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Proverbs: collection 23

Sumerian literature (ETCSL) · 6 - Proverb collections · 60 sections

1. gap

   (unknown no. of lines missing)

2. A.1

   [X] MU ?-da X […]

   (4 lines fragmentary)

3. A.2

   [X] ?-? ?

4. A.3

   [X] ḪI a-pap lu2 SU ? A

5. A.4

   [X] sikil-ra a-pap an-dul3 nu-lu-a

6. A.5

   [X]-ĝu10 diĝir-ĝu10 dumu-gir15-ĝu10 me-ĝu10

   (3 lines unclear) My husband picks the bones from the fish for me. …… is not in the desert.

7. A.6

   [X]-ĝu10 e2 um-ma ?-?

8. A.7

   [X]-še3 ? ?-de3

9. A.8

   [mu-ud-na]-ĝu10 ku6-a ĝiri3-pad ma-de5-de5

10. A.9

    [X] X GI GA edin-na nu-me-am3

11. A.10

    [X] X ḫi-li-na

    (4 lines fragmentary)

12. A.11

    [X] X-bi dug3-ga-X

13. A.12

    [X] X GA in-nu-uš X

14. A.13

    [X] X dug3-ga

15. A.14

    [X] ?-gub ga-mu-da-[X]

    (2 lines fragmentary) (unknown no. of lines missing)

16. A.15

    […] ? [X]

17. gap

    (unknown no. of lines missing)

18. B.1

    [X] ? X ? […]

    (2 lines fragmentary)

19. B.2

    u3 nu-mu-?-be2 X […]

20. B.3

    ḫi-li sipad KU šir-[a-ni]

    A …… shepherd's sex appeal is his testicles (?); a gardener's is his hair. …… a waterskin. He who does not support a wife, and who does not support a son. Although the dishonest man was unable to build his own house, he came to serve as a construction worker at my friend's house. A dishonest man chases after women's genitals; an unreliable man has two sickles. A house built by a righteous man is destroyed by a treacherous man.

21. B.4

    nu-{ĝiš}kiri6 suḫur-[a-ni]

22. B.5

    {kuš}a2-ĝa2-la2-še3 ! il2 [X]

23. B.6

    dam nu-il2 dumu nu-[il2]

24. B.7

    lu2-lul-la e2-[a-ni nu-mu-un-da-du3]

25. B.8

    e2 gu5-li-ĝu10 {ĝiš}al-tar-re [ba-gub]

26. B.9

    lu2-lul-la gal4-! [ba-an-us2]

27. B.10

    lu2 nu-ĝar-ra {ĝiš}šu-gur10 2-[am3]

28. B.11

    e2 lu2 zid-da du3-a

29. B.12

    lu2-lul-la ba-gul

30. B.13

    nu-mu-un-na-du-du ĝiri3 <nu>-mu-na-ĝa2-ĝa2

    No one walks together with him or directs their steps towards him. Life passes him by like water eludes him just as he avoids others . He is dear to no just man, plague prevails over him life is not given to him . Like a worthless penny, ……; no one …… he is thrown away; no one cares about him . He is clothed with a garment as if a heavy punishment were assigned to him. Who is he? His name? A man sleeping with someone's wife. Who is he? He is a man who slept with someone's wife.

31. B.14

    nam-til3-la a-gin7 i3-dib2-be2 e-ne-gin7 mu-ni-in-dib2-be2

32. B.15

    lu2 zid nu-!-la nam-uš2-ta dirig nam-til3 ⌈li⌉-bi2-in-⌈šum2⌉

33. B.16

    nu-kug-gin7 mu-un-TI ĜAR-e nu-!-[re] mu-un-ni-šub en3-na nu-⌈tar⌉-re

34. B.17

    tug2-gin7 i3-mu4-mu4

35. B.18

    nam-tag dugud un-ĝar-ra

36. B.19

    a-ba mu-ni lu2 dam lu2-kam ba-! a-ba-am3 e-ne lu2 dam lu2-ka in-da-⌈nu2⌉-a

37. B.20

    an u2-ga{mušen} ki {d}nin-kilim

    In the sky there is the raven, on the earth there is the mongoose; and in the desert a lion in its den; my husband (?), where shall I go? (unknown no. of lines missing)

38. B.21

    edin-na ur-maḫ-e ki-tuš-a-bi-X nitalam!(⌈(MUNUS?).(UŠ?)⌉)-ĝu10 ⌈?⌉-am3 ga-ba-ĝen

39. gap

    (unknown no. of lines missing)

40. C.1

    […] RI

    (4 lines fragmentary)

41. C.2

    […] ĝa2-ĝa2

42. C.3

    […] X GA na-am3

43. C.4

    [X] X ⌈DI⌉ ? UM nam-ma-an-⌈?⌉

44. C.5

    [X] MU niĝ2-ĝu10 e3-a niĝ2 LU X-ba e3-a

    (2 lines unclear)

45. C.6

    [X] ⌈?⌉-nu-da

46. C.7

    [X] NU nam-<mu>-un-da-ku4-ku4

    (4 lines unclear)

47. C.8

    [(X)] ?-re šu nam-kar2-kar2-de3

48. C.9

    [X] ? am3-ba nu-ub-kur9

49. C.10

    [X] me šul diĝir-zu ḫe2-du8

50. C.11

    [X] X GA BA X X

    (2 lines fragmentary)

51. C.12

    [X] X X

52. C.13

    [{kuš}]⌈ummud⌉ zi lu2-kam

    A man's waterskin is his life. A man's sandals are his eyes. A man's wife is his ……. A man's son is his protective shade. A man's daughter is his eager servant (?). A man's daughter-in-law is his policeman.

53. C.14

    [{kuš}]e-sir2 igi lu2-kam

54. C.15

    [dam] !-ma lu2-kam

55. C.16

    [dumu]-⌈nitaḫ⌉ ĝissu lu2-kam

56. C.17

    [dumu]-⌈?⌉ saĝ šum2-ma lu2-kam

57. C.18

    [e2]-⌈gi4⌉-a mu-la lu2-kam

58. C.19

    […] ? DU

    (2 lines fragmentary) (unknown no. of lines missing)

59. C.20

    […] X NE

60. gap

    (unknown no. of lines missing)

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.