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Proverbs: collection 14

Sumerian literature (ETCSL) · 6 - Proverb collections · 72 sections

1. A.1

   [šu gi4-gi4]-⌈ra⌉ šu ḫe2-en-na-gi4

   Let the favour be repaid to him who repays a favour.

2. A.2

   [{d}lum-ma] ⌈lu2⌉ inim-ĝar sag9-ga-ra niĝ2 sag9-ga-ra [sag9]-⌈ga⌉ ḫe2-en-na-ĝal2

   May Luma grant prosperity to him who speaks well of others who has good things .

3. A.3

   [igi engar-e] ⌈mu⌉-e-ši-in-⌈il2-la⌉

   The farmer lifts his gaze to you : May Enlil look upon the city that he cursed.

4. A.4

   [{d}en-lil2]-⌈le⌉ iri nam ku5-⌈ra2-ni ḫa⌉-ba-ši-ib2-il2-la

5. A.5

   [igi sipad-tur]-e-<ne> mu-e-ši-in-il2-la

   The herdsman lifts his gaze to you: May Enlil look upon the city that he cursed.

6. A.6

   [{d}en-lil2]-le iri nam ku5-ra2-ni [ḫa]-ba-ši-ib2-il2-la

7. A.7

   [igi baḫar2]-e mu-e-ši-in-il2-la

   The potter lifts his gaze to you: May Enlil look upon the city that he cursed.

8. A.8

   [{d}en-lil2]-le iri nam ku5-ra2-ni [ḫa]-ba-ši-ib2-il2-la

9. A.9

   [ud al-šu2-šu2]-⌈ru im⌉ nu-šeĝ3-am3

   The day became cloudy but it did not rain. It rained, but not enough for people to undo their sandals. The Tigris was not surging at its inlet, so water did not fill the arable lands.

10. A.10

    [im al-šeĝ3] ⌈{kuš}⌉e-sir2 nu-du8-a

11. A.11

    [{id2}idigna ka-ba] ⌈mu-un-zur-re⌉ [a-gar3-re nu-si]-⌈si⌉

12. A.12

    […]-⌈na⌉

    (3 lines fragmentary) (approx. 5-10 lines missing)

13. A.13

    […] ⌈du3⌉

14. A.14

    […] X

15. gap

    (approx. 5-10 lines missing)

16. B.1

    iri nam-uš2 ĝal2-la-še3 anše-bal-a-ke4 ḫe2-ni-ib2-sar-re

    You should drive them like pack-asses into a death-stricken city.

17. B.2

    e2-babbar me-silim-e mu-un-du3-a

    The temple E-babbar, which Me-silim had built, was destroyed by Nanni, whose posterity had been cut off.

18. B.3

    {d}na-ni lu2 numun til-til-la šu ḫul mu-un-du3-e

19. B.4

    e2-e lu2 zu-bi mu-un-gul en3-bi-a tar-re

    If a household has harmed an acquaintance, the matter should be investigated.

20. B.5

    e2 {d}en-lil2-la2 pa-ḫar ⌈addir⌉ [(X)]

    Enlil's temple is a collecting (?) of wages (?); yet to reach out, to look with greedy eyes and to seize should be abominations there.

21. B.6

    šu gid2 igi-tum3 la2 šu sumur niĝ2-gig-ga-kam

22. B.7

    e2-gal iri11-gal šag4-bi teš2-a ab-sig10-ge5

    Both the palace and the nether world require obedience from their inhabitants.

23. B.8

    e2-gal a-ri-a nu-da13-da13

    A palace cannot ignore waste land. A barge cannot ignore straw. A freeborn man cannot ignore toil.

24. B.9

    {ĝiš}ma2-gur8 in-nu-da nu-[da13-da13]

25. B.10

    ⌈dumu⌉-gir15 du-lum-ma nu-da13-⌈da13⌉

26. B.11

    e2-gal gud-dam kun-bi ḫe2-⌈dab5⌉

    The palace is an ox; you should catch it by the tail. Utu is lord; you should fix your gaze on him.

27. B.12

    {d}utu lugal-am3 igi-zu ḫe2-en-ši-ni-ĝal2

28. B.13

    e2-gal ud 1(DIŠ) ama tud-da-am3

    The palace: one day a mother giving birth, the next day a mother in mourning.

29. B.14

    ud 1(DIŠ) ama a-⌈nir-ra-am3⌉

30. B.15

    ⌈e2⌉-gal ki-ma-an-[ze2-er …]

    The palace is a slippery place …….

31. B.16

    [X X] X […]

    (1 line fragmentary)

32. B.17

    […] X […]

    (1 line fragmentary)

33. B.18

    id2-da ba-an-sig10-⌈?⌉ [X]

    …… a river …….

34. B.19

    ⌈dam tuku-tuku⌉ lu2-[ulu3-kam]

    Having wives is human. Having children is from the gods.

35. B.20

    dumu ⌈tuku-tuku⌉ diĝir-ra-kam

36. B.21

    ⌈dam⌉ nu-⌈ĝar-ra tuku⌉-a-ĝu10-ne

    When I married a malicious husband -- when I bore a malicious son.

37. B.22

    dumu nu-ĝar-ra tud-da-ĝu10-ne

38. B.23

    dam-ĝu10 ma-dub-be2

    My husband heaps up for me, my child measures out for me; my lover picks the bones from the fish for me.

39. B.24

    dumu-ĝu10 ma-an-aĝ2-e

40. B.25

    [mu]-ud-na-ĝu10 ku6-ta ĝiri3-pax(PAD)-ra2 ma-ni-ib2-de5-de5-ge

41. B.26

    u2 dam-⌈gin7⌉ ⌈ze2-ba⌉ edin-ta nu-un-mu2

    A plant as sweet as a husband does not grow in the desert.

42. B.27

    u2 dam-ĝu10 na-ma-ab-⌈il2⌉-[i-(X)] pe-en-ze2-er-ĝu10 u-gun3 ⌈la⌉-ba-ak-e

    My husband needn't bring me grass; it will not make a decoration for my genitals .

43. B.28

    dam nu-ĝar-ra e2-a til3-la a2-sag3-a2-sag3-a dirig-ga

    A malicious wife living in a house is the worst of all afflictions.

44. B.29

    šaḫ2-e niĝ2 mu-un-la2 me-a dam-ĝu10 im-me

    A pig was carrying something (?): Where is my sow? it said. As it neared its fate, it said: It is my dung-spattered (?) food!

45. B.30

    nam-tar u3-mu-un-na-te u2 šurum-ma-ĝu10 im-me

46. B.31

    e2-gi4-a ⌈?⌉ ⌈{gi}kid⌉-ma2-šu2-a ak

    As for a daughter-in-law -- what about making a reed mat?

47. B.32

    mussa-tur ta mu-un-i-ra-bi

    As for the fiancé, what has he brought? And as for the father-in-law, what has he sorted out?

48. B.33

    ušbar7-e ta am3-bur2-ra-bi

49. B.34

    mussa([mi2]-⌈us2⌉-sa2)-tur-re ba-an-de6

    The fiancé brought …… did not come out. (approx. 7 lines missing)

50. B.35

    […] ⌈la-ba-an-e3⌉

51. gap

    (approx. 7 lines missing)

52. C.1

    [gir5 iri kur2-ra-am3] saĝ-ĝa2-am3

    A stranger is leader in a foreign city.

53. C.2

    […] nu-si-si-me-en

    I am one who does not ……. I can ……. I can …….

54. C.3

    […] ⌈mu⌉-da-ĝal2

55. C.4

    […] mu-da-ĝal2

56. C.5

    […] ⌈ḫe2⌉-en-na-ba

    (2 lines fragmentary)

57. C.6

    […]-⌈ga⌉-am3-e-še

58. C.7

    […]-⌈na⌉ mu-un-sa9

    (1 line fragmentary)

59. C.8

    […] X

    (4 lines fragmentary)

60. C.9

    […] X [X X]

61. C.10

    […]-ed3-de3

62. C.11

    […] ⌈bi2⌉-ib2-ed3-de3

63. C.12

    […]-⌈bi⌉-še3 še muš5-a-kam

    …… barley (?) …….

64. C.13

    […] ⌈?⌉ LUL

    (1 line fragmentary)

65. C.14

    [ĝi6 50]-am3

    The nights are fifty, the days are fifty; at its ……, …… greatly.

66. C.15

    [ud] 50-am3

67. C.16

    […] X-bi-še3

68. C.17

    […] ⌈gal⌉-bi-še3

69. C.18

    […] i-im-DU

    (2 lines fragmentary)

70. C.19

    […] UR4

71. C.20

    […] ⌈ĝal2⌉-la

    (2 lines fragmentary)

72. C.21

    […] gid2

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.