The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature
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Proverbs: collection 19

Segment A

unknown no. of lines missing
19.a1

1-5. (cf. 6.1.10.10-12, 6.1.17.b3: ll. 14-17, 5.6.7: ll. 29-31) My black mountain has sprouted white gypsum. My mother sent to me a man from the forest, who has given me paralysed hands. My mongoose, which used to eat strong-smelling food, can no longer stretch its neck even towards a jar of ghee. unknown no. of lines missing

Segment B

19.b1

1. (cf. 6.1.09.a12, 6.1.21.b4, 6.1.24.2, 6.2.5: YBC 4677 ll. 1-2) When a fattened pig is about to be slaughtered, one says: "Let me replace what I eat."

19.b2

2-3. (cf. 6.1.09.a13, 6.1.21.b5, 6.1.24.2, 6.2.5: YBC 4677 ll. 3-4) As the piglet snuffles around, it says: "I can no longer take pleasure in eating."

19.b3

4-5. (cf. 6.1.02.137) Build like a lord -- live like a slave! Build like a slave -- live like a lord!

19.b4

6-7. (cf. 6.1.02.135, 6.1.24.3) He who destroys houses destroys silver. He who destroys a house destroys gold.

19.b5

8-9. (cf. 6.1.09.a14, 6.1.24.4) The lord's wife kneels, the slave girl dies. The lord kneels, the slave dies.

19.b6

10-12. (cf. 6.1.03.71, 6.1.11.19, 6.1.24.5) 1 line unclear
...... its hands at the edge of the desert ...... 1 line fragmentary

19.b7

13-15. ...... you should know ...... 2 lines fragmentary unknown no. of lines missing

Segment C

19.c1

1-2. (cf. 6.1.03.25, 6.2.5: YBC 4677 ll. 8-10) What did Enlil make? Chaff! The lance struck. It went into the flesh.

19.c2

3. (cf. 6.1.03.26, 6.1.24.9) When the sun is setting outside so that you cannot even recognise the hand in front of you, go inside!

19.c3

4-5. (cf. 6.1.01.145, 6.1.22: ll. 87-88, 6.1.28.4) Accept your lot and make your mother happy! Run fast and make your god happy!

19.c4

6. (cf. 6.1.01.146) Marry the wife of your choice.

19.c5

7-9. (cf. 6.1.01.147) May Inana make a hot-limbed wife lie with you! May she bestow upon you broad-shouldered sons! May she find for you a place of happiness!

19.c6

10-11. (cf. 6.1.01.126, 6.1.14.42, 6.1.22: l. 34, 6.2.3: UET 6/2 284) A plant as sweet as a husband, a plant as sweet as a mother: may Ezina-Kusu (the grain goddess) dwell in your home.

19.c7

12-14. (cf. 6.1.21.c1, 6.1.23.18, 6.1.24.8) A man's waterskin is his life. A man's sandals are his eyes. A man's wife is his supervisor (?). A man's son is his protective shade. A man's daughter is his eager servant (?). A man's daughter-in-law is his policeman.

19.c8

15. (cf. 6.1.21.c2) A daughter's fiancé .......

19.c9

16. (cf. 6.1.01.190) Fatty meat is good and so is fatty mutton. unknown no. of lines missing

Segment D

19.d1

1-2. 2 lines fragmentary

19.d2

3-4. 2 lines fragmentary

19.d3

5. (cf. 6.1.21.c14) The um bird flees, running away from its own behind.

19.d4

6. (cf. 6.1.02.c12) Like an um bird .......

19.d5

7. (cf. 6.2.5: IM 62823 Seg. B l. 3) The um bird .......

19.d6

8-9. 1 line fragmentary 1 line missing

19.d7

10. 1 line fragmentary

19.d8

11. (cf. 6.2.5: IM 62823 Seg. B l. 4) 1 line unclear

19.d9

12. (cf. 6.1.03.41, 6.1.28.25) When the mistress left the house and the slave girl entered from the street, away from her mistress the slave girl set up her own banquet.

19.d10

13. (cf. 6.1.21.c7) The litter was not apparent to the slave girl. To her mistress it just kept increasing.

19.d11

14-15. (cf. 6.2.3: UET 6/2 386, 6.2.3: UET 6/2 387) As a slave girl, I have no authority over my mistress. So let me pull at my husband's hair. unknown no. of lines missing

Segment E

19.e1

1. 1 line fragmentary

19.e2

2-3. (cf. 6.1.09.d2, 6.2.3: UET 6/3 464 ll. 1-2) The clever one ....... The wise one .......

19.e3

4-5. (cf. 6.1.09.d3, 6.1.13.29, 6.2.3: UET 6/3 464 l. 3) A fool who was overwhelmed by his backside stuck his hand up his backside.

19.e4

6-7. 2 lines fragmentary unknown no. of lines missing

Segment F

19.f1

1. 1 line fragmentary

19.f2

2. A great river is a grave.

19.f3

3-4. (cf. 6.1.15.a9) From the horizon to the very heart of the heavens, the bread is too little for his great stomach! The grain from every hand in his Land is too little for him!

19.f4

5-7. (cf. 6.1.01.40, 6.2.1: Ni 4469 Seg. A ll. 1-4) Let ...... be ....... Let his bread be ...... foul food; no man should eat it.

19.f5

8. (cf. 6.1.01.58) Morsels of bread and tasty onions are the food of the school (?).

19.f6

9. (cf. 6.1.01.48) In the fields, coarse flour is meat and fat.

19.f7

10. 1 line fragmentary unknown no. of lines missing

Segment G

19.g1

1. (cf. 6.1.03.117) You should lift it all together, but put it down in pieces.

19.g2

2-4. ...... hoe ...... going out ....... ...... hoe ...... going out ...... straight .......

19.g3

5. 1 line fragmentary

19.g4

6-8. 3 lines fragmentary

19.g5

9-11. ...... Umma 1 line fragmentary ...... Curuppag .......

19.g6

12-14. ...... they seized him ....... 2 lines unclear

19.g7

15-17. (cf. 5.5.5: ll. 63-65) The early working shepherd, the early working farmer, the young man who got married while he was young: who compares to them?

19.g8

18-19. 2 lines fragmentary unknown no. of lines missing

Segment H

19.h1

1-6. 6 lines fragmentary



Revision history

11.iv.2002: JT, editor: adapting translation
25.ix.2002: JAB, editor: proofreading
16.xii.2002: GC, editor: SGML tagging