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March 30, 2006
A Message from Heart Sick Abny
I plan to spend tomorrow and the weekend working on the abecedary from Beth Shemesh (KTU 5.24) for my next post on the cuneiform short alphabet series, but I decided to finish my translation of RS 94.2284 before that. RS 94.2284 is the fourth and last of the new Ugaritic letters published by Bordreuil and Pardee. There are still five other new tablets I have yet to examine in detail. I've written a few general introductory words in a previous post where you can also find references.
I had planned to delay posting any philological matters until I had completed work on all ten of the new tablets but RS 94.2284 has a couple of issues that require addressing in this post. After lines 25 and 30, I have placed short notes that explain what I am doing. In both these cases, I have taken a substantially different direction than either Bordreuil and Pardee or Tropper and I thought, for that reason, they needed at least a little explanation.
Despite the fact that this tablet has only minimal damage, and that only to the lower right hand corner of the obverse and the upper right hand corner of the reverse, and that, except for those small areas, nearly every sign is very legible, I found this tablet to be extremely difficult to interpret. There are several unknown vocabulary items, in some places fairly strange grammar and two certain scribe errors (a b for a d in line 25 and an omitted t in line 28). I think there may be a third error in line 30 (a t for an n). I have already written on the interesting idiom in line 12.
As usual, I start with a quite literal translation, followed by a smoother translation. Unlike my other posts in this series, I offer a challenge to those who might dare it after my smoother translation.
RS 94.2284, MOu 34 (Page 94), Tropper, 515-516
1) A message from Abny
2) to Urtētu Urtēnu
3) my brother say, behold me(?)
—————————————
4) I have given Bana'ilu
5) two? eshprm (??) and two
6) ‛rmlht (city tablets?) and four jars.
—————————————
7) But the heart of your sister is sick
8) Because it oppresses (me) that I was not asked:
9) and as for me (it was) in (the month of) Hiyyaru in which no one asked me.
10) And a slaughtered fattened ox
11) and no one was given (it) to me.
—————————————
12) By the life of your soul and by the l[ife of my soul],
13) Nothing was given me. (No one was given to me)
14) And my heart is sick [. . .]
15) much/many/very ???
16) Aġaltenu (PN)
17) Altinyu (PN RS 17.150:33 mar al-ti-ni) in sacrifice.
—————————————
18) And (as to the) tablet about the hipânu garments and straps of
19) lapis-lazuli: It remains
20) with them. And with them I ???
21) The lapis-lazuli I placed with them.
22) And Bana'ilu has setout (?)
23) and he will receive your answer (?).
—————————————
24) And whatever is said, is returned (to me?)
25) by the hand of Bana'ilu. Behold the misfortune(?).
(reading . kd [kîdu] instead of ‛kd and comparing Hebrew כיד )
26) and you know the heart of your sister,
27) that it will be sick if there is enmity (enemy/foe) and I will give
28) two new hipânu garments.
29) But concerning the wine as provisions, it was not given to me.
30) and the cup of ?? ?? I am made unfortunate (?) by it (?).
(reading akydnn for akydnt, see line 25 for the verbal root)
31) Concerning the silver which you (promised) to give me,
32a) send it to me, so I can sleep
32b) where your soul goes.
33) and your messengers, why don't they hurry?
34) My brother do you not know that my heart is sick?
A Smoother Rendering:
A message from Abny to Urtētu Urtēnu, my brother, say, behold me(?)I have given Bana'ilu two? eshprm (??) and two ‛rmlht and four jars.
But the heart of your sister is sick because it is depressing that I was not contacted: It was in (the month of) Hiyyaru in which no one contacted me, and no one has given me a slaughtered fattened ox.
As sure as you and I are alive, nothing was given me. And my heart is sick [. . .] much/many/very ??? Aġaltenu (and) Altinyu in sacrifice.
And concerning the message about the hipânu garments with straps of lapis-lazuli: It remains with them (Aġaltenu and Altinyu?). And with them I ???. The lapis-lazuli I placed with them. Now Bana'ilu is on (his) way and he will receive your reply (?).
And whatever is said, Bana'ilu will tell to me. Behold the misfortune(?). You know the heart of your sister, that it will be sick if there is enmity. I will provide two new hipânu garments. But concerning the wine as provisions: I did not get them. And the cup of ?? ?? I am made unfortunate(?) by it(?). Concerning the silver which you (promised) to give me: send it to me, so I can sleep (peacefully) in the company of your spirit. Why don't your messengers, hurry? My brother, don't you know that my heart is sick?
Now for the challenge: Does anyone have any idea on how to understand line 30?
wks . pa . amħt . akydnt
I took my best shot at the first and last words. Someone else can take a shot at the two in the middle and/or tell me why my understanding of akydnt/n is wrong. Remember, I use ħ for het.
Posted by DuaneSmith at March 30, 2006 08:34 PM | Read more on Ugarit |
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