Proverbs: from Nibru

Sumerian literature (ETCSL) · 6 - Proverb collections · 368 sections

head
Ni 4166 (Alster 1997 pp. 293-294)
v1.A.1
TUR X […]
(2 lines fragmentary) …… his hand …….
v1.A.2
kur KU X […]
v1.A.3
šu-ni […]
v1.A.4
ki ?-ga […]
(2 lines fragmentary) …… the go-between's fee …… lion …… (1 line fragmentary) …… not …… wife …… (1 line fragmentary) (unknown no. of lines missing)
v1.A.5
MUNUS+X MU X […]
v1.A.6
? niĝ2-⌈?⌉ […]
v1.A.7
ur-maḫ […]
v1.A.8
X IGI X […]
v1.A.9
nu-um-mi-[…]
v1.A.10
dam […]
v1.A.11
X ⌈?⌉ […]
gap
(unknown no. of lines missing)
v1.B.1
X X X X X […]
Get on with (?) your assigned work!
v1.B.2
al-tar-zu gub-[X]
v1.B.3
e2 dirig-ga a-šag4-ga KA [X]
…… more than a house …… field ……. The dragon doesn't …… its rival. In building a house …… (1 line fragmentary) …… of the strong man. …… its roar, the lion won't cease …….
v1.B.4
ušumgal-e gaba gi4 nu-BAD aḫ6 X
v1.B.5
?-a du3-du3-u3
v1.B.6
MAŠ+X AMAŠ-?
v1.B.7
banšur GI kalag-ga-ka
v1.B.8
za-pa-aĝ2-bi-e
v1.B.9
ur-maḫ nu-til ši-im-mu2-e
v1.B.10
? kaš4 TAR-TAR ? GI
(3 lines fragmentary) …… follow the merchant.
v1.B.11
X IR-ra du3-a
v1.B.12
e3 KU GI ⌈?⌉ X X (X) ⌈?⌉ X X
v1.B.13
KIĜ2 DA ?-⌈?⌉ im-us2
v1.B.14
a ?-gal-la am3-? X X
The palace's water is coming out ……. (3 lines fragmentary) (unknown no. of lines missing)
v1.B.15
[…] GAR3 X X UM
v1.B.16
[…] X GA-ar
v1.B.17
[…] X
gap
(unknown no. of lines missing)
v1.C.1
e2-? nu-DI-X X
…… not …… to the house. He will not found a city.
v1.C.2
⌈iri⌉{ki} nu-ĝa2-ĝa2
v1.C.3
KUŠ ḪI {u2}sas ga ḫi-iz{sar}-kam
…… meadow grass is the milk of a lettuce. (1 line fragmentary)
v1.C.4
IM ḫi-a-? ḪI X MU [X X] X
v1.C.5
ad-KID ? ? X šar2
A reed worker …… the breast of a storm …… are many.
v1.C.6
X [X X] X šar2-šar2
v1.C.7
[…]-še3 a2 du7-du7
…… butting against …….
v1.C.8
[…] X [X] niĝ2-⌈?⌉-[rum]
(6 lines fragmentary)
v1.C.9
[…] X
v1.C.10
[…] DU [X X] GIM
v1.C.11
[…] ?
v1.C.12
[…] X X ⌈?⌉-in-[…] X
v1.C.13
[…] X
head
N 4248 (Alster 1997 pp. 290-291)
v2.A.1
[…] X
(2 lines fragmentary)
v2.A.2
[…]-⌈?-?⌉
v2.A.3
[…] ⌈MUG⌉ TUG2-la-ke4
(5 lines fragmentary)
v2.A.4
[…]-da bi2-ib-BAD-e
v2.A.5
[…]-da mu-ni-ḫal-na
v2.A.6
[…] ⌈?⌉-am3
v2.A.7
[…] X ⌈ib⌉-pad3-de3
v2.A.8
[…]-mu-ub
(1 line fragmentary) Because of my silver, because of my gold, because of my money chest, because of my …… chest, I am finished.
v2.A.9
[kug-ĝa2]-⌈ke4⌉-eš
v2.A.10
[kug-sig17]-⌈ĝa2⌉-ke4-eš
v2.A.11
[dub-šen]-ĝa2-ke4-eš
v2.A.12
[dub-šen-dilim2]-ĝa2-ke4-eš
v2.A.13
[ĝe26-e] ba-til-de3-en-e-še
v2.A.14
[…]-⌈na⌉-dug3-ga
…… good …… eat ……. (unknown no. of lines missing)
v2.A.15
[…]-⌈an⌉-gu7-[e]
gap
(unknown no. of lines missing)
v2.B.1
[…] ⌈TE⌉
(1 line fragmentary)
v2.B.2
[…] X
(2 lines fragmentary)
v2.B.3
[…]-⌈kam⌉
v2.B.4
[…] X X
(6 lines fragmentary)
v2.B.5
[…] ⌈?⌉-ḫur-re
v2.B.6
[…]-⌈?⌉ an-ta
v2.B.7
[…] ⌈?⌉-a-ne
v2.B.8
[…]-⌈en⌉
v2.B.9
[…]-⌈?⌉
head
N 3395 (Alster 1997 pp. 288-290)
v3.A.1
ḪI ⌈IM KAR⌉ [X]-⌈RI⌉-RI-⌈ne⌉ […]
(1 line unclear) Release the ……! He will not provide the food supply. (1 line unclear)
v3.A.2
ZI2 du8-bi-ib šukur2 nu-ĝar-re gi-im-[…]
v3.A.3
NA ZI2 X BAD e-ri-in-nam a-na ša-ḫi-i-im X […]
v3.A.4
di-bi-da an-ša4-an{ki}-na i-me-er an-ša-ni-[im]
The donkey of Anšan, the bear (?) of Marḫaši, the cat of Meluḫa, the elephant of the eastern mountains, bite off Euphrates poplars as if they were leeks.
v3.A.5
dim3-šaḫ2 mar-ḫa-ši{ki} ma-ar-gi4 pa-ra-aḫ-[ši]
v3.A.6
gul-lum me-luḫ-ḫa{ki} šu-ra-an me-luḫ-[ḫa]
v3.A.7
til-lu-ug sa12-ti-um{ki} pi-i-ir ša-ad-di-[im]
v3.A.8
{ĝiš}asal2 ḪI ga-raš{sar}-gin7 šab-šab-e ša ṣa-ar-ba-tam ki-ma ⌈ka⌉-[…] i-ḫa-ra-[ṣu]
v3.A.9
{ĝiš}al im-NI-?-a ĝar-ra {d}nin-kilim-ma iri-na al-lum ša i-na ṭi-dim na-[du-u2] ši-ku-tu a-[li-ša]
A pickaxe put in the …… clay is a mongoose in its city. (unknown no. of lines missing)
gap
(unknown no. of lines missing)
v3.B.1
inim ĝar-ra MAŠ gur šag4 ?-a im ṣa ? pa šum2 aš2 ? ša ṣe-[ri]
In a complaint, half a gur from the desert …… seized like a lord …….
v3.B.2
[X] X UL en-gin7 ?-ba ki-ma ka-aš-?-an-[X]
v3.B.3
[(X)] X šu nu-us2 kam-ma-am u2-ul <i>-ṣa-ab-ba-[at]
He cannot …… in his hand. He does not listen ……. He scratches on the ground.
v3.B.4
[X] X ki nu-ši-la2 a-na i-nim u2-ul i-qa2-[al]
v3.B.5
[ki]-⌈in⌉-du-a al-ḫur qa2-aq-qa2-ra-am u2-?-[X X]
v3.B.6
[{f}kar]-ke4 ?-? ḪI IR BU sila šub ḫa-ri-im-tum ša i-na su2-qi3-⌈im⌉ u4 mu WA tu X
A courtesan who …… in the streets …… doesn't give …… to a fallen man.
v3.B.7
[X (X)] lu2 šub-ba na-an-ĝar
v3.B.8
[anše edin]-⌈na⌉-gin7 ? X ĝar-ra ša ki-ma i-me-er ṣe-ri X X pi ša-kan [(X)]
Like a wild ass which has put ……. (1 line fragmentary)
v3.B.9
[X X] ? ? ?-na KA-KA ?-NIM-ma ša-ri-u2-um ša ka-ak-ka-šu wa-ṣi-a ša X [X]
v3.B.10
[X] ⌈laḫtan⌉-na KA×X ud šu2-a ša i-na la-aḫ-ta-nim u3 ḫu-bu-[ri-im]
He who rubbed (?) his nose against a beer vat or a large beer container (?) …….
v3.B.11
[X X] X ki-umun2 giri17 šu du8-a ap-pa ib-bir-ru [X]
v3.B.12
[X X] ⌈?⌉-gi-ru-ne ? ?-na ? pi-lum ša i-na ir-[X (X)]
(2 lines fragmentary)
v3.B.13
[…] X E NE šu ni X gu ši X mu X X X
head
Ni 4469 (Alster 1997 pp. 295-296)
v4.A.1
[…] ⌈ḫe2⌉-e-a
Let …… be ……. Let his bread be foul food. No man should eat it.
v4.A.2
[ninda-ni niĝ2]-ussu!(imin)
v4.A.3
[… ḫe2]-am3
v4.A.4
[lu2 nu-mu-un-šu2]-!
v4.A.5
[…] ⌈dub⌉-ba-kam
(1 line fragmentary)

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.