The Lady of the Morning

Honored Counselor, Ornament of Heaven, Joy of An!
When sweet sleep has ended in the bedchamber,
You appear like bright daylight.

When all the lands and the people of Sumer assemble,
Those sleeping on the roofs and those sleeping by the walls,
When they sing your praises, bringing their concerns to you,
You study their words.

You render cruel judgement against the evildoer;
You destroy the wicked.
You look with kindly eyes on the straightforward;
You give that one your blessing.

My Lady looks in sweet wonder from heaven.
The people of Sumer parade before the holy Inanna.
Inanna, the Lady of the Morning, is radiant.
I sing your praises, holy Inanna
The Lady of the Morning is radiant on the horizon.

The Lady of the Morning

Translated by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer
Selection made from Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer, Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth.
Harper & Row Publishers, New York, 1983.