Humanitarian Capitalism

Sumerian Love Songs

The Love Song for Shu-Sin (circa 2000 BCE, Sumer)

The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi (Full English Translation, reconstructed from multiple sources)

Bridegroom, dear to my heart,

Goodly is your beauty, honey-sweet.

Lion, dear to my heart,

Goodly is your beauty, honey-sweet.

You have captivated me,

Let me stand tremblingly before you.

Bridegroom, I would be taken by you

to the bedchamber.

You have captivated me,

Let me stand tremblingly before you.

Lion, I would be taken by you

to the bedchamber.

Your place is sweet, sweet as honey,

Bridegroom, your charm is sweet,

sweet as honey.

You have taken your place in my heart,

Your voice is sweet as honey.

Bridegroom, I would drink your honey-sweet wine.

Your coming to me is my joy!

Your delight passes all else!

Bridegroom, let me caress you,

My precious caress is more savory than honey.

In the bedchamber, honey-filled,

let us enjoy your goodly beauty.

Lion, let me caress you,

My precious caress is more savory than honey.

Bridegroom, you have taken your pleasure of me;

Tell my mother, she will give you delicacies;

My father will reward you.

You will be radiant with pleasure;

My lord, I will make you happy.

Inanna, the Lady of the Heavens,

has chosen you for her delight.

O Dumuzi, you are my beloved!

You are one who brings me joy!

Notes:

The speaker is likely a priestess of Inanna, enacting a sacred marriage with King Shu-Sin, representing the god Dumuzi.

The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi (Full English Translation, reconstructed from multiple sources)

Inanna speaks:

“Make your milk sweet and thick, my bridegroom.

My shepherd, I will drink your fresh milk.

Wild bull, Dumuzi, make your milk sweet and thick.

I will drink your fresh milk.”

Dumuzi replies:

“Let the bed that is my joy be prepared!

Let the bed that is my heart be prepared!

Let the bed of kingship be prepared!

Let the bed of queenship be prepared!”

Inanna:

“I have bathed for the wild bull,

I have bathed for the shepherd Dumuzi.

I have perfumed myself with sweet-smelling oils.

I have painted my eyes with kohl.

I have arranged my hair with ribbons of lapis lazuli.

I have wrapped my body in a robe of fine linen.

Let him come, let him come to me now!”

Dumuzi approaches and says:

“My sister, I would go with you to the garden.

I would go with you to the apple tree.

There I would plant the sweet, sweet honey.”

Inanna:

“Tell me, how shall I caress you?

Shall I caress you with my sweet mouth?

Shall I caress you with my tender lips?”

Dumuzi:

“Yes, my queen, my beloved,

Let me kiss you full on the lips!

Let me lie with you in sweet embrace.

Let us spend the night in rapture!”

Inanna:

“My beloved, the delight of my eyes,

My heart overflows for you.

My sweet, my honey-man,

I will lay you down in our house drenched with cedar oil.

I will caress your thighs with my soft hands.

I will press my lips to yours.

I will pour out my love into you.”

Chorus / Ritual Refrain:

“Dumuzi has filled her lap with cream and milk,

He has stroked her thighs and caressed her.

He has made Inanna rejoice on the bed.

She has received the king.

The bond of the heart has been tied.

The sacred marriage is complete.”

📜 Notes:

This poem was likely performed during Akitu (New Year) festivals as a sacred marriage rite, reinforcing the fertility of the land and divine harmony.

On Love vs. Happiness

It’s All About Love

The saying is common: “It’s all about love.” When you hear it, the intuitive part of your brain immediately nods. It sinks right in, accepted without question. It doesn’t need to be proven. It feels self-evident.

That, in and of itself, is a strong indication that love—more than happiness—is the true core of our being.

Aristotle, of course, disagreed. He concluded that the purpose of life was happiness—eudaimonia, the flourishing of the human soul through reason and virtue. But Aristotle was all about science. He viewed emotion as something to be governed, and spirituality as a base human behavior—a diversion from our true potential rather than a path toward it. His ideal was not love, but rational excellence.

In contrast, love cannot be systematized. It defies structure. And yet it governs our lives more completely than any logical principle. It is for love that people will sacrifice their lives—for their country, for their child, for a friend. It is love that overwhelms us in those intimate moments with a soulmate. It is love that seizes us when a blood brother departs. We feel it in our core. It is overpowering.

That raw, undeniable intensity is not just emotional—it is existential. Love is not an accessory to life. It is life.

There are many forms of it: maternal, paternal, sibling, romantic, platonic, patriotic, communal. We love our children, our partners, our friends, our home team, our neighborhood, our homeland. Love is versatile—but it is always binding. It connects us to others in a way that defines who we are.

To fully grasp the nature of love, though, we must also understand its opposites. And here, too, popular wisdom often falls short.

The opposite of love is not hatred. Hatred is simply a strong form of dislike. In some cases, it may even be born of love corrupted or betrayed. But it is not the furthest point from love.

More piercing opposites include betrayal, abandonment, rejection, and disrespect. These wounds run deep because they break the very bonds that love forms. Being hated by a stranger is one thing; being betrayed by someone you love is something else entirely. It leaves a different scar—one not of conflict, but of rupture.

And then there is fear. The next most powerful emotion to love.

Can fear be seen as love’s true opposite? Yes.

Fear and love move in opposing directions. Love draws us close; fear forces us to retreat. Love opens us up; fear shuts us down. Consider the embrace of a mother and child—warm, secure, trusting. Now contrast it with the presence of an armed, threatening stranger. The adrenaline, the instinct to flee, the sense of danger. Where love is safety, fear is threat. Where love is connection, fear is isolation.

In this way, love and fear define the boundaries of the human emotional spectrum. One binds, the other breaks. One affirms life, the other threatens it.

And so we return to the saying: “It’s all about love.” It is. Not because it is sentimental, or comforting, or poetic—but because it is fundamental. More than happiness. More than reason. Love governs sacrifice, survival, purpose, and connection. It is the deepest instinct and the highest aspiration.

It is what we long for. It is what we grieve. It is what makes life worth living.