hining skies;
4 thou hast opened the door of heaven.
5 Sun, above the countries thou hast raised thy head.
6 Sun, thou hast covered the immensity of the heavens and
the terrestrial countries.

(The fragments of the four following lines are too mutilated to furnish
any connected sense; all the rest of the hymn is entirely wanting.)

SECOND HYMN [Footnote: See also Lenormant, "Chaldean Magic," p. 180.]

1 Lord, illuminator of the darkness, who piercest the face
of darkness,
2 merciful god, who settest up those that are bowed down,
who sustainest the weak,
3 toward the light the great gods direct their glances,
4 the archangels of the abyss,[1] every one of them, contemplate
eagerly thy face.
5 The language of praise,[2] as one word, thou directest it.
6 The host of their heads seeks the light of the Sun in the
South.[3]
7 Like a bridegroom thou restest joyful and gracious.[4]
8 In thy illumination thou dost reach afar to the boundaries
of heaven.[5]
9 Thou art the banner of the vast earth.
10 O God! the men who dwell afar off contemplate thee and
rejoice.
11 The great gods fix ...[6]
12 Nourisher of the luminous heavens, who favorest ...[7]
13 He who has not turned his hands (toward thee ...[7]
14 ....[7]

[Footnote 1: In the Assyrian version, "The archangels of the earth." ]

[Footnote 2: In the Assyrian version, "The eager language."]

[Footnote 3: The Assyrian version has simply, "of the sun." ]

[Footnote 4: "Like a wife thou submittest thyself, cheerful and kindly."--
Sayce.]

[Footnote 5: In the Assyrian version, "Thou art the illuminator of the
limits of the distant heavens."]

[Footnote 6: Here occurs a word which I cannot yet make out.]

[Footnote 7: Lacunae.]

THIRD HYMN

1 Thou who marchest before ...[1]
2 With Anu and Bel ...[1]
3 The support of crowds of men, direct them!
4 He who rules in heaven, he who arranges, is thyself.
5 He who establishes truth in the thoughts of the nations, is
thyself.
6 Thou knowest the truth, thou knowest what is false.
7 Sun, justice has raised its head;
8 Sun, falsehood, like envy, has spoken calumny.
9 Sun, the servant of Anu and Bel [2] is thyself;
10 Sun, the supreme judge of heaven and earth is thyself.
11 Sun, ...

(In this place occurs the gap between the two fragments on the obverse and
on the reverse of the tablet.)

12 Sun, the supreme judge of the count