1. THE CODEX HAMMURABI

When the august god anum,
King of the anunnakū deities,
And the god enlil, lord of heaven and earth,
Who determines the destinies of the land,
Allotted supreme power over all people to the god marduk,
The firstborn son of ea,
Exalted him among the igigū-deities,
Named the city of babylon with its august name,
Made it supreme within the regions of the world,
And within it established for him eternal kingship whose
Foundations are as fixed as heaven and earth,
At that time: me, hammurabi,
The pious prince who venerates the gods,
To make justice prevail in the land,
To abolish the wicked one and the evil,
So that the strong would not oppress the weak,
To rise like the sun-god shamash over all humankind,
To illuminate the land,
The gods anu and enlil,
To secure the well-being of the people, named my name.


2. DIVINER'S PRAYER

The princes are closely guarded,
The bolts are lowered, rings set in place.
The noisy people are fallen silent,
Gates (once) opened are locked.
The gods of the land, goddesses of the land,
Samaš, sîn, adad and ištar.
Have gone off into the "lap of heaven".
They will give no judgment, they will decide no cases.
Veiled is the night.
The palace, its chapel, (and) sanctuary are dark.
The wayfarer calls out to the god,
The petitioner keeps on sleeping.
The judge of justice, father of the destitute,
Samaš, has gone into his sanctuary.
(May) the great gods of the night,
Brilliant girra,
Warrior erra,
The "bow", the "yoke",
Orion, the "dragon",
The "wagon", the "she-goat",
The "bison", the "horned serpent",
Stand by!
In the extispicy which i am performing,
In the lamb which i am offering,
Place for me the truth!


3. NEFERHOTEP

How reposed is this righteous lord
The kindly fate has come to pass
Bodies pass away since the time of the gods
New generations come in their place
Re shows himself at dawn
Atum goes to rest in the western mountains
Men beget, women conceive
Every nostril breathes the air
Dawn comes and their children have gone to their tombs
Make holiday oh priest
Put incense and fine oil together to your nostrils
And garlands of lotus and rrmt flowers to your breast
While your sister who you love sits at your side
Put song and music before you
Cast all evil behind you
Think of your joys
Until that day has come of landing
At the land that loves silence
Where the heart of the one whom he loves does not weary
Make holiday, neferhotep the justified
Good priest, pure of hands
I have heard all that happened to the [ ]
Their buildings have crumbled
Their dwellings are no more
They are as if they had not come into being
Since the time of the god


4. INTEF

He is happy this good prince:
Death is a kindly fate.
A generation passes, another stays,
Since the time of the ancestors.
The gods who were before rest in their tombs,
Blessed nobles too are buried in their tombs.
(Yet) those who built tombs,
Their places are gone,
What has become of them?
I have heard the words of imhotep and hordjedef,
Whose sayings are recited in whole.
What of their places?
Their walls have crumbled,
Their places are gone,
As though they had never been!
None comes from there,
To tell of their needs,
To calm our hearts,
Until we go where they have gone!
Hence rejoice in your heart!
Forgetfulness profits you,
Follow your heart as long as you live!
Put myrrh on your head,
Dress in fine linen,
Anoint yourself with oils fit for a god,
Heap up your joys,
Let your heart not sink!
Follow your heart and your happiness,
Do your things on earth as your heart commands!
When there comes to you that day of mourning,
The weary-hearted (osiris) hears not their mourning,
Wailing saves no man from the pit!
Make holiday, do not weary of it!
Lo, none is allowed to take his goods with him,
Lo, none who departs comes back again!


5. OLD AGE

A vizer feels the burden of his years
And lamants his fate to pharaoh
O king, my lord, i draw nigh to life's end,
To me the frailities of life have come.
And second childhood... ah! the old lie down
Each day is suffering; the vision fails,
Ears become deaf and strength declines apace.
The mind is ill at ease.... an old man's tongue
Has naught to say because his thoughts have fled,
And he forgets the day that has gone past....
Meanwhile his body aches in every bone;
The sweet seems bitter, for taste is lost.
Ah! such are the afflictions of old age,
Which work for evil... fitful and weak
His breath becomes, standing or lying down.


6. OSIRIS

I am this man, this worthy one,
Who lives redeemed by abundance of good
Tendered by god indeed
All who come into being as flesh
Pass on, and have since god walked the earth;
And young blood mounts to their places.
The busy fluttering souls and bright
Transfigured spirits
Who people the world below
And those who shine in the stars with orion,
They built their mansions, they built their tombs-
And all men rest in the grave.
So set your home well in the sacred land
That your good name last because of it;
Care for your works in the realm under god
That your seat in the west be splendid
The waters flow north, the wind blows south,
And each man goes to his hour.
So, seize the day! hold holiday!
Be unwearied, unceasing, alive,
You and your own true love;
Let not your heart be troubled
During your sojourn on earth,
But seize the day as it passes!
Put incense and sweet oil upon you,
Garlanded flowers at your breast,
While the lady alive in your heart forever
Delights as she sits beside you.
Grieve not your heart, whatever comes;
Let sweet music play before you;
Recall not the evil, loathsome to god,
But have joy, joy, joy, and pleasure!
O upright man, man just and true,
Patient and kind, content with your lot,
Rejoicing , not speaking evil:-
Let your heart be drunk on the gift of day
Until that day comes when you anchor


7. ISTARS'S HYMN

Sing ye of the goddess, the most fearsome of the gods,
Praise be upon the lady ruler of men,
The greatest of the igigi!
Sing ye of ishtar, the most fearsome of the gods,
Praise be upon the lady ruler of the people,
The greatest of the igigi!
She who gets excited, clothed in sex appeal,
Adorned with fruits, charm and allure.
She who gets excited, clothed in sex appeal,
Adorned with fruits, charm and allure.
She is sweet at the lips, her mouth is life,
Delights are lush on her cheeks,
She is lovely, beads are strewn on her head,
Her cheeks are comely, her eyes twinkle and sparkle.
The pure one, with her rests counsel,
She holds in her hand the fate of anything you care to name,
Seeing her makes for happiness,
Pride, splendour, protective spirit male and female.
Of love-making, seduction, making love, pleasure
And harmony, she is the lady ruler.
The girl who was exposed will get a mother,
She will mention her among the people, speak her name.
Who can rival any of her glory?
Her powers are mighty, exalted and manifest.
Ishtar, who can rival her glory?
Her powers are mighty, exalted and manifest.
Cruellest among the gods, her standing is huge,
Her word is mighty, she triumphs over them.
Ishtar among the gods, her standing is huge,
Her word is mighty, she triumphs over them.
They are always getting their queen to impart orders,
All of them bow down before her,
Her moons go before her,
Woman and man hold her in fear.
To all of them together her speech is noble (and) exalted,
Among them she sits, equal to anu their king,
She is wise in understanding, shrewdness and comprehension,
She and her husband confer.
The have sat down on the dais together,
In gegunnu, (their) delightful dwelling,
The gods stand before them,
Awaiting her bidding.
The king, their favourite, the beloved of their hearts,
Makes his pure sacrifice before them in splendour.
In their presence, ammiditana with his own hands
Made pure offerings aplenty of bulls and fattened deer.
From anum, her bridegroom, she has demanded for him
A long life forever.
Many years of life to ammiditana
She has granted. it was ishtar who gave them!
By her command she has made bow down
At his feet the four corners of the earth,
And all the orb of the earth
She has bound to his yoke.
Her heart's desire, the song of her praise,
Is fitting for his mouth, her has obeyed a command of ea.
I have heard her eulogy" (said ea),
And he was delighted with it.
"May her king live" (he said), "may she love him forever!".
O ishtar, upon ammiditāna, the king who loves you,
Bestow a long life for ever more!


8. ATRA-HASIS

When the gods were man,
They toiled at corvée work, they dragged the earth-basket.
The earth-basket of the gods was heavy,
The corvée work was heavy, much was (their) distress.
While the great anunakkū sevenfold
Let the igigū toil under the corvée.
X-tam īḫuzū lētišša
Isqam iddû ilū izzūzū
Had taken in hand a shaker,
Had cast lots; the gods had divided.
Anu had gone up away to heaven,
Enlil had seized earth as his realm,
The bolts and the slings of the sea
Had been given to enki the prince.
The ones of anu had gone up to heaven,
And the ones of enki had descended into apsû,
Idle were those of heaven above,
They had the igigū toil under the corvée.
They were digging canals,
Irrigation ditches for the gods, the life of the land.
The gods toiled under the corvée night and day
While debating and cursing,
While complaining in the excavation:
"Come on, let's confront our chamberlain,
So that he will abolish our heavy corvée from us!
The god, the counsellor of the gods --
Come on, let's lift (him) from his abode!
Enlil, the counsellor of the gods --
Come on, let's lift him from his abode!"
Wê opened his mouth to the gods, his brothers
The heroic counsellor of the gods --
Go ahead, let's lift (him) from his abode!
Enlil, the heroic counsellor of the gods --
Go ahead, let's lift (him) from his abode
Now, proclaim war!
Let's mingle battle and combat!"
The gods heeded his words,
They set their tools afire,
Afire their shovels,
To their earth-baskets they set (the fire god) girra.
They held them as they went
Towards the shrine of heroic enlil.
Night had reached the middle of the watch,
The house was surrounded, the god did not know.
Night had reached the middle of the watch,
Ekur was surrounded, enlil did not know. kakka payed attention,
He touched the bolt, checked the [gate]. then kakka roused nuska,
They were listening to the noise of the [igigū].
Hen nuska roused his lord,
Made him get up from his bed:
My lord, your house is surrounded!
Combat has come close to your gate!
Enlil, your house is surrounded!
Combat has come close to your gate!"
Enlil had weapons led to his abode.
Enlil opened his mouth,
Saying to the vizier nuska:
"Nuska, bar your gate!
Take your weapons, stand before me!"
Nuska barred his gate,
He took his weapons, then stood before enlil.
Nuska opened his mouth,
Saying to heroic enlil:
"My lord, your face is (the colour of freshly cut) tamarisks.
They are your own children -- why are you afraid?
Enlil, your face is (the colour of cut) tamarisks.
They are your own children -- why are you afraid?
Give the order that anum be fetched down,
That enki be led before you!"
He gave the order; one fetched anum down to him,
Enki was led before him.
There sat anum, the king of heaven,
The king of the apsû, enki, was paying attention.
The great anunakkū were seated.
Enlil got up. the court was in place:
Enlil opened his mouth,
Saying to the great gods:
Is this done to me again and again?
Have i to do battle with the igigū?
What did i see with my own eyes?
Combat has come close to my gate!"
Anu opened his mouth,
Saying to heroic enlil:
As to the word that the igigū
Surrounded you up to your gate --
Let nusku go out to the assembly!
May he repeat your message to your children!"
Enlil opened his mouth,
Saying to the vizier nuska:
Nuska, open your gate,
Take your weapons go out to the assembly!
In the assembly of all the gods
Kneel down, stand up, repeat my message:
Your father anu has sent me,
(As have) your counsellor, heroic enlil,
Your chamberlain ninurta,
And your sheriff ennugi:
Who is the god in charge of combat?
Who is the god in charge of battle?
Who is it who mingled war,
So that combat came close to enlil's gate?