*As a plus, that's a really interesting religious poem. That heartfelt let's-worship-the-sexbomb thing is something you just don't get in a lot of religions.
http://www.soas.ac.uk/baplar/recordings/ammi-ditnas-hymn-to-itar-read-by-doris-prechel.html
"Babylonian and Assyrian Poetry and Literature: An Archive of Recordings
"This website collects recordings of modern Assyriologists reading ancient Babylonian and Assyrian poetry and literature aloud in the original language. It is the first undertaking of its kind, and accordingly some explanation of its aims is called for.
"It is intended to serve several purposes, some for Assyriologists, and some for the wider public. First, it aims to foster interest among students of Babylonia and Assyria in how these civilisations’ works of verbal art were read aloud in the past, and how they should be read aloud today.
"Second, it provides a forum in which scholars who have theories about Babylonian and Assyrian pronunciation, metre, etc. can present a concrete example of how their theories sound in practice. (In this function the archive does not of course aim to replace scholarly discussion in established channels, but rather to provide a useful complement to written publications).
"Third, as a record of the ways in which contemporary scholars read Babylonian and Assyrian, it will some day serve a historical function. Many great Assyriologists, including some who had influential theories of Babylonian metre and phonology, passed into history without leaving a single recording of how they read Babylonian and Assyrian. This archive will provide at least some record of how scholars read Babylonian and Assyrian in the twenty-first century….
"Finally, but not least, the questions which students of ancient languages most frequently hear from laymen are: "How did they sound? And how do you know?". This website is meant to serve as an introduction to these issues, providing the public with some idea of how modern Assyriologists think Babylonian and Assyrian were pronounced…."
(((Babylonians and Assyrians would probably laugh aloud at the hick accents here, but that definitely sounds like a language, as real and human as Arabic or Hebrew.)))
(…)
5 She who gets excited, clothed in sex appeal,
6 adorned with fruits, charm and allure.
7 Ishtar, who gets excited, clothed in sex appeal,
8 adorned with fruits, charm and allure.
9 [š]aptīn duššupat balāṭum pīša
10 simtišša ihannīma ṣīhātum
11 šarhat irimmū ramû rēšušša
12 baniwā šimtāša bitrāmā īnāša šit'arā
9 She is sweet at the lips, her mouth is life,
10 Delights are lush on her cheeks,
11 She is lovely, beads are strewn on her head,
12 Her cheeks are comely, her eyes twinkle and sparkle.
13 eltum ištawša ibašši milkum
14 šīmat mimmami qātišša tamhat
15 napalsušša bani buārum
16 bāštum mašrahu lamassum šēdum
13 The pure one, with her rests counsel,
14 She holds in her hand the fate of anything you care to name,
15 Seeing her makes for happiness,
16 Pride, splendour, protective spirit male and female.
17 tartāmī tešmê ritūmī ṭūbī
18 u mitguram tebēl šīma
19 ardat tattadû umma tarašši
20 izakkarši in-nišī inabbi šumša
17 Of love-making, seduction, making love, pleasure
18 and harmony, she is the lady ruler.
19 The girl who was exposed will get a mother,
20 She will mention her among the people, speak her name.
21 ayyûm narbiaš išannan mannum
22 gašrū ṣīrū šūpû parṣūša
23 ištar narbiaš išannan mannum
24 gašrū ṣīrū šūpû parṣūša
21 Who can rival any of her glory?
22 her powers are mighty, exalted and manifest.
23 Ishtar, who can rival her glory?
24 her powers are mighty, exalted and manifest….
