%u3ac't %Seuitic ert f 'aunlation Voeries.

xx iv ... -IU;; Ai, LI 1, )I jj'> .
vife, anl tlhy were t' rule the wuide earth : and so he took hr:rT
kissed heri, nud dried her tears, and whatever she desired was
done for her.
The explanation of the 'mourning of Lriskigal is evidently
to be sought here, but what it means is difficult to say. The
writer of the Teli-El-Amarna tablet perhaps intended an explanation
of the word Iriskigal, when he finished his story with
minamma tiris.ini, ' whatever thou askest me.'
No. 267A. When the heavens are darkly smitten (?), there will
be plenty in the land.
Silla has sent by the hand of Sakin-sumi thus, 'I will put thee
to death, for why dost thou say " Sill has taken away my property;"
now Munnabitu is the witness of thee, and Bil . . .is my judge.'
What witness is there in regard to such of my property as he has
taken ? If he learns all that I have told the king (and there is still
some which I have not told the king) he will take it all. I have
prayed in my father's house, but he has always acted craftily; he is
always plotting against the men of my family (?). Let not the king,
my lord, leave me. From Zakir.
Obv. r. This text has been published by Pinches, Texts in
the Babylonian Wedge-writing, p. Io, and again by Harper,
Assyriaan Letters, No. 416. The text of the first line may be
read Ana ganint adir-mia HI-is..
Rev. I. iss', lami2i; verbs in dependent sentences and
therefore with final -u.
Rev. 4. KaIt u/tili. To 'lift the hands' is often an
expression for prayer. Cf. the Series the Lifting of the Hand'
(King, Babylonian Mfagic).
Rev. 6. 6.msa-ti-ia. Possibly this may be amil.sa balaii-ia;
for this use of baldtu, cf. No. 124, rev. 5.
XIv OMENS FROMI ECLIPSES.
No. 268. I have not informed the king, my lord, of the
account of the eclipse with my own mouth, I have not yet written,
so I send to the king. Of the eclipse, 'its evil up to the v'c1;
month, day, watch, point of light where it began and where i,::
Moon pulled and drew off its eclipse-these concern its c' -
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OMENS FROM ECLIPSES. i.xxxv
Si\an l Aharrci, and a decision to Ur is given: it is evil for the
fourteenth day, (which they explain 'the fourteenth day = Elam.')
The exact point where it began we do not know; the Moon drew
off part of its eclipse in a south-westerly direction. It is evil for
Elam and Aharrfi. From the east and north, when bright, it is
lucky for Subarti and Akkad; it says that they will have favour (?)
The omen of all lands -the right of the Moon is Akkad, the left
Elam, the top Aharru, the bottom Subartu ..
(Rev. 3 f) The omen is favourable and the king, my lord, may
be content. Jupiter stood in the eclipse; it portends peace for
the king, his name will be honourable, unique . . Of that name,
let the king be bountiful towards anyone who shall greet the king;
if the king be humble, the king of the gods of heaven and earth will
send peace to the king, my lord. The king may say something thus:
'The king of the gods (thou sayest) will send peace; why then hast
thou sent this about Sirrapu and Arubl ?' I thus in my turn, 'Let
the king go on in his work, let him continue upon his work, and
may the king, my lord, be happy. May Bel and Nebo give all lands
to the king, my lord.'
The king, my lord, gave re' a command saying, 'keep my
watch and tell me what happens.' Now all that has taken place
before me with a propitious greeting to the king, my lord, unto the
king I send. Twice, thrice . in the presence of the king his
hands () . . . and may the king enter into the despatches (?) .
that I have sent true words to the king. From Munnabitu.
Obv. 2. kzmu 'instead,' 'on the other hand.'
Obv. urrilu, evidently of the same root as zrru 'dayvlight,'
light.'
Rm. I93, from Zakir has not been inserted. The obv. is much
broken; the rev. gives the omens for an eclipse from the ist to the
30th of Siwan, for an eclipse on the I4th of Siwan (as in No. 270,
rev. i), for Pabilsag (as No 271, obv. 8). Rev. 13 f explains
'The evening watch is for corpses, the evening watch for three
months and days ... the'. . is Akkad, Siwan is Aharrf, the
fourteenth day is Elam.'
| No. 269. When HU. BI. A is dark in the west, there will be
~: 1a famine for the king of'Abarrf . . . hen . . is dark and a