Reading akkadian PRayeRs & Hymns An Introduction

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READING AKKADIAN PRAYERS AND HYMNS: AN INTRODUCTION
20. kiš-[p]u-šá ru-ḫu-šá ru-su-ú-šá lu pa-áš-ru
21. GIŠ.ŠINIG lil-líl-an-ni šá qim-ma-tú ša-ru-ú
22. [G]IŠ.GIŠIMMAR lip-šur-an-ni ma-ḫi-rat ka-lu-ú IM
23. Ú.IN.NU.UŠ li-bi-ban-ni šá KI-tì ma-la-a-ta
24. GIŠ.ŠE.Ù.SUḪ 5 lip-šur-an-ni šá ŠE.AM ma-la-a-ta
25. ina maḫ-ri-ku-nu e-te-lil ki-ma Ú.KI.KAL
Line 20: Kišpū (usually plural), ruḫû, and rusû are all words referring to sorcery.
Pašāru, “to release.” Lū pašrū is a precative in lū, “may, let,” plus the 3mp predicative
form. It is possible that this construction is an asseverative: “verily are her witchcraft . . .
released.”
kišpūša ruḫûša rusûša lū pašrū
Line 21: The main verbs in lines 21–24 are all precatives with a 1cs pronominal accusative
suffix; each initial half of the line names a plant and is followed by the precative
verb, indicating the supplicant’s wish for what the plant should do to him. GIŠ.ŠINIG = bīnu,
“tamarisk.” Ullulu (D of elēlu), “to clear.” The relative clause introduced by ša modifies
tamarisk. Qimmatu, “crown,” here is an accusative of respect. Šarû, “to be copious,” is a
3ms predicative with subjunctive.
bīnu lillilanni ša qimmatu šarû
Line 22: GIŠ.GIŠIMMAR = gišimmaru, “date-palm,” is feminine here (see māḫirat).
Pašāru, see line 20. Lipšuranni is a 3cs precative plus a 1cs accusative suffix. Māḫirat is a fs
participle in construct from maḫāru, “to withstand,” it modifies date-palm. Kalû, “all, totality.”
IM = šāru, “wind.”
gišimmaru lipšuranni māḫirat kalû šāri
Line 23: Ú.IN.NU.UŠ = maštakal, “soapwort,” is feminine here (see malâta). Ubbubu (D
of ebēbu), “to cleanse.” KI-tì = erṣeti, “earth.” Malû, “to be(come) full, to fill.” Malâta is a
3fs transitive parsāku form. Both here and in line 24 malâta is in the subjunctive.
maštakal libbibanni ša erṣeti malâta
Line 24: GIŠ.ŠE.Ù.SUḪ5 = terinnatu, “cone,” is usually understood as the plural of terinnu
and transcribed terinnātu, but note here the singular verb form malâta. In this line,
malâta is intransitive. ŠE.AM = šeʾu, “grain,” indicates the seeds with which the cone is
filled.
terinnatu lipšuranni ša šeʾa malâta
Line 25: Ina maḫri, “before, in the presence of.” Elēlu, “to be(come) pure.” The verbs
ētelil, ētebib, and azzaku in lines 25–26 are in the perfect, indicating that the state of
cleanliness or innocence described has now been achieved as a result of the wishes of the
previous lines (21–24). All three verbs are 1cs. Kīma, “like, as.” Ú.KI.KAL = sassatu, “grass.”
ina maḫrīkunu ētelil kīma sassati