When the purification of E-ninnu was completed and the way between
the old temple and the new made ready, all the inhabitants of the city
prostrated themselves on the ground. "The city," says Gudea, "was like
the mother of a sick man who prepareth a potion for him, or like the
cattle of the plain which lie down together, or like the fierce lion,
the master of the plain, when he coucheth." During the day and the night
before the ceremony of removal, prayers and supplications were uttered,
and at the first light of dawn on the appointed day the god Ningirsu
went into his new temple "like a whirlwind," the goddess Bau entering
at his side "like the sun rising over Shirpurla." She entered beside his
couch, like a faithful wife, whose cares are for her own household, and
she dwelt beside his ear and bestowed abundance upon Shirpurla.
As the day began to brighten and the sun rose, Gudea set out as
offerings in the temple a fat ox and a fat sheep, and he brought a vase
of lead and filled it with wine, which he poured out as a libation, and
he performed incantations. Then, having duly established Ningirsu and
Bau in the chief shrine, he turned his attention to the lesser gods and
installed them in their appointed places in the temple, where they would
be always ready to assist Ningirsu in the temple ceremonies and in the
issue of his decrees for the welfare of the city and its inhabitants.
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