When the heavens above did not exist,
And earth beneath had not come into being
There was Apsu, the first in order, their begetter,
(and) maker Tiamat, who bore them all,
They were mingling their waters together,
No lea was packed together, no canebrake matted close.
When no gods at all had been brought forth,
Cwengâr
English
Original Old Babylonian
Cwengâr
Retranslation
When the sky above was not named,
And the earth beneath did not yet bear a name,
And the primeval Apsû, who begat them,
And chaos, Tiamat, the mother of them both,
Their waters were mingled together,
And no field was formed, no marsh was to be seen;
When of the gods none had been called into being.
e-nu-ma e-liš la na-bu-ú šá-ma-mu
šap-liš am-ma-tum šu-ma la zak-rat
ZU.AB-ma reš-tu-ú za-ru-šu-un
mu-um-mu ti-amat mu-al-li-da-at gim-ri-šú-un
A.MEŠ-šú-nu iš-te-niš i-ḫi-qu-ú-ma
gi-pa-ra la ki-is-su-ru su-sa-a la she-'u-ú
e-nu-ma dingir dingir la šu-pu-u ma-na-ma
Gwêrh fôffan egwà anepemocw c'hed,
O angâff agwôrh âr et cwy ês 'emocw,
O anenesocw e cwâfôffan nApàsê ed rhô âdànàf nàl,
o angyn Nêhamat, et peg'hôrh e lhô ,
Anenocw e lhô ngan,
O anenâc'h e en fôlŷr, o anengâm e en rêlhô,
Egwà apemocw êlhôn hen dà te.
During the time when the sky had not been named,
when the earth which lies beneath us kept no name,
And primeval Apàsê, the father of those two,
and Lawless Têhamat, who birthed them, were not yet conjoined,
their water was not twisted,
And no field lay, no hills were seen,
When the Gods had not named one.
Soc'ul'
Soc'ul'
English
Xil eý xen āhíúnen hé cuj cun'mi taitu,
Xen āhun' hed' xil eý muj cun'mi taitu,
Apsû xem'utsem xem'utsem, āhaínál'az,
Kem'am', Tiamat, hab ej je,
Aímojom jál je jenxad,
Xen uatxiý mim'uj, xen uuc'iý xeric;
Xil eý aíxauc'iý aílaiý yañ'an xen'.
When the sky above was not named,
And the earth beneath did not yet bear a name,
And the primeval Apsû, who begat them,
And chaos, Tiamat, the mother of them both,
Their waters were mingled together,
And no field was formed, no marsh was to be seen;
When of the gods none had been called into being.
Xil eý
when
xen
NEG
āh-íúnen
REL-COP.CL1>CL4
hé
INAL.CL1
cuj
sky
cun'mi
be above
taitu,
name
{Xil eý} xen āh-íúnen hé cuj cun'mi taitu,
when NEG REL-COP.CL1>CL4 INAL.CL1 sky {be above} name
Xen
NEG
āh-un'
REL-COP.CL5>CL5
hed'
CL5.INAL
xil eý
then
muj
earth
cun'mi
be below
taitu,
name
Xen āh-un' hed' {xil eý} muj cun'mi taitu,
NEG REL-COP.CL5>CL5 CL5.INAL then earth {be below} name
