Position in chronology
A diatribe against Engar-dug (Diatribe B)
Written in modern English
Engar-dug is a fool, a disgraced man, a madman — raised in some place the text no longer names, he drops something from a wall, though the damaged surface makes the exact image unclear. He croaks like a frog among real singers, has no judgment, brags constantly, and the next few phrases are too damaged to read. The text then turns directly on him: open the door — there is a quarrel to settle. In looks he resembles a monkey; in conduct he is a rogue, a shameless witness who ignores verdicts, a slippery patch that decent men step around. He despises the foreman, skips festivals, wallows like a mud-caked pig. He loves arguments and deceit, and once he wades into a fight he comes out hurling insults. On duty as a warrior, he still holds back — and then the tablet breaks off.
A modern paraphrase of the literal translation — same content, contemporary voice.
Translation — scholar edition
ETCSLEngar-dug, ......, fool, ......, child raised in ......, disgraced man, madman ...... leather, dropping ...... from a wall! Engar-dug, croaker (?) among singers, a man without good judgment, braggart, ......, a man ......! -- open (?) the house, I have a quarrel with you! In appearance a monkey, a rogue, a witness without shame, not accepting a verdict, a slippery place which respected men avoid, despising (?) the leader of the work-force, a man who does not ...... a festival, a pig spattered with mud, ......! Loving crosstalk and deceit, ......, having got stuck into a quarrel he ...... coming out mouthing insults. A warrior on duty but holding back, .......
Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature — scholar edition (Oxford, Black/Cunningham/Robson/Zólyomi).
Scholarly note
Composition c.5.4.11 in the ETCSL catalogue. Sumerian literary text reconstructed from multiple cuneiform manuscripts, the great majority Old Babylonian (c. 1900–1600 BCE). Translation reproduced from the ETCSL edition.
Attribution
Image: .
Translation excerpted from ETCSL c.5.4.11: A diatribe against Engar-dug (Diatribe B). Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E. & Zólyomi, G. (eds.), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.5.4.11.
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