KAR 055[via caspo]


Obverse
o 1o 1	EN₂ EN ra-bu-u ša₂ ina AN^e KU₃-MEŠ	Incantation: O great lord, who in the pure heavens
o 22	BARAG ra-aš₂-bu ra-mu-u	sets up an awe-inspiring shrine,
o 33	a-gu-u ru-uš-šu-u ša AN^e	Golden crown of the heavens,
o 44	si-mat LUGAL^u-^ti1	Fit for kingship,
o 55	^dUTU SIPA ša₂ UN-MEŠ DINGIR mut-tal-lu	O Shamash, shepherd of the people, princely deity,
o 66	ba-a-ri ma-a-ti mas-su-u te-ne-še-ti	Who oversees the lands, the leader of the peoples,
o 77	muš-ti-šir ur-ḫi mun-nar-bi	Who guides the refugee/fugitive to the right path,
o 88	^dša₂-maš DI.KUD AN^e u KI⸢^ti₃⸣	O Shamash, judge of heaven and earth,
o 99	muš-ti-še-ru ^di-gi₄-[gi₄]	Who guides the Igigi aright,
o 1010	na-din qut-ri-in-ni a-na ⸢DINGIR-MEŠ GAL⸣-MEŠ	Who offers incense(-offerings) to the great heavens,
o 1111	ana-ku ^maš-šur-DU₃-A A ⸢DINGIR-šu₂⸣	I, Ashurbanipal, the son of his (personal) god,
o 1212	⸢al⸣-si-⸢ka⸣ ^dUTU ina qe₂-reb ⸢AN^e⸣ KU₃-MEŠ	Call out to you, O Shamash, in the midst of the pure heavens.
o 1313	[x (x)] ina E₂-⸢ka nam⸣-ru aš₂-ti-⸢ʾ⸣-e-ma2	[. . .] I seek in your brilliant temple.
o 1414	ina BANŠUR ma-ka-le-e AN-MEŠ GAL-MEŠ	At the food(-offering) table of the great gods
o 1515	⸢MU-ka⸣ az-kur	I invoke your name.
o 1616	[x x] ⸢x x⸣ IGI-ka aq-qi	I libate [. . .] before you,
o 1717	[...] ⸢li⸣-mad-ma šu-ti-šir-an-ni3	Learn [. . .] and guide me aright.
o 1818	[ša₂ e-pu]-ša₂ ⸢iš⸣-tu₂ ṣe-ḫi-ri-ia4	[That which (i.e., my sins) I have do]ne from my youth
o 1919	[a-di] ⸢ra^!⸣-bi-ia a-a ⸢KUR⸣-an-ni ia-a-ti5	[To] my maturity, may it not overtake me.
o 2020	[li]-si ⸢šar₅⸣ 1(diš) KASKAL.GID₂ ina SU-⸢MU⸣6	[May it withdraw] a million miles (lit. 3600 'leagues') from my body.
Reverse
r 1r 1	[ana-ku] ⸢^m⸣aš-⸢šur-DU₃⸣-A ⸢IR₃-ka⸣7	[I], Ashurbanipal, you servant,
r 22	[muš-te]-⸢ʾ-u al-ka-kat₃⸣ DINGIR^ti-ka ⸢GAL^ti⸣	[Who assidu]ously strives after the way of your great divinity,
r 33	[ki]-⸢ma⸣ u₄-me-ka nam-ri	[A]s (pure as) your bright day,
r 44	⸢ub^!⸣-bi-ba-⸢an-ni⸣ [ia]-a-ti8	Make me pure, even me,
r 55	⸢lu⸣-ub-[luṭ lu-uš]-lim-ma	That I m[ay live; that I may be] whole, and
r 66	⸢i^?-na^?⸣ pi-[i-ia^? nar-bi-ka lu]-ša₂-pi9	That with [my] mout[h I may] proclaim [your greatness],
r 77	⸢da₃-li₂⸣-[li₂-ka] lud-lul	And sing [your] prais[es]!

r 88	KA-INIM-⸢MA ŠU-IL₂⸣-LA₂ ⸢^dUTU⸣10	The wording of a lifted-hand prayer to Shamash.

	(3 lines blank)
r 1313	ša₂ DINGIR [...]11	Who[se] god [. . .]
r 1414	⸢ša₂⸣ DINGIR ⸢u^?⸣ [...]	Who[se] god and [. . .]
r 1515	⸢ša₂^? DINGIR^?⸣ [...]	Who[se] god [. . .]
	the rest of the reverse is abraded or blank

1The line is indented one third of the line's width.

2Ebeling suggests restoring u₃ at the head of the line (1953: 54). Perhaps we should consider restoring [ka-ša₂].

3Ebeling 1953: 54 suggests restoring alaktī, "my way," in the gap at the head of the line. Seux 1976: 287, n.8 prefers teslītī, "my prayer."

4The restoration follows CAD Ṣ, 122, as noted by Seux 1976: 287, n.9. Fitting three signs in the gap is rather tight, though.

5The restoration follows Ebeling 1953: 54 but there may only be room for one sign (i.e., EN). Ebeling's copy shows a broken GIM but collation and context indicate RA is likely.

6The expression "3600 double-hours/leagues" is intended to express a very great distance, which the colloquial English expression "a million miles" captures well, I think.

7The restorations on the reverse follow Ebeling 1953: 54, unless noted otherwise.

8The first sign is read with Ebeling 1953: 54 against his copy.

9I see no trace of UN-MEŠ on the tablet; compare Ebeling's copy. I am not so certain that Ebeling's suggested restoration, which reads [i-na] pi U[N.MEŠ DAGAL.MEŠ nar-bi-ka lu]-ša₂-pi, will fit in the gap on the tablet. Other translators seem to agree (see von Soden 1953: 318; Seux 1976: 287; Foster 2005: 734).

10Did the scribe forget to write KAM at the end of the line?

11The signs in this and the following lines are incised in a small, shallow script. These lines may have comprised a colophon of some kind.