Proverbs: collection 10

Sumerian literature (ETCSL) · 6 - Proverb collections · 19 sections

1
[nir]-⌈ĝal2⌉-e ⌈a-na⌉ [bi2-in]-⌈dug4⌉ nu-sag9
Whatever the man in authority said, it was not pleasant.
2
nir-ĝal2-e a-na ⌈bi2⌉-in-dug4 nu-zid
Whatever the man in authority said, it was not right.
3
nir-ĝal2 kug-zu-am3 ukur3 šu dim4-am3
When the authorities are wise, and the poor are loyal, it is the effect of the blessing of Aratta.
4
šu ĝar ĝal2-la aratta{ki}-ka
5
a2-tuku lugal ki-in-du-ke4
The mighty man is master of the earth.
6
usu ka lu2-ta-am3 am3-kur9-kur9
It is from a man's mouth that strength comes.
7
usu igi-ĝal2-tuku nu-mu-e-da-sa2
Strength cannot keep pace with intelligence.
8
usu diĝir-ĝa2 ni2-ĝa2 ba-til
The strength of my god completes my own.
9
[nam]-⌈ĝuruš⌉ anše ⌈kar⌉-ra-gin7 ḫaš2-ĝa2 ba-e-taka4
Youthful vigour has left my loins, like a runaway donkey.
10
[ḫur-saĝ] ⌈gig2⌉-ĝu10 ⌈im⌉-babbar ba-an-mu2
My black mountain has sprouted white gypsum.
11
ama-ĝu10 {ĝiš}tir-ta lu2 mu-ši-in-gi4
My mother sent to me a man from the forest, who has given me paralysed hands.
12
šu dab5-ĝu10 ma-an-šum2
13
{d}nin-kilim niĝ2 uzu ḫab2-ba gu7-gu7-ĝu10
My mongoose, which used to eat strong-smelling food meat , can no longer stretch its neck toward a jar of ghee.
14
dug i3-nun-na-še3 gu2 nu-mu-un-ši-la2-e
15
ur2 am-mu-uš-e i-bi2 7(IMIN)-e
The lap three (?) times, the eye (?) seven times is what she says to the one about to breach her defences.
16
bad3-si gul-gul-e na-ab-be2-a
17
esaĝ2 gibil-za in-nu sumun-a-ĝu10 ga-an-si-e-še
Let me fill your new storehouse with my old hay.
18
lu2 mu-e-ši-in-gi4 ta-am3 bi2-?-dab5
A man turned toward you. What did he seize?
19
[ma]-⌈?⌉-ga-ni mu-na-ni-ib-gi4-gi4
Her girl friend answered her as follows.

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.