CDLI Literary 000764, ex. 005 (P346124)

Literary tablet excavated in Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar), dated to the Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC) period and now kept in British Museum, London, UK

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Text / annotations

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Chemical Data

Seal Chemistry

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Museum Collection(s)

British Museum, London, UK

Museum Number

BM —

Period

Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)

Provenience

Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)

Artifact Type

Tablet

Material(s)

Clay

Genre / Subgenre(s)

Literary (ETCSL 5.03.05 Debate between Bird and Fish (witness))

Language(s)

Sumerian

Measurements

-

Witness

tablet
obverse
1. engar-ra dumu engar-ra-ke4-ne# [...]
 en: In the furrow(!?), the members of the ranks of farmers should not (cease?) ... a net(?) for you
2. nu-{gesz}kiri6-ke4 pu2 {gesz}kiri6-sze3#? x [...]
 en: The gardener should not (cease!?) setting up a net towards(?) the irrigated orchard for you
3. {kusz}da-lu-usz2-da DA-ni nu-ga2-ga2# [...]
 en: His arm is not set apart (to rest) from(?) the sling, he does not bend his knee (to sit) because of you
4. sar-sar-ra nig2 mu-ni-ib-hul-hul [...]
 en: (You are) one who is destroying things/food in the garden, (you are) one who cannot sweeten the flesh (of the land?)
5. a-sza3 ki duru5 gal2-gal2-la-ba giri3#-zu# nu-[...]
 en: Your feet are not good (for) fields that have wet patches
6. muszen# tesz2# nu-zu kisal#-e szed6 su3#-[...]
 en: Bird, shameless one who sprinkle feces in the courtyard
7. kisal-luh tur e2#-a# sa# lax(ME)-e-de3 esz3 mu-ni#?-x-sar#-re#
 en: The young sweeper who is sweeping in the temple is braiding(?) a rope there (for you)
8. [za]-pa-ag2#-zu#-ta e2-x im-suh3-suh3 KA x x [...]
 en: The palace(?) is confused by your scream, ...
9. e2 kuruszda-ka# mu#-[...]-ku4#-ku4#-[...]
 en: (They) bring one (of your kind) into the fattener's shed
10. gu4 udu-gin7-nam# mi-[...]
 en: They make one (of your kind) babble like livestock
11. a sed4 {dug?}epig-a [...]
12. za-e sa2 du11#-sze3#? [...]
 en: You can then be accepted(?) as a regular offering
13. muszen-du3-e a2#? [...]
 en: The fowler delivers one (of your kind) with bound wings
14. pa-za [...]
 en: They(?) ... your wings/feathers(?) and face/eyes
15. gu3 de2#-de2# [...]-zu a-na#-[...]
 en: Your shouting has no limit, what (worth) is your flying?
16. gu3 hul-a-[...] hu#!?-luh u3#?-[...]-mu#-un#?-ku#?-[...]
 en: You frighten the night, one does not sleep well
17. muszen sug-ta e3-ba#-ra# [za]-pa#-ag2-zu ugu-gu10-ta#?
 en: Bird, leave the marsh, (remove) your scream from above me
18. pu2-sag isz dub-ba-ka e3-ni# ur5-ra me-te-zu-gin7
 en: Bring out a pit in the sand dunes(?), thus(?) is your appropriate (role)
19. u4-bi-a ku6-e muszen-ra# in#-sze3 mu-ni-in-dub2
 en: At that time the fish insulted the bird
20. muszen bar gun3-gun3 igi gun3-gun3 sa6#-ga-ni mu#-un-zu
 en: Because of it beauty, the bird knew about (its) multicolored back and multicolored face
21. in ku6-e a-na mu-ni-in-dub2-ba
 en: Whatever insults fish had assailed it with, (it did not ponder them)
22. i-gi-in-zu emeda{+da} u5-a-asz mu-ni-in-du11
 en: It was as if a nursemaid sang a lullaby
23. inim#-sze3! gu2-ni nu-mu-na-ab#-szum2-mu zu2 hul mu-da-x-[...]
 en: It was not devoting itself to words(?), laughing malevolently (instead)(?)
24. u4-bi-a muszen-e ku6-ra mu#-na#-ni-ib-gi4-gi4
 en: At that time, the birds was replying to the fish
25. [a]-gin7 sza3-zu sza3 gur4-ra [...]-DU ni2-zu sun5#-sun5#
 en: Thus your heart, produces exuberance(?), you are (actually) humiliating yourself
26. [...] x-dam ib2#-ta#-[...] igi-zu-sze3 igi nu-bar-re
 en: Your mouth is a hole(?) which ... surrounded with teeth(?), (you cannot) see before yourself(?)
reverse
  beginning broken
  blank space

Consult previous versions and their differences
Consult sign list of Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)
Consult word list of Old Babylonian (ca. 1900-1600 BC)

  • Artifact type: Tablet
  • Material: Clay
  • Measurements (mm):
  • Weight:
  • Artifact Preservation:
  • Condition Description:
  • Join Information:
  • Seal no.:
  • Seal information:
  • Artifact comments:

  • Genre(s): Literary (ETCSL 5.03.05 Debate between Bird and Fish (witness))
  • Language(s): Sumerian


  • history: UET 6, 0039

    [Gadd1963] Gadd, Cyril J., and Aaron Shaffer. 1963, 1966.

  • Composite No.:
  • Museum No.: BM —
  • Accession No.:

  • Provenience: Ur (mod. Tell Muqayyar)
  • Elevation:
  • Stratigraphic Level:
  • Excavation No: U 16879D
  • Findspot Square:
  • Findspot Comments:

Created Creator Type Authors Project Reviewer Status Action
2023-06-15 at 20:34:30 Rattenborg, Rune Artifact Rattenborg, Rune Geomapping Landscapes of Writing Rattenborg, Rune approved View
2019-06-11 at 22:01:42 Englund, Robert K. Atf Englund, Robert K. CDLI approved View
2019-06-01 at 14:34:09 Englund, Robert K. Atf Peterson, Jeremiah CDLI approved View
2019-05-29 at 21:01:58 Englund, Robert K. Atf Englund, Robert K. CDLI approved View
2006-11-02 at 00:00:00 CDLI Artifact Foxvog, Daniel A.; Guerra, Dylan; Peterson, Jeremiah; Veldhuis, Niek; Wolfe, Jared N. CDLI approved View

This artifact is a witness to the following composite(s):

Composite Score
CDLI Literary 000764 (Debate between Bird and Fish) composite (P478958) View the score

General Notes: -
CDLI Notes: -
Cite this Artifact
“CDLI Literary 000764, Ex. 005 Artifact Entry.” (2006) 2023. Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). June 15, 2023. https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346124.
CDLI Literary 000764, ex. 005 artifact entry (No. P346124). (2023, June 15). Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346124 (Original work published 2006)
CDLI Literary 000764, ex. 005 artifact entry (2023) Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI). Available at: https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346124 (Accessed: March 29, 2024).
@misc{2023CDLI,
	note = {[Online; accessed 2024-03-29]},
	year = {2023},
	month = {jun 15},
	title = {CDLI {Literary} 000764, ex. 005 artifact entry},
	howpublished = {https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346124},
}

TY  - ELEC
DA  - 2023/6/15/
PY  - 2023
ID  - P346124
LB  - CDLI:P346124
M1  - 2024/3/29/
TI  - CDLI Literary 000764, ex. 005 artifact entry
UR  - https://cdli.ucla.edu/P346124
ER  - 
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