Work Text:
zamārum iballuṭ, ša ezēz Adad, ina mātim ša erēb šamšim- The story lives, of the rage of the storm god, in the land of the sunset,
iwwû tāntum qeberša ul ipaṭṭar - They say the ocean does not release her victims,
bēt iwwalladū meḫ araḫ Ṭebētim - When the storms of november are given birth to,
itti buṭnī u būṣī, u kaspam u werâm- With terebinth resin and fine linen and copper and silver,
u dām erēnim rikbī kabtū- And cedar balsam the crew was weighed down,
šu eleppum damqum eṣentam kassat- That good ship was a chewed bone,
bēt meḫ araḫ Ṭebētim iḫtamṭū- When the storms of november came early.
Ḫarrānum annûm bālat mallāḫam- This journey was the captain’s pride,
ištu muṣur ina kaptarim iddekû- From egypt to crete they were summoned,
eli irtīšu kanzūzam ša ḫurāsim ilbaš- On his breast he wore a golden scarab,
ikkarib ina aššatum ša pir'û- Blessed by the wife of the pharaoh,
bēltum damiqtum Nefertiti- The beautiful lady Nefertiti
šunūti ḫurāsam udašši- She had provided them with gold,
ina alašia, ina Rodos illikū- From cyprus to rhodes they sailed,
ul īde ša šīmtam irdipšu- He knew not that fate pursued him.
gallāb šamê ina šaḫḫê iṣruḫ- The north wind in the sails cried out,
gillū eli aḫītim ibā’ūši- The waves overtook the side,
malāḫū kalušunu īdû- The sailors all knew,
ša ili anḫullim iltabbu- That the storm god howled,
mallāḫum šaḫḫītam ištu Rodos inē’- The captain turned the sailing vessel from Rodos,
ana māt likkim uba’i- He sought the land of the Lycians,
u mallāḫum ula, ula Utnapištim- But the captain was no Utnapištim,
u ziqziqqam ibā’šunūti- And the gale overtook them.
ana simin naptinim, nuḫatimmim īwu- At mealtime the cook said,
gillātum eli niāti u da’mā- The waves are stronger than us and dark,
ina mūši mašilim, da’ummum imqut- At midnight, darkness fell,
īwu aḫī, edi kunūti ṭāb- He said my brothers, the knowing of you was good,
malāḫum iṣruḫ, marratum īrub- The captain cried out, the ocean came in,
u eleppam ina puluḫtim- And the ship was in peril,
Ḫaramma, ina namārātam imqut- Later, in the third watch of the night she fell,
annum riḫiṣti elep ūlu Burun - That was the wreck of the ship Ulu Burun.
adi bēt râmam ilī illak, bēt agû- Whereto does the love of the gods go, when their wrath,
ikribī ana dāriš iturrū- Turns the prayers into eternity,
kala āmerū īwûšu šumma- The witnesses all said that if,
ḫamšā šārī illikū-ma ibtalṭū- They had gone 50 more hectares, they’d have lived,
pīqat muṣurī, pīqat ammurī - They may have been Egyptians, they may have been Amorites,
pīqat meluḫḫī u Ṣurrī- They may have been Meluhhans or Tyreans,
u šu, šu lā mammāna īdû - But that, that nobody knows,
u ašāssunu u māršunu- But their wives and their children.
nanna bukurša šamê iddinšu- Nanna gave his firstborn the heavens,
aḫūšu nūr šamšim innadin- His brother was given the light of the sun,
kiam aḫī kalašunu, iddukkū- Like all brothers they fight with each other,
šatu mūšam lāb šamê ibtā’šu- That night the lion of heaven defeated him,
bā’ir nūnī ana eleppašunu ilsumū- The fishermen ran for their boats,
ana Tarḫunna unninūšu- They prayed to Tarḫunna,
u edaniš šalamātim ītamrū- But they found only bodies,
u būṣī tābūtim ana gillī neqelpû- And fine linen floating on the waves.
ina āli bā’ir nūnī wabrī ispidū- In the fishermen’s village they mourned the strangers,
awīlū ītamrū issamkū- The men they found they buried,
bēletšunu tādirtim izmuršunūti- Their lady of mourning sang of them,
ša kala rikbim ana ulu-burun!- Of all the crew of the ulu-burun
zamārum iballuṭ, ša ezēz adad, ina mātim ša ereb šamšim- The story lives, of the rage of the storm god, in the land of the sunset,
aḫi erēb šamšim qeberka ul ipaṭṭar - The sunset’s brother does not release his victims,
bēt meḫ araḫ Ṭebētim iḫammuṭū- When the storms of november come early…