within, Let it eat no food to sustain it, Let it smell no aroma of beer, let it drink water! Let it wander all day, At night, let it lie down but let no sleep come upon it. They were six kings, allies they were, glorious in form, and 600 their troops. The mountains bore them, reared them. They approached Akkad, they its quay, They approached even as far as the gate of Akkad! They sent a messenger to Naram-Sin, saying: We are six kings, allies, who are glorious in form, and 600 are our troops. Sea folk have approached you. Naram-Sin answered them, saying, Open the foundation box and read well the stela Of all the hardships that Naram-Sin, son of Sargon, went through. Sargon, my father, passed away. After Sargon, my father, passed away, I became ruler of the land. When days had passed, When years had gone by, The land and its way of thinking changed. Against Enmerkar, a host its and rode. He inquired of the great gods, Ishtar, Ilaba, Zababa, Annunitum, Shullat, Hanish, Shamash the warrior, He summoned and charged diviners, Seven extispicies on seven lambs he made, He set up holy reed altars. The diviners spoke thus, pale of face. like it will trample, Your body. No sooner had the great gods spoken thus, Enmerkar became like a corpse, Shamash rendered a harsh judgment on him. The judgment on him, the verdict, his ghost, the ghosts of … The ghosts of his family, the ghosts of his offspring, the ghosts of his offspring’s offspring, O Shamash the warrior, Lord of Above and Below, the lord of the Anunna-gods, lord of the ghosts of the dead! It was that they drink muddy water and drink no clear water in the netherworld. That his sagacity and weaponry captured, defeated that host, Enmerkar did not write upon a stela, nor did he, for my benefit, leave one behind for me, He did not put forth his name, so I did not bless him. Troops with bodies of cave birds, humans with raven faces Did the great gods create, In the place they created them, the gods were their cohabitants. Tiamat suckled them, Belet-ili their mother made them fair. Inside the mountains they grew up, became adults, got their stature. Seven kings they were, allies, they were glorious in form, 6000 were their troops. Anu-banini, their father was king; their mother was named queen Melili, Their eldest brother, their vanguard, was named Memanduh, Their second brother was named Medudu, Their third brother was named pish, Their fourth brother was named Tartadada, Their fifth brother was named Baldahdah, Their sixth brother was named Ahudanadih, Their seventh brother was named Hurrukidu. They rode against the sacred mountains, A soldier apprehended them, they smote their thighs. At the beginning of their advance, they advanced on Burushandar, The land of Burushandar, its entire extent, was dispersed, Puhlu was dispersed, Puranshu was dispersed. Nashhuhu, Ahhahu, … Lubbudu, Lulbu, Ummanmanda, Karana, Shubat-Enlil, And Inner Subartu, all of them dispersed. They dispersed the Sealand, they advanced on Gutium, They dispersed Gutium, they advanced on Elam, They destroyed Elam, they arrived at the seacoast, They killed the people at the place of embarkation, threw them into the river, Dilmun, Magan, Meluhha, whatever lands are in the midst of the sea, were dispersed. Seventeen kings with 90000 troops Sided with them to support them. I summoned a soldier and charged him, I set a dagger and a pin in his hand, Stab with the dagger, prick with the pin. If blood comes out, they are human like us. If no blood comes out, they are evil fiend, fate, phantom, demons, handiwork of Enlil. The soldier brought back his report to me, I stabbed with the dagger, I pricked with the pin, and blood came out. I summoned and charged diviners, Seven extispicies upon seven lambs I performed, I set up holy reed altars. I inquired of the great gods, Ishtar, Ilaba, Zababa, Annunitu, Shullat, Hanish, Shamash the warrior. The latchkey of the great gods did not allow my going nor my vain intent. Speaking to myself, thus I said, What lion undertook divination? What wolf consulted a dream interpreter? I will go, as I like, like a brigand, I will cast off what belongs to the gods, I will hold fast only to myself! When the first year had come, I sent out 120,000 troops against them, not one returned alive. When the second year arrived, I sent out 90,000 troops against them, not one returned alive. When the third year arrived, I sent out 60,700 troops against them, not one returned alive. I was confounded, bewildered, checked, anxious, in despair. Speaking to myself, thus I said, What have I left for a reign? I am a king who brings no well-being to his land, And a shepherd who brings no well-being to his people. How shall I place myself that I may bring myself out of this ordeal? Fear of lions, death, fate, convulsions, Panic, ague, economic collapse, starvation, Disease, migraine, sleeplessness of every sort had come down here with them. Above, from heaven, a deluge having been decided, Below, from the depths, a deluge being imminent, Lord Ea made ready to speak, Saying to the gods his brethren, O great gods, since you did this, You commanded me, that the breed of humankind be annihilated, But you gods have long ago decided that people should be kept in existence forever. When New Year of the fourth year arrived, With entreaty to Ea and with prayer to the great gods, I made the holy New Year libations, I performed correctly the holy commands. I summoned and charged diviners, Seven extispicies upon seven lambs I performed, I set up holy reed altars. I inquired of the great gods, Ishtar, Ilaba, Zababa, Annunitu, Shullat, Hanish, Shamash the warrior. The diviners spoke to me thus, The battleax will shed their blood, They will be submerged in blood. From among them twelve troops flew off from me, I pursued them in haste and hurry, I overtook those troops, I brought those troops back. Speaking to myself, thus I said, Without divination of liver, flesh, and entrails, I must not lay hand on them. I performed extispicy concerning them, The latchkey of the great gods ordered mercy for them. The shining Morning Star approached me from heaven thus, To Naram-Sin, son of Sargon: Cease, you shall not destroy the roving breed, In future days Enlil will call them to account for the evil they have done, They must expect the angry heart of Enlil. The polity of those troops will be destroyed, They will burn it, dogs will surround it. That polity’s blood will be shed, Earth will diminish her harvests, date orchards their yield. The polity of those troops will die. City against city, house against house will turn. Father to son, brother to brother, Man to man, companion to friend, None will tell the truth to each other. People will be taught untruth, strange things. This hostile city – it will be defeated, This city famine will take over, Ten quarts of barley will fetch one shekel of silver. No strong king was present in the land. The great gods carried them off as tribute, Whereas I laid no hand on them to kill. Whoever you may be, governor, prince, or anyone else, Whom the gods shall name to exercise kingship, I have made a foundation box for you, I have written you a stela, In Cutha in the Emeslam, In the cella of Nergal have I left it for you. Behold this stela, Listen to the wording of this stela. You should not be confounded, you should not be bewildered, You should not be afraid, you should not tremble, Your stance should be firm. You should do your task in your wife’s embrace. Make your walls trustworthy, Fill your moats with water. Your coffers, your grain, your silver, your goods and chattels Bring into your fortified city. Wrap up your weapons and lean them in a corner, Restrain your warriors, take care of your person. Though he raids your land, go not out against him, Though he your livestock, go not nigh him, Though he eats the flesh of your soldiery, Though he murders, Be submissive, be obedient, Answer them, Yes, my lord! To their wickedness, repay kindness, To kindness add gifts and gratifications. Avoid them whenever you can. Let expert scribes word a stela for you. You who have read my stela and so have brought yourself out of an ordeal like mine, You who have blessed me, so may a future one bless you.