The Dedication of an Axe to Nergal: translation

The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature

(Texts: All Artifacts, Color Coding, & Writings in Bold Type With Italics Inside Parenthesis, are Added by Editor R. Brown, not the Authors, Translators, or Publishers!)

(gods in blue)

1-9 Nibruta-lu, the son of the merchant Lugal-cuba, has had this tin ax made for Nergal.

2c - Nergal, the god of the Underworld (Nergal, Lord of the Netherworld, spouse to Ereshkigal)

Its wooden part is of arganum tree of the mountains,

a wood which is superior even to the alal stone;

its stone part is of antasura, a stone which has no equal.

The arm of the man who strikes with it will never get tired.

10-16 Should it break, I will repair it for Nergal.

Should it disappear, I will replace it for him.

 (Nergal, warrior son to Enlil & Ninlil, some texts, son to Enki & Inanna)

May Nergal look after me during my life,

and may he provide me with clean water in the underworld after my death.