Letter from Aba-indasa to Šulgi about his neglect
- 1
lugal-ĝu10-ra u3-na-dug4
Say to my lord, and repeat to my kid of the mountains, with beautiful horns; to my horse of the mountains, with an eagle's claws; my date-palm, growing on untouched ground and with fresh (?) dates hanging from it: this is what the captain of pledged troops soldiers , Aba-indasa -- who, by means of prayers for his king, greatly pleases his king's heart -- your servant, says:
- 2
maš2 ḫur-saĝ-ĝa2 a2 sag9-sag9-ĝu10
- 3
anše-kur ḫur-saĝ-ĝa2 umbin ḫu-ri2-in{mušen}-na
- 4
{ĝiš}ĝišnimbar ki sikil-e mu2-a zu2-lum {na4}za-gin3 la2-ĝu10-ur2
- 5
u3-ne-de3-taḫ
- 6
{m}a-ba-in-da-sa2 ugula erin2 aga-us2 zu2 keše2
- 7
šudux(KA.ŠU)ud lugal-la-na-ta šag4 lugal-la-na dug3-dug3-ge-ra
- 8
arad2-zu na-ab-be2-a
- 9
kalag-ga-me-en lugal-ĝu10 ga-ab-us2 aga-us2-zu ḫe2-me-en
You are mighty, my lord; I will follow you let me be your soldier ! Let me be the courier of your business I will stand (?) before him attentively !
- 10
inim-ma-zu ra-gaba-zu ḫe2-me-en igi tuku igi-ni-še3 ga-gub
- 11
{ĝiš}ma2 gub-ba {ĝiš}ĝisal mu-un-sig10-ge
When a boat is available, I will steer (?) with the rudder; when water is available when a father is available , I will plunge in; when a son is available, I will thresh (?); …… I will make …… shiny; when wind is available, I will winnow I will …… .
- 12
a gub-ba a-a gub-ba a mu-un-da-ak-e
- 12A
dumu ⌈?⌉-ba še mu-un-sig10-ge
- 12B
[…] (X) X mu-un-zalag-ge
- 13
tum9 gub-ba še mu-un-da-la2-e IM mu-da-ak-e
- 14
dub-sar-me-en na-du3-a ab-sar-re-en
I am a scribe and I write on stelae. …… business concerning the troops. I will …… business which has been neglected in the assembly, when it ……. …… business which makes good …… equal.
- 14A
inim ugnim-ma ⌈mu⌉-[…]
- 15
inim pu-uḫ2-ru-um-ma šub-ba ?-!-bi mu-un-da-sig10-ge
- 15A
inim sag9-ge gaba-ri X […]
- 16
ĝiš-gin7 {ĝiš}tir-ĝa2 mu-un-du3-nam mu-dur7-re im-gam-e
But like a tree planted in riverine thickets, I am bowed down in dirt. They have bound a rope around my hands, on my chair where they have tied me. In my city, where I would wear clean clothes, I am clothed instead in mourning dress. When I wash away clods of soil, dust still gets into my eyes.
- 17
{ĝiš}gu-za-ĝa2 lu2 mu-un-da-la2-a šu-ĝu10 eš2 im-ma-an-la2
- 18
iri-ĝa2 ! dan6-na-a mu-ni-mur10-ra tug2-mu-dur7-ra ba-an-mur10
- 19
lag-e a mi-ni-in-tu5-a saḫar igi-ĝa2 ba-e-DU
- 20
ur-e ad6 ib2-gu7 gaba-bi ib2-zi-zi
Dogs devour corpses, lifting their chests. When dragons kill, what is left from their mouths is put aside. Fire consumes reedbeds even though they have waterways. Utu, who eats butter, who eats cream, nevertheless touches the table of the poor. Grant me my life and hold my hands! I am a son of a widow, and I have no one to take care of me.
- 21
ušumgal-e saĝ ĝiš ib2-ra-ra ka-ta ab-taka4 i3-ib2-taka4
- 22
ĝiš-gi izi ib2-gu7 ? i3-tuku-tuku
- 23
{d}utu i3 un-gu7 ga un-gu7 {ĝiš}banšur ukur3-ra-še3 šu-ni ib2-ši-tum3
- 23A
zi-ĝu10 ba-e-! šu-ĝu10 ḫa-za-a-ab
- 23B
dumu nu-mu-un-su-me-en lu2 en3 tar-re la-ba-an-tuku
- 24
ĝa2-a me-na-am3 šag4 {d}šul-gi lugal-ĝa2 ki-bi ḫa-ma-gi4-gi4
As for me, when will the heart of Šulgi, my lord, be restored to me? May my lord attend to me and restore me to my mother.
- 24A
lugal-ĝu10 en3-ĝu10 ḫe2-tar-re ki ama-ĝu10-še3 ḫe2-em-mi-ib-gi4-gi4
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL), Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. Copyright holders: Jeremy Black, Graham Cunningham, Jarle Ebeling, Esther Flückiger-Hawker, Eleanor Robson, Jon Taylor and Gábor Zólyomi. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Source.