Sajburu = Nisaba’s “Wise Woman” in Uruk
(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)
“The sorcerer from Aratta entered the animal pen.
He made the milk scarce, so the young calves could not get any.
In the animal pen and the byre he caused distress;
he made the butter and milk scarce (1 ms. has instead: …… diminished) ……,
…… he made the milk of the goat scarce.
He threw its ……,
…… was dealt a disaster.”
…… caused damage (?), …….
…… turned toward Erech (Uruk).
…… the Euphrates …… the river of the gods.
She made her way to the city whose destiny was decreed by An and Enlil…….
Wise Woman Sajburu (unknown?)…… hand …… for him.
228-231 Both of them threw fish spawn (?) into the river.
The sorcerer made a giant carp come out (1 ms. has instead: arise) from the water.
Wise Woman Sajburu, however, made an eagle come out
(1 ms. has instead: arise) from the water.
The eagle seized the giant carp and fled to the mountains (1 ms. has instead:
The eagle seized the giant carp out of the waves and went up to the sky).
232-235 A second time they threw fish spawn (?) into the river.
The sorcerer made a ewe and its lamb come out
(1 ms. has instead: arise) from the water.
Wise Woman Sajburu, however, made a wolf come out
(1 ms. has instead: arise) from the water.
The wolf seized the ewe and its lamb and dragged it to the wide desert.
236-239 A third time they threw fish spawn (?) into the river.
The sorcerer made a cow and its calf come out
(1 ms. has instead: arise) from the water.
Wise Woman Sajburu, however, made a lion come out
(1 ms. has instead: arise) from the water.
The lion seized the cow and its calf and took
(some mss. have instead: dragged) them to the reedbeds.
240-243 A fourth time they threw fish spawn (?) into the river.
The sorcerer made an ibex and a wild sheep come out
(1 ms. has instead: arise) from the water.
Wise Woman Sajburu, however, made a mountain leopard come out
(1 ms. has instead: arise) from the water.
The leopard seized the ibex and the wild sheep and took them to the mountains.
244-248 A fifth time they threw fish spawn (?) into the river.
The sorcerer made a gazelle kid come out from the water.
Wise Woman Sajburu, however, made a tiger and a ……-
lion come out from the water.
The tiger and the ……-lion seized the gazelle kid and took
(1 ms. has instead: dragged) them to the forest.
What happened made the face of the sorcerer darkened, made his mind confused.
249-254 Wise Woman Sajburu said to him:
“Sorcerer, you do have magical powers, but where is your sense?
How on earth could you think of going to do sorcery at Erech (Uruk),
which is the city of Nisaba, a city whose destiny
was decreed by An and Enlil, the primeval city,
the beloved city of Ninlil (Enlil’s spouse, daughter to Nisaba)
255-263 The sorcerer answered her:
“I went there without knowing all about this.
I acknowledge your superiority — please do not be bitter.”
He pleaded, he prayed to her:
“Set me free, my sister; set me free.
Let me go in peace to my city.
Let me return safely to Aratta, the mount of the lustrous me.
I will make known (1 ms. has instead: declare)your greatness in all the lands.
I will sing your praise in Aratta, the mount of the lustrous me.”
264-273 Wise Woman Sajburu answered to him:
“You have caused distress in the animal pen and the byre;
you have made the butter and milk scarce there.
You have removed the lunch-table, the morning- and evening-table.
You have cut off butter and milk from the evening meal of the great dining hall,
……… distress …… .
Your sin that butter and milk …… cannot be forgiven.
Nannar the king …… the byre …… milk;
…… established that it was a capital offense and I am not pardoning your life.”
Wise Woman Sajburu …… her decision about the sorcerer in the assembly (?).
She threw her prisoner from the bank of the Euphrates.
She seized from him his life-force
and then returned to her city, Erech (Uruk). …”