Tooth Worm Incantation read by Alex Barker
After the cuneiform copy by L. W. King in Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets in the British Museum vol. 17 (1901), plates 50-51. Italics in the translation signify uncertainty.
Line |
Original transcription |
English Translation |
---|---|---|
1’ |
ultu anum ibnû šamê |
After Anum (the sky god) created the heavens, |
2’ |
šamû ibnû erṣetum |
(and) the heavens created the earth, |
3’ |
erṣetum ibnû nārāti |
(and) the earth created rivers, |
4’ |
nārātu ibnâ atappāti |
(and) rivers created canals, |
5’ |
atappāti ibnâ rušumta |
(and) canals created mud, |
6’ |
rušumta ibnû tūltu |
(and) mud created the worm, |
7’ |
illik tūltu ana pan šamši ibakki |
the worm went crying before Šamaš, |
8’ |
ana pan ea illakā dimāša |
its tears flowed before Ea: |
9’ |
mīná tattanna ana akāliya |
“What have you given for me to eat? |
10’ |
mīná tattanna ana munzuqiya |
What have you given for me to suck?” |
11’-12’ |
attannakki titta bašilta armannaya hašhūra |
“I have given you the ripe fig and the apricot” |
13’-14’ |
anāku ammīnannâ titta bašilta u armannaya hašhūra |
“What good is that to me, the ripe fig and the apricot? |
15’-16’ |
šuknanni-ma ina birīt šinni u lašhi šūšibanni |
Place me and let me dwell between tooth and gum, |
17’ |
ša šinni-ma lunzuqa damīšu |
so I can suck the tooth’s blood |
18’-19’ |
u ša lašhim luksu[p] kusāpēšu |
and mince up the gum!” |
20’ |
sikkata rite-ma šēpa ṣabat |
Drive in the peg and seize the foot (while saying:) |
21’ |
aššum annâ taqbî tūltu |
“Because you said this, worm, |
22’-23’ |
limhaṣki ea ina dannati rittišu |
may Ea strike you with his mighty hand!” |
Lines 9’-10’ – context suggests that tattanna has future sense (“what will you give?”), though this is grammatically difficult. (Cf. the analogous situation in Gilgameš XI 275, 280)
Lines 18’-19’ – also possible: luksu[s] kusāsēšu, with similar sense.