From
the great heaven she set her mind on the great below. From the great heaven the
goddess set her mind on the great below. From the great heaven Inana set her
mind on the great below. My mistress abandoned heaven, abandoned earth, and
descended to the underworld. Inana abandoned heaven, abandoned earth, and
descended to the underworld.
When
Inana entered, the lapis-lazuli measuring rod and measuring line were removed
from her hand, when she entered the first gate the turban headgear for the open
country was removed from her head. “What is this?” “Be silent Inana, a divine
power of the underworld has been fulfilled. Inana, you must not open your mouth
against the rites of the underworld.”
When
she entered the second gate the small lapis-lazuli beads were removed from her
neck. “What is this?” “Be silent Inana, a divine power of the underworld has
been fulfilled. Inana, you must not open your mouth against the rites of the
underworld.”
When
she entered the third gate the twin egg-shaped beads were removed from her
breast. “What is this?” “Be silent Inana, a divine power of the underworld has
been fulfilled. Inana, you must not open your mouth against the rites of the
underworld.”
When
she entered the fourth gate the ‘Come, man, come’ pectoral was removed from her
breast. “What is this?” “Be silent Inana, a divine power of the underworld has
been fulfilled. Inana, you must not open your mouth against the rites of the
underworld.”
When
she entered the fifth gate the golden ring was removed from her hand “What is
this?” “Be silent Inana, a divine power of the underworld has been fulfilled.
Inana, you must not open your mouth against the rites of the underworld.”
When
she entered the sixth gate the lapis-lazuli measuring rod and measuring line
were removed from her hand. “What is this?” “Be silent Inana, a divine power of
the underworld has been fulfilled. Inana, you must not open your mouth against
the rites of the underworld.”
When
she entered the seventh gate the pala dress, the garment of ladyship, was
removed from her body. “What is this?” “Be silent Inana, a divine power of the
underworld has been fulfilled. Inana, you must not open your mouth against the
rites of the underworld.”
When
she had entered the E-kur, the house of Enlil, she lamented before Enlil: “Father
Enlil, don't let anyone kill your daughter in the underworld. Don't let your
precious metal be alloyed there with the dirt of the underworld. Don't let your
precious lapis lazuli be split there with the mason's stone. Don't let your
boxwood be chopped up there with the carpenter's wood. Don't let young lady Inana
be killed in the underworld.”
In
his rage Father Enlil answered “My daughter craved the great heaven and she
craved the great below as well. Inana craved the great heaven and she craved
the great below as well. The divine powers of the underworld are divine powers
which should not be craved, for whoever gets them must remain in the
underworld. Who, having got to that place, could then expect to come up again?”
Thus
Father Enlil did not help in this matter, so she went to Urim. In the
E-mud-kura at Urim, when she had entered the E-kiš-nu-ĝal, the house of Nanna, she lamented before Nanna: “Father
Nanna, don't let your daughter be killed in the underworld. Don't let your
precious metal be alloyed there with the dirt of the underworld. Don't let your
precious lapis lazuli be split there with the mason's stone. Don't let your
boxwood be chopped up there with the carpenter's wood. Don't let young lady Inana
be killed in the underworld.”
In
his rage Father Nanna answered “My daughter craved the great heaven and she
craved the great below as well. Inana craved the great heaven and she craved
the great below as well. The divine powers of the underworld are divine powers
which should not be craved, for whoever gets them must remain in the
underworld. Who, having got to that place, could then expect to come up again?”
Thus
Father Nanna did not help her in this matter, so she went to Eridug. In Eridug,
when she had entered the house of Enki, she lamented before Enki: “Father Enki,
don't let anyone kill your daughter in the underworld. Don't let your precious
metal be alloyed there with the dirt of the underworld. Don't let your precious
lapis lazuli be split there with the mason's stone. Don't let your boxwood be
chopped up there with the carpenter's wood. Don't let young lady Inana be
killed in the underworld.”
Father
Enki answered: “What has my daughter done? She has me worried. What has Inana
done? She has me worried. What has the mistress of all the lands done? She has
me worried. What has the mistress of heaven done? She has me worried."
Thus Father Enki helped her in this matter. He removed some dirt from the tip of his
fingernail and created the kur-ĝara. He removed some dirt from the tip of his other fingernail and
created the gala-tura. To the kur-ĝara he gave the life-giving plant. To the gala-tura he
gave the life-giving water.
“They
will offer you a riverful of water, don't accept it. They will offer you a
field with its grain, don't accept it but say, “Give us the corpse hanging on
the hook.” They will say: “That is the corpse of your queen." Say: “Whether
it is that of our king, whether it is that of our queen, give it to us.” They
will give you the corpse hanging on the hook. One of you sprinkle on it the
life-giving plant and the other the life-giving water. Thus let Inana arise.”
They
were offered a river with its water but they did not accept it. They were offered
a field with its grain but they did not accept it. They said to her: “Give us the
corpse hanging on the hook.” Holy Ereškigala answered the gala-tura and the
kur-ĝara: “The
corpse is that of your queen.” They said to her: “Whether it is that of our
king or that of our queen, give it to us.” They were given the corpse hanging
on the hook. One of them sprinkled on it the life-giving plant and the other
the life-giving water. Thus it was that Inana arose in triumph.
http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htm
