The king as the hunter of enemies (1)

Text
LKA 62:
[Who curbs] foes, trampler of his enemies, [who hunts] mountain donkeys, flushes the creatures of the steppe. [The Hunter:] Aššur is his ally, Adad is his help, Ninurta, vanguard of the gods, [go]es before him. The Hunter plans battle against the donkeys, he sharpens his dagger to cut short their lives. The donkeys listened, they gamboled alert, the Hunter’s terror had not come down upon them. They were bewildered: “Who is it that stalks us? Who is it, not having seen who we are, who tries to frighten us all? Our … will cut off the high mountains, our dwelling place lies in the … of the mountain. Let the wind send flying the Hunter’s snare! May the shootings of his bow not rise high enough to reach (us) assembled!” The Hunter heard the chatter of the mountain beasts - their speech was anxious, their words troubled: “Mouth or muscles, men are what they are born!” To the warriors who will make the breaches over the mountains he says: “Let us go and bring massacre upon the mountain beasts, with our sharpened weapons we will shed their blood.” He performed an extispicy for his appointed time, he raged like a thunderstorm, (like the) sun he was hitching up his chariotry. A journey of three days he marched [in one]. Even without sunshine a fiery heat was among them, he slashed the wombs of the pregnant, blinded the babies, he cut the throats of the strong ones among them, their troops saw the smoke of the (burning) land. Whatever land is disloyal to Aššur will turn into a ruin. Let me sing of the victory of Aššur, the mighty, who goes out to c[ombat], who triumphs over the cohorts of the earth! Let the first one hear and te[ll it] to the later ones!

Source (list of abbreviations)
LKA 62

Bibliography

Amar Annus

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