Sage:

Gather round, children,
and I will tell you of things long past,
how our fathers worshipped in days of darkness,
the tales they wove of goddessess and gods
as fickle as humankind.
In ancient Sumer, in the city of Ur,
long before Moses brought the Ten Words,
before Father Abraham wept in his cradle,
the people of Sumer glorified Inanna,
she whom they called the goddess of love,
goddess of battle,
the Queen of Heaven and Lady of Largest Heart.
Her they worshiped — sang praises to her name,
danced before her, made love in her honor.
Her brightness they beheld each night and each morn
on the horizon of their ancient steppe,
and what they did not know they devised,
imputing to her the common traits of man.
As fresh as yesterday, as candid as the morrow,
her tales, long silent, show us again today
the foibles of our kind in tenderness and charity.
She could be cruel, this Lady of Love and intimacy,
could strike with terror a death-blow to her enemies.
Yet tonight we shall witness her vernal heart
and meet with her in these seraphic halls
to behold the loveliness she inspired,
the poetry of reeds long silent from hearts that beat no more
save by the undulations of the wind.
Let us then, with hearts of like measure,
pulsing with the blood of youth,
peregrinate across the millennia
and pull back the curtain of time.

Act One, Scene 1

[Main curtain rises. A second curtain remains.]

Chorus:

In the first days,
in the very first days;
in the first nights,
in the very first nights;
in the first years,
in the very first years,
when order came from chaos,
when all that was needed was created,
when all that was needed was sustained,
when bread was baked in the shrines of the land,
when bread was eaten in the homes of the land;
when heaven had moved from earth,
and earth had moved from heaven,
and the name of man was fixed;
when sky god An had carried away the heavens;
and air god Enlil had carried away the earth;
when Erishkigal was crowned Queen of the Underworld,
Queen of the Underworld,
queen of her dark domain —
then Enki set sail.
Enki, god of wisdom,
Enki sailed forth to the Underworld.
Windstorms pressed against him;
hailstones hurled themselves like rushing turtles
and assaulted his skiff.
The waters devoured his bow like wolves,
they struck against his stern like lions.
Tumultuous was his journey.
In that time a solitary tree
was planted beside the Euphrates.
It was nurtured by the waters,
and it grew proud and strong.
But a south wind rose, a mighty lil,
pulled at its roots
and ripped at its branches
till the river took it away.

[Inanna enters in front of second curtain]

Inanna,
daughter of An,
daughter of Ningal,
a young virgin who walked in the fear of the gods,
strolled along the banks
and plucked the tree from the waters
and planted it in her garden.

Inanna:

I, the Lady,
encircling sky, encircling earth,
to the east encircling Elam lands,
to the west encircling Subir lands,
to the north encircling Lullubi lands.
I am Inanna,
goddess of love,
goddess of battle,
Lady of Largest heart,
nursed in heaven,
ripened on earth.
The black-headed praise me with song,
the Sumerians sing as one
a song of joy to my name.
My eyes scan the whole of earth —
I know the length of it;
my feet tread heaven’s pure road —
I know the depth of it.
Even the awesome Anunna
stand themselves in awe of me.
Why then have I no throne?
Why no royal bed?
How long shall it be
until I have a shining throne to sit upon?
How long shall I wait
until I have a glimmering bed to rest upon?
Patience, Inanna! Patience!
Time is in my hand,
Queen of heaven.
Time obeys my will.
Patience, Inanna,
full of youth and beauty.
Patience, Inanna!
Let time flow,
let time nurture,
let time see you flourish!

[Second curtain rises to reveal her garden. She sings to the huluppu tree]

Grow my tree,
my huluppu tree.
Rescued from the surging torrent,
planted in my garden
to be my delight.
Raise your head to the heavens,
spread your branches over me.
In the cool of your shade
I shall rule my domain.
Lovely tree, my huluppu tree,
embrace the earth with your roots,
caress the heavens with your branches.
Be strong, be noble,
be my delight in my garden.

Chorus:

The years passed.
First five years, then ten.
The tree grew thick,
but its bark did not split.
Then a serpent who could not be charmed
made its nest in the roots of the tree,
the anzu bird set its young in the branches,
and the dark Lilith made her home in its trunk.

Ballet

[“The Huluppu Tree” ballet follows. Solo violin is on side of stage.]

[The next morning. Geshtinanna is singing and playing her harp in Inanna’s garden. Inanna and Utu enter during the song.]

Geshtinanna:

Where do you roam, thou Gilgamesh?
The life thou dost pursue you shall not find.
When the gods created man,
death they set aside,
in their own hands retaining life.
Let thy belly be full, Gilgamesh.
Make merry by night and day,
each day a feast day of rejoicing.
Pay heed to the little one holding thy hand —
let thy wife delight in thy bosom.
For this is the duty of man. [The song then repeats]

Inanna:

Good morrow, Geshtinanna, my little friend,
my tablet-knowing scribe, the singer of many songs.
Your songs charm the world and brighten my garden.

Geshtinanna:

Good morrow, Inanna.
Good morrow, Utu.

Utu:

Geshtinanna, were I not betrothed,
your songs could steal my heart away.

Geshtinanna:

Are you saying you secretly love me?
For I too know a secret.

Utu:

Love you, yes, but in purity of friendship.
But pray, what is your secret?

Geshtinanna:

I know who loves Inanna.

Inanna:

All people of Sumer love me, Geshtinanna.

Geshtinanna:

Yes, but there is one who loves
in deeper folds of the heart,
who keeps his love stored up in his heart
lest his wife should discover his hidden secret.

Inanna:

A wedded man? This is no choice for me.

Geshtinanna:

Nonetheless, he yearns for you,
lies sleepless in his bridal bed,
thinking of you and not of his dark wife.
Gugalanna loves you, Inanna.

Inanna:

Gugalanna? My childhood friend?
He is the husband of my sister Ereshkigal,
the Queen of the Underworld. This cannot be.

Geshtinanna:

You know your sister, dear friend,
how cold her heart, how lifeless her gaze.
In presence of such emptiness
Gugalanna sighs for you.

Inanna:

If this be true we must keep it between ourselves alone.
Ereshkigal must never know,
lest her wrath come to Gugalanna.

Utu:

Soon, though, Inanna,
you should take a husband of your own.
That would quell his appetite.

Inanna:

[laughs]
spoken: Silly Utu!
singing: A husband? For Inanna?
In good time, Utu, but not too soon.
I am young and free,
I delight in youth.
Not for Inanna the burdens of a bridegroom.
No husband for Inanna!
I delight now in the pleasures of my garden.
What need have I for a bridegroom?
I’ve friends and a brother who cares for me,
who watches o’er my sheepfold
and harvests all my wheat and my flax.
No husband for Inanna!
I shall sing and dance in my garden.
The river, the reeds, the flowers —
these for now shall be my bridegroom.
What need have I for a husband
when all these suffice me,
My garden and my lovely and stalwart huluppu tree?

[She suddenly notices the creatures in the tree]

What is this? Who has slept in my tree?
Who dares? Who dares steal its affections from me?
Who dares, as though they seduced my own bridegroom?
Shoo! Shoo! Go away!

Utu:

Beware, Inanna!
It is a serpent, an anzu bird, and the dark Lilith!

Inanna:

Vile usurpers, go away!
Shoo! Shoo! Go away!
Oh, Utu, they will not leave my tree!
They will not leave. [she weeps]

Utu:

Do not weep, my sister.
As they will not heed your voice,
they shall pay the penalty.
Loathsome beasts, face the wrath of Utu!

[Pantomime: Utu kills the serpent with his battle-axe; the anzu bird and Lilith flee in terror. He then cuts down the tree and from it makes a royal throne and a royal bed for Inanna.]

Chorus:

Then did Utu wield his battle-axe.
He slew the serpent with such vengeance
that the anzu bird flew away to the mountains
and Lilith shrieked and fled to the wild places.
Her tree now violate, Inanna wept —
how she wept! —
and could not be comforted.
And so Utu cut down the tree,
and from its trunk he carved a royal throne
and a royal bed for Inanna.

Utu:

Behold, Inanna, the throne you have long desired!
Ascend, great goddess, and be crowned in majesty!

Chorus & Utu:

Great Lady, the Amazement of the Land,
the Evening Star, the brave one who appears first in heaven —
all lands shall fear thee, all Sumer shall worship thee,
and bring thee offerings
of sweet incense, sheep, and fruits of all kinds.
Great Lady, ascend your throne in majesty!

Act One, Scene 2

[Inanna’s temple some time later. Inanna, Geshtinanna, Ninshubur, and Utu are present.]

Utu:

My sister, your flower blossoms
and your breasts are full.
They cry out for a husband;
your fertile field is ripe for sowing.
Sister, it is time that you were wed.

Inanna:

True, my brother,
the time of youth has passed.
I have now my royal throne
and ’tis time I were wed
to share my throne,
share my royal bed,
share the mysteries of love.
[the lines are repeated while Utu & Geshtinanna sing]

Utu & Geshtinanna:

Inanna, we both agree,
the time of youth has passed.
You have now your royal throne and your royal bed.
Share now your glory and your pow’r —
learn the mysteries of love.

Utu:

Young maiden, the flax is in its fulness,
and, like you, is lovely.
The grain glistens in the furrow.
I will hoe it for you, my sister.
A piece of fine linen is always needed.

Inanna:

And Utu, when you have brought me the flax,
who will comb it for me?

Utu:

I will bring it to you combed, Inanna.

Inanna:

Then who will spin it for me?

Utu:

I will bring it to you spun.

Inanna:

Then who will braid it for me?

Utu:

I will bring it to you braided.

Inanna:

And who will warp it for me?

Utu:

I will bring it to you warped.

Inanna:

Then who will weave it for me?

Utu:

I will bring it to you woven.

Inanna:

And who will bleach it for me?

Utu:

I will bring it to you bleached.
A wondrous bridal sheet you shall have!

Inanna:

Then, Utu, the question remains:
Who will go to bed with me?
Who will be my beloved bridegroom?

Utu:

Sister, your husband will go to bed with you,
he who was born of a fertile womb —
Dumuzi the shepherd.
He will go to bed with you and be your beloved bridegroom.

Inanna:

No, my brother, not the shepherd, not Dumuzi.
The man of my heart tills with a hoe,
he gathers grain in great measure
and brings it to my storehouses.
Gilgamesh the farmer —
he shall be my bridegroom!

Utu:

But, sister, you should instead marry the shepherd.
Why speak of Gilgamesh?
If he brings you black flour,
Dumuzi will give you black wool.
If he gives you beer,
Dumuzi will give you sweet milk.
If he gives you bread,
Dumuzi will give you honey.
Why speak of the farmer?
What has he more than Dumuzi?

Inanna:

I will not marry the shepherd!
He has not won my heart as has Gilgamesh.
Why sit in silence, Geshtinanna?
Why not plead my cause with me?
Geshtinanna, I love you as a sister,
but your brother has not won my heart,
Dumuzi has not captured me.
Speak for me on behalf of Gilgamesh.
It is he my heart desires.

Geshtinanna:

Inanna, though he is my brother,
I must speak for Dumuzi.
He is a worthy man,
and there is no doubt he loves you.
Open your heart to my Dumuzi.

Ninshubur:

She speaks wisely, my lady.
In all the land there is no better choice.
Dumuzi is the one for Inanna.

[Utu quietly leaves the stage and returns with Dumuzi during Inanna’s aria.]

Inanna:

Ninshubur, you have always been my wisest counselor,
and Geshtinanna, my dearest friend.
Now the choice is mine.
Whom shall I choose to share my bed?
Who shall become the bridegroom of Inanna?
What now I speak,
let the poet weave into song.
What now I say to you,
let it flow from ear to mouth,
let it pass from old to young.
What now I speak,
let the poet weave into song.
What now I say,
let it flow from ear to mouth,
let it pass from old to young.
The sacred horn,
the slender boat of heaven;
the sacred horn,
the slender boat of heaven,
my vulva is eager,
my vulva is eager for the young moon.
As for me, Inanna,
Who will plow my vulva?
Who will plow my sacred field?
Who will plow my fertile mound?
Who will plow my vulva?
As for me, the young virgin,
Who will plow my vulva?
Who will stand the bold ox there?
Who will sow the precious seed?
Who will plow,
who will plow,
who will plow my vulva?

Dumuzi:

Great Lady, the king will plow your vulva.
I, Dumuzi the king, will plow your sacred field.

Inanna:

Very well, then you shall plow my vulva, man of my heart!
’Tis you I choose.
You shall be the one my womb loves best.
You shall be lettuce planted by the water.
You shall caress my thighs and sweeten me with honey.

Dumuzi:

O Lady, your breast is your field,
it pours forth plants and fields of grain.
Water flows from on high for your servant.
Pour it out for me, Inanna, pour it out!
And I will drink all that you offer!

Ninshubur:

You have chosen well, Inanna.
Dumuzi shall become your king.
Prepare now the bridal bed,
and seal the tablet.

[Some of the chorus prepares the bed while Dumuzi and Inanna affix their seals to the marriage tablet Geshtinanna has inscribed]

Behold, my queen,
behold, the choice of thy heart,
the king, your beloved bridegroom.
Behold, the choice of thy heart,
the king, your beloved bridegroom.
May he spend long days
in the sweetness of thy holy loins,
thy holy loins.
Grant him a famous and glorious reign.
Grant him the king’s throne, firmly established.
Grant him the shepherd’s staff of judgment.
Grant him the crown,
the everlasting crown of splendid, radiant diadem.
From the rising to the setting of the sun,
from south to north, to the four quarters,
O let the shepherd’s staff protect us,
protect all Sumer and Akkad.
Under him let the sheepfolds multiply.
Under him let the vegetation thrive.
Under him let the grains grow richly.
Let reeds grow high in the canebrake.
Let mashgur trees spread their leaves in the steppe.
Let there be honey and wine in the orchards.
May he spend long days
in the sweetness of thy holy loins,
thy holy loins.

Inanna:

Make your milk sweet and thick, my bridegroom.
My shepherd, I will drink your fresh milk.
Wild bull, Dumuzi, make your milk sweet.
I shall drink, drink your sweet milk.
Fill my holy churn with honey cheese.
Lord Dumuzi, I will drink your sweet milk.
I will watch over your house of life,
the house that gives breath to the people of Sumer.
I, the queen — I will watch over your house.

[They go behind the veil and are silhouetted against it. As the lights dim they are seen tenderly touching hand to hand, then embracing, and eventually lying down together during the chorus.]

Chorus:

He put his hand in her hand,
he put his hand next to her heart.
He put his hand in her hand,
he put his hand next to her heart.
Sweet is the sleep of hand in hand,
sweeter still the sleep of heart to heart.
Sweet is the sleep of hand in hand,
sweeter still the sleep of heart to heart.



[END ACT ONE]


Act Two, Scene 1

Chorus:

[Pantomime, in front of curtain]
Word came to Inanna that Gugalanna was dead.
The friend of her youth had died.
He was wed to Ereshkigal, the dark sister of Inanna,
and queen of the Underworld.
Inanna loved him as her own brother,
and she resolved to go to him,
to pour the beer of his funeral rites.
Ninshubur begged her not to go,
for those who go to the Underworld
do not return, do not return.
But Inanna was not afraid.
She dressed herself in her royal attire,
and with her seven me’s of power,
and with her lapis staff in her hand,
she ventured forth to the world all flesh doth dread.

[Still in front of curtain, a single gateway symbolizes the seven gates to the Underworld. Inanna approaches and demands entrance. An Anunna appears to challenge her.]

Anunna (solo):

Who comes there, imploring,
knocking and crying so fiercely?
Who there? Who deigns to enter?

Inanna:

I am Inanna, Queen of Heaven,
on my way to the East.

Anunna:

Why has your heart led you on the road
from which there is no return?

Inanna:

Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, has died.
I have come to bury him.
Let the beer of his funeral rites,
the beer of his funeral rites,
be poured into the cup.
Let it be done!

Anunna:

Then enter!
Come, Inanna, and face what you must face.

[Inanna passes through the gate. The Anunna removes her crown to her great alarm.]

Inanna:

What is this?

Anunna:

Hush! The ways of the Underworld are perfect.
They may not be questioned.
They may not be questioned.
Do not question.

[He proceeds to remove her lapis necklace, the double-strand of beads, her breastplate, gold bracelet, lapis measuring rod, and finally her royal robe. Inanna is left wearing only a simple shift as an undergarment. Thus denuded of all her symbols of authority, Inanna enters the court of Ereshkigal as the curtain rises.]

Ereshkigal:

How dare, Inanna!
You enter the Underworld bereft of all royalty,
standing here like an impoverished mortal!
You insult us!

Inanna:

The Anunna —

Ereshkigal:

It was at my command.
You stand here before me as is your due,
shamed, humbled, humiliated, impoverished.
For you have impoverished my soul,
stealing from me the affections of my husband.
Gugalanna confessed to me his love for you, Inanna.
I allow no perfidy in my domain.
For his faithlessness he was condemned,
and now you shall soon join him as your heart desired.

Inanna:

Ereshkigal, I am not guilty!
I did not woo Gugalanna,
did not take him into my bed.
If he loved me, it was from his own heart.
If he loved me, it was from his own heart.
It was no fault of mine.

Ereshkigal:

Lies, vixen! All lies!
Do you deny, “Queen of Heaven,”
that you are the goddess of love?
Who can stand before you
and not be moved?
Who can behold your face
and not be touched?
Who can hear your voice
and not be bewitched?
Who but I
and my faithful servants in the Underworld?

Inanna:

Guiltless! I am guiltless!
Yes, I loved Gugalanna,
but it was love of friend to friend,
friend to friend.
Does not love embrace all forms,
embrace all forms?
When I heard he was dead,
I risked all to pay him his rightful honor.
I knew not his heart was mine,
else I’d have rescued him before now.

Ereshkigal:

By your own words you stand condemned.
You have taken what was mine.
You stand guilty of his death.
Your life is forfeit.

Inanna:

No! You killed him, Ereshkigal.
Your jealous heart,
void of affection,
destroyed the only beauty of your world.
I stand guiltless.

Ereshkigal:

You shall not be judged by me, Inanna,
but by the Anunna.
How say ye?

Anunna (chorus):

Guilty, Inanna, guilty.
You have stolen from our queen,
and you murdered Gugalanna.
You are guilty. [Repeated two additional times]

Inanna:

No! No! No!
My heart does not condemn me,
Lady of Largest Heart,
goddess of love, friend of Gugalanna —
not more, nor less.
I come only to honor him,
to pour the beer of his funeral rites.
I am guiltless! Guiltless!
You have no cause to harm me,
no cause, no cause to harm me.
I am innocent!.

Ereshkigal:

You have heard the verdict,
queen of brothels.
You shall no longer bewitch
the hearts of plighted men.
Your sentence is death.

Inanna:

Innocent I stand before you.
I am blameless.
My only crime is showing more love to Gugalanna
than did you.

Ereshkigal:

Lying whore! [slaps her and Inanna falls dead]
Now you may join Gugalanna in his bed of worms.
Let them plow your vulva.

[Ereshkigal exits; the Anunna hang Inanna’s body on the wall.]

Intermezzo 1:
“Elegy for Inanna”

Act Two, Scene 2

Chorus:

[Pantomime, in front of curtain]
For three days and three nights
Ninshubur waited patiently for Inanna,
but she did not return from the Underworld.
She lamented for her beside the ruins.
She beat the drum of sadness in lonely places
and circled the houses of the gods.
She tore at her eyes,
she tore at her mouth,
she tore at her thighs.
She dressed herself in sackcloth and wailed long and dolefully.
As Inanna had commanded,
she sought help from the gods of Sumer.
She pled with them:

Ninshubur:

Gods of Sumer, O save my queen!
Do not let your daughter die in the Underworld.
Do not let your silver be tarnished,
your precious lapis be broken.
Let not your fragrant boxwood
be common firewood.
Let not the holy priestess of heaven
meet a shameful end in the Underworld.

Chorus:

But Enlil and Nanna and Eridu would not help her.
Envious of her powers, they answered thus:
“Inanna craved the Great Above,
she craved the Great Below.
She who receives the me of the Underworld does not return.
She who ventures to the Dark City remains there.”
At last she came to the temple of Enki,
and there she met with a caring heart.
Enki was troubled, he was mightily grieved.
He alone took pity on Inanna.
And from the dirt beneath his fingernails
he created a kurgarra and a galatur.
These he instructed:
“Go ye to the Underworld,
and there you will find Ereshkigal in the throes of pain.
Her heart is breaking for Gugalanna,
and she now recoils at her treatment of Inanna.
Go, stand beside her.
When she moans, moan with her.
When she cries, cry with her.
This will ease her soul,
and she will offer you a gift.
Ask only for the corpse of Inanna
that hangs upon her temple wall.
Having received it, sprinkle on her lifeless form
the food of life and the water of life.
Inanna will arise.
Bring her then to her exalted state,
and restore to her the joy of living.”

[The curtain rises as the kurgarra and galatur begin their journey to the Underworld. Ereshkigal is lying on her bed writhing in pain just as had been foretold.]

Ereshkigal:

Oh! Oh! Oh! My inside!

Kurgarra & Galatur:

Oh, your inside!

Ereshkigal:

[Looks up quizzically for a moment, then resumes moaning.]
Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh, my outside!

Kurgarra & Galatur:

Oh, your outside!

Ereshkigal:

Oh! Oh! Oh, my belly!

Kurgarra & Galatur:

Oh, your belly!

Ereshkigal:

Oh, my back!

Kurgarra & Galatur:

Oh, your back!

Ereshkigal:

Oh! Oh! Oh, my heart!

Kurgarra & Galatur:

Oh, your heart!

Ereshkigal:

Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh, my liver!

Kurgarra & Galatur:

[Look quizzically at each other, shrug, then sing in falsetto]
Oh, your liver!

Ereshkigal:

[Rises from the bed]
Who are you, moaning, groaning, sighing with me,
empathizing with me in my misery?
If you be gods, I will bless you.
If mortals, I will give you a gift.

Kurgarra & Galatur:

We are not gods, m’lady.

Ereshkigal:

Then I will give you the gift of water.
I will give you the river in its fullness.

Kurgarra & Galatur:

We do not wish it, m’lady.

Ereshkigal:

Then I shall give you the gift of grain,
the fields in the harvest.

Kurgarra & Galatur:

Neither do we wish that, m’lady.

Ereshkigal:

[Growing impatient]
Speak, then! Speak, kind friends,
and tell me what you wish.

Kurgarra & Galatur:

We wish only the corpse of Inanna.

Ereshkigal:

The corpse belongs to Inanna.

Kurgarra & Galatur:

Whether it belongs to our queen,
whether it belongs to our king,
that is what we want, that is what we want.

Ereshkigal:

Very well, the Anunna will fetch your corpse.
[She motions to the Anunna and exits. The Anunna come forward and remove Inanna’s body from the wall and lay it on the bed.]

Kurgarra:

Bring her hither, bring her hither.

Galatur:

Careful! Be careful!

Kurgarra:

Handle her with tenderness.
Lay her gently upon the bed.

[The kurgarra and galatur approach Inanna’s corpse.]

Galatur:

She is so cold, so pale.

Kurgarra: She is dead, you fool.

Galatur:

Quite right.

Kurgarra:

But the great god Enki told us how to restore her life.

Galatur:

Quite right.
You are to sprinkle her body with the bread of life.

Kurgarra:

I carry the water of life, you fool.

Galatur:

[Looks at his own container with the bread of life]
Ah! Quite right.

[They sprinkle the bread of life and the water of life over Inanna’s body then assume Sumerian prayer posture]

Kurgarra & Galatur:

Great god Enki, take pity on Inanna,
the goddess of light who now resides in darkness.
Breathe into her the breath of life.
Let her holy blood flow again through her veins.
Put back her spirit which languishes in darkness,
and grant her again the delights of life and love.
Let her walk again with great joy in her garden.

[Inanna slowly awakens]

Inanna:

My hands, my feet —
are they real?

Kurgarra & Galatur:

Yes, m’lady.

Inanna:

Good friends, you have rescued me.
I am grateful, grateful.
For what seemed an eternity I dwelt in darkness.
My soul wandered the ebon halls of the Dark City,
a city of hopelessness,
peopled with kinsmen of despair.
All was emptiness, all was darkness.
I could not eat the offerings of my subjects,
could not receive gifts, drink no libations.
There there is no joy in lovemaking,
no children to kiss,
no husband to wrap me in his arms,
only emptiness and darkness.
I could hear the beating of the drum of sadness
and the dismal wailing of her who mourned for me.
But there was no glint of light to offer me an escape.
Did no one care? Did no one seek for me,
save Enki and Ninshubur and you, my kindly friends?

Kurgarra & Galatur:

The great god Enki created us to save you.
Beyond that we know nothing.

Inanna:

It matters not, for now I am alive again.
Come, let us away!
For I covet the adoration of my subjects
and the touch of my husband’s tender hand.
Come, my friends, let us away!

[They attempt to leave but are stopped by the Anunna]

Anunna:

No, Inanna!
You have not learned the ways of the Underworld.
No one who enters the Underworld goes unmarked.
If Inanna desires to leave,
she must give us someone to take her place.

Inanna:

What? How can I condemn someone to my abject fate?
What cruelty is this?
No one deserves such treatment.
No one merits becoming the servant of Ereshkigal.

Anunna:

Without a surrogate you cannot leave.

Inanna:

No! [She weeps]

Kurgarra & Galatur:

We are not wise, dear lady,
but surely among the vastness of your kingdom
there is one who can be called
to stand instead for your majesty.
Surely somewhere can be found one deserving. [Repeated]

Inanna:

Yes, perhaps so, my friends.
Your wisdom, your kind words offer hope to Inanna.
I must contemplate who can take my place.
Perhaps there is someone deserving
who can stand for me
and take my place in the Underworld
and so free me.
For where is love and where is joy without me? [Repeated]

Anunna:

Then we shall go with you, Inanna,
and bring back your surrogate,
the one to take your place in the Underworld.
We shall go with you and then return,
bringing back with us your surrogate to the Underworld.
We shall go with you
to your world of brightness and glory
and bring back with us as surrogate someone deserving.

Kurgarra:

[Takes Inanna’s royal garment from his pack]
Here, my lady.
It is not seemly for so great a goddess
to return in such humble attire.
Be adorned again in your bright garments
and enter with majesty into your rightful dominion!
[Inanna dons her royal attire and they exit.]

[END ACT TWO]

Act Three

Intermezzo 2:
“Inanna Returns from the Underworld”

Scene 1

Chorus:

[A bacchanal. Dumuzi sits on Inanna’s throne and plays the reed pipe while the Chorus of Mortals surround him drinking, feasting, and singing.]
Pour the beer, the dark emmer beer,
pour the beer for Dumuzi.
For he plays upon the reed pipe
and brings great joy to our hearts.
Bring him bread and succulent dates,
bring him honey and red wine.
He who makes such joyful music
rates the best of our land.
Pour the beer, the dark emmer beer,
pour the beer for Dumuzi.
For he plays upon the reed pipe
and brings great joy to our hearts.
[The horns sound]

Dumuzi:

Who comes? For whom do the horns sound?

[Enter Inanna accompanied by the kurgarra, galatur, several Anunna, and Utu.]

Chorus:

It is Inanna! Inanna!
Inanna, back from the Underworld!

Dumuzi:

Welcome, Inanna, Queen of love!
Welcome back from the Underworld.
We had feared for your fate
but welcome you to your home world.

Dumuzi & Chorus:

Welcome, Inanna, Queen of love!
Welcome back from the Underworld.
We had feared for your fate
but welcome you to your home world.

[Inanna has made her way to her throne and suddenly throws up both hands signaling for silence.]

Inanna:

For a time beyond counting
I dwelt in deepest darkness,
languishing in hopelessness and despair,
a victim of Ereshkigal’s wrath.
I wandered the halls of the Dark City,
enduring misery and darkness.
There I was sustained only by the thought of being back
in the arms of my husband.
And so now I return
only to find that while I abided a dismal fate
you were here enjoying life,
drinking, feasting, making music.
Why did only Ninshubur mourn for me?
Why only she that sought for me?
Where were you in my darkest hour?

Dumuzi:

Inanna, forgive me.
We had no way of helping.
We trusted that you with your mighty pow’rs
would come again to us,
accomplish your task, then come again to us,
ascend again to your throne.
And as you now stand here before us,
our joy is justified.
Come, let us rejoice
and let all be as it was before.

Inanna:

No, not as it was before.
I returned from the Underworld only on condition.
Someone else must take my place,
someone else must stand for me.
The Anunna have come with me
to take back my surrogate.
They wanted to take our sons, Shara or Lulal,
but I would not permit them.
They wanted to take Ninshubur,
my faithful servant and wisest counselor,
but I would not permit them.
I would not abandon those who had not abandoned me.
But now all is clear.
I know now who is deserving of my fate.
It is clear, clear who is deserving of my fate.
As you have abandoned me,
so shall I abandon you.
[to the Anunna] Take him! Take him!

Dumuzi:

No!

Inanna:

Take Dumuzi away!

[The Anunna sieze Dumuzi, who struggles against them]

Chorus:

Take him away! Take Dumuzi away!

Dumuzi:

Inanna, loveliest of goddesses,
she whom I love and caress,
she with whom I share my bed,
you cannot wish this upon me! [Inanna turns her back to him]
Utu, my brother-in-law, come to my aid.
I am the husband of your sister.
It was I who brought cream to your mother’s house,
it was I who brought milk to the house of Ningal,
I who carried food to the holy shrine,
the one who danced on the knees of Inanna.
Utu, you are merciful,
help me escape from these demons!
[Utu turns his back to him and the Anunna drag Dumuzi offstage.]
Ah!

Intermezzo 3:
“Dumuzi is Taken to the Underworld”


Act Three, Scene 2

[Inanna’s temple. Inanna and Geshtinanna are in mourning.]

Chorus:

Days passed, and Inanna’s heart was broken.
She repented of her choice.
Inanna saw that as she had stood guiltless before Ereshkigal,
so Dumuzi was innocent before her.
But the deed was done:
Dumuzi was no more.
Her husband who played the reed pipe,
he who caressed her thighs,
who danced on her knees,
was no more.
Her palace was filled with weeping,
she for her husband,
and Geshtinanna for her brother.

Inanna & Geshtinanna:

Woe for my husband/brother.
Dumuzi is taken captive.
Not again will he bathe in Eridu,
not again will he wash in the holy shrine.
No longer will he charm fair maidens
with his sacred duty.
His reed pipe lies broken.
The wind must play it for him.
His sweet songs no longer echo
through these blessed halls.
The wind must sing, must sing for him.
The churn lies silent —
no milk is poured for Ningal.
The cup lies shattered —
Dumuzi, my husband/brother is no more.
The sheepfold is given to the winds.
Great is the grief of those who mourn for Dumuzi.

Geshtinanna:

My heart plays the reed pipe of mourning.
My brother who wandered so freely upon the steppe
now is captive, now is bound.
He cannot move his hands,
he cannot move his feet.
If I should see him I would say,
“The face is yours, dear brother,
but the spirit has fled.”

Inanna:

No longer can I bring him food, no longer bring him drink.
My bed is lonely, lonely,
for the wild bull, the wild bull lives no more.
My husband, dear Dumuzi, my beloved bridegroom,
you were taken before I could wrap you in a proper shroud.

Geshtinanna:

My dear brother, Dumuzi,
my sweet brother.
My heart aches for you, dear brother, for you are no more.
Would that I could share your fate.
Would that I could take your place.
Dumuzi, where are you?
Where are you?
I will come to you and drink the cup you were given.
The day that dawns for you will also dawn for me.
I would find my brother, I would comfort him,
I would share his fate.

Inanna:

O Geshtinanna, your brother’s house is no more.
Dumuzi has been carried away by the Anunna.
I would happily take you to him,
but alas! I do not know the place.

[Enter the Fly]

Fly:

Small though I am, I see all, know all.
From dung heaps to royal thrones,
I see all, know all.
I have seen Dumuzi, know where he is.
He weeps and wails unendingly.
He seeks for you, but there is no escape,
no way back to the Bright World.
If I tell you where he is,
what will you give me?

Inanna:

If you tell me where to find Dumuzi,
I will give you leave to frequent beer houses and taverns,
let you dwell among the talk of the wise,
let you abide among the songs of the minstrels.

Fly:

You kindness is acceptable.
Lift up your eyes to the edges of the steppe.
Lift up your eyes to Arali.
There you will find the brother of Geshtinanna,
there you will find the shepherd, the shepherd Dumuzi.

Geshtinanna:

Is it true? May we really find him there?

Fly:

What reason have I to deceive?
Your brother waits there for deliverance.
He is forlorn, without hope.
But you can rescue him if you hurry quickly.

Inanna:

Come, then, let us make haste.
Let us find your brother.
Let us find Dumuzi,
then we shall humble ourselves before Ereshkigal.
We shall appeal to her that we may bring him home again.

Intermezzo 4:
“The Search for Dumuzi”


Act Three, Scene 3

[The steppe, represented by an empty stage. Dumuzi is bedraggled and not in his right mind.]

Inanna:

There he is! There is my husband! Dumuzi!

Dumuzi:

No! Stay away!
You come only to taunt me!

Inanna:

No, Dumuzi, have no fear.
I have come only to rescue you.
It is not meet what I have done,
sending you here to this terrible place.
I, Inanna, your loving queen,
I am contrite.

Dumuzi:

Then why ... why treat me thus? What can it mean?

Geshtinanna:

Inanna has wept bitter tears for you, my brother, as have I.
We have come to help you,
to bring you back to the Bright World.
Be comforted, dear brother.
We come together,
we come only to rescue you.

Dumuzi:

Inanna, Geshtinanna, what horrors I have seen!
I had a dream, terrible and frightening.
I dreamed I was upon the steppe,
alone and unloved.
My heart was filled with tears,
and I stumbled on my way crying,
“O steppe, wail for me!
O river creatures, call for me!
O Mother, weep for Dumuzi!”
I longed for my sister — for you, Geshtinanna —
I wanted to tell you about my dream,
a dream of terror:
All about me were rushes,
hiding me from my tormentors.
They covered me and hid me.
But first one, then another, was removed.
I was revealed,
and soon the galla were upon me. Ah! Ah!
My churn was cast aside,
my drinking cup fell from its peg,
my shepherd’s staff was broken.
Eagles seized my sheep —
my sheepfold was given to the wind. [He collapses]

Inanna:

[Takes Dumuzi’s head in her lap]
Poor Dumuzi, my husband sweet and fair.
It was no dream.
What you relate is true.
But now I repent with bitter tears.
I was wrong to accuse you,
wrong to send you to this place of darkness,
this place of pain. [Repeat]

Geshtinanna:

Brother, dear brother, forgive Inanna.
She has wept bitter tears for you.
She has mourned for you.
She has acknowledged that she wronged you.
She has come now to free you.
Her heart has been broken.
Forgive her — embrace your queen.

Inanna:

But now the dream is over,
it is at an end.
Be restored to your right mind
and awake again in our holy bridal bed.
[Dumuzi’s senses are restored]
Spoken: Come, Dumuzi. Let us go home. [They rise]

Dumuzi:

Yes, home!
But how, Inanna?
Like you, I cannot leave unless someone takes my place.

Geshtinanna:

I will take your place, dear brother,
for I willed to share your fate.

Dumuzi:

No! Not you!

Inanna:

Fear not, Dumuzi,
for neither you nor Geshtinanna must be here forever.
She will take your place for half the year,
and for that time you may be free.
But, when the day has come,
you must return to free Geshtinanna.
Thus, while Dumuzi is captive,
Sumer will mourn for him,
becoming dark and cold.
But when he is free,
Sumer will celebrate,
enjoying sunshine and warmth
and all the fruits the land can offer.
Inanna has spoken.
Thus shall it ever be!

Chorus:

Thus did Inanna create the seasons,
granting Sumer rich fruits and wine in proper time.
In her great wisdom she blessed the people of Sumer,
establishing the seasons to mark the pathways of all life.

[The full cast returns to the stage, surrounding Inanna]

Full Chorus:

Proud queen of all gods of earth,
mightiest of all heavenly gods,
the people of Sumer come before you.
They play the harp and beat the ala drums before you.
They cry aloud, “Hail to Inanna! Hail!
Great Lady of Heaven,
First Daughter of the Moon!”
They dance and sing before you,
parading with joy and skill.
All creatures kneel before you.
There is great joy in Sumer.
The young make love with their beloved.

[Inanna, accompanied by two Anunna, ascends. The Anunna spread their cloaks to hide Inanna as she goes below stage. A bright star appears in the heavens, symbolizing Inanna’s exaltation.]

My Lady looks from heaven in sweet wonder.
She looks in wonder on all lands
and on the people of Sumer, as numberless as sheep.
Inanna, Lady of the Evening, is radiant.
She shines in glory on the horizon!

[The people face the star holding their hands aloft in Sumerian worship. The lights dim while the stars grow brighter, Inanna's star outshining them all. When the stage is largely darkened, the Sage returns under spotlight to conclude the opera.]

Epilogue

Sage:

Thus did our fathers worship what they did not know,
ascribing to gods of stone and clay
the traits of human debility.
With fervent hearts and loins
they extolled magnificence on their creation
and lauded the act of love as a sacrifice of adulation.
What tales they entwined with their beguiling concoctions!
What demonstrative narratives that disclose
the essence of the human breast, both here and heretofore!
How prescient their narrations,
how regnant their refrains!
And yet these gods,
like the fertile fields of Uruk and Eridu,
have dissolved to dust
and are given to the winds.
Inanna, too, though chimeric and bewitching,
like her subjects who passed before her,
lies silent as the grave.
Those who seek her seek in vain,
this goddess of love
and flesh of clay.

Chorus:

[Offstage] Inanna! Inanna! Inanna!

[END OF OPERA]



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