Position in chronology
CDLI Literary 000365, ex. 058
About this tablet
An Old Babylonian school tablet from Nippur carrying an extract from the Sumerian epic 'Gilgamesh and Huwawa (Version A)' — the story of Gilgamesh's expedition to the Cedar Mountain, a forerunner of the famous Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic. In this passage Gilgamesh swears by his mother, the goddess Ninsun, and his father Lugalbanda that he will not turn back to the city until he learns whether the monstrous guardian Huwawa is man or god. His servant Enkidu answers with the epic's most human moment: you have not seen this creature, so you are not afraid — I have seen him, and I am terrified.
Plain-language summary by the engine — meant as a doorway into the literal translation below.
Written in modern English
Gilgamesh swears an oath: 'By the life of my own mother Ninsun and my father, holy Lugalbanda! Am I to end up back dozing on my mother's lap?' And he says it a second time: 'By my mother Ninsun and my father Lugalbanda — whether that being is human or a god, I will not turn my steps back to the city; I have set them toward the mountains and there they stay.' His loyal servant, trying to calm him down and make life seem worth keeping, answers his master: 'My lord, you haven't seen that creature, so nothing grips your heart. But I have seen him — and my heart is gripped with fear.' The opening line of the extract is too broken to read.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — our engine
Our engine1. [...] he set [...] toward [...] 2. [By the life of] my own mother, divine [Nin]sun(?), and my [father], holy Lugal[banda]! 3. May I [become again(?)] as if slumbering in wonder(?) on the lap of my own mother Ninsun. 4. For a [second] time he indeed said it to him: 5. By the life of my own mother Ninsun and my [father(?)], holy Lugalbanda! 6. Whether he be a [hu]man, whether he be known(?), whether he be a god [...], 7. my steps that I have set toward the mountains I shall not set back toward the city! 8. The faithful slave, who would soothe(?), who makes life seem sweet, 9. answered his master: 10. My [lord], you — you have not seen that man; your heart has not been seized (with dread). 11. But [I] — I have seen that man; my heart has been seized (with dread)!
Our translation engine — Fable 5. Reads the photo, translates the cuneiform, and writes a plain-language interpretation. See methodology for limits.
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Transliteration
[x x]-sze3!(KU) bi2-in-gar# [...] [x] ama ugu-gu10 AN#-[...]-a#-gu10 kug lugal#-[x x] [x]-ub# ama ugu-<gu10> nin-sun2-ka u3-di-de3 ha#-ba#-[x x] [x x]-ma-sze3 in NA ga-nam-mu-na-ab-be2 zi# ama AMA-ugu-<gu10> nin-sun2-ka [x x]-gu10 ku3 lugal-ban3-da [...]-u18#-lu he2-a im-zu he2#-a# dingir he2-a#-[x x] giri3# SZE3 kur-sze3 gub-ba-gu10 iri-sze3 ba-ra-gub-be2-en# ARAD2# zi an-du10 nam-ti ba-an-ku7!(USZ)-ku7 lugal#-a-ni-ir inim mu-ni-ib-gi4-gi4 [x]-gu10 za-e lu2-ba nu-mu#-ni-du8-a sza3 nu-mu-ni-in-dab5#-TE-am3 [x]-e lu2-ba igi i-ni-du8-a sza3 mu-[x x]-in-dab5-ba
Scholarly note
Catalogue entry from CDLI (Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)) — CDLI Literary 000365, ex. 058. No scholarly translation has been published; the transliteration is from the ATF (CDLI's Atf-Friendly format).
Attribution
Image: IM 058497 (National Museum of Iraq, Baghdad, Iraq) — from Nippur (mod. Nuffar) — Photo via Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (cdli.earth/artifacts, P356707). source
Translation excerpted from engine:claude-fable-5 (2026-07-12/v7-evolved).
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