from Enheduanna...
Like a dragon,
You poisoned the land --
When you roared at the earth
In your thunder,
Nothing green could live.
A flood fell from the mountain;
You, Inanna,
Foremost in Heaven and Earth.
Lady riding a beast,
You rained fire on the heads of men.
Taking your power from the Highest,
Following the commands of the Highest,
Lady of all the great rites,
Who can understand all that is yours?
from the Hymn to Inanna, or Nin-me-sar-ra, written by Enheduanna, apx 2300 BCE. Translation above and following paragraph from "Women in Praise of the Sacred", edited by Jane Hirshfield: Enheduanna is the earliest identified author of either sex in world literature. Daughter of the Sumerian king Sargon (whose domain lay in what is now southern Iraq), she was a high priestess in the service of the moon-god and moon-goddess, Nanna and Inanna. A number of Enheduanna's hymns have survived on cuneiform-inscribed tablets, and her portrait was found on a limestone disc during excavations of the city of Ur.
This is my first actual entry in this livejournal. I am a bit of a raven; I travel about and when I find interesting and sparkle-y things, I like to bring them home to my nest, whether or not I actually know what to do with them. As I currently conceive it, this livejournal will be a way to share those shiny items with my friends. Some may be gold, and others may be only fishing-lures! Caveat emptor!
At any rate, this is likely one of the gold ones... there are some striking parallels to Liber AL and Book of Revelations, though this of course far pre-dates both... If anyone knows where I can find the text of this hymn in the original language, but transliterated into English letters (so that I can pronounce it!) I would be very interested...
You poisoned the land --
When you roared at the earth
In your thunder,
Nothing green could live.
A flood fell from the mountain;
You, Inanna,
Foremost in Heaven and Earth.
Lady riding a beast,
You rained fire on the heads of men.
Taking your power from the Highest,
Following the commands of the Highest,
Lady of all the great rites,
Who can understand all that is yours?
from the Hymn to Inanna, or Nin-me-sar-ra, written by Enheduanna, apx 2300 BCE. Translation above and following paragraph from "Women in Praise of the Sacred", edited by Jane Hirshfield: Enheduanna is the earliest identified author of either sex in world literature. Daughter of the Sumerian king Sargon (whose domain lay in what is now southern Iraq), she was a high priestess in the service of the moon-god and moon-goddess, Nanna and Inanna. A number of Enheduanna's hymns have survived on cuneiform-inscribed tablets, and her portrait was found on a limestone disc during excavations of the city of Ur.
This is my first actual entry in this livejournal. I am a bit of a raven; I travel about and when I find interesting and sparkle-y things, I like to bring them home to my nest, whether or not I actually know what to do with them. As I currently conceive it, this livejournal will be a way to share those shiny items with my friends. Some may be gold, and others may be only fishing-lures! Caveat emptor!
At any rate, this is likely one of the gold ones... there are some striking parallels to Liber AL and Book of Revelations, though this of course far pre-dates both... If anyone knows where I can find the text of this hymn in the original language, but transliterated into English letters (so that I can pronounce it!) I would be very interested...