Sumerian·Book

Position in chronology

Proverbs: collection 16

~1800 BCE·Old Babylonian

Translation · reference

High confidence
6 lines fragmentary 3 lines fragmentary 7 lines fragmentary unknown no. of lines missing 3 lines fragmentary (cf. 6.1.03.10) You should get rid of the shepherd, so his sheep will not come back into his charge. (cf. 6.1.03.11) The wise shepherd has become confused, and his sheep will not come back into his charge. (cf. 6.1.03.9, 6.1.23.7) A shepherd's sex appeal is his penis; a gardener's sex appeal is his hair. (cf. 6.1.01.153, 6.1.03.9, 6.1.22: ll. 26-27, 6.1.23.7) An unjust heir who does not support a wife, who does not support a child, has no cause for celebration. 2 lines fragmentary (cf. 6.1.03.6) "Let me go today" is what a herdsman says. Let me go tomorrow is what a shepherd boy says. ....... His property ....... Let me go!'.......

Source: ETCSL c.6.1.16: Proverbs: collection 16. 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.6.1.16

Why it matters

Transliteration

Scholarly note

Composition c.6.1.16 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.6.1.16: Proverbs: collection 16. 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.6.1.16.

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