The original text contains numerous repetitions, which are abridged here. As the standard translation of the text made little sense in many places, these passages, especially the beginning and end of the myth, were translated directly from the Sumerian.
She walked through the open country. She wore her shugurra, the crown for the open land. She went forth to bring the sheep of heaven (the divine powers) like a shepherd herding his cattle. The signs of her femininity, the great, remarkable ones, gave her strength. They gave her the power of women, the power to demand more. They gave her the power to demand what her city deserved. The great and cunning woman knew that bringing the divine powers was necessary for the city. Uruk was to benefit from them. She decreed this fate for her city.
Inanna said to herself:
"When I have prepared myself for the bringing of the divine powers of the great master Enki,
when I have made myself brilliant,
when I have made myself beautiful,
when I have made myself glorious,
when I have made myself perfect,
when I have made myself luxuriant,
when I have made myself exuberant
when I have made myself radiant,
when I have taken all this into account,
when I shine in his eyes like the stars of heaven,
then I will direct my steps to the Abzu, to Eridu,
then I will direct my steps to Enki, to the Abzu in Eridu.
I myself will flatter him, in the Abzu, in Eridu,
I myself will flatter Enki, in the Abzu, in Eridu."
In the waters of the Abzu, the divine decrees shall be proclaimed anew. They shall proclaim the reign of the lady of heaven and earth, the reign of Inanna. Enki, the great creator, will drink beer as sweet as oil in the holy city of Eridu. He who has accomplished great deeds, spoken mighty words to the earth, seized the heavenly crown and ordained it as his eternal right, he will drink it with her.
On that day, the young woman Inanna, the holy Inanna, directed her steps all alone to Enki's Abzu in Eridu. At that time Enki was in Eridu, he who possesses exceptional knowledge, who knows the divine powers in heaven and earth, who recognizes the intentions of the gods from his own abode. Enki, the king of the abzu, who also knew everything about the holy Inanna, who had not yet approached the temple in Eridu by a mile, spoke to his vizier Isimu and gave him instructions:
"Come here, my vizier, listen to my words: When the young woman Inanna has entered the Abzu in Eridu, when Inanna has entered the Abzu of Eridu, you shall offer her butter cakes to eat, serve her cold, refreshing water, give her beer from the Lion's Gate to drink. Make her feel as if she is in her friend's house and make her your colleague. You should greet the holy Inanna at the holy table, at the table of An."
After Enki had spoken to him in this way, Isimud the vizier followed his master's instructions exactly. He let the girl into the Abzu of Eridu. He let Inanna enter the Abzu of Eridu. When she entered the abzu in Eridu, she was given butter cake to eat. He poured her cool, refreshing water and gave her beer from the Lion's Gate to drink. He made her feel like she was in her friend's house and made her his colleague. He greeted the holy Inanna at the holy table, at the table of An.
So it was that Enki and Inanna drank beer in the Abzu and enjoyed the taste of sweet wine. With their bronze vessels filled to overflowing, with the vessels of Urash, the mother of the earth, they toasted each other. They challenged each other.
After the celebration had reached its climax and Enki was together with the beautiful Inanna, she asked him for a favor. She asked Enki for the divine "me", the divine powers that govern the fundamental aspects of human culture. Drunk as he was, Enki could not refuse the wishes of the beautiful Inanna. He gave them to her in the name of his power, in the name of his Abzu.
The first time, holy Inanna received from him the divine powers over the opposites of heroism, power, and wickedness, over the opposites of righteousness and plunder, and over the opposites of lamentation and rejoicing.
The second time, holy Inanna received the divine powers over deception, rebellion, the possibility to be in motion and to be settled.
The third time she received the divine powers over craftsmanship. Inanna received powers over the craft of the carpenter, the craft of the coppersmith, the craft of the scribe, the craft of the smith, the craft of the leatherworker, the craft of the fuller, the craft of the builder, the craft of the reed-worker.
The fourth time, holy Inanna received the divine powers of wisdom, attentiveness, the holy rites of purification, the shepherd's hut, piling up glowing charcoals, the sheepfold, respect, awe, reverent silence.
The fifth time she received the divine powers over the everyday life of poor people, over bitterness, the kindling of fire, the extinguishing of fire, hard work, gathering the family, raising offspring.
The the sixth time, Inanna received the divine powers over jurisdiction. She received strife, triumph, counselling, comforting, judging and decision-making.
He gave her these powers and many more. When Inanna left the celebration, she was beaming. She went through the divine powers she had received from Enki again, one by one.
The next morning, as day broke, Enki stood by the water. He called his minister Isimud to him:
"Isimud, my minister, come here!"
Isimud, endowed with authority from heaven, came over:
"Enki, my master, I am at your service! What is your wish?"
Enki replied:
"Inanna had said that she would not yet leave for Uruk when the sun rises. Can I still reach her?"
But the holy Inanna had gathered her divine powers and boarded the boat of heaven. The celestial ship had already left the quay.
When the effect of the beer was released from him, when the effect of the beer was released from father Enki, the great lord Enki turned to the Abzu. The lord looked at the Abzu. King Enki turned his attention to Eridu. He called his minister Isimud to him. Isimud replied:
"Enki, my master, I am at your service! What is your wish?"
Enki asked in astonishment:
"Where is the office of the En-priest, the office of the Lagal-priest, the divinity, the great and good crown, the royal throne, where are they?"
Isimud replied:
"My master, you have given them to your daughter."
Then Enki noticed that the other divine powers were also missing:
"Where are the noble scepter, the staff and crook, the noble dress, the shepherdship, the kingship?
Where is the office of the egir3-zid priestess, that of the nin-dingir priestess, that of the ishib priestess, that of the lu-mah priest, that of the gudu priest?
Where is constancy, ......, ......, the up and down mountain land, the up and down mountain land of the Kur-ĝara priests?
Where are the sword and the club, the temple servant saĝ-ursaĝ, the black garmet, the colorful garmet, the ...... hairstyle?
Where is the standard, the quiver, sexual intercourse, kissing, prostitution?
Where is the forthright speech, the deceitful speech, the grandiloquent speech, ...... the cultic prostitute, the holy tavern?
Where is the sacred Niĝin-shrar shrine, the hierodule of heaven, the loud musical instruments, the art of song, the venerable old age?"
Isimud replied:
"My master, Enki, you have given all these to your daughter."
Enki called his minister Isimud to him. Isimud replied:
"Enki, my master, I am at your service! What is your wish?"
Enki asked his servant:
"Where has the boat of heaven arrived now?"
Isimud knew:
"It has just reached the ... quay."
Enki instructed his servant:
"Go to her! Let the Enkum creatures take the boat of heaven back from her! Bring it back to me!"
The vizier Isimud went and arrived at the boat. He spoke to the holy Inanna:
"My lady! Your father has sent me to you. Inanna, your father sent me to you. What your father said was very serious. What Enki said was very serious. His important words cannot be revoked."
Holy Inanna answered him:
"What did my father say to you, what did he say? Why should his important words not be able to be revoked?"
Isimud replied:
"My master has spoken to me. Enki said to me that you can travel to Uruk, but I should bring the boat of heaven back to Eridu for him."
Inanna replied to the vizier Isimud:
"How could my father change what he said to me? How could he change his promise concerning me? How could he negate his important words to me? My father told me, did he speak to me falsely? Did he swear falsely on the name of his power and on the name of his Abzu? Did he send you to me as a messenger?"
While these words were still in her mouth, Isimud made the Enkum take hold of the boat of heaven. But the holy Inanna had authorized her vizier Ninshubur to act. Ninshubur had already begun to realign Inanna's sanctuary with the fresh source of power, the newly acquired divine powers. Ninshubur did this incessantly like a highly learned sage. Open and attentive, she used the divine powers to thoroughly instruct Isimud:
"Your mouth did not speak it. You have not received your orders."
Inanna held on to the ship of heaven with the great divine powers and steered it. So Inanna continued to keep the divine powers that had been offered to her and also the boat of heaven.
Enki sent his minister Isimud out five more times to bring the boat of heaven back to Eridu. Each time, other creatures were to help snatch the boat of heaven from her. But neither the fifty giants of Eridu nor the fifty Lahmu of the subterranean waters could snatch the boat from her. Neither all the great fish together, nor the guardians of Uruk, nor the Surungal Canal itself could snatch the boat from her. Each time, Inanna used her newly acquired divine powers in the same way to undo the order Enki had given his minister Isimud.
Her vizier Ninshubur spoke to the holy Inanna:
"My lady, today you have brought the boat of heaven to the gate of joy, to Uruk. Now there will be joy in our city, now there will be life in our city, barges on our river."
Inanna answered her:
"Today I have brought the boat of heaven to the gate of joy, to Uruk. It shall sail magnificently along the road. The people shall stand on the road in awe, rejoicing in the divine powers. The old men of the city will be able to use the 'comfort' of the divine powers, the old women the 'counsel', the young men the 'strength of arms', the children the 'joy'.
Uruk will organize a feast for the boat of heaven. Great prayers will be recited. The king will slaughter bulls and sacrifice sheep. He will pour beer from a bowl. He shall sound the šem and ala drums and play the sweet-sounding tigi instruments. The foreign lands shall recognize my greatness. My people shall speak out my praise."
As they brought the boat of heaven to the gate of joy in Uruk, they passed magnificiently along the street: past the maiden's house until they reached the purified well, her principal well. Inanna marveled at the divine powers offered to her by the boat of heaven at the Ĝipar gate, its shining new quay. Enki turned to his vizier Isimud. Isimud replied:
"Enki, my master, I am at your service! What is your wish?"
Enki asked:
"Where has the boat of heaven arrived now?"
Isimud told him:
"It has just reached the shining new quay in Uruk."
The people paid homage to Inanna:
"Inanna, you have brought with you the office of En-priest, you have brought with you the office of Lagar-priest, you have brought with you divinity, you have brought with you the great and good crown, you have brought with you the royal throne.
You have brought the noble sceptre, you have brought the staff and the reins, you have brought the noble robe, you have brought the shepherding, you have brought the kingship.
You have brought the office of egir3-zid priestess, you have brought the office of nin-dingir priestess, you have brought the office of Ishib priestess, you have brought the office of lu2-maḫ priest, you have brought the office of Gudu priest.
You have brought constancy, you have brought the up and down mountains of the Kur-ĝara priests.
You have brought the sword and the club, you have brought the temple servant saĝ-ursa, you have brought the black garmet, you have brought the colorful garmet, you have brought the ...... hairstyle.
You brought the standard, you brought the quiver, you brought sexual intercourse, you brought kissing, you brought prostitution.
You brought the free speech, you brought the deceitful speech, you brought the pompous speech, you brought the cultic prostitute, you brought the sacred tavern.
You have brought the holy Niĝin-shrar shrine, you have brought loud musical instruments, you have brought the art of song, you have brought the venerable age.
You have brought heroism, you have brought power, you have brought wickedness, you have brought justice, you have brought the plundering of cities, you have brought lamentations.
You brought deception, you brought rebellion, you brought kindness, you brought that you can be in motion, you brought that you can be sedentary.
You have brought the craft of the carpenter, you have brought the craft of the coppersmith, you have brought the craft of the scribe, you have brought the craft of the smith, you have brought the craft of the leatherworker, you have brought the craft of the fuller, you have brought the craft of the builder, you have brought the craft of the reed-worker.
You have brought wisdom, you have brought attentiveness, you have brought the holy purification rites, you have brought the shepherd's hut, you have brought pilig of glowing charcoals, you have brought the sheepfold, you have brought respect, you have brought awe, you have brought reverent silence.
You brought the bitterness, you brought the kindling of the fire, you brought the extinguishing of fire, you brought hard labor, you brought the gathering of the family, you brought the raising of the children.
You have brought strife, you have brought triumph, you have brought counseling, you have brought comforting, you have brought judging, you have brought decision-making.
You brought the line-up of plans, the attractiveness of women you brought ...... to deal with the perfect divine powers you brought ...... you brought ... ... sublime ......, you have brought the holy tigi, holy lilis, ub, meze and ala drums, you have brought the ...... of holy An, you have brought the ...... of holy An, you have brought with you the ...... of holy An, you have brought the ...... of holy An, you have brought the ...... of holy An, you have brought the ...... of holy An, you have brought the ...... of holy An, you have brought ......, ... Beer."
Inanna, the cunning woman, she has done it. The temple of Inanna was brought to full bloom, it was completed and everything was recorded. A total of fifty new items were recorded. It was done systematically and firmly anchored in a new way: first the copper tools were entered and recorded, then the shiny new quay was built and recorded. The ship was unloaded there. At the site of the shiny new quay, everything was fully recorded.
Enki accepted the inevitability of Inanna's success, but he had to live with the consequences: In Eridu, the floods of the Euphrates and Abzu could no longer be contained once Inanna had left the city with the divine powers. This triggered a devastating storm.
The great gods mediated between Enki and Inanna to give Eridu back what it needed. The agreement with Enki was reached at Inanna's most sacred place, her Gipar, the place where the sacred wedding takes place. A feast was then held at which the agreement between Inanna and Enki was solemnly announced.
Still missing.
