An Anthology of Czechoslovak Literature/Babylonian Inscription

Babylonian Inscription

SHARRUK-INU am I, strong king of Agan.I had for mother a princess; my fatherI wist not of. My father’s brother dweltIn distant mountain-lands. At Az, my city,The which is set upon Euphrates’ banks,My mother, the princess, bare me in secret.She laid me down within an osier basket,Firmly with asphalt closed the orifice,And to the stream committed me. The streamCarried me unto Akki, the water-bearer.Akki, the water-bearer, kindly-hearted,Lifted me out. Akki, the water-bearer,Fostered me as his son and nurtured me.And Akki, the water-bearer, trained me asHis gardener. To me, the gardener, The goddess Istar lavish was of grace:I became king. For five and forty yearsI ruled in glory. Of the dark-haired peopleI was the lord. And upon bronzen chariotsThrice did I fare unto the distant mountains.E’en to their summits thrice did I ascend.And thrice I ranged to Nitukk, which is setHard by the very ocean-waves. I madeEarth pay me tribute far and wide; its kingsI humbled, and destroyed the rebel cities.

If after me there come a king, who rulesOver the dark-haired people, and who thriceOn bronzen chariots fares to distant mountains,And to their summits if he thrice ascendAnd thrice doth range to Nitukk, which is setHard by the very ocean-waves, and makeEarth pay him tribute far and wide, its kingsThen humbles, and destroyeth rebel cities,—Then let him tarry here and con this tablet,Mindful that I achieved it all before him,I Sharruk-inu, the strong king of Agan.Mindful that he is now what I have been,And that he soon shall be what I am now.—

And in among the ruins lies this stone,’Mid piles of other stones and it is mute.And in the desert sand the ruins lie,Which desert stretches onward far and wideAnd it is mute. Mute the hot sky above it,And ages journey there with silent tread. . . .In the Gleam of Hellenic Sun (1906)

This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.

Original:

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1930.

The longest-living author of this work died in 1942, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 82 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse

Translation:

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1930.

The longest-living author of this work died in 1970, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 54 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse