CDLI Literary 000761, ex. 040 (P346120)

Literary tablet excavated in Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in British Museum, London, UK

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Transliteration

tablet
obverse
1. za-e ni2-zu nu-mu-un-ta-e3-de3
 en: (As for) you, your fear does not depart from you(!)
2. musz gir2 lu2-lul-la-ke4 nig2 edin-na-ke4
 en: Snakes and scorpions, thieves/liars(?), that of the plain
3. zi-zu an-edin-na ku#-kur mu-ni-ib-e3
 en: Desire you life in the plain
4. [u4]-szu2#-usz-e nig2-ka9#-zu#? i3-ke3-e
 en: Daily your tally is made
5. szudum#?-zu ki i3-tag-tag-ge
 en: Your tallying stick(?) is planted in the ground
6. na#-gada#-a#?-za#? u8 me-a sila4 tur-tur me-a
 en: Your herder(?), where the ewes are, where the little lambs are,
7. ud5#? me-a masz2# tur#-tur me-a lu2-lu7# mu-un-na-ab-be2
 en: where the nannies are, where the little kids are: (he is the) person who says.
8. tu15 tur-tur-e iri-a DU-da-bi
 en: When the little winds are to go in the city
9. tu15 gal-gal-e bar-rim4-ma du#-da-bi
 en: When big winds are to go in the desert
10. za-e e2-ubur#-ra# ma#-ra-an-du3-u3#-ne
 en: They make a milking house/pen for you
11. tu15# tur-tur-e# iri#-a# DU#-da-bi
 en: When the little winds are to go in the city
12. tu15 gal-gal-e bar-rim4-ma#? x-bi
 en: When big winds are to go in the desert
13. {d}asznan-me-en# ur-sag-ra tu-da ga2#?-la# nu#-mu-un-dag-dag-ge
 en: I am Ezina, born for the hero, who will never cease
14. {d#}iszkur-ra gaba#-ri#-a mu-un-da-an-gub-be2#
 en: Who can stand against(?) Iškur as an (equal) opponent
15. {dug!}szakir3 {dug#}giri3#? ga? gil#-sa nam-sipa-da nig2-[...]
 en: The churn and the kir vessel (for) milk(?), the treasure of shepherdship, are present among(?) (your) property
16. a-na-zu [...]-da#?-gal2 nig2 a!-na ab-be2-na-gu10 gi4-[ma-ni-ib]
 en: What of yours can be present (in response)? What is it, that which is my speaking (that can be responded to(?))? Answer!
17. 2(disz@t)-kam-ma#-[...] {d#}lahar# {d}asznan-ra mu-na-ni-ib2-gi4#!?-[...]
 en: For a 2nd time lahar was answering Ezina
18. za#-e# [...] {d}usan#? an-na-kam x x
 en: You ... as(?) the evening/evening of the sky(?)
19. x [...] x ki im-a-ag2 x x?
 en: You have loved(?) the ... of the mountain/foreign land
20. erim2# bar# [...]-ra#?-ke4#
 en: The angered enemy (now a?) foreign slave
21. dam# tur-x [...] dumu# tur-tur-ra-ke4
 en: The (one with a?) junior spouse(?), the ... with (lit. of) small children
22. esz2 disz kusz3# [...] x-da#-<<DA#?>>-an-la2
 en: After having bound (you) with a one-cubit rope
23. ki-surx(DU6)-sze3 [...]-ma-an-e11-de3
 en: One takes (you) down to the site of the threshing floor
24. ki-surx(DU6)?-ta x-x-ri-x-[...]-e11#-de3
 en: One takes (you) up from the site of the threshing floor
25. {gesz#}tukul#-a-ni igi-zu im-ra#-ra giri17-[zu] im#-ra#-ra#
 en: His weapon has struck your face, it has struck your nose
26. x gaz2#?-gaz2-gin7 um#?-ma#?-[...]
 en: After(?) ... like crushed/slaughtered(?) ...
27. tu15# ulu3{+lu} {tu15}mir-re x [...]
 en: The southern and northern winds ...
28. {na4#}kin2#-e {na4#}x-[...]-x
 en: The grinding stone, the ...
29. {na4#}szu-szu bar-za a-ar3-ar3 mi#-ni#-ib2#?-[...]-e#?
 en: The muller grinds(?) on your back
30. za-e {gesz#!?}bunig-bi# lug#-ga#-zu-ne#
 en: When you live(?) in the trough
31. lu2 silag ma-da#?-szar2 ki-a mi-ni-in-gurum?
 en: One mixed (you?) with the dough(?) for me(!?) and curled it up(?) on the ground
32. ki#-sikil du8# <du>-gu#-la szu bur2-ra-am3
 en: The young woman is the one who spreads out/bakes, mixes, and spreads out again/strikes(?)
33. {im#}szu#-rin-na-sze3# im-ta-an-e11-de3#
 en: She(?) brings you(?) up to the oven
34. za-e {gesz}banszur#-ra gal2-la-zu-ne
 en: When you are on the table
35. an-ta ma-ra-an-gal2-le-en ki-ta ma-ra-an#-gal2#-le#-en#?
 en: I am there above (relative to) you, and you are there below (relative) to me(!?)
36. {d}asznan ni2#-zu gesztux(|GISZ.TUG2|)#-ga-a-ni
 en: Ezina, pay attention to(!?) yourself
37. u3# za#-e# [...] x x x
 en: And (then you will understand?) you ...
reverse
1. me-zu igi# [...]-x-x-e3-esz
 en: Because the eye ... your me (i.e., role)
2. u3 ga2#-[...] egir# bi2-ib2#-us2-en
 en: And (then?) I am made to follow after(?) (as a course?)
3. lu2-{na4#}kin2#!-e hul-esz nu-gal2-la!
 en: The miller is not there for evil (purposes) (for what he does?)
4. a-na-zu mu-da-gal2 nig2 a-na x-ab-be2-na-gu10 gi4-ma-ni-ib
 en: What of yours can be present (in response)? What is it that which is my speaking (that can be responded to(?))? Answer!
5. u4#-ba {d}asznan nam-gir15#-ra#?-na x mi-ni-in-us2-e!?
 en: At that time Ezina (the grain goddess) was ... her pride/native status(?)
6. [{d}]asznan# {d#}lahar-ra mu-na-ni-ib-gi4#-gi4#
 en: Ezina was answering lahar
7. [...] lugal#-zu {d#}szakkan#? szusz3-zu bar-rim4-ma ki-nu2-da-zu
 en: (As for) you, Iškur (is) your master, Sumuqan (is) your groom, and the desert (is) your bed
8. x-[...] NE#? in-ga#?-dub2-ba-gin7
 en: Like the house and field in which fire also rages(!?)/like the house also set on fire by(?) the field(!?)
9. x x [...]{muszen#}-gin7 bi2#-ib#?-RI#-gin7
 en: Like (when) locusts afflict(!?) a house with their teeth(!?)
10. x x x [...]-x-e [...]-ni-ib-ku4-re-en
 en: You bring the weak(?) cripple(?) into the land(?)
11. [...] gu2#-gu10# [...] ba-e-de3#-ga2#-ga2#-ga2
 en: (While) I can(?) set my neck to the ground (i.e., achieve a state of overripeness?)
12. [...]-an-x-e [...] ba-e-hal#-hal#-[...]-x
 en: I(?) am divided into (various) ...(?) ban containers
13. sza3-x-zu ganba#-[...] lu2 bi2-in-de6#-[...]
 en: (After) one has brought(?) your ... belly/innards(?) (for sale) at the market rate
14. {tug2}nig2-dara2 ni2-za gu2-x x [...] bi2-in-x-[...]-x
 en: After he binds you yourself/your aura(?) and your neck with a loin cloth
15. u8-gu10-sze3 sze {gesz}ba-an-[...] x-ma-ab lu2 [...]-na#-ab-be2#
 en: One person says to another “fill up the ...(?) ban container with grain in order to (buy) my ewe”
16. u4-ba {d}en-ki-ke4# {d}en#-lil2#-ra gu3# mu#-[...]
 en: At that time, Enki was speaking to Enlil
17. a#-a {d}en-lil2 {d}lahar {d}asznan# x x x [...] x x [...]
 en: Father Enlil, lahar and Ezina ...
18. a2#!?-bi-ta [...]
 en: They have stood(?) ... by their strength(?)
19. x 3(disz@t)-kam da-ne-ne-a [...]
 en: The 3rd/30th ... does not cease at their side(!?)
20. min3-na-ne-ne {d}asznan# [...]-x-[...]
 en: Of the two of them, Ezina is greater
21. {d#}asznan-ra dub3 he2-x-x [...]-za#-za#
 en: And therefore (Lahar) should kneel(?) and prostrate herself to Ezina
22. x-ra giri3-ni [...]-x-x
 en: To ... she/they(?) should kiss her feet
23. {d#}utu#-e3#-ra [...]-x
 en: From(!?) sunrise until(!?) sunset
24. mu {d}asznan-kam [...]-il#?-la#?-NE
 en: She/they(?) should praise(!?) the name of Ezina
25. lu2# ku3 tuku lu2 za#-gin3# [tuku lu2] gu4# tuku lu2 udu tuku#
 en: The one who possesses silver, the one who possesses lapis, the person that possesses an ox, the person who possesses a sheep
26. ka2# lu2 sze tuku-x? u4# mu#-un-di-ni-ib2#-[...]-e#?
 en: Will spend the day at the gate of the one who possesses grain along with him(?)
27. {d#}lahar# {d}asznan a-da-min3 <<mi2?>> du11-ga
 en: (In the) dispute (undertaken between) lahar and Ezina
28. {d}lahar tak4 {d}asznan# e3-a
 en: Lahar is the quitter, Ezina is the one who emerged (victorious)
29. a-a {d}en-ki za3-mi2
 en: Father Enki, praise!
  double ruling
  blank space
left
1. {im#?}szu-rin-na#? im#-ta-an#-e3#?-de3#? [...] x? dam tur-ke4#? x
 en: ...
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