Man and His God

O sage ... come, ... me tell you. ... me inform you. ... you, I ... the suffering, will not cease to reverence you. Where is the wise man of your caliber? Where is the scholar who can compete with you? Where is the counsellor to whom I can relate my grief? I am finished. Anguish has come upon me. I was a youngest child; fate took my father; My mother who bore me departed to the Land of No Return. My father and mother left me without a guardian. Respected friend; what you say is gloomy. You let your mind dwell on evil, my dear fellow. You make your fine discretion like an imbecile's; You have reduced your beaming face to scowls. Our fathers in fact give up and go the way of death. It is an old saying that they cross the river Ḫubur. When you consider mankind as a whole, ... it is not ... that has made the impoverished first-born rich. Whose favorite is the fattened rich man? He who waits on his god has a protecting angel, The humble man who fears his goddess accumulates wealth. My friend, your mind is a river whose spring never fails, The accumulated mass of the sea, which knows no decrease. I will ask you a question; listen to what I say. Pay attention for a moment; hear my words. My body is a wreck, emaciation darkens ... My success has vanished, my stability has gone. My strength is enfeebled, my prosperity has ended, Moaning and grief have blackened my features. The corn of my fields is far from satisfying ... My wine, the life of mankind, is too little for satiety. Can a life of bliss be assured? I wish I knew how! What I say is restrained ... But you ... your balanced reason like a madman. You make ... diffuse and irrational, You ... your select .. blind. As to your persistent unending desire for .. ... ... security ... by prayers. The appeased goddess returns by . ... ... . who did not uphold takes pity on . ... Ever seek the ... of justice. Your .. the mighty one, will show kindness, ... will grant mercy. I bow to you, my comrade, I grasp your wisdom. ... the utterance of ... ... come, let me ... The onager, the wild ass, who filled itself with .. ... Did it pay attention to the giver of assured divine oracles? The savage lion who devoured the choicest flesh, Did it bring its flour offering to appease the goddess's anger? ... the nouveau riche who has multiplied his wealth, Did he weigh out precious gold for the goddess Mami? ... held back offerings? I have prayed to my god, ... pronounced the blessing over the goddess's regular sacrifices, ... 0 palm, tree of wealth, my precious brother, Endowed with all wisdom, jewel of ... You are as stable as the earth, but the plan of the gods is remote. Look at the superb wild ass on the ... The arrow will follow the gorer who trampled down the fields. Come, consider the lion that you mentioned, the enemy of cattle. For the crime which the lion committed the pit awaits him. The opulent nouveau riche who heaps up goods Will be burnt at the stake by the king before his time. Do you wish to go the way these have gone? Rather seek the lasting reward of your god! Your mind is a north wind, a pleasant breeze for the peoples. Choice friend, your advice is fine. Just one word would I put before you. Those who neglect the god go the way of prosperity, While those who pray to the goddess are impoverished and dispossessed. In my youth I sought the will of my god; With prostration and prayer I followed my goddess. But I was bearing a profitless corvée as a yoke. My god decreed instead of wealth destitution. A cripple is my superior, a lunatic outstrips me. The rogue has been promoted, but I have been brought low. My reliable fellow, holder of knowledge, your thoughts are perverse. You have forsaken right and blaspheme against your god's designs. In your mind you have an urge to disregard the divine ordinances. ... the sound rules of your goddess. The plans of the god ... like the center of heaven, The decrees of the goddess are not ... To understand properly ... Their ideas ... to mankind; To grasp the way of a goddess ... Their reason is close at hand ... ... the plans of the god ... ... like the center of heaven, ... difficult to understand. ... made white ... ... cared for ... ... looked after the young ... ... made the people prosperous ... ... gathered .. ... ... gave heed to the god ... ... sought that which was necessary ... I will abandon my home ... I will desire no property ... I will ignore my god's regulations and trample on his rites. I will slaughter a calf and .... food, I will take the road and go to distant parts. I will bore a well and let loose a flood, Like a robber I will roam over the vast open country. I will go from house to house and ward off hunger; Famished I will walk around and patrol the streets. Like a beggar I will .... inwards ... Bliss is far away ... You weigh out ... You hold ... You ... You divide ... Crown prince ... The son of the destitute and naked is robed in ... The watchman of malt ... gold, While he who counted his shining gold in a bushel measure is carrying ... The vegetarian ... a noble's banquet, While the son of the notable and the rich ... on carob. The owner of wealth is fallen .... is far away. ... shining, your mirthful abode, ... .. a banquet for the world regions. ... regent, enu-priest, and prince, ... . may they bear your tribute. ... . the wealth of the lands in sacrifice, ... may your throne-dais be renewed. ... wisdom. You embrace the totality of wisdom, you counsel the peoples. ... Ox himself ... ... month, the second, and ... ... corn flourishes, the . ... is sated, ... is holy to the gods ... ... they speak a long blessing over ... when I have been struck down (in sacrifice). .... I do not fall prostrate in the heat." ... opened his mouth and spoke, ... the superb Ox, ... and tread a pavement of kiln-fired bricks, You have let your subtle mind go astray. ... . you have ousted wisdom, You despise propriety, you profane ordinances. ... head a mitre, the carrying-hod is far away from him. ... . is made a person of influence. ... ... is called a savant; He is looked after and obtains his wishes. Follow in the way of the god, observe his rites, ... is counted as righteousness. ... rogues, ... all are cheats. They amass goods ... The ... of your friend is ... ... to gain wealth, ... to obtain ... ... to take possession. ... have been placed for him. ... lies are made ready. ... his speech has been adorned with lies, ... he is called "My lord". ... they take bribes, ... pervert justice, ... do not support the cause of the weak, As for the rogue whose favor you seek, His ... soon vanishes. The godless cheat who has wealth, A death-dealing weapon pursues him. Unless you seek the will of the god, what luck have you? He that bears his god's yoke never lacks food, though it be sparse. Seek the kindly wind of the god, What you have lost over a year you will make up in a moment. I have looked around society, but the evidence is contrary. The god does not impede the way of a devil. A father drags a boat along the canal, While his first-born lies in bed. The first-born son pursues his way like a lion, The second son is happy to be a mule driver. The heir stalks along the road like a bully, The younger son will give food to the destitute. How have I profited that I have bowed down to my god? I have to bow beneath the base fellow that meets me; The dregs of humanity, like the rich and opulent, treat me with contempt. 0 wise one, 0 savant, who masters knowledge, In your anguish you blaspheme the god. The divine mind, like the center of the heavens, is remote; Knowledge of it is difficult; the masses do not know it. Among all the creatures whom Aruru formed The prime offspring is altogether ... In the case of a cow, the first calf is lowly, The later offspring is twice as big. A first child is born a weakling, But the second is called an heroic warrior. Though a man may observe what the will of the god is, the masses do not know it. Pay attention, my friend, understand my ideas. Heed the choice expression of my words. People extol the word of a strong man who is trained in murder, But bring down the powerless who has done no wrong. They confirm the wicked whose crime is . ..., Yet suppress the honest man who heeds the will of his god. They fill the ... of the oppressor with gold, But empty the larder of the beggar of its provisions. They support the powerful, whose ... is guilt, But destroy the weak and drive away the powerless. And as for me, the penurious, a nouveau riche is persecuting me. Narru, king of the gods, who created mankind, And majestic Zulummar, who dug out their clay, And mistress Mami, the queen who fashioned them, Gave perverse speech to the human race. With lies, and not truth, they endowed them for ever. Solemnly they speak in favour of a rich man, "He is a king," they say, "riches go at his side." But they harm a poor man like a thief, They lavish slander upon him and plot his murder, Making him suffer every evil like a criminal, because he has no protection. Terrifyingly they bring him to his end, and extinguish him like a flame. You are kind, my friend; behold my grief. Help me; look on my distress; know it. I, though humble, wise, and a suppliant, Have not seen help and succor for one moment. I have trodden the square of my city unobtrusively, My voice was not raised, my speech was kept low. I did not raise my head, but looked at the ground, I did not worship even as a slave in the company of my associates. May the god who has thrown me off give help, May the goddess who has ... show mercy, For the shepherd Šamaš guides the peoples like a god.