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The old man and the young girl (formerly 5.6.7) (Q002335)
Literary, Old Babylonian, Nippur · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE
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| Designation | The old man and the young girl (formerly 5.6.7) |
|---|---|
| ID | Q002335 |
| Language | Sumerian |
| Period | Old Babylonian · c. 1900 BCE–1600 BCE |
| Genre | Literary |
| Find spot | Nippur |
| Coordinates | 32.1271, 45.2300 |
Transliteration (ATF)
From Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC default); per-file JSON license fields say: This data is released under the CC0 license (133618)
Machine draft. The right-hand column is machine English from ixmon/atf-to-english (atf-en-t5base-F, 2026-10-17), generated line by line from the transliteration. It is unreviewed and is not a scholarly translation.
| Line | ATF | Machine English (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ab-ba ki-sikil tur-ra hi-li ba-ši-in-te | The elder embraced the young girl with allure |
| 2 | nam-dam-še₃ lu₂ ba-an-ši-in-ge₄ | he set up a man for wifeship |
| 3 | in-nu sumun-na-ŋu₁₀ arah₄ gibil-za ga-ab-si e-še | I want to utter an arah prayer to your old man |
| 4 | ki-sikil-e ma-la-ga-ni ad mu-un-di-ni-ib-ge₄-ge₄ | The young woman speaks to her mother: |
| 5 | ur₂ am₃-muš-e i-bi₂ imin-e na-ab-be₂-a | The lap is trembling, one looks at it seven times |
| 6 | in-nu sumun-na-ŋu₁₀ arah₄ gibil-za ga-ab-si e-še | I want to utter an arah prayer to your old man |
| 7 | lu₂ mu-ši-in-ge₄ ta-a bi₂-dab₅ | What did the man who seized him take away? |
| 8 | ma-la-ga-ni mu-na-ni-ib₂-ge₄-ge₄ | he will make his rivals bow down at him. |
| 9 | {ŋeš}asal₂ gid₂-da {ŋeš}i-zi mu-nu₂-da | long-fleeced ewes, izid-beetweens lying down |
| 10 | he₂-ta-sag₃-ge saŋ erim₂-še₃ la-ba-du₇ e-še | (Sum) May he scatter (them) (Akk) May they scatter the sa-demon, the evil one, the one who is not good to the enemy |
| 11 | ad ge₄-a ma-la-ga-ni-še₃ | When he has sex with her, |
| 12 | ab-ba ki-sikil tur-ra nam-dam-še₃ ba-an-tuku | The elder, the young girl, has possessed of marriage |
| 13 | ša₃ ki aŋ₂-a-ni nu-bad-e-de₃ | so that the heart of his laborer cannot be altered |
| 14 | x x x x x x ab-ba nam-ŋuruš-a-na ba-an-ku₄-ku₄ | ... enters into his womb. |
| 15 | ki-sikil-e lugal-ra an-ta ba-an-ge₄-ge₄ | The young woman approached the king from above. |
| 16 | u₃-mu-un-ŋu₁₀ al-sa₆ sar-ŋu₁₀ si-mul šakanka-ŋu₁₀ | Umunbu is beautiful, he is the light of the market |
| 17 | al-gunu₃ še sa-a-ŋu₁₀ diŋir la-ba-ni-in-tuku | The algunu-priestess did not have the sa-bû-offerings of a cross-bar. |
| 18 | lugal-e enim-ma-ni la-ba-ni-in-ge₄ | The king did not change his words. |
| 19 | zi-ik-ru-um-še₃ ba-an-ku₄ | he entered into a rite |
| 20 | zi-ik-ru-um-e enim šu-a ba-ni-in-ge₄ | He uttered a supplication in his hand |
| 21 | munus deš-am₃ gaba mu-un-ri-ma | “The woman is the one who loves her chest, |
| 22 | u₃-mu-un-ŋu₁₀ al-sa₆ sar-ŋu₁₀ si-mul šakanka-ŋu₁₀ | Umunbu is beautiful, he is the light of the market |
| 23 | al-gunu₃ še sa-a-ŋu₁₀ diŋir la-ba-ni-in-tuku ur₅-gen₇ ba-an-du₁₁ | (Sum) The algunu priestess did not have the saŋbu barley to drink (Akk) He was not able to shave his head like a dog |
| 24 | zi-ik-ru-um-e lugal-e mu-na-ni-ib₂-ge₄-ge₄ | The king utters a lament for him. |
| 25 | u₃-mu-un-ŋu₁₀ i-gi₄-in-zu ab-ba ki-sikil tur-ra nam-dam-še₃ ba-an-tuku | Umunbu, your maidservant, the elder woman, the young girl, has married her. |
| 26 | x x x-ba-ni ba-an-su₃-su₃ ab-ba nam-ŋuruš-na ba-an-ku₄ | ... he filled his ... with ..., he entered the mother's womb. |
| 27 | ki-sikil nam-um-ma ba-an-ku₄ | The young woman entered as a woman. |
| 28 | lugal-e zi-ik-ru-um-e e₃-da-ni-ta | The king, when he came forth from the assembly, |
| 29 | x x ab-ba ŋen-na-an-ze₂-en | ... I want to give to the sea. |
| 30 | lugal-e ab-ba-ra gu₃ mu-na-de₂-e | The king spoke to the sea. |
| 31 | a-na-aš-am₃ x-x-zu a-ra-pag-pag-ge | Why do you scatter your ...? |
| 32 | ab-ba lugal-ra mu-na-ni-ib₂-ge₄-ge₄ | The elders speak to the king. |
| 33 | sul diŋir-ŋu₁₀ usu {d}lamma-ŋu₁₀ | Youth Ibirbu, strength Lammabu, |
| 34 | nam-ŋuruš-ŋu₁₀ anše kar-ra-gen₇ haš₂-ŋa₂ ba-e-deb | Like a young male donkey, you have thrown it in the water |
| 35 | hur-saŋ gegge-ŋu₁₀ im-babbar₂ ba-an-mu₂ | The mountain range was covered with imbabbar. |
| 36 | ama-ŋu₁₀ {ŋeš}ter-ta lu₂ mu-ši-in-ge₄ šu dab₅-ŋu₁₀ ma-an-šum₂ | After the mother returned from the womb, a man approached him, he was seized. |
| 37 | {d}nin-ka₅ niŋ₂ hab₂-ba gu₇-gu₇-ŋu₁₀ dug i₃-nun-na-še₃ gu₂ nu-mu-un-ši-ib-la₂-e | Ninka, whose fearsomeness is devoured, does not raise a neck to drink from a pot of butter |
| 37a | zu₂-ŋu₁₀ niŋ₂ kala-ga i₃-ar₃-ra niŋ₂ kala-ge nu-ar₃-re | (Sum) The tooth, the strong one trembles, the weak one cannot soothe (Akk) The teeth, the mighty one are not soothed |
| 37b | kaš₃-ŋu₁₀ iz-zi kala-ga i₃-buru₃-e ni₂-ŋu₁₀-ta i₃-ŋen-ne-en | (Sum) The one who pours out beer in the mighty izzi-vessel (Akk) You pour out beer from the niŋa vessel |
| 37c | dumu-ŋu₁₀ i₃ ga-ra gu₇-gu₇-a niŋ₂-gu₇ nu-mu-na-šum₂-mu | A child who eats butter and milk does not eat it. |
| 37d | u₃ geme₂ tur-ŋu₁₀ a-ab-sa₁₀-e ŋulla hulu-ge₁₇ ba-an-ŋar | And the young female laborers who bought her, the bulls of evil were cast aside. |
| 38 | lugal-e enim ab-ba-še₃ ŋessal{sal₄} he₂-em-ši-ak | The king, by means of the word of the sea, made a wall. |
| 38a | x NI x x | ... ; |
| 38b | dam $MU $UŠ tur-ra x | a young wife |
| 38c | ab-ba su₃-ga x | In the deep sea ... |
| 39 | lugal-e ki-sikil-ra gu₃ mu-na-de₂-e | The king spoke to the maiden: |
| 40 | e-ra-ab-šum₂-mu-na-ta lu₂ tur-ra-gen₇-nam ur₂-za-a he₂-en-nu₂ | When you enter, like a young man, may he lie down on your lap. |
| 41 | ŋen-na urdu₂-zu eme he₂-da-ak-e e₂-za he₂-da-dul-e | May your herdsman speak to you, may he cover your house. |
| 42 | ki-sikil-e e₂-gal-ta e₃-da-ni-ta | The maiden, when she leaves the palace, |
| 43 | gu₄-da-an-ze₂-en ki-sikil-e-ne | O oxen, young women! |
| 44 | pi-li-pi-li-en-ze₂-en ki-sikil tur-ra-e-ne | Pili-pili-enzeen, the young girls, |
| 45 | lugal-e ama-ar-ge₄ eme ak-da ba-an-ŋar | The king swore an oath by the tongue. |
| 46 | lugal-e enim ba-an-ši-in-kur₄ | the king changed his mind |
| 47 | ki-sikil-e kiše₄ bi₂-in-ak u₃ e₂-ta ba-ra-an-sar | The maiden did the kiše and he did not write from the house. |
Sources & licences
- Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus (ORACC) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (ORACC default); per-file JSON license fields say: This data is released under the CC0 license (133618) · ORACC project editions, https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/ ; cite the individual project (see texts.extra_json.project)
Cite the original edition and translator. Page generated by Unread Atlas from the public corpus export of 2026-10-18.