Letter from Shulgi to Aradngu about Apillasha: translation

^1-2Say to Aradju: this is what Culgi, your lord, says:

^3-5The man to whom I have sent you is not your subordinate -- he will not accept (1 ms. has instead: change) orders from your hand! How can you ignore what he himself has done too, and that it is indeed so?

^6-15As I myself ordered, you were to secure the provinces, and to correctly guide the people and make them obedient (2 mss. have instead: secure the foundations of the provinces). When you approach the cities of the provinces, inform yourself precisely of their intentions, and inform yourself of the words of their dignitaries. Let my roar be emitted over all the lands (1 ms. has instead: fill all the lands) (1 ms. has instead: cover all the lands). Let my powerful arm, my heroic arm, fall upon all the lands. Let my storm cover (1 ms. has instead: be released over) the Land. Make the ...... disappear into the desert, and the robbers into the fields! Until you reach Apillaca, my 'Sage of the Assembly', ......! Let .......

^16-17That was how I had instructed you. Why have you not acted as I ordered you?

^18-26If I do not make my 'Sage of the Assembly' feel just as important as I am, if he does not sit on a throne on a dais, furnished with a high-quality cloth cover (?), if his feet do not rest on a golden footstool, if he is not allowed by his own highest authority both to appoint and then to remove a governor from his function as governor, an official from his charge (some mss. have instead: from his function as official) (1 ms. has instead: from an official), if he does not kill or blind anyone, if he does not elevate his favourite over others -- how else can he secure the provinces?

^27-28If you truly love me, you will not bear him a grudge!

^29-30You are important, but you do not even know your own soldiers (1 ms. has instead: and you even know the soldiers that are at Apillaca's disposal). Your eyes have learnt something about these men (some mss. have instead: Apillaca's men), and about Apillaca's heroism (some mss. have instead: my heroism).

^31-35If you, Aradju, are indeed my servant (some mss. have instead: you, Aradju and Apillaca, are indeed my servants), you should both pay attention (?) to my written communications. Come to an understanding, you two! Secure the foundations of the provinces! It is urgent!

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Revision history

22.iii.2001-26.iii.2001 : EFH : adapting translation
18.v.2001 : JAB : proofreading
03.viii.2001 : GZ : SGML tagging
24.viii.2001 : ER : proofreading SGML
24.viii.2001 : ER : converting to HTML 4.0