Dialogue 1

(1) (Contender:) “(Hey,) schoolboy, it’s late – come on, let’s compete!

(2) If you (really) know the (corpus) of scribal lore, what (then) did you recite?

(3) All the excerpted lines of scribal lore,

(4) from the (thematic) ṣâtu-lists up to the (professions) list lu₂ = šū –

(5) (as soon as) you’ve written them down, you have (already) neglected them.20

(6) Do you know the (calculation of) multiplications, reciprocals, accounts, as well as volumes?

(7) The rote recitations21 –

(8) let’s recite them! I know them better than you!

(9) Come on, position yourself as my rival! I will put an end to your insults!”

(10) (Defender:) “Idiot! Obtuse! Obstinate!

(11) Flaccid penis, blocked22 butt, a single testicle hanging down!

(12) Oblong jaw, ‘fat’ lip, crippled hips, ... butt!

(13) Are you (really) made like me?!”

(14) (Contender:) “An idiot stretches out linen for the bugs.

(15) ‘Sand flies’ cover the reed mats.

(15a) A gecko ... storehouse ...

(16) A pig weaves a ‘counting cloth.’

(17) An elephant tramples the green malt.

(18) A fox was chased from the soup tureen.

(19) A wolf heckles wool.

(20) A mongoose – the young (...) are filled with hunger.

(21) A piglet(?) stretches out its(?) ...

(22) (For) a stag a (royal) aguḫum-gown is (too) tight.

(23) ... return.”

(24) (Defender:) “Idiot ... the mouth is inappropriate.

(25) ...

(26) ...

(27/24) ... dung ... placed.”

(28/25) (Contender:) “Idiot! The oil spoils the jug, ... spoils ...

(29/26) ... destroys23 ... property ...

(30/27) ‘May the field be small for me, (because) I want to go home!’ (he says).

(31/28) He has ruined the gown completely, he has frogged the woollen gown.

(32/29) (First) he used up the oil in the jug completely, (then) he shed tears over it.

(33/30) Can anyone work properly in a nest full of vermin?!24

(34/31) His rags are soaked as if in water.

(35/32) You (really) can’t compare it with the events of bygone days.25

(36/33) (But) I can compare it with future events!”26

(37/34) (Defender:) “(He has) neither water nor beer, neither spent grain nor beer wort, neither flour nor low-quality flour, neither gown nor rag.

(38/35) He doesn’t reach the sky, he doesn’t reach the earth.

(39/36) (He) has beer, (but) no spent grain, he has flour, (but) no spelt.

(40/37) Braggart! (Can) you give me a riposte like I (can)?”27

(41/38) (Contender:) “Your (family) back(ground) has been investigated. (The result is) as follows: You are not a child of righteous people!

(42/39) In your father’s house (provisions) don’t (even) exceed a monthly ration of beer, flour and malt, and barley.

(43/40) (Even) your mother is given in pawn!28

(44/41) Assembling the viziers(?), loosening the loincloth29.

(45/42) Instigating quarrel as soon as he is standing in the street!

(46/43) You (even) quarrelled with a man who has seized the mouth (of) a lion!30

(47/44) (Only) after he has engaged in a fistfight with this man31 does his heart calm down.

(48/45) Braggart! Why do you always exaggerate so exorbitantly?!”

(49/46) (Defender:) “You may have started a lawsuit, (but) you can’t bring it to an end.32

(50/47) Your hand can’t keep up with your mouth.

(51/48) You may have recited the (corpus) of scribal lore, (but) you (can’t) put it into context.

(52/49) It may be that you have written down the (thematic) ṣâtu-lists up to the (professions) list lu₂ = šū, (but)

(53/50) your tongue is not adapted33 to Sumerian.

(54/51) You may have recited multiplications, (but) you don’t know them to the hilt.

(55/52) You may have solved reciprocals, (but) you can’t grasp the calculation method.

(56/52a) You can’t accurately measure volumes.34

(57/53) You stretch out your hand toward the rote recitations,35 but

(58/54) nobody has (even) asked you. He keeps it all to himself36

(59/55) The hand(writing) is not at all nice: In the ‘Place of scribal lore’ one does not read out (the inscribed clay tablet) because of you.

(60/56) Braggart! Tearing out (his/your) hair because of lice, dying of starvation!

(61/57) Who is walking the face of the earth37 with vermin – debt is what suits you!

(62/58) Are you (really) my rival?!”

(63/59) (Contender:) “Why should I not be your rival?!

(64/60) Liar, always uttering lies! Messenger from distant lands!

(65/61) An ox, (whose) sinews have been cut, lies (motionless) in (its) yoke,

(66/62) (but when) one scatters the lowing oxen, they destroy (everything).

(67/63) The fisher’s maid spends the day with ban-baskets.

(68/64) The liar’s head lies in the potter’s oven.

(69/65) Merchant’s assistant, who squanders the merchant’s money!

(70/66) Brewer, who eats up all the flour and malt!

(71/67) (Convict,) who has half of (his) hair shorn off, come! Man collecting garbage(?) from the street (or: who is chasing away people from the street)!

(72/68) Awkward idiot, spittle dropping from the corner of (his) mouth / his tongue hanging from the corner of (his) mouth.

(73/69) Can you yourself compete with me, me?!”

(74/70) (Defender:) “Lunatic! Liar! Intelligence of a monkey!

(75/71) Homeless person, sleeping in the street!

(76/72) In the ‘oven of humanity’ he is spreading out flour and malt.

(77/73) When you take the tureen with arzana-soup from the oven,

(78/74) it breaks because of you, (since) the soup is hot.

(79/75) On ankle and Achilles tendon your skin got scalded!

(80/76) You have nibbled on (food) from the vegetable basket!

(81/77) He always steals fish from the fisherman’s basket!

(82/78) On many days, your face twitches (even) because of feeble fists!”

(83/79) (Contender:) “Only barley roasters sell (their produce) on the market.38

(84/80) We flee from you as if from a lunatic.39

(85/81) When you pinch off (clay) inside the potter’s oven, (your) joints from your spine down to your butt are filled with wounds.

(88/84) After you have thrown yourself onto the baskets with offering breads of the lukur-women,

(89/85) maids of the lukur-women starve.40

(90/86) They41 tremble before you like (they do) before piglets.

(91/87) The gatekeeper and the gudu₄-priests of all shrines rub the sleep out of their eyes and keep watch because of you.

(93/88) Liar, who can never eat enough!

(94/89) Roaming the fields/the dust of the country for his sustenance!

(95/90) Why do you constantly42 utter unheard-of insults against me?!”

(96/91) (Defender:) “You shan’t stand behind me, I want to put an end to your insults face to face!43

(97/92) He went (and) wasted time; the work is of bad quality.

(98/93) Vaunting himself44 (while) standing on the field (and) holding a leather bag in the hand.

(99/94) Hireling, always after prostitutes!45

(100/95) He46 carries the basket with the collected brushwood (for her).

(101/96) Even at the time of harvest your wages don’t equal your sustenance costs.

(102/97) You flee from work (and) stand about babbling on the market square (instead).”

(103/98) (Contender:) “When you went to the house of a ...-man, who serves beer,

(104/99) you entered (directly) after the man serving beer.

(105/100) (People) are winking about you.

(106/101) After you have bowed your neck down to the earth,

(107/102) your self has been despised unknowingly.47

(108/103) He is begging for food with hand and feet.48

(109/104) In summer walking about in the shade,

(110/105) in winter walking about in the sunshine!

(111/106) The liar lies with the head at the edge of the fire (bowl).

(112/107) When you turn around,49 (you are) a cripple, (on whose) skin it burns.50

(113/108) Burgling houses, stealing pigs!

(114/109) Why do you (still) fight with me?!”

(115/110) (Defender:) “The insults, which you uttered against me, didn’t stick.51

(116/111) Come! Go out to the street with me!

(117/112) The people (of) understanding52 shall observe (us) there!

(118/113) You are a blunderer! You don’t know the meaning of your (own) words!

(119/114) You are someone who insults, (even) though you don’t know anything!

(120/115) Scoundrel! You are someone who doesn’t give up in a lawsuit!

(121/116) Retarded!53 You don’t understand the things!54

(122/117) The shouter lies amidst the fire!

(123/118) The hungry man steals bread.

(124/119) Convict! At the baskets of the temples he does not value their ...”

(125/120) (Contender(?):) “Croaker! Squaller! The (entire) city quarter is upset because of you!

(126/121) Debased person, who doesn’t (even) know (what it is) to have shame!

(127/122) Scorned person, eating (nothing but) ...

(128/123) Lunatic, bastard child (lit.: child of unknown people)!

(129/124) (Leading people down a) slippery slope, whom respectable people don’t (want to) know.55

(130/125) Standing (there like) a hero, (but) these hands are paralyzed!56

(131/126) (When) he is standing,57 he doesn’t create anything of permanence, (when) he is sitting (i.e. in reserve), he doesn’t do it well!58

(132/127) You have recited – (but) you were tripping over words.59 You have written – he/one had to erase it (immediately)!

(133/128) He can’t (even) read out aloud what he (himself) has written.

(134/129) He is writing clumsily, his hand is incapacitated.60

(135/130) He is not made for reciting, (and) writing isn’t his forte (either)!61

(136/131) ‘May the tablet be small for me, I want to finish it quickly!’ (says he).

(137/132) He has lost his contexts,62

(138/133) he confuses his contextualisations.63

(139/134) He has lost his mind (and) moans about it.

(140/135) Who has (ever voluntarily) spoken to you?

(141/136) What is it about you that makes you seek strife?

(142/137) Stop, (you) idiot! You may have quarrelled, but you really shouldn’t!”