The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi

Translation

Prologue

The brother turned to his younger sister. The sun god Utu spoke to Inanna and said:

"Young woman, the flax is in full bloom, it is beautiful. Inanna, the flax shines in the furrows. I will harvest it for you and bring it to you. A piece of flax, large or small, always finds a use. Inanna, I'll bring it to you."

"Brother, after you bring me the flax, who will comb it for me?"

"Sister, I will comb it for you," Utu promised.

"Utu, after you have combed it for me, who will spin it for me?"

"Inanna, I will spin it for you," Utu replied.

"Brother, after you have brought the flax for me to spun, who will braid it for me?"

"Sister, I will bring it to you braided," Utu explained.

"Utu, when you have brought it to me braided, who will weave it for me?"

"Sister, I will bring it to you woven," Utu said patiently.

"Utu, after you have woven it for me, who will bleach it for me?"

"Inanna, I will bring it to you bleached," Utu promised.

"Brother, after you have brought me my bridal sheet, who will go to bed with me?"

Inanna chooses her husband

Inanna asked again:

"Utu, who will go to bed with me?"

Utu answered her:

"Sister, your bridegroom will go to bed with you. He who was born from a fertile womb, he who was conceived on the sacred marriage throne, Dumuzi, the shepherd! He will go to bed with you."

Inanna declared:

"No, my brother! My heart belongs to the man who wields the hoe. The farmer [Enkimdu]! He is the one who has conquered my heart. He piles up the grain in large quantities. He regularly fills my storehouses with grain."

Utu replied:

"My sister, why do you hesitate to marry the shepherd? His cream is delicious, his milk first-class. Everything he touches seems to shine. Inanna, take Dumuzi as your husband. Why do you resist, even though you wear the agate necklace of fertility? Dumuzi will share his rich cream with you. You who have been chosen to be the king's protector, why are you still hesitating?"

Inanna replied critically in the presence of Dumuzi:

"Shepherd, without the support of my mother Ningal you would be outcast, without the help of my grandmother Ningikuga you would be wandering in impassable terrain. Without my father Nanna, you would have no roof over your head. Without my brother Utu..."

Dumuzi interrupted her soothingly:

"Inanna, let's not start a fight. My father Enki is in no way inferior to your father Nanna. My mother Sirtur is just as great as your mother Ningal, and my sister Geshtinanna is your equal. Queen of the palace, let us speak reasonably about this."

The words exchanged were tinged with deep desire. The lovers' desire for each other was kindled as the dispute flared up.

Dumuzi courts Inanna

The shepherd Dumuzi approached the royal house, laden with cream and milk. In front of the closed door, he called out loudly:

"Open the house, my lady, open the house!"

Inanna, excited by the call, hurried to her mother Ningal. The mother, who combined wisdom and care, spoke to her daughter:

"My child, this young man will be like a father and mother to you. He will care for you and protect you as a father and mother would. Open the house to him, Inanna, open yourself to him!"

On her mother's advice, Inanna drew herself a bath and applied fragrant oil to her skin. Then she wrapped herself in a royal white robe to emphasize her dignity and purity. She carefully prepared the signs of her dowry. She placed precious lapis pearls around her neck, a sign of her high status. She held her seal in her hand as a symbol of her royal power and authority.

Dumuzi was waiting outside the door, filled with expectation. When Inanna opened the door, her splendor and beauty emerged. She shone bright in the light of the moon. Dumuzi's eyes lit up with joy when he saw her. He stepped close to her, placed his neck against hers and drew her into a loving kiss, a promise of their impending union.

Inanna spoke:

"What I tell you, let the singer weave into song.
What I tell you shall flow from ear to mouth,
it shall pass from the old to the young:

My vulva, the horn, the boat of heaven,
is full of zeal like the young moon.
My uncultivated field lies fallow.
As for me, Inanna, who will plow my vulva?
Who will till my field?
Who will plow my wet field?
Me, the young woman, which strong bull will plow me?"

Dumuzi replied:

"Great lady, the king will plow your vulva.
I, Dumuzi the king, will plow your vulva."

Inanna replied:

"Then plow it, man of my heart! Plow my vulva!"

In the king's womb, a cedar tree flourishes, surrounded by tall plants and lush grain. The gardens blossom in full splendor and color. Inanna sang in a sweet voice:

"It has sprouted, it blossoms.
It is like a lettuce that thrives.

You are the one my womb loves the most,
my well-filled garden in the plain,
my barley that grows high in its furrow,
my apple tree that bears fruit up to its crown.
You are the lettuce that thrives.

My treasure, my treasure always seduce me.
You, treasure of the gods, you are the one my womb loves.
Your hand is like honey, seduce me always.
Eager, impetuous lover of my navel,
Lover of my soft thighs,
you are the one my womb loves most.
You are the lettuce that thrives."

Dumuzi's request

Dumuzi sang:

"O mistress, your breast is like a field,
a field that must be cultivated.
Then it pours out the yield.
Then it pours out the grain.
It pours out water for your servants,
pours out bread for your servants.
Pour out the harvest for me too, Inanna.
I will take everything you offer."

The promise of Inanna

Inanna sang:

"Make your cream sweet and thick.
My bridegroom, my shepherd,
give me your fresh cream!
Wild bull Dumuzi,
make your cream sweet and thick,
give me your fresh cream!

Let your house be my sheepfold.
Let the milk of the sheep flow there.
Supply my holy places with honey cheese.
Beloved Dumuzi, I will appreciate your fresh milk.
My husband, I will guard the sheepfold for you.

I will watch over your house of life,
It will be the house, the shining, quivering place
that delights Sumer,
the house that decides the fate of the land,
the house that gives the people the breath of life.
I, the queen of the palace, will watch over your house."

Dumuzi replied:

"My beloved Inanna, I want to go with you to my orchard. I want to go with you to my apple tree. There we will sow the sweet seed, the seed of our common bond."

Dumuzi took Inanna into his orchard. She walked with him between the standing trees, she stood with him between the fallen trees. She knelt by the apple tree, as agreed. In the midday heat, Dumuzi's song rang out through the leaves of the poplars. In front of her lover, Dumuzi, she sowed the seeds of their common bond. She prepared the promised harvest. She prepared the grain.

Preparation for the sacred marriage

Inanna sang:

"Last night, when I, the queen, shone bright,
last night, when I, the queen of heaven, shone brightly,
when I shone brightly and danced,
singing songs of praise for the coming of the night,
he met me, he met me!
My lord Dumuzi met me.
He pressed his hand against my hand.
He pressed his neck close to mine.
My high priest is ready for the sacred rites.
My lord Dumuzi is ready for the sacred rites.
The plants and herbs in his field are ripe.
O Dumuzi! Your abundance is my delight!"

She called for it, she called for it, she called for the bed!
She called for the bed that delights the heart.
She called for the bed that delights their bodies.
She called for the holy bed of royalty.
She called for the queen's bed.

Inanna called for the bed:

"Let the bed that delights the heart be ready!
Let the bed that delights the body be ready!
Let the bed of royalty be prepared!
Let the queen's bed be prepared!
Let the royal bed be prepared!"

Inanna spread the bridal sheet over the bed. She called out to her bridegroom, the future king:

"The bed is ready!"

He placed his hand in her hand.
He placed his hand on her heart.
Sweet is the sleep from hand to hand.
Even sweeter is sleep from heart to heart.

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 fragrant amber,
I painted my eyes with kohl.

He shaped my loins with his beautiful hands.
The shepherd Dumuzi filled my womb with cream and milk.
He stroked my pubic hair, he watered my womb.
He placed his hands on my sacred vulva.
He smoothed my black boat with cream.
He quickened my tight boat with milk.
He folded 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 shepherd of the land,
I will grant him this sweet destiny."

Inanna concretizes her promise

The queen of heaven, the heroic woman, greater than her mother, Inanna, the first daughter of Nanna, who was endowed with divine powers by Enki, determined the fate of Dumuzi:

"In battle, I am your leader,
In battle, I am your weapon 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,
you are fit in every way:
to hold your head high on the loft dais,
to sit on the lapis lazuli throne,
to cover your head with the sacred crown,
to wear long robes on your body,
to surround yourself with the robes of royalty,
to carry the mace and the sword,
to wield the longbow and the arrow straight,
the throwing staff and the sling at your side,
to walk on the road with the sacred sceptre in your hand,
with the sacred sandals on your feet,
to prance on the sacred chest like a lapis lazuli calf.

You, the sprinter, the chosen shepherd, you are fit in every way.
May your heart enjoy long days.
What An has destined for you - may it not be changed.
What Enlil has granted for you, may it not be changed.
You are the favorite of Ningal.
I, Inanna, hold you in high esteem."

Dumuzi arrives for the sacred marriage

Ninschubur, the devoted servant of the holy temple of Uruk, led Dumuzi to Inanna, to the sweet thighs of Inanna. He spoke to her in a solemn voice:

"My queen, before you stands the man your heart has chosen, the king, your beloved husband. May he spend long days in the sweetness of your sacred loins. Grant him a reign that is both favorable and glorious. Place him on the firmly established royal throne. Present him with the shepherd's crook of righteousness and grant him the enduring crown with the radiant and noble diadem.

May his dominion extend from where the sun rises to where it sets, from north to south, from the upper sea to the lower sea, from the lands where the huluppu tree grows to the forests of cedars. Let his shepherd's staff protect and bless the whole of Sumer.

Like a farmer who tills his fields, let Dumuzi make the fields fertile. As a shepherd increases the number of his sheep, so shall he increase the sheepfolds. Under his rule, may lush vegetation characterize the landscape and rich grain adorn the fields. May the marshes be teeming with fish and birds and the reed belt be filled with both young and old reeds. May deer and wild goats multiply in the steppes, and may honey and wine flow in abundance in the orchards. Let lettuce and cress flourish on the grassland. May long life reign in the palace. May the great rivers Tigris and Euphrates flood, adorn their banks with lush plants and fill the meadows. May the mistress of vegetation pile up the grain in heaps and mounds. But first, O my queen of heaven and earth, may Dumuzi spend long days in the sweetness of your sacred loins."

The sacred marriage takes place

The king went to the sacred loins of Inanna with his head held high. With his head held high, he went to the queen. He opened his arms wide to the holy priestess of heaven. Her beloved, the joy of her eyes, met her. Together with him, she looked forward to the following days. He had his joy in her. He brought her into his house. He laid her down on the fragrant honey bed. Her lover lay against her heart and his tongue played first with one and then with the other. Her beautiful Dumuzi did this fifty times. Then her sweet lover was satiated.

Dumuzi said to her:

"Release me, my sister, release me. You will be like a daughter to my father. Come, my beloved sister, I want to go to the palace. Set me free..."

Inanna spoke:

"My Dumuzi, your seduction was sweet. Dumuzi, my bearer of flowers in the apple orchard, my bearer of fruit in the apple orchard, your seduction was sweet. My fearless one, my sacred statue, my statue adorned with sword and lapis lazuli tiara, how sweet was your seduction..."

Interpretation

Still missing.