Position in chronology
A hymn to Haia for Rim-Sin (Rim-Sin B)
Written in modern English
Haia is praised as a lord of perfect wisdom and mighty counsel, the one who holds the great tablets and enriches wisdom upon wisdom. He is the accountant of Hal-an-kug, keeper of all the arts of Nisaba's house of wisdom, and palace archivist of heaven and earth — counting every single assignment, gripping a holy reed-stylus, and covering the great tablets of destiny with writing. He speaks to holy An at exactly the right moments, holds the seal of Father Enlil, brings the sacred objects out of the treasure-house of E-kur, and stands as an ornament of the abzu shrine, his hair worn loose in honor of lord Nudimmud.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — scholar edition
ETCSLLord, perfect in august wisdom and recognised for his mighty counsel, Haia, who holds the great tablets, who enriches wisdom with wisdom! Accountant of Hal-an-kug, having the final overview of the arts of Nisaba's house of wisdom; palace archivist of heaven and earth, who keeps count of every single assignment, who holds a holy reed-stylus and covers the great tablets of destiny with writing! Wise one, who prompts holy An with words and attention at the appropriate times; seal-holder of Father Enlil! He who brings forth the holy objects from the treasure-house of E-kur; ornament of the abzu shrine, wearing his hair loose for lord Nudimmud!
Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature — scholar edition (Oxford, Black/Cunningham/Robson/Zólyomi).
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Scholarly note
Composition c.2.6.9.2 in the ETCSL catalogue. Sumerian literary text reconstructed from multiple cuneiform manuscripts, the great majority Old Babylonian (c. 1900–1600 BCE). Translation reproduced from the ETCSL edition.
Attribution
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Translation excerpted from ETCSL c.2.6.9.2: A hymn to Haia for Rim-Sin (Rim-Sin B). Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E. & Zólyomi, G. (eds.), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.2.6.9.2.
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