An Accadian Hymn to Ishtar
by Estéban Trujillo de Gutiérrez
“The light of heaven, who blazeth like the fire, art thou,
0 goddess (istaritum), when thou fixest thy dwelling-place in the earth;
thou who art strong as the earth!
Ishtar, in a characteristic posture atop a lion, her animal. The goddess has weaponry on her back, and handles her lion with a leash. Her eight-pointed star is on her head.
Thee, the path of justice approaches thee
when thou enterest into the house of man.
A hyena, who springs to seize the lamb, art thou!
A lion, who stalks in the midst, art thou!
By day, 0 virgin, adorn the heaven!
0 virgin Istar, adorn the heaven!
Thou who art set as the jewelled circlet of moonstone adorn the heaven!
Companion of the Sun-god, adorn the heaven!
‘To cause enlightenment to prevail am I appointed, alone am I appointed.
By the side of my father the Moon-god to cause enlightenment to prevail am I appointed, alone am I appointed.
By the side of my brother the Sun-god to cause enlightenment to prevail am I appointed, alone am I appointed.
The original relief of the drawing above.
My father Nannaru has appointed me; to cause enlightenment to prevail am I appointed.
In the resplendent heaven to cause enlightenment to prevail am I appointed, alone am I appointed.
In the beginning was my glory, in the beginning was my glory.
In the beginning was I a goddess (istaritum) who marched on high.
Istar the divinity of the evening sky am I.
Istar the divinity of the dawn am I.
Istar the opener of the bolts of the bright heaven is my (name of) glory.
My glory extinguishes the heaven, it spoils the earth.
The extinguisher of the heaven, the spoiler of the earth is my glory.
That which glows in the clouds of heaven, whose name is renowned in the world, is my glory.
As queen of heaven above and below may my glory be addressed.
My glory sweeps away the mountains altogether.
Thou art the mighty fortress of the mountains, thou art their mighty bolt, O my glory.'”
A.H. Sayce, Lectures on the Origin and Growth of Religion as Illustrated by the Religion of the Ancient Babylonians, 5th ed., London, 1898, pp. 268-70.
Samizdat 