I

Hear, O my rose!
Rose of roses,
Blossom of blossoms,
Whose heart is a jewel from the sky,
For you all the morning
I have been gathering roses!
Begging them from laughing friends in Babylon,
From smiling friends in Borsippa,
Buying them from the gardens of wondering venders,
Buying them even from the sellers in the streets
Who gaped in amazement,
Thus selling all their roses at one time,
To one man,
Divinely mad!

Full of roses are the gardens of " The Envy of Princes "

Yet not one would I gather,

Iltani, to Belânu her lord both in life and in death: I send, my lord, dearer to me than heaven and earth, and all that is in heaven and earth, this letter from my friend and mother's sister's daughter, the lady Sikku, wife of Etiatim of Hish in Parâga. The lady Sikku of Hish is to be relied on next to the lady Ishtar of Arbela. Suffer Damgula to return quickly with your consent, O my dear lord, that we may hasten together in secret, bearing the ring of Etiatim and the little lion to the lady Mayoress Ina-Esagila. If this fail, gladly will I go with you to Arala.

Belânu to Iltani who is all his as he is all hers, by the decree of Marduk and Ishtar which changes not:

Iltani, the almost destroyed one, to Sikku in whom is her hope: Woe has overtaken me, Sikku. Black woe has cast me down like a cup of alabaster. I am broken in pieces. My joy is spilt upon the hungry earth. Like a greedy dog the earth has lapped up my joy. I am dry and empty like a broken reed from which the pith has been drawn. My hand shakes for lack of sleep, for fulness of anguish. All this night that is past the night spirits tortured me. Lilu and Lilitu his handmaiden tore my breast, dug into my heart with sharp talons, rent my heart to ribbons.

Iltani, to her dear lord, Bel├ónu: May Bêl-Marduk and Ishtar, Mistress of the gods, cause my lord to live forever. Such was also my prayer to them all the night that is past. Iltani tells her lord that she did not sleep. Iltani tells her dear lord, that she lay on a couch in the garden this night that is gone, because of the house being too little for her heart. But sleep visited her not. The Star of Ishtar was her companion. All night she gazed upon the Star of Ishtar. Iltani has no sister — the Star was her sister. A mother she has — but the Star was more than a mother.

Since by the promise of Iltani
I have been crowned,
I am a king indeed.

The Four Quarters of the earth are mine,
The Four Quarters of the heaven are mine!
The mighty King who dwelleth delicately
In his palace beside E-Sagila,
In his house near the lofty House of Marduk
Walketh as in a sleep,
Dreaming that the Four Quarters are his;
But I, Belânu the poet,
I Belânu, Lord of Iltani,
Am King of Kings
Being King of Iltani!

Hands that have touched her hands
In the clasp of betrothal,
Ye too should become poets,

Iltani, to Sikku my dearest friend: Sikku, he has come. He has gone. Sikku, he ate and drank, though not much. I could neither eat nor drink. Tell me, Sikku, when Etiatim, your husband, came to see you for the first time, did he eat and drink? Did you do so? I shook under my garments. My teeth wished to knock together, but I would not allow them to. When he drank the red wine of Eridu, his beard glistened. He smiled at my mother, and wiped it delicately on the napkin of purple linen which she handed him. His mouth was red from the wine and his teeth were white within it.

I have seen my jewel in its pure setting,
I have seen Iltani in the silver setting
Of her mother's love,
Yet fair as was that setting of silver,
Lovely as Iltani shone within it,
I long with a mighty longing
To take forth from it my jewel,
To reset my jewel beyond price
In the fiery gold of my love.

Oh, how beautiful,
How much sweeter than fine myrrh,
How beautiful and sweet was Iltani
In that setting of mild silver!
How far more beautiful than precious stones
Were the blue buds of Ishtar's flower in her hair!

Iltani to Sikku, my dear friend; It is the day of his coming. But it is only the eleventh hour. There is this hour to wait. I am already adorned for the occasion. My mother has left me to see that the cakes of sesame and cinnamon, and the clarified honey, and the frothed cream, and the wine and conserves of citron are set forth in fit order. Damka also has gone to assist her. I feel that I must speak to some one. I will speak to you, O Sikku, my kind friend. I would wish you to put your arms about me. I would wish you to put your necklace of blue and green stones about my neck.

Iltani to Sikku my friend: May Marduk and Nabu and Irnini whose other name is Ishtar, all be praised. The device of the image of Ti'u and the little boat has borne fruit. Baal Belânu is cured of his fever. Ti'u has departed out of him. He wrote me these things. He also wrote me other things. But I do not think they would interest my friend Sikku. He thought the rose very small. It was indeed a small rose, as I wrote you, Sikku. But it found favour with him. This will not be interesting news to you. This news will be more interesting.