A reading, published with its checks still open. A Vigslist translation.
Who Eats the Bull and the Reed — a balaĝ to Ninurta. A balaĝ for the warrior god, from a single served witness.
Published as a reading. No first-translation claim is made for this piece. The checks that would settle such a claim are named in the notes below and are still open; the wording on this page claims nothing they have not settled.
balaĝ to Ninurta discussed in Heinrich, HES 6 (2024), pp. 49–50 — a German edition of the Ninurta balaĝs. The K.5337 lesson governs: a Ninurta balaĝ in this program's path once proved to stand in English in Cohen's CLAM (1988) under both its incipits, found only at dossier depth. Until the CLAM contents and the HES 6 contents are eyeballed side by side, no first-English claim is made for the composition. The witness reading stands on its own either way.
One portion of a tablet: BM.109168, British Museum — Old Babylonian, literary; 23 + 31 lines of inscription by the catalogue. Genres: Literature → Lamentations → Balaĝ. Photograph on the record. CDLI number on the record: P274233. The record's own note says "needs more work" — printed here because it is true of the transliteration's restored stretches, and the counts below reflect it.
A processional litany for the warrior god, built in kirugu sections — the tablet counts its own sections as it goes: 26 — the first kirugu; 6 — the second; 7 — the third; 12 — the fourth. Inside the sections the singers work a short list of praises through a rotating cast of the god's names — Ninurta, Pabilsaĝ, Ningirsu — the same god under his cult names, each line sung once per name. He is the king's son appearing in the courtyard; the singers cry lift it up, lift it up — your arm to heaven! He is the god who eats the bull, who eats the reed-straw — who consumes the offerings. His horns are described like treasure: his single horns are of gold; his second pair is of silver. And in the fourth section the litany turns to war: the hero ran to the rebel land — sung three times, once for each name.
Transliteration exactly as the record serves it. Counts: 55 line-units — 1 whole, 30 part, 24 fragments, 0 invented. Rubric (kirugu tally) lines are counted among the parts: they are complete as tallies. The sung syllables of rev. 7 ("a pa ra") are printed untranslated, as the record gives them.
Dragon scan (standing order): no ušumgal, muš-serpent, mušḫuššu or bašmu stands on this witness. Line rev. 6's MUŠ₃ is muš₃, "radiance," not the serpent — the distinction is printed so it is on the record.
2′. [(x) x] lugal kisal-la₂ x [...]
"[...] the king in the courtyard [...]" (Fragment.)
3′. [ur-sa]g?-e kisal-la₂ pa nam-ga-mu-n[i-x x (x)]
"[The hero] in the courtyard — may he not make [...] appear." (Fragment.)
5′. x unken-na šud₃-be₂-a#
"[...] in the assembly, at his prayer." (Part.)
6′. [{d}]nin-urta ĝa₂?-a-kam bara₂ an-na-ke₄
"Ninurta is mine, on the dais of An." (Part.)
8′. e dumu lugal kisal-la₂ pa bi₂-in-e₃
"Hey! The king's son made it appear in the courtyard." (Part.)
9′. ur-saĝ-e kisal-la₂ pa nam-ga-mu-ni-in-e₃
"The hero made it appear in the courtyard." (Part.)
10′. maš-tab-ba kisal-la₂ ki us₂-sa
"The Twins in the courtyard, at the place alongside." (Part.)
11′. lugal unken-na šud₃-be₂-a
"The king in the assembly, at his prayer." (Part.)
12′. il₂-la-ab il₂-la-ab a₂-zu an-še₃
"Lift it up, lift it up — your arm to heaven!" (Part.)
13′. ĝir₃-su{ki} daĝal a₂-be₂ gal₂-la
"Girsu the broad — his arm is set there." (Part.)
14′. ensi₂ {d}en-lil₂-la₂ še ku₃-ku₃-ga-de₃-a
"The ensi of Enlil, to pour out the pure grain." (Part.)
15′–17′. lugal-ĝu₁₀ il₂-la-ab a₂-zu an-še₃ · ĝir₃-su{ki} dagal-la-be₂ ĝal₂-la · ensi₂ {d}en-lil₂-la₂ še ku₃-ku₃-ga-de₃-a
"My king, lift it up — your arm to heaven! Girsu — its breadth is set there; the ensi of Enlil, to pour out the pure grain." (Part — the refrain returns with 'my king'.)
18′. ($___$) 2(U) 6(DIŠ) ki-ru-gu₂ 1(DIŠ)-kam-ma
"26 — it is the first kirugu."
19′–24′. e lugal-ĝu₁₀ gu₄ gi-en-bar gu₇-a · ur-saĝ {d}nin-urta gu₄ gi-en-bar gu₇-a · ur-saĝ {d}pa-bil₂-saĝ gu₄ gi-en-bar gu₇-a · ur-saĝ {d}nin-gir₂-su gu₄ gi-en-bar gu₇-a · IGI.DU {d}en-lil₂-la₂ gu₄ gi-en-bar gu₇-a · a₂ zi-da {d}en-lil₂-la₂ gu₄ gi-en-bar gu₇-a
"Hey! My king, who eats the bull, who eats the reed-straw — hero Ninurta, who eats the bull, who eats the reed-straw — hero Pabilsaĝ, who eats the bull, who eats the reed-straw — hero Ningirsu, who eats the bull, who eats the reed-straw — the forerunner of Enlil, who eats the bull, who eats the reed-straw — the strong arm of Enlil, who eats the bull, who eats the reed-straw." (Part.)
25′. ($___$) 6(DIŠ) ki-ru-gu₂ 2(DIŠ)-kam-ma
"6 — it is the second kirugu."
1–4. ur-saĝ gu₄-da si-ni šen-na · {d}nin-urta gu₄-da si-ni šen-na · {d}pa-bil₂-saĝ gu₄-da si-ni šen-na · {d}nin-gir₂-su gu₄-da si-ni šen-na
"The hero, with the bull, whose horn is shining — Ninurta, with the bull, whose horn is shining — Pabilsaĝ, with the bull, whose horn is shining — Ningirsu, with the bull, whose horn is shining." (Part.)
5. si dele-ne₂ ku₃-si₂₂-ga si min₃-kam-ma-ne₂ ku₃-babbar-am₃
"His single horns are of gold; his second pair is of silver." (Whole — the line stands complete.)
6. a₂ ur₂-ra-ne₂ MUŠ₃-a-ne₂ a₂-ne₂ mu-su₃-ud-dam
"Their strength, their loins, their radiance — their strength is prolonged." (Part. MUŠ₃ here is 'radiance', not the serpent.)
7. a pa ra a pa ra
Sung syllables, printed as the record gives them.
8. 7(DIŠ) ki-ru-<gu₂> 3(DIŠ)-kam-ma
"7 — it is the third kirugu."
9′–12′. e dumu lugal-ra kur he₂-en-na-du₇-du₇-dam · en {d}nin-urta-ra kur he-en-na-du₇-du₇-dam · en {d}pa-bil₂-saĝ-ra kur he-en-na-du₇-du₇-dam · en {d}nin-gir₂-su-ra kur he₂-en-na-du₇-du₇-dam
"Hey! The king's son is fit for the mountain — the lord Ninurta is fit for the mountain — the lord Pabilsaĝ is fit for the mountain — the lord Ningirsu is fit for the mountain." (Part.)
13. ur-saĝ a₂-na nu-ĝal₂ kur he₂-en-na-du₇-du₇-dam
"The matchless hero is fit for the mountain." (Part.)
14. zi šum₂-ma nibru{ki} ša₃-ga
"Who gave breath in the midst of Nippur." (Part.)
15–19. ur₂ aĝ₂ gum₂-gum₂ lu₂-sukud-ka · du₁₀ ĝir₃ du x-ga bar-ra-ka · muru₅ tur e₂ ad-da du₃-a-ka · x kas₄-e erim₂-e x-ga bar-ra-ka · kas₄-ma ga-ra-ra-e₃ dumu uru₂-ki-ne-ka
Fragments — loins, knees, the young man of his father's house, the runner and the enemy. (Fragments.)
20. a bar-ra ku₄-ku₄ dumu u₄ 3-na-ka he₂-en-na-du₇-du₇-dam
"[...] who enters [...] the son of his third day(?) is fit for the mountain." (Fragment.)
21. ($___$) 1(U) 2(DIŠ) ki-ru-gu₂# 4#(DIŠ)-kam-ma
"12 — it is the fourth kirugu."
22–25. ur-saĝ ki-bala-še₃ kas₄-a bi₂-in-du₁₁ · {d}nin-urta!(ZU) ki-bala-<še₃> kas₄ bi₂-in-du₁₁ · {d}pa-bil₂-saĝ ki-bala-še₃ kas₄-a bi₂-in-du₁₁ · {d}nin-gir₂-su ki-bala-še₃ kas₄-a bi₂-in-du₁₁
"The hero ran to the rebel land — Ninurta ran to the rebel land — Pabilsaĝ ran to the rebel land — Ningirsu ran to the rebel land." (Part.)
26. uru₁₆-na nu-še-ga en-na {d}+en-lil₂-ra nu-še-ga kas₄-a b[i₂-in-du₁₁]
"Who does not submit in his city, who does not submit to Enlil — he ran (after him)." (Part.)
27–30. ur-saĝ gu₄-da si-ni [x x x] · [{d}]nin-urta gu₄-da si-ni [x x x] · [{d}pa]-bil₂#-sag# gu₄-da si-[ni x x x] · [{d}nin-gir₂-su gu₄-d]a si#-[ni x x x]
"The hero, with the bull, whose horn [...] — Ninurta, with the bull, whose horn [...] —" (Fragments — the horns litany begins again as the tablet breaks off.)
Doors on the face as stated in the header (Heinrich HES 6 contents; Cohen CLAM contents). Published 2026-10-22. A Vigslist translation.
Built 2026-10-22 from a fresh live eBL fetch.
Nuvira Technologies conducts this research with AI assistance, cross-verified against the primary sources to scholarly integrity standards. Uncertain readings are marked; broken lines are left broken.
— Richard Vigslist, Founder, Nuvira Technologies
More antiquities research: Antiquities Research