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© Copyright 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 The ETCSL project, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford |
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| ETCSLtranslation |
| Enlil and Sud: c.1.2.2 When Nuska, the head of the assembly, had received Enlil's instructions, he wasted no time ……; he directed his steps to Ereš. He entered E-zagin, the residence of Nanibgal (a name of Nisaba) and prostrated himself before Nanibgal on her dais. …… of Enlil ……, and she (?) asked him ……: "…… what ……?" (7 lines missing) (1 line fragmentary)(Nuska speaks:) "…… Sud ……. What you have told me ……." Then Nanibgal went on speaking flatteringly to the minister: "Adviser, fit for his (?) king, ever observant (?)! Who like you could give counsel daily to the Great Mountain? How could I contest the king's message which his slave has received? If there is truth in what you have told me -- and may there be no falsehood -- who could reject one who bestows such exceedingly great favours? …… makes our mood and hearts happy. Let us consider that amends have been made. By bringing the marriage gifts and the presents in his name the insult is wiped away. Tell him: "You shall become my son-in-law; do as you wish!" Tell Enlil, the Great Mountain: "Do as you wish!" Let his sister come from her side, and she shall accompany Sud from here. Aruru shall become Sud's sister-in-law: let her be shown the household. Inform your lord thus in his august Ki-ur. Repeat this to Enlil in the privacy of his holy bedchamber." |
| Enlil and Sud: c.1.2.2 After …… had instructed ……, …… and Nuska took his seat on it. (1 line missing)Nanibgal called …… and gave her advice: "My little one, asleep indoors (?) …… your pure ……, the pleasant private quarters ……. …… leave the House of Nisaba's Wisdom. ……, Nuska is knowing and wise. …… to his presence and pour him beer." According to the instructions of her mother, she washed his hands and placed a tankard in his hands. The minister opened his left hand and gave her the jewellery, …… everything …… and set it before her. She received the gifts ……. He …… directed his steps to Nibru. …… kissed the ground before Enlil. …… the great Lady had said ……, as she had instructed him, he repeated (?) ……: "(She said:) "Adviser, fit for his (?) king, ever observant (?)! Who like you could give counsel daily to the Great Mountain? How could I contest the king's message which his slave has received? If there is truth in what you have told me -- and may there be no falsehood -- who could reject one who bestows such exceedingly great favours? …… makes our mood and hearts happy. Let us consider that amends have been made. By bringing the marriage gifts and the presents in his name the insult is wiped away. Tell him: "You shall become my son-in-law; do as you wish!" Tell Enlil, the Great Mountain: "Do as you wish!" Let his sister come from her side, and she shall accompany Sud from here. Aruru shall become Sud's sister-in-law: let her be shown the household. Inform your lord thus in his august Ki-ur. Repeat this to Enlil in the privacy of his holy bedchamber."" |
| Inana and Šu-kale-tuda: c.1.3.3 Then the woman was considering what should be destroyed because of her genitals; Inana was considering what should be done because of her genitals. She filled the wells of the Land with blood, so it was blood that the irrigated orchards of the Land yielded, it was blood that the slave who went to collect firewood drank, it was blood that the slavegirl who went out to draw water drew, and it was blood that the black-headed people drank. No one knew when this would end. She said: "I will search everywhere for the man who had intercourse with me." But nowhere in all the lands could she find the man who had had intercourse with her. -- Now, what did one say to another? What further did one add to the other in detail? |
| Inana and Šu-kale-tuda: c.1.3.3 "Then the woman was considering what should be destroyed because of her genitals; Inana was considering what should be done because of her genitals. She filled the wells of the Land with blood, so it was blood that the irrigated orchards of the Land yielded, it was blood that the slave who went to collect firewood drank, it was blood that the slavegirl who went out to draw water drew, and it was blood that the black-headed people drank. No one knew when this would end. She said: "I will search everywhere for the man who had intercourse with me." But nowhere could she find the man who had had intercourse with her." |
| Dumuzid and his sisters: c.1.4.1.3 "…… my ……. …… my lacerated eyes ……. …… my lacerated nose ……. …… my beaten ……. …… my hasty ……. …… my …… (1 line fragmentary) …… my ……. …… my loaded waggon ……. …… my ……. …… my ……. …… who is cheerful ……. …… who laments ……. …… the door of the gate (of the nether world) ……. My brother, …… the door of the gate …… (1 line fragmentary)…… ladyship (?) ……. On the mighty river, ……. …… its fields, a waterskin ……. …… in lamenting ……. …… my …… hated ……. My brother, your feet hurt, your feet …… the road. My brother, wherever you go I will hasten with you. Dumuzid, wherever you go I will hasten with you. …… I will hasten with you. I will hasten with you. …… going (?) as your slavegirl, …… of the lord, I ……. …… of the lord …… …… going (?) as your slavegirl, …… of the lord, I ……." |
| Ninurta's exploits: a šir-sud (?) to Ninurta: c.1.6.2 "Saĝkal stone, since you flew up against me ……; gulgul stone, since you sparked lightning against me ……; saĝĝar stone, since you shook your head at me, since you ground your teeth at me, the lord! The saĝkal stone will smash you, saĝĝar stone, young brave, and the gulgul stone will destroy (gul) you. You will be discarded as contemptible and valueless (saĝ nukala). Be a prey to the famine (šagĝar) of the Land; you shall be fed by the charity of your city. You shall be accounted a common person, a warrior among slave-girls. They shall say to you "Be off with you, hurry!", it shall be your name. And now, by the destiny fixed by Ninurta, henceforth you shall be called a bad lot in the Land. So be it." |
| The marriage of Martu: c.1.7.1 Martu went home to his own mother, and spoke to her: "My mother, find me a wife to marry and I will bring you my ration." His own mother replied to Martu: "Su-ḫenuna, my son, I will give you advice; may my advice be heeded. I shall say a word to you; you should pay attention to it. Marry a wife of your choice, marry a wife of your heart's desire, give me thus a companion, …… me a slave-girl. Having built the houses of (?) your people living around the city, and …… gardens, you will dig the wells of (?) your mates. Martu, …… mates ……" |
| The marriage of Martu: c.1.7.1 He gratified the elders of Inab with golden torcs. He gratified the old women of Inab with golden shawl ……. He gratified the men and women of Inab with golden ……. He gratified the slaves of Inab with …… and gratified them also with coloured …… cloths. He gratified the slave-girls of Inab with silver jugs. |
| Gilgameš and Aga: c.1.8.1.1 Birḫar-tura went out through the city gate. As soon as Birḫar-tura went out through the city gate, they captured him at the gate's entrance, and then beat Birḫar-tura's entire length. He came into the presence of Aga and then spoke to Aga. Before he had finished speaking, an officer of Unug climbed up on the rampart and leaned out over the rampart. Aga saw him and then spoke to Birḫar-tura: "Slave, is that man your king?" |
| Gilgameš and Aga: c.1.8.1.1 They hit him, they struck him. They beat Birḫar-tura's entire length. Gilgameš climbed up on the rampart after the officer of Unug. His radiance overwhelmed Kulaba's young and old. He armed Unug's able-bodied men with battle maces and stationed them on the causeway at the city gate's door. Only Enkidu went out through the city gate. Gilgameš leaned out over the rampart. Looking up, Aga saw him: "Slave, is that man your king?" |
| Gilgameš and Ḫuwawa (Version B): c.1.8.1.5.1 His slave Enkidu answered him: "…… if you want to set off into the mountains, Utu should know about it from you. If you want to set off into the Mountains of Cedar-felling, Utu should know about it from you. A decision that concerns the mountains is Utu's business. A decision that concerns the Mountains of Cedar-felling is the business of youthful Utu." |
| Gilgameš and Ḫuwawa (Version B): c.1.8.1.5.1 Gilgameš began to chop at the cedars. His slave Enkidu worked on the branches for him. His fellow-citizens who had come with him stacked them in piles. |
| Gilgameš and Ḫuwawa (Version B): c.1.8.1.5.1 His slave Enkidu addressed him:" (2 lines fragmentary)" |
| Gilgameš and Ḫuwawa (Version B): c.1.8.1.5.1 …… Gilgameš's noble heart took pity on him. He addressed his slave Enkidu: "Come on, let us set the warrior free! He could be our guide! He could be our guide who would spy out the pitfalls of the route for us! He could be my ……! He could carry all my things! (1 line fragmentary)" |
| Gilgameš and Ḫuwawa (Version B): c.1.8.1.5.1 { His slave Enkidu replied to him } { (1 ms. has instead:) …… replied to Gilgameš }: "…… so lacking in understanding! …… with no ……! …… with not ……! A captured warrior set free! A captured high priestess returned to the ĝipar! A captured gudug priest restored to his wig of hair! Who has ever, ever seen such a thing? He would be able to …… the mountain routes. He would be able to mix up the mountain paths. Then we would never get back to the mother-city that bore us! (4 lines missing)" |
| Gilgameš and Ḫuwawa (Version A): c.1.8.1.5 Now the lord once decided to set off for the mountain where the man lives; Lord Gilgameš decided to set off for the mountain where the man lives. He spoke to his slave Enkidu: |
| Gilgameš and Ḫuwawa (Version A): c.1.8.1.5 His slave Enkidu answered him: "My lord, if today you are going to set off into the mountains, Utu should know about it from us. { (1 ms. adds:) If you are going to to set off into the Mountains of Cedar-felling, Utu should know about it from us. } Utu, youthful Utu, should know about it from us. A decision that concerns the mountains is Utu's business. A decision that concerns the Mountains of Cedar-felling is the business of youthful Utu. Utu should know about it from us." |
| Gilgameš and Ḫuwawa (Version A): c.1.8.1.5 The slave, trying to ameliorate the situation, trying to make life appear more attractive, answered his master: |
| Gilgameš and Ḫuwawa (Version A): c.1.8.1.5 "My master, you have not yet really seen that person, he should not vex you. -- But he vexes me -- me, who have seen him before. His pugnacious mouth is a dragon's maw; his face is a lion's grimace. His chest is like a raging flood; no one { dare approach } { (1 ms. has instead:) can escape from } his brow, which devours the reedbeds. { (2 mss. adds 1 line:) A man-eating lion, he never wipes away the blood from his slaver. } { (1 ms. adds instead 5 lines:) (1 line fragmentary) …… a lion eating a corpse, he never wipes away the blood (3 lines fragmentary) } Travel on, my master, up into the mountains! -- but I shall travel back to the city. If I say to your mother about you "He is alive!", she will laugh. But afterwards I shall say to her about you "He is dead!", and she will certainly weep { over you } { (1 ms. has instead:) bitterly }." { (1 ms. adds:) …… replied to ……: } |
| Gilgameš and Ḫuwawa (Version A): c.1.8.1.5 Ḫuwawa clutched at Gilgameš's hand, and prostrated himself before him. Then Gilgameš's noble heart took pity on him. { Gilgameš addressed Enkidu } { (3 mss. have instead:) He addressed his slave Enkidu }: |
| Gilgameš and Ḫuwawa (Version A): c.1.8.1.5 { Enkidu replied to Gilgameš } { (2 mss. have instead:) His slave Enkidu replied }: "Come on now, you heroic bearer of a sceptre of wide-ranging power! Noble glory of the gods, angry bull standing ready for a fight! Young Lord Gilgameš, cherished in Unug, your mother knew well how to bear sons, and your nurse knew well how to nourish children! -- One so exalted and yet so lacking in { understanding } { (1 ms. has instead:) judgment } will be devoured by fate without him ever understanding that fate. The very idea that a captured bird should run away home, or a captured man should return to his mother's embrace! -- Then you yourself would never get back to the mother-city that bore you! { (1 ms. adds:) A captured warrior set free! A captured high priestess …… to the ĝipar! A captured gudug priest restored to his wig of hair! …… ever, ever ……? (2 lines fragmentary) …… his attention to his words ……. }" |
| Gilgameš and Ḫuwawa (Version A): c.1.8.1.5 (The ms. tradition for lines 193-199 is extremely confused about the order in which the various auras are assigned; the following sequence is a compromise:) He gave Ḫuwawa's first aura to the fields. He gave his second aura to the rivers. He gave his third aura to the reedbeds. He gave his fourth aura to the lions. He gave his fifth aura to the { palace } { (1 ms. has instead:) debt slaves }. He gave his sixth aura to the { forests } { (1 ms. has instead:) the hills }. He gave his seventh aura to Nungal(the goddess of prisoners). |
| Lugalbanda in the mountain cave: c.1.8.2.1 "Utu, shepherd of the land, father of the black-headed, when you go to sleep, the people go to sleep with you; youth Utu, when you rise, the people rise with you. Utu, without you no net is stretched out for a bird, no slave is taken away captive. To him who walks alone, you are his brotherly companion; Utu, you are the third of them who travel in pairs. You are the blinkers for him who wears the neck-ring. Like a holy zulumḫi garment, your sunshine clothes the poor man and the scoundrel as well as him who has no clothes; as a garment of white wool it covers the bodies even of debt slaves. Like rich old men, the old women praise your sunshine sweetly, until their oldest days. Your sunshine is as mighty as oil. Great wild bulls run forward." (alludes to a proverb) (1 line unclear) "Hero, son of Ningal, …… to you." (2 lines unclear)"Brother …… his brother. He causes his plough to stand in the ……. Praise to you is so very sweet, it reaches up to heaven. Hero, son of Ningal, they laud you as you deserve." |
| The building of Ninĝirsu's temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B): c.2.1.7 He undid the tongue of the goad and the whip, replacing them with wool from lamb-bearing sheep. No mother shouted at her child. No child answered its mother back. No slave who …… was hit on the head by his master, no misbehaving slave girl was slapped on the face by her mistress. Nobody could make the ruler building the E-ninnu, Gudea, let fall a chance utterance. The ruler cleansed the city, he let purifying fire loose over it. He expelled the persons ritually unclean, unpleasant to look at, and …… from the city. |
| The building of Ninĝirsu's temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B): c.2.1.7 With his duties, namely to fill the channels with flowing water; to make the marshes full with carp and perch (?) and to have the inspector of fisheries and the inspector of dykes stand at their posts; to fill the great waters with boats carrying grain; to see that tons, heaps and tons -- the yield of the land of Lagaš -- will be piled up; to see that cattle-pens and sheepfolds will be erected; to see that lambs abound around healthy ewes; to have the rams let loose on the healthy ewes; to see that numerous calves stand beside healthy cows; to see that breed bulls bellow loudly among them; to have the oxen properly yoked and to have the farmers and ox drivers stand beside them; to have donkeys carry packsaddles and to have their drivers, who feed them, follow behind them; to see that large copper …… will be strapped onto jackasses; to see that the principal mill will produce (?); to …… the house of Ninĝirsu's young slave women; to set …… right; to see that the courtyard of the E-ninnu will be filled with joy; to see that the ala drums and balaĝ drum will sound in perfect concert with the sim drums, and to see that his beloved drum Ušumgal-kalama will walk in front of the procession, the ruler who had built the E-ninnu, Gudea, himself entered before Lord Ninĝirsu. |
| The building of Ninĝirsu's temple (Gudea, cylinders A and B): c.2.1.7 He had everything function as it should in his city. Gudea had built the E-ninnu, made its powers perfect. He brought butter and cream into its dairy and provided its …… with bread (?). He had debts remitted and made all hands clear. When his master entered the house, for seven days the slave woman was allowed to became equal to her mistress and the slave was allowed to walk side by side with his master. But the ritually unclean ones could sleep only at the border of his city. He silenced the evil-speaking tongue and locked up evil. |
| The lament for Urim: c.2.2.2 "My possessions, like a flock of rooks rising up, have risen in flight -- I shall cry "O my possessions". He who came from the south has carried my possessions off to the south -- I shall cry "O my possessions". He who came from the highlands has carried my possessions off to the highlands -- I shall cry "O my possessions". My silver, gems and lapis lazuli have been scattered about -- I shall cry "O my possessions". The swamp has swallowed my treasures -- I shall cry "O my possessions". Men ignorant of silver have filled their hands with my silver. Men ignorant of gems have fastened my gems around their necks. My small birds and fowl have flown away -- I shall say "Alas, my city". My slave-girls and children have been carried off by boat -- I shall say "Alas, my city". Woe is me, my slave-girls bear strange emblems in a strange city. My young men mourn in a desert they do not know." |
| The lament for Urim: c.2.2.2 The woman tears at her hair as if it were rushes. She beats the holy ub drum at her chest, she cries "Alas, my city". Her eyes well with tears, she weeps bitterly: "Woe is me, my city which no longer exists -- I am not its queen. Nanna, the shrine Urim which no longer exists -- I am not its owner. Woe is me, I am one whose cow-pen has been torn down, I am one whose cows have been scattered. I am Ningal on whose ewes the weapon has fallen, as in the case of an unworthy herdsman. Woe is me, I have been exiled from the city, I can find no rest. I am Ningal, I have been exiled from the house, I can find no dwelling place. I am sitting as if a stranger with head high in a strange city. Debt-slaves …… bitterness ……." |
| The lament for Sumer and Urim: c.2.2.3 She rode away from her possessions, she went to the mountains. She loudly sang out a lament over those untravelled mountains: "I am queen, but I shall have to ride away from my possessions, and now I shall be a slave in those parts. I shall have to ride away from my silver and lapis lazuli, and now I shall be a slave in those parts. There, slavery, …… people, who can …… it? There, slavery, Elam ……, who can …… it? Alas, the destroyed city, my destroyed house," she cried bitterly. My queen, though not the enemy, went to enemy land. Ama-ušumgal-ana …… Kisiga. Like a city ……. |
| A praise poem of Šulgi (Šulgi B): c.2.4.2.02 For that house, I am the right man to step over the threshold. I am the man whose name has been chosen by Nanna. I am the steward of Enlil's temple, the domestic slave of An. I am Šulgi, and my house E-ḫursaĝ is the palace of palaces. My royal residence is above all praise; I made it tower up like a lapis-lazuli mountain. Inana, the queen of the gods, the protective deity of my power, has perfected the songs of my might -- the foremost among kings -- in respect of everything in the whole world. It is good to praise me. Praise be to Nisaba. |
| An adab to Enlil for Šulgi (Šulgi G): c.2.4.2.07 May Enlil the trustworthy, whose words are lofty -- good fate determined by him takes precedence -- who makes sturdy flax and barley grow -- may he prolong the life of Šulgi, the provider of the E-kur -- hence its flax is indeed fine flax, its barley is indeed fine barley -- the property of Nanna, the houseborn-slave of the E-kur, him whom Ninlil named at his birth Šulgi, the shepherd of the Land, the man whom Enlil knows, the steward of the temple. |
| A praise poem of Išme-Dagan (Išme-Dagan A + V): c.2.5.4.01 I am a judge who gives no explanations; I am a decision-maker who goes straight to the point. The strong does not behave extravagantly towards others, the mighty does not abuse the weak any more. People are not made subject to the lordly. If he does not wish to enter my presence (?) in holy ……, the feeble person may speak contrary words ……. …… slave of my city. …… of Enlil. Sumer and Akkad …… (1 line unclear) Until the distant future (?) ……. I have …… the destructive men. I have destroyed (?) …… the dispossessed (?) who speak with enmity. I have exerted myself ……. I have …… rebellion and destructive criminals ……. I have supported the appeals of the bondsmen, waifs and widows who cry "Alas, Utu!" or "Alas, Nanna!". I have destroyed ……. I have brought about the extermination of the cut-throats who roam (?) the desert. I have kept the just on the proper track, following the wife and the little child.I have sent (?) people nobly into the fields, and established holy shrines (?) in the desert. I have built the city itself for a long future in the whole world. |
| A praise poem of Anam (Anam A): c.2.7.1.1 You are grandly there for Enlil! As befits your calling as lord, you have freed from Unug and its settlements, and released to Nibru, the citizens of Nibru, slaves and slavegirls, who have much ……. |
| Letter from Šulgi to Išbi-Erra about the purchase of grain: c.3.1.13.2 You have made me so happy with the news and everything. Who could give me a house-born slave such as you are? Who has such a capable man, so beneficial to his lord? |
| Letter from Išbi-Erra to Ibbi-Suen about the purchase of grain: c.3.1.17 My lord has become distressed about the battles in Elam. But the Elamites' grain rations have quickly been exhausted, so do not slacken your forces! Do not fall head first into their slavery, nor follow at their heels! |
| Letter from Lugal-nesaĝe to a king radiant as the moon: c.3.3.02 In the streets of Nibru grief consumes me. A hostile city has taken over my city and I have no protector. A hostile house has taken over my house and …… against me. In my city, like a slave, no …… and I wear a filthy …… fleece. |
| A hymn to Ḫendursaĝa (Ḫendursaĝa A): c.4.06.1 { Now, what does one man say to another? Now, what does one person add to another? } { (1 ms. has instead:) Now, under the sun on this very day }, as day breaks, as Utu rises, Utu stands at the weighing place. If someone wants to buy a bull, then Utu asks Ḫendursaĝa; he does not communicate his wisdom to the man who wants to buy the bull. If Ḫendursaĝa tells him that the buyer may buy the bull, then Utu determines the destiny for the building of his cattle-pen. If someone wants to buy sheep, then Utu asks Ḫendursaĝa; he does not communicate his wisdom to the man who wants to buy sheep. If Ḫendursaĝa tells him that the buyer may buy the sheep, then Utu determines the destiny for the fencing of his sheepfold. If someone wants to buy a slave, then Utu asks Ḫendursaĝa; he does not communicate his wisdom to the man who wants to buy the slave. If Ḫendursanga tells him that the buyer may buy the slave, then Utu confirms his ownership by means of the weighing scales. If someone wants to marry a wife, then Utu asks Ḫendursaĝa; he does not communicate his wisdom to the man who wants to marry the wife. If Ḫendursaĝa tells him that the man may marry the wife, then not only does that person marry the wife but also she bears children; furthermore he builds a house and then encloses a compound. This man will speak only good with his wife, and the young woman will be able to make herself a home in extra large women's quarters. |
| A hymn to Ḫendursaĝa (Ḫendursaĝa A): c.4.06.1 So as to integrate securely into the cattle-pen the bull that has been bought, so as to make the sheep that have been bought multiply in the sheepfold, so as to make the slave that has been bought behave submissively in the house of his master, so as to test the liquid capacity of a one-litre pot; so that, when the Herald signals with his horn to the troops before the mêlée of battle and the warriors go forth to the high plain, the Herald will force the dragons back from the roads, so that the Herald Ḫendursaĝa will make them very frightened -- praise be to the youthful Utu, who has kindly supported the excellent power of the Herald, and praise be to Father Enki, who has kindly supported the excellent power of Ḫendursaĝa! |
| A hymn to Inana as Ninegala (Inana D): c.4.07.4 (13 lines missing or unclear) The slavegirl …… her mistress. …… her house and property. …… her child. |
| A song of Inana and Dumuzid (Dumuzid-Inana C1): c.4.08.29 "I have not carried you off to be my slave girl! ……, your table will be a splendid table. You will eat at a splendid table. Your table will be a splendid table, a splendid table. You will eat ……. My mother does not eat there, Durtur's brother does not eat there, my sister Ĝeštin-ana does not eat there; but you will eat ……." |
| A hymn to Nanše (Nanše A): c.4.14.1 She is concerned for the orphan and concerned for the widow. She does not forget the man who helps (?) others, she is a mother for the orphan; Nanše, a carer for the widow, who always finds advice for the debt-slave; the lady who gives protection for refugees. She seeks out a place for the weak. She swells his collecting basket for him; she makes his collecting vessel profitable for him. For the righteous maiden who has taken her path, Nanše chooses a young man of means. Nanše raises a secure house like a roof over the widow who could not remarry. |
| The advice of a supervisor to a younger scribe (E-dub-ba-a C): c.5.1.3 "Whatever you revealed of the scribal art has been repaid to you. You put me in charge of your household and I have never served you by shirking. I have assigned duties to the slave girls, slaves and subordinates in your household. I have kept them happy with rations, clothing and oil rations, and I have assigned the order of their duties to them, so that you do not have to follow the slaves around in the house of their master. I do this as soon as I wake up, and I chivvy them around like sheep." |
| The debate between Hoe and Plough: c.5.3.1 "Wood of the poor man's hand, not fit for the hands of high-ranking persons, the hand of a man's slave is the only adornment of your head. You deliver deep insults to me. You compare yourself to me. When I go out to the plain, everyone looks on but { (2 mss. add 1 line:) the Hoe does not …… the Plough, and } insultingly you call me "Plough, the digger of ditches"." |
| The debate between Grain and Sheep: c.5.3.2 Again Sheep answered Grain: "You, like holy Inana of heaven, love horses. When a banished enemy, a slave from the mountains or a labourer with a poor wife and small children comes, bound with his rope of one cubit, to the threshing-floor or is taken away from (?) the threshing-floor, when his cudgel pounds your face, pounds your mouth, like crushed …… your ears (?) ……, and you are …… around by the south wind and the north wind. The mortar ……. As if it were pumice (?) it makes your body into flour." |
| The debate between Winter and Summer: c.5.3.3 "After you have threshed it at your threshing floor, and have …… the cattle's dung, your carrying-nets are to hand, …… bearing your straw. …… the animals, the storehouses and their contents. After your houses and farmsteads …… sheep, …… from your cattle, after …… their reedbeds, after …… green briars and cut …… thorns, …… storehouse …… the dung of unyoked oxen -- the slave Summer, the duly-appointed labourer who will never rest from his toil, a hired man who has to return to the fields of the Land for his own sustenance!" |
| An elegy on the death of Nannaya: c.5.5.2 "Your daughters have …… for you in their ……. The elders of your city have set up (?) mourning (?) for you. The young women of your city have …… for you. The slave at the grindstone …… has shed (?) tears for you. The house where he is placed (?) ……. He has …… silver, has acquired grain, has …… wide possessions. May the eldest son …… for you your …… firm foundations." |
| The instructions of Šuruppag: c.5.6.1 You should not steal anything; you should not …… yourself. You should not break into a house; you should not wish for the money chest (?). A thief is a lion, but after he has been caught, he will be a slave. My son, you should not commit robbery; you should not cut yourself with an axe. |
| The instructions of Šuruppag: c.5.6.1 You should not have sex with your slave girl: she will chew you up (?). |
| The instructions of Šuruppag: c.5.6.1 You should not establish a home with an arrogant man: he will make your life like that of a slave girl. You will not be able to travel through any human dwelling without be being shouted at: "There you go! There you go!" |
| The instructions of Šuruppag: c.5.6.1 At harvest time, at the most priceless time, collect like a slave girl, eat like a queen; my son, to collect like a slave girl, to eat like a queen, this is how it should be. |
| The instructions of Šuruppag: c.5.6.1 You should not buy a prostitute: she is a mouth that bites. You should not buy a house-born slave: he is a herb that makes the stomach sick. You should not buy a free man: he will always lean against the wall. You should not buy a palace slave girl: she will always be the bottom of the barrel (?). You should rather bring down a foreign slave from the mountains, or you should bring somebody from a place where he is an alien; my son, then he will pour water for you where the sun rises and he will walk before you. He does not belong to any family, so he does not want to go to his family; he does not belong to any city, so he does not want to go to his city. { (1 ms. adds 2 lines:) He cannot knock at the door of ……, he cannot enter ……. } He will not …… with you, he will not be presumptuous with you. |
| The instructions of Šuruppag: c.5.6.1 When you bring a slave girl from the hills, she brings both good and evil with her. The good is in the hands; the evil is in the heart. The heart does not let go of the good; but the heart cannot let go of the evil either. As if it were a watery place, the heart does not abandon the good. Evil is a storeroom ……. { (1 ms. adds:) (2 lines unclear) } May the boat with the evil sink in the river! May his waterskin split in the desert! |
| Proverbs: collection 1: c.6.1.01 …… slave …… bought ……. |
| Proverbs: collection 1: c.6.1.01 Although the chickpea-flour of the home-born slaves …… is mixed with honey and ghee, there is no end to their lamentations. |
| Proverbs: collection 1: c.6.1.01 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 2 + 6: c.6.1.02 The slave of the lamentation priest wails constantly in the town square: "My food ration is big in size but small in weight. Let me tell you about the size of my food ration -- a lance strikes it constantly throughout the city quarter." |
| Proverbs: collection 2 + 6: c.6.1.02 Slavering dogs waiting for instructions (?) ……: "Where are you going? Come back! Stay!" |
| Proverbs: collection 2 + 6: c.6.1.02 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 3: c.6.1.03 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 3: c.6.1.03 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 3: c.6.1.03 A slave girl carried her release money with her. …… 30 minas. |
| Proverbs: collection 3: c.6.1.03 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 3: c.6.1.03 The slave girl who neglected to fill the containers grumbled: "It does not fill (?) to the top; it does not fill (?) the middle." |
| Proverbs: collection 3: c.6.1.03 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 3: c.6.1.03 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 3: c.6.1.03 He who sleeps with a slave girl …… with a strong male …… what the slave girl has stolen, what the lady …… with a man -- one person does not reveal to another. |
| Proverbs: collection 3: c.6.1.03 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 3: c.6.1.03 A runaway slave girl only pretends to sleep. |
| Proverbs: collection 3: c.6.1.03 …… slave girl …… ill …… basket …… myself …… you sprinkle the dirt on the ……. |
| Proverbs: collection 3: c.6.1.03 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 4: c.6.1.04 Left-over clothes are the share of the slave-girl's child; they will fall off her and became nothing but chaff. |
| Proverbs: collection 4: c.6.1.04 What are the dreams of a slave girl? What are the prayers of a striving (?) slave? |
| Proverbs: collection 4: c.6.1.04 My mother …… offering; she is behaving as though she were my slave-girl. |
| Proverbs: collection 7: c.6.1.07 He whose speech is humble -- his wife is a slave girl. |
| Proverbs: collection 7: c.6.1.07 "Let me ……, let me ……; let me destroy it" is characteristic of the slave girl of a lukur priestess. |
| Proverbs: collection 7: c.6.1.07 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 9: c.6.1.09 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 9: c.6.1.09 (= Alster 1997 9 Sec. B 1 Version B; cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 9: c.6.1.09 (= Alster 1997 9 Sec. B 2 Version B; cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 9: c.6.1.09 (= Alster 1997 9 Sec. B 6 Version A; cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 11: c.6.1.11 So says the slave girl: "It has been carried away!" |
| Proverbs: collection 16: c.6.1.16 (= Alster 1997 16 Sec. E 3)He enters (?) through the slavegirl's window; he is indeed a merchant! |
| Proverbs: collection 17: c.6.1.17 …… slave girl ……. |
| Proverbs: collection 18: c.6.1.18 A slave entrusted with a burial will be negligent. |
| Proverbs: collection 19: c.6.1.19 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 19: c.6.1.19 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 19: c.6.1.19 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 19: c.6.1.19 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 19: c.6.1.19 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 21: c.6.1.21 (= Alster 1997 21 Sec. A 6)The slave girl roams around when it grows dark as if it were midnight. |
| Proverbs: collection 21: c.6.1.21 (= Alster 1997 21 Sec. A 7; cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 21: c.6.1.21 (= Alster 1997 21 Sec. A 9; cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 21: c.6.1.21 (= Alster 1997 21 Sec. A 10; cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 21: c.6.1.21 (= Alster 1997 21 Sec. A 11; cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 21: c.6.1.21 (= Alster 1997 21 Sec. A 12; cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 21: c.6.1.21 (= Alster 1997 21 Sec. A 13)If I ……, my vagina brings me slavery. Will anyone take my vagina then? |
| Proverbs: collection 21: c.6.1.21 (= Alster 1997 21 Sec. A 15; cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 21: c.6.1.21 (= Alster 1997 21 Sec. A 16; cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 22: c.6.1.22 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 24: c.6.1.24 (cf. |
| Proverbs: collection 28: c.6.1.28 …… a slave girl's tears …… spouse …… is a slave girl's child. …… boat …… his marsh …… his marsh …… (2 lines fragmentary) (unknown no. of lines missing) |
| Proverbs: collection 28: c.6.1.28 A slave wafting smoke. |
| Proverbs: collection 28: c.6.1.28 (cf. |
| Proverbs: from Nibru: c.6.2.1 (cf. |
| Proverbs: from Urim: c.6.2.3 (cf. |
| Proverbs: from Urim: c.6.2.3 (cf. |
| Proverbs: from Urim: c.6.2.3 (cf. |
| Proverbs: from Urim: c.6.2.3 (cf. |
| Proverbs: from Urim: c.6.2.3 (cf. |
| Proverbs: from Urim: c.6.2.3 A slave girl should not …… a slave girl. …… whatever …… (1 line fragmentary) |
| Proverbs: from Urim: c.6.2.3 A home-born slave was treated with contempt, so he wept. He had chaff in his hands, so he bared his teeth in anger. |
| Proverbs: of unknown provenance: c.6.2.5 …… of a slave girl ……. |
| Proverbs: of unknown provenance: c.6.2.5 (cf. |
| Proverbs: of unknown provenance: c.6.2.5 (cf. |
| Proverbs: of unknown provenance: c.6.2.5 (cf. |
| Proverbs: of unknown provenance: c.6.2.5 (cf. |
| Proverbs: of unknown provenance: c.6.2.5 An unreliable slave girl ……, a pestle (?) without a handle (?) ……. |
| Proverbs: of unknown provenance: c.6.2.5 "The father is attractive, the father is bound, he is a slave (?)!" said the mother. |
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