The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature
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The debate between the Date Palm and the Tamarisk: translation

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1-10The Tamarisk opened his mouth and spoke. He addressed the Date Palm: "My body ...... the bodies of the gods. (The reference is to statues of tamarisk wood.) You grow your fruits but someone places them before me like a maid approaching her mistress. You do not provide the measuring vessels. You are ...... minor crops, but I ....... Your attendants ...... before me for you."

11-19In his anger the Date Palm answered him. He addressed his brother the Tamarisk: "You say: "If people build daises for me and beautify them too, they certainly do not swear by the gods before clay (?)." -- You may be the body of the gods in their shrines and people may name with a good name the daises of the gods, but it is silver that can pride itself as the overlay of the gods. ......, describe your beauty!"
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Revision history

09.iii.2000-07.iv.2000 : GC : adapting translation
7.x.2000 : JAB : proofreading
14.xi.2000 : GZ : SGML tagging
25.xi.2000 : ER : proofreading SGML
25.xi.2000 : ER : converting to HTML 4.0
7.ix.2001 : ER : header and footer reformatted; substantive content of file not changed