- K. Dickson
Comparative Mythology: Near Eastern
Myths of Inanna 1 (Sumer)
Images
of Inanna
Images of
Dumuzi
- The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi
(D. Wolkenstein, Inanna
[Harper & Row 1983], 30-49)
(1)
The brother spoke to his younger sister.
- The Sun God, Utu, spoke to
Inanna,
saying:
- —Young Lady,
the flax in its fullness is lovely.
- Inanna, the
grain is glistening in the furrow.
- I will hoe
it for you. I will bring it to you.
- A piece of
linen, big or small, is always needed.
- Inanna, I
will bring it to you.
-
- —Brother,
after you've brought me the flax,
- Who will
comb it for me?
- —Sister, I
will bring it to you combed.
-
- —Utu, after
you've brought it to me combed,
- Who will
spin it for me?
- —Inanna, I
will bring it to you spun.
-
- —Brother,
after you've brought the flax to be spun,
- Who
will braid it for me?
- —Sister,
I will bring it to you braided.
-
- —Utu, after
you've brought it to me braided,
- Who will
weave it for me?
- —Sister,
I will bring it to you woven.
-
- —Utu,
after you've brought it to me woven,
- Who will
bleach it for me?
- —Inanna,
I will bring it to you bleached.
-
- —Brother,
after you've brought my bridal
sheet to me,
- Who will go
to bed with me?
- Utu, who
will go to bed with me?
- —Sister,
your bridegroom will go to bed
with you.
- He who was
born from a fertile womb,
- He who was
conceived on the scared marriage throne,
- Dumuzi,
the shepherd! He will go to bed with you.
(2)
- Inanna spoke:
- —No,
brother!
The man of my heart works the hoe.
- The farmer!
He is the man of my heart!
- He gathers
the grain into great heaps.
- He brings
the grain regularly into my storehouses.
-
- Utu spoke:
- —Sister,
marry the shepherd.
- Why are you
unwilling?
- His cream is
good; his milk is good.
- Whatever he
touches shines brightly.
- Inanna,
marry Dumuzi.
- You who
adorn yourself with the agate necklace of fertility,
- Why are you
unwilling?
- Dumuzi will
share his rich cream with you.
- You who are
meant to be the king's protector,
- Why are you
unwilling?
-
- Inanna spoke:
- —The
shepherd? I will not marry the shepherd!
- His clothes
are course; his wool is rough.
- I will marry
the farmer.
- The farmer
grows flax for my clothes,
- The farmer
grows barley for my table.
-
- Dumuzi spoke:
- —Why
do you speak about the farmer?
- Why do you
speak about him?
- If he gives
you black flour,
- I will give
you black wool.
- If he gives you
white flour,
- I will give
you white wool.
- If he gives
you beer,
- I will give
you sweet milk.
- If he gives
you bread,
- I will give
you honey cheese.
- I will give
the farmer my leftover cream.
- I will give
the farmer my leftover milk.
- Why do you
speak about the farmer?
- What does he
have more than I do?
Inanna spoke:
- —Shepherd,
without my mother, Ningal, you'd
be driven away,
- without my
grandmother, Ningikuga, you'd be driven into the
- steeps,
- without my
father, Nanna, you'd have no roof,
- without my
brother Utu—
-
- Dumuzi spoke:
- —Inanna,
do not start a quarrel.
- My father,
Enki, is as good as your father, Nanna.
- My mother,
Sirtur, is as good as your mother, Ningal.
- My sister,
Geshtinanna, is as good as yours.
- Queen
of the palace, let us talk it over.
- The word they had spoken
- Was a word of desire.
- From the starting of the quarrel
- Came the lovers' desire.
-
- The shepherd went to the royal
house with cream.
- Dumuzi went to the royal house
with milk.
- Before the door, he called out:
- —Open
the house, My Lady, open the house!
Inanna ran to Ningal, the mother who bore her.
- Ningal counseled her daughter,
saying:
- —My
child, the young man will be your
father.
- My daughter,
the young man will be your mother.
- He will
treat you like a father.
- He will care
for you like a mother.
- Open
the house, My Lady, open the house!
(3)
- Inanna, at her mother's command,
- Bathed and anointed herself with
scented oil.
- She covered her body with the
royal white robe.
- She readied her dowry.
- She arranged her precious lapis
beads around her neck.
- She took her seal in her hand.
-
- Dumuzi waited expectantly.
- Inanna opened the door for him.
- Inside the house she shone
before him.
- Like the light of the moon.
- Dumuzi looked at her joyously.
- He pressed his neck close
against hers.
- He kissed her.
(4)
- Inanna spoke:
- —What
I tell you
- Let the
singer weave into song.
- What I tell
you,
- Let it flow
from ear to mouth,
- Let it pass
from old to young:
- My vulva,
the horn,
- The Boat of
Heaven,
- Is full of
eagerness like the young moon.
- My untilled
land lies fallow.
- As for me,
Inanna,
- Who will
plow my vulva?
- Who will
plow my high field?
- Who will
plow my wet ground?
- As for me,
the young woman,
- Who will
plow my vulva?
- Who will
station the ox there?
- Who will
plow my vulva?
-
- Dumuzi replied:
- —Great
Lady, the king will plow your vulva.
- I, Dumuzi
the King, will plow your vulva.
-
- Inanna:
- —Then
plow my vulva, man of my heart!
- Plow my
vulva!
-
- At the king's lap stood the
rising cedar.
- Plants grew high by their side.
- Grains grew high by their side.
- Gardens flourished luxuriantly.
(5)
- Inanna sang:
- —He
has sprouted; he has burgeoned;
- He is
lettuce planted by the water.
- He is the
one my womb loves best.
- My
well-stocked garden of the plain,
- My barley
growing high in its furrow,
- My apple
tree
which bears fruit up to its crown,
- He is
lettuce planted by the water.
- My
honey-man, my honey-man sweetens me always.
- My lord, the
honey-man of the gods,
- He is the
one my womb loves best.
- His hand is
honey, his foot is honey,
- He sweetens
me always.
- My eager
impetuous caresser of the navel,
- My caresser
of the soft thighs,
- He is the
one my womb loves best.
- He is
lettuce planted by the water.
-
- (6)
Dumuzi sang:
- —O
Lady, your breast is your field.
- Inanna, your
breast is your field.
- Your broad
field pours out the plants.
- Your broad
field pours out grain.
- Water flows
from on high for your servant.
- Bread flows
from on high for your servant.
- Pour it out
for me, Inanna.
- I will drink
all you offer.
-
- (7)
Inanna sang:
- —Make
your milk sweet and thick, my
bridegroom.
- My shepherd,
I will drink your fresh milk.
- Wild bull
Dumuzi, make your milk sweet and thick.
- I will drink
your fresh milk.
- Let the milk
of the goat flow in my sheepfold.
- Fill my holy
churn with honey cheese.
- Lord Dumuzi,
I will drink your fresh milk.
- My husband,
I will guard my sheepfold for you.
- I will watch
over your house of life, the storehouse,
- The shining
quivering place which delights Sumer—
- The house
which decides the fates of the land,
- The house
which gives the breath of life to the people.
- I, the queen
of the palace, will watch over your house.
-
- Dumuzi spoke:
- —My
sister, I would go with you to my
garden.
- Inanna, I
would go with you to my garden.
- I would go
with you to my orchard.
- I would go
with you to my apple tree.
- There I
would plant the sweet, honey-covered seed.
-
- Inanna spoke:
- —He
brought me into his garden.
- My brother,
Dumuzi, brought me into his garden.
- I strolled
with him among the standing trees,
- I stood with
him among the fallen trees,
- By the apple
tree I knelt as is proper.
- Before my
brother coming in song,
- Who rose to
me out of poplar leaves,
- Who came to
me in the midday heat,
- Before my
lord, Dumuzi,
- I poured out
plants from my womb.
- I placed
plants before him,
- I poured out
plants before him.
- I placed
grain before him,
- I poured out
grain before him,
- I poured out
grain before my womb.
-
- Inanna sang:
- —Last
night as I, the queen, was shining
bright,
- Last night
as I, the Queen of Heaven, was shining bright,
- As I was
shining bright and dancing,
- Singing
praises at the coming of the night—
- He met me—he
met me!
- My lord
Dumuzi met me.
- He pushed
his hand to my hand.
- He pressed
his neck close against mine.
- My high
priest is ready for the holy loins.
- My lord
Dumuzi is ready for the holy loins.
- The plants
and herbs in his field are ripe.
- O
Dumuzi! Your fullness is my delight!
(8)
- She called for it, she called
for it, she called for the bed!
- She called for the bed that
rejoices the heart.
- She called for the bed that
sweetens the loins.
- She called for the bed of
kingship.
- She called for the bed of
queenship.
-
- Inanna called for the bed:
- —Let
the bed that rejoices the heart be
prepared!
- Let the bed
that sweetens the loins be prepared!
- Let the bed
of kingship be prepared!
- Let the bed
of queenship be prepared!
- Let the
royal bed be prepared!
-
- Inanna spread the bridal sheet
across the bed.
- She called to the king:
- —The
bed is ready!
- She called to her bridegroom:
- —The
bed is waiting!
- He put his hand in her hand.
- He put his hand to her heart.
- Sweet is the sleep of the
hand-to-hand.
- Sweeter still is the sleep of
heart-to-heart.
(9)
- Inanna spoke:
- —I
bathed for the wild bull,
- I bathed for
the shepherd Dumuzi,
- I perfumed
my sides with ointment,
- I coated my
mouth with sweet-smelling amber,
- I painted my
eyes with kohl.
- He shaped my
loins with his fair hands.
- The shepherd
Dumuzi filled my lap with cream and milk,
- He stroked
my pubic hair,
- He watered
my womb.
- He laid his
hands on my holy vulva,
- He smoothed
my black boat with cream,
- He quickened
my narrow boat with milk,
- He creased
me on the bed.
- Now I will
caress my high priest on the bed,
- I will
caress the faithful shepherd Dumuzi,
- I will
caress his loins, the shepherdship of the land,
- I
will decree a sweet fate for him.
- The Queen of Heaven,
- The heroic woman, greater than
her mother,
- Who was presented the divine
powers by Enki,
- Inanna, the First Daughter of
the Moon,
- Decreed the fate of Dumuzi:
- —In
battle I am you leader,
- In combat I
am your armor-bearer
- In the
assembly I am your advocate,
- On the
campaign I am your inspiration.
- You, the
chosen shepherd of the holy shrine,
- You, the
king, the faithful provider of Uruk,
- You, the
light of An's great shrine,
- In all ways
you are fit:
- To hold you
head high on the loft dais,
- To sit on
the lapis lazuli throne,
- To cover you
head with the holy crown,
- To wear long
clothes on your body,
- To bind
yourself with the garments of kingship,
- To carry the
mace and sword,
- To guide
straight the long bow and arrow,
- To fasten
the throw-stick and sling at your side,
- To race on
the road with the holy scepter in your hand,
- And the holy
sandals on your feet,
- To prance on
the holy breast like a lapis lazuli calf.
- You, the
sprinter, the chosen shepherd,
- In all ways
you are fit.
- May your
heart enjoy long days.
- That which
An has determined for you—may it not be altered.
- That which
Enlil has granted—may it not be changed.
- You are the
favorite of Ningal.
- Inanna holds
you dear.
-
- Ninshubur, the faithful servant
of the holy shrine of Uruk,
- Led Dumuzi to the sweet thighs
of Inanna and spoke:
- —My
queen, here is the choice of your heart,
- the king,
your beloved bridegroom.
- May he spend
long days in the sweetness of your holy loins.
- Give him a
favorable and glorious reign.
- Grant him
the king's throne, firm in its foundations.
- Grant him
the shepherd's staff of judgment.
- Grant him
the enduring crown with the radiant and noble
- diadem.
- From where
the sun rises to where the sun sets,
- From north
to south,
- From the
Upper Sea to the Lower Sea,
- From the
land of the huluppu-tree to the land of the cedar,
- Let his
shepherd's staff protect all of Sumer and Akkad.
- As the
farmer, let him make the fields fertile,
- As the
shepherd, let him make the sheepfolds multiply,
- Under his
reign let there be vegetation,
- Under his
reign let there be rich grain.
- In the
marshland may the fish and birds chatter,
- In the
canebrake may the young and old reeds grow high,
- In the
steppe may the deer and wild goats multiply,
- In the
orchards may there be honey and wine,
- In the
grasslands may the lettuce and cress grow high,
- In the
palace may there be long life.
- May there be
floodwater in the Tigris and Euphrates,
- May the
plants grow high on their banks and fill the meadows,
- May the Lady
of Vegetation pile the grain in heaps and mounds.
- O my Queen
of Heaven and Earth,
- Queen of all
the universe,
- May
he enjoy long days in the sweetness of your holy loins.
- The king went with lifted head
to the holy loin.
- He went with lifted head to the
loins of Inanna.
- He went to the queen with lifted
head.
- He opened wide his arms to the
holy priestess of heaven.
-
- Inanna spoke:
- —My
beloved, the delight of my eyes, met me.
- We rejoiced
together.
- He took his
pleasure of me.
- He brought
me into his house.
- He laid me
down on the fragrant honey-bed.
- My sweet
love, lying by my heart,
- Tongue-playing,
one by one,
- My fair
Dumuzi did so fifty times.
- Now, my
sweet love is sated.
- Now he says:
- "Set me
free, my sister, set me free.
- You will be
a little daughter to my father.
- Come, my
beloved sister, I would go to the palace.
- Set
me free..."
- Inanna spoke:
- —My
brother-brearer, your allure was sweet.
- My
blossom-bearer in the apple orchard,
- My bearer of
fruit in the apple orchard,
- Dumuzi-abzu,
your allure was sweet.
- My fearless
one,
- My holy
statue,
- My statue
outfitted with sword and lapis lazuli diadem,
- How
sweet was your allure...