Erev Candlemas

[sovay]

nineweaving says it best.

Crosswired zodiacs: in another calendar, we are still descending.

mīna libbaša ūblani mīna kabat[taša ušpērdanima]
annītu mê anāku itti [^dAnunnaki ašatti]
kīma aklī akal tittu kīma šikari ašat[ta mê dalhutê]
lubki ana etluti ša ēzibū [hīreti]
lubki ana ardāti ša ultu sūn hā'irišina [šallupani]
ana sehri lakê lubki ša ina lā ūmīšu tardu
alik atû pitaši bābka
uppissima kīma parsī labīruti
illik atû iptaši bābka
erbi bēltī Kutâ liriški
ekal KUR.NU.GI lihdu ina pāniki

"Why did her heart bring her to me? What has [lit up her] spirit toward me?
This: 'I will drink water with [the Anunnaku,]
I will eat clay instead of food, drink [cloudy water] instead of beer.
Let me weep for the young men who left [their wives] behind,
let me weep for the young women who [were torn away] from the laps of their husbands,
for the suckling child who was sent away not in its time, let me weep.'
Go, gatekeeper, open your gate for her,
treat her according to the ancient rituals."
The gatekeeper went and opened his gate for her.
"Enter, my lady, may Kutâ rejoice in you,
may the palace of KUR.NU.GI take pleasure in your presence."

Comments

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Chiasmus.

Lovely.

Nine

[crowgrl.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is beautiful.

[knoque.livejournal.com]

Please forgive me if this question is unwanted or invasive, but I had to ask: Where are you learning Akkadian?

The Background:
I am an undergrad at Cornell and am in my second semester of learning Akkadian. My class is reading the Descent of Ishtar and in my frustration with a line and my text's inability to offer any aid, I Googled "akkadian ishtar descent transliteration" and the discussion on your lj last month was one of the top hits. Last thing that I expected to find. After reading the entries and the comments, I am curious to know where you are learning since Assyriology is not the largest field in academia.

[sovay]

I am a second-year grad student at Yale, working on a PhD in Classics; I have no formal affiliation with Yale's Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations other than that I take classes there. (I am also in my second semester of Akkadian.) I had been hoping to post Ištar updates every Tuesday, but I think this week's may have to wait until tomorrow or Sunday; I'm a little swamped with Homeric Greek linguistics at the minute

Did this translation help? Feel free to ask questions, though I can't promise I'll be able to answer all of them . . .