# Did Nebuchadnezzar write poetry? Where is this from **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nebuchadnezzar-write-poetry-where-is-this-from/614556 "2012-03-02T16:02:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nebuchadnezzar-write-poetry-where-is-this-from/614556/1 "2012-03-02T16:02:30Z")
From Will Durant’s “Story of Civilization”, Volume one, our Oriental Heritage, there are quotes from Babylonian poetry, One is “Nebuchadnezzar Addressing Bel-Marduk” > [@](#): > > Without thee, Lord, what could there be > For the king thou lovest, and dost call his name > Thou shalt bless his title as thou wilt > And unto him vouch safe a path direct > . . . I couldn’t find any sources (and don’t have the book available to me). Where is the poem from? Is there a reliable book of Babylonia poetry? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nebuchadnezzar-write-poetry-where-is-this-from/614556/2 "2012-03-02T16:31:31Z")
There are plenty of books and journals with translated cuneiform texts. I suspect this is from one of them (and I suspect that Nebuchadnezzar didn’t write it or compose it himself. It’s probably not even from his time). If Durant doesn’t give the reference, you’ll just have to look for it. Unfortunately, most of these books didn’t have big printings, and are often quite old. If there isn’t a major university or old city library near you, you might have a hard time locating it. One book that’s in a lot of libraries is **Ancient Near East Texts Relating to the Old Testament**. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nebuchadnezzar-write-poetry-where-is-this-from/614556/3 "2012-03-02T16:40:31Z")
Google Books identifies the poem as appearing in James Baikie’s **The Ancient East and its Story** from 1929, but doesn’t give me enough to see where it got the translation from: > **[The Ancient East and Its Story](https://books.google.com/books?id=WL5mAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Without%2Bthee,%2BLord,%2Bwhat%2Bcould%2Bthere%2Bbe%22&dq=%22Without%2Bthee,%2BLord,%2Bwhat%2Bcould%2Bthere%2Bbe%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QvdQT_e1NMOW0QGYwdDFBQ&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAQ)** Durant’s book came out in 1942, so he either got it from Baikie, or they both got it from the same source. Edited to add: The **Cambridge Ancient History** , also from 1929, has the same quote: > **[The Cambridge Ancient History: The Assyrian empire](https://books.google.com/books?id=GnEmAQAAMAAJ&q=%22For%2Bthe%2Bking%2Bthou%2Blovest%22&dq=%22For%2Bthe%2Bking%2Bthou%2Blovest%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3fhQT_XkFqn00gHPh_nCDQ&ved=0CD8Q6AEwAQ)** ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nebuchadnezzar-write-poetry-where-is-this-from/614556/4 "2012-03-02T16:45:30Z")
All right, Meacham, make with the time machine! ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nebuchadnezzar-write-poetry-where-is-this-from/614556/5 "2012-03-02T16:48:54Z")
Maybe he can tweak his Interociter. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-nebuchadnezzar-write-poetry-where-is-this-from/614556/6 "2012-03-02T16:49:16Z")
Hey, I just found several of those old books are now online! Search to your heart’s content! Here’s one: [http://www.scribd.com/doc/24892749/CUNEIFORM-TEXTS-FROM-BABYLONIAN-TABLETS-in-the-BRITISH-MUSEUM-PART-XVI](http://www.scribd.com/doc/24892749/CUNEIFORM-TEXTS-FROM-BABYLONIAN-TABLETS-in-the-BRITISH-MUSEUM-PART-XVI)