This exaltation of feminine power bears a striking resemblance to God's self-description in the Book of Job.
Queen of all Meh, too numerous to count,
rising forth as resplendent light
Woman, most driven, clothed in frightening radiance,
loved by An and Uras,
An's mandate,
you are above all the great shields of war,
You, who love the right aga-crown,
who is suited for the priesthood,
empowered with all of its all seven Meh--
my queen! You are the guardian of the great Meh!
You have uplifted the Meh,
you have held the Meh in your hand.
You have gathered the Meh,
you have clasped the Meh to your chest.
Like a dragon, you cast venom upon the enemy land.
In the regions where you thundered like Iskur,
Asnan no longer exists because of you.
Flooding waters surge down on such an enemy land.
You are the supreme one in Heaven and Earth,
you are their Inana!
Unceasing raging fire,
you shower down upon the land of Sumer
Queen, whom An gave the Meh,
you ride atop a beast.
Authorized by the fate-determining word of An,
you utter words.
The great rites are yours--
who else could fathom their meaning?
Destroyer of enemy lands--
you empowered the storm.
Beloved of Enlil--
you let terror reign over the land of Sumer
You stood prepared--
waiting to fulfill the orders of An.
My Queen!
All enemy lands bow down at the sound of your roar!
Under your fearsome radiance,
your terrible glare and storm, the people
turned their steps toward you in mute dread.
Of all the Meh,
you had grasped the most terrible and deeply stirring.
Mankind opened the gateway of tears
on your account.
They must walk the path to the house of all the great laments
on your account.
The great army was ripped away before the battle began
on your account.
My Queen! With your strength, a tooth can crush flint!
Like an invasive storm you barge in.
With the howling storm you howl.
With Iskur you thunder.
With raging thunderstorm you do exhaust
while your own foot has never yet tired.
With the harp of laments
Man strikes up a song of lamentation.
My Queen! The Anuna, the great gods,
fled from you like terrified bats to the top of the mounds of ruins.
They could not withstand your devastating glance.
They cannot stand up against the fright on your brow.
Who shall cool your angry heart?
Your hostile heart has become too violent to pacify!
Queen, has your soul really been satisfied?
Queen, is your heart really now filled with joy?
Your rage does not cool, great daughter of Suen!
Queen, greater than the enemy land--
who would dare take away any of your territory?
You take the 'mountain range' into your territory:
its Asnan is no longer.
Fire was set against its great gate.
Blood flowed in its river for you,
its people had to drink it for you.
Their troops, all gathered together,
surrendered themselves to you.
Even their elite troups, united together,
were struck down for you.
Even their strong men- all of them
had to stand before you.
In the townfs places of pleasure, a storm rages.
They hunt down their best men as captives for you.
The city, which would not say gThis land is yours!h
where the people did not say gHe is your loving father!h--
He has spoken your fate-determining word:
the territory is restored beneath your foot.
Then care disappears from within,
from their stall.
That woman there--
she no longer speaks of love with her spouse.
At night she no longer holds counsel with him.
She no longer gives her innermost self to him,
the life-giving thing inside her.
Aggressive wild cow, great daughter of Suen,
Queen, greater than heaven--
who would dare take any of your territories away from you?
The Great Queen of queens,
born for the mandate of Meh,
born of a life-laden body,
you are even greater than your own mother,
full of wisdom, foresight, queen over all lands,
who allows existence to many,
I now strike up your fate-determining song!
All powerful divinity, suitable for the Meh,
no one can become more praised than you!
Of unfathomable heart, driven woman,
of radiant heart, your rightful Meh I will list for you now!
Into my life-determining Gipar, I had entered for you.
I, the en-priestess, I, Enheduanna
While I carried the basket, I struck up the song of jubilation.
As though I had not lived there,
they offered the death sacrifice by themselves.
I came close to the light;
the light became scorching to me.
I came close to the shadow;
it was veiled by a storm.
My sweet mouth became venomous.
That with which I gave delight, turned to dust.
My fate with Suen and Lugal-Ane-- report it to An!
May An resolve it for me!
Report it to An immediately.
An will resolve it for us!
"The Lady will tear away the destiny of Lugal-Ane.
At her feet lie hostile land and flood.
She is truly mighty-
she will make the town tremble before her.
Go before the court,
so that she will be calm in her heart for me!"
I am Enheduanna.
I will now say a prayer to you.
My tears, like sweet beer
I now shed them freely for you, fate-determining Inana,
"Pass judgement!" I will say to you.
As for Asimbabbar,
concern yourself not!
While changing the purfication rites of the fate-determining An,
Lugalane altered everything for him,
he tore away the Eana from An!
He showed no awe for An Most Venerable!
This house, whose abundance He was not sated with,
whose beauty He had not tasted,
that man defamed this house for Him!
All the while, upon entering, as if he were the companion,
he approached me with his envy!
My driven, divine, wild cow!
You must drive away this 'someone',
you must seize this 'someone'!
In this place where life is made possible--
what am I?
This rebellious territory, despised by your Nanna:
An should force them to surrender!
This city-- An should strike it down!
Enlil should curse it!
The mother shall not soothe her crying child!
Queen! The laments which were struck up over the land,
your ship of wailing should be left behind in the enemy land!
And because of my fate-determining song -- must I die?
I-- my Nanna has not judged me yet!
In the rebellious land,
they completely and utterly destroyed me.
Asimbabbar most certainly has not passed a final judgement upon me!
Has he spoken it-- does it mean anything?
Has he not spoken it-- does it mean anything?
After he stood there in triumph,
he expelled me from the temple.
He made me fly like a swallow from the window-
he consumed my life--
and so I must go to the thorny undergrowth of the enemy land.
He tore the rightful aga-crown of the priesthood from me.
Handing me a dagger, he said,
"This is now your ornament!"
One and only Queen, beloved of An,
Mighty is your fate-determining heart,
for my sake, may it be turned to its place!
Beloved wife of Usumgal-Ana,
From the base to the zenith of heaven,
you are the great Queen,
the Anuna have submitted to you.
From birth you were the smaller queen,
the Anuna, all the great gods--
how you have surpassed them!
The Anuna kiss the ground before you with their lips.
My own trial is not yet over,
but a stranger sentence surrounds me as though it were my sentence.
To the radiant bed,
I did not stretch out my hand.
Nor did I reveal the words of Ningal to that 'someone'.
The radiant priestess of Nanna am I.
My Queen, beloved Queen of An,
may your heart be calmed for me.
It shall be known, it shall be known:
Nanna has proclaimed no decree,
"It is yours" is what he has said!
That you are as high as heaven: let it be known!
That you are as wide as the earth: let it be known!
That you decimate the enemy lands: let it be known!
That you roar against the enemy lands: let it be known!
That you crush the leaders: let it be known!
That you devour corpses like a predator: let it be known!
That your glance alone terrible: let it be known!
That you raise your terrible glance: let it be known!
That your glance flashes: let it be known!
That you are unshakable and unyielding: let it be known!
That you always stand triumphant: let it be known!
That Nanna has not proclaimed it,
that he has said, "It is yours",
my Queen-- it has made you greater,
you have become the greatest!
My Queen, beloved of An,
I will proclaim the extent of your wrath!
I have heaped the coals,
prepared the purification rites,
The temple stands ready for you--
will not your heart calm down for me?
Since the heart was full, too full,
great Queen, I birthed it for you.
What was said to you at midnight,
the singer of the cult shall repeat it to you at midday:
"Because of your captive spouse,
because of your captive protege,
your anger has grown large,
your heart has not calmed down."
The Queen, the strong one,
ruler over the gathering of the priests,
she did accept her offering.
The heart of life-determining Inana has turned to its place.
The light was sweet for her, delight was spread over her,
full of abundant beauty was she.
As the light of the rising Luna
she too was clothed in enchantment.
Luna came out to rightfully gaze in awe,
with her mother, Ningal, blessed her,
and then the gate post said unto her "Be hailed!"
What each said to the nugig is exalted.
Destroyer of enemy lands,
endowed with the Meh from An,
My Queen, draped in enchantment,
to you-- Inana-- be glory!