An Old Babylonian letter from a school boy to his mother
Letter of Iddin-Sîn to Zinû (AbB XIV 165)
Dossin, TCL 18 pl. 91 no. 111 = Veenhof, AbB 14 165.
| Original Transcript | English Translation |
|---|---|
| Ana Zinû qibī-ma; umma Iddin-Sîn-ma: | Speak to Zinû; thus (says) Iddin-Sîn: |
| Šamaš Marūduk u Ilabrat aššumīya ana dāriātim liballiṭūki. | May Shamash, Marduk, and Ilabrat keep you alive forever for my sake. |
| Ṣubāt awīlê šattam ana šattim idammiqū; atti ṣubātī šattam ana šattim tuqallalī. Ina ṣubātīya qullulim u kuṣṣi? taštarî. Ina šīpātum ina bītīni kīma akalim innakkalā, atti ṣubātī tuqallilī | The gentlemen’s clothing gets better from year to year; you reduce my clothing from year to year. You have become rich by reducing and paring? my clothing. While wool is consumed like bread in our house, you have reduced my clothing. |
| Mār Adad-iddinam, ša abūšu ṣuḫār abīya, šina? ṣubātê eššūtim [lab]iš. Atti ana ṣubātīya [iš]tēn tattanaˀdarī. Kīma atti yâti tuldīnni, šâti ummašu ana leqītim [ilq]ēšu. U kīma šâti ummašu irāmūšu, attī [y]âti ul tarammīnni. | The son of Adad-iddinam, whose father is an employee of my father, is wearing two? new garments. You keep worrying about my one garment. While you gave birth to me, his mother adopted him. And while his mother loved him, you do not love me. |