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
Image
© [see publications]
Transliteration
tablet
obverse
beginning broken
1'. [...] x-zu-sze3 im#?-x
en: Her(?) two tongues ...
2'. [...]-da-ni
en: Your(?) weakness ...
3'. [...]-KU-KU
en: Diluted beer ...
4'. ga-ab-sa10#-[...] na-ag2-lu2-lu7
en: Wheeler-dealer who is always standing around(?), the speech of humanity (for gossip)
5'. bun2 du11-du11# gurusz# iri#-[...] si#-si-ge
en: Enflaming, setting lies among the young men of the city
6'. ki-sikil tur dag-gi4-a ti-la# u3# [...]-ku#?-ku
en: The little girl(s) living in the district cannot sleep
7'. gaba-ri-gu10-me-en#
en: You are (really) my opponent?
double ruling
8. e-ne-eg3 diri inim bala-e nu-sa6#
en: (Producer of) excess words(?), conversationalist/interpreter that is not good
9'. nu-nuz sun7-na szu-um-du-um nu-kal-la sza3 gur4 du14#? mu2-mu2
en: Haughty woman whose lips are worthless, feeling (too) wonderful (about herself?), starting arguments
10'. gu3 de2-de2 ze2-za galga# suh3-e#
en: Shouter, croaker, (one whose) counsel is confused
11'. e2-e an-na# x ama5-ni-sze3 la-ba-ab-du7
en: She has destroyed(!?) ... house/temple, it has not been suitable for the women's quarters
12'. szu dag-dag-ge# ha-la-ni
en: Roaming/loitering (is) her inheritance share
13'. gu7-gux(KA) na8-na8 eg3-gig-ga kin2-ga2 bid3-da#-[...]
en: Eating and drinking, seeking the taboo item, her anus is scratched/cracked
14'. en#-na-bi-sze3-am3 du14 mu-da-ak-[...]
en: How long can she argue?
double ruling
15'. i-bi2 duh um-ma-ne musz3-me-bi gi4#-[...]
en: (Possessing) the eyesight of the old women and the face of a servile laborer
16'. sag-du LAGAB siki sal ugu ze2 sag sal#-[...]
en: Thick/square-headed, (possessing) thin hair, a scraped/cut head?, a thin head(?)
17'. mu-x-na arkab |MU.TUG2.PI| sza3 x-[...]
en: (Your) spouse (is like) a bat, you have emptied the contents of (his) ear/mind(!?)
18'. sag#-ki-gu4 i-bi2-ze2-ze2 ka ha-az# [...]
en: "Trapezoid,” “cut/scraped eyes,” “seizing mouth,” scratched/cracked lips
reverse
1. ga-ba-al mu-du3-du3-[...]
en: You will (really) quarrel with me?
double ruling
2. hul de3 kalam-ma# nu-ga nu-nuz-[...]
en: Destructive one/evildoer(?) of the land(?), unsuitable one among women
3. sig7-sig7-ga sza3 lugud [...]
en: (Emitting) sobbing noises/pale, (possessing) a heart pumping pus
4. gig2-ga me-luh-ha{ki} dimx(LUGAL@s) zi3 mil lu2-tu15# [...]
en: Black one of Meluhha, weak one (who eats only?) malt flour, idiot, one who is not set/inappropriate for (her) way
5. ib2 gid2# sza3# ti#-ki-il gu2 gur4 gaba ze2-x [...]
en: (Possessor of) long hips, a bloated stomach, a thick neck, and a “broken” chest
6. bid3-x [...] gal4#-la tur siki gal4-la gid2#-gid2#
en: (Possessor of) an anus that is a “sheaf"(?), a small vagina, extremely long pubic hair
7. pe-[...] lu2 gal4-la pa4-hal#-la
en: A cracked/scratched(?) vagina, who (has) a blocked and afflicted womb(?)
8. x [...] x KU GAB-GAB-usz-a
en: ...
9. [... na]-an-ba-dim2-me#-en
en: You are one (who says(?)) “do not behave like my ...”
double ruling
10. [...]-x sze-en-ka6 mu#-[du11]-du11!
en: Prostitute who acts like a mongoose(?) in the tavern
11. [...] ga#-ab-[...]-e-ne
en: Marrying a spouse (and then) divorcing a spouse, idiot, an “I want to follow” among young women
12. [...]-a
en: Coming up towards the vagina(?), a birth mother daily
13. [...]-di?
en: A dog with its paw raised ... behind men
14. [...]-un#?-szi-ku-ku
en: She does not let the young ... living in the district sleep
15. [...] x