"I have no mother," cried Gudea, "but thou art my mother! I have no
father, but thou art a father to me!" And the goddess Gatumdug gave
ear to the patesi's prayer. Thus encouraged by her favour and that of
Ningirsu, Gudea set out for the temple of the goddess Nina.
On his arrival at the temple, the patesi offered a sacrifice and poured
out fresh water, as he had already done when approaching the presence of
Ningirsu and Gatumdug. And he prayed to Nina, as the goddess who divines
the secrets of the gods, beseeching her to interpret the vision that had
been sent to him; and he then recounted to her the details of his dream.
When the patesi had finished his story, the goddess addressed him and
told him that she would explain the meaning of his dream to him. And
this was the interpretation of the dream. The man whose stature was so
great that it equalled the heavens and the earth, whose head was that
of a god, at whose side was the divine eagle, whose feet rested on the
whirlwind, while a lion couched on his right hand and on his left, was
her brother, the god Ningirsu. And the words which he uttered were an
order to the patesi that he should build the temple E-ninnu. And the sun
which rose from the earth before the patesi was the god Ningishzida,
for like the sun he goes forth from the earth.
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