The Harps that Once...: Sumerian Poetry in Translation ebook

by Thorkild Jacobsen

Thorkild Jacobsen History and Criticism English

is a fine anthology of Sumerian literature and I would heartily recommend the book to anyone interested in sampling the literature of ancient Mesopotamia.

Only 8 left in stock (more on the way). is a fine anthology of Sumerian literature and I would heartily recommend the book to anyone interested in sampling the literature of ancient Mesopotamia. I would also recommend "The Epic of Gilgamesh" translated by Andrew George (2003) (ISBN 0140449191) since it contains five of the Sumerian Gilgamesh stories, which complement nicely the collection represented in Jacobsen's book. 38 people found this helpful.

Thorkild Peter Rudolph Jacobsen received, in 1927, an . Sumerian Poetry in Translation (1987). from the University of Copenhagen and then came to the United States to study at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, where, in 1929, he received his P.

The Harps That Once book. In this volume, the eminent Assyriologist Thorkild Jacobsen presents translations of some of these ancient poems, including a number of compositions that have never before been published in translation. this elegantly written work is a basic resource for the full understanding of early Mesopotamia. - Daniel Snell, author of Life in the Ancient Near East, 3100-322 .

The eminent Assyriologist Thorkild Jacobsen, author of Treasures of Darkness, here presents translations of ancient Sumerian poems written near the end of the third millennium . including a number of compositions that have never before been published in translation. The themes developed in the poems-quite possibly the earliest poems extant-are those that have fascinated humanity since the time people first began to spin stories: the longings of young lovers; courage in battle; joy at the birth of a child; the pleasures of drink and song.

This volume presents translations of ancient Sumerian poems, including a number of compositions that have never before been published in translation. The Harps That Once : Summerian Poetry in Translation. by Thorkild Jacobsen.

Jacobsen, Thorkild, "The Spell of Nudimmud", in Fishbane, M. and Tov, E. (ed., 'Sha'arei Talmon': Studies Presented to Shemarjahu . Jacobsen, Thorkild, The Harps that Once Sumerian Poetry in Translation.

Jacobsen, Thorkild, The Harps that Once Sumerian Poetry in Translation. Vanstiphout, Herman . "Joins Proposed in Sumerian Literary Compositions", NABU (1987) No. 87: joins. Electronic sources used.

Book Description: The eminent Assyriologist Thorkild Jacobsen, author of Treasures of Darkness, here presents translations of ancient Sumerian poems written near the end of the third millennium . The themes developed in the poems-quite possibly the earliest poems extant-are those that have fascinated humanity since the time people first began to spin stories: the longings of young lovers; courage in battle; joy at the birth of a child; the pleasures of drink and song

Sumerian Poetry in Translation (Thorkild Jacobsen). Stories from Ancient Canaan (Michael David Coogan). From Distant Days: Myths, Tales, and Poetry of Ancient Mesopotamia (Benjamin . Foster). Innanna (Diane Wolkstein).

Sumerian Poetry in Translation (Thorkild Jacobsen). Egyptian Mythology: Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vols 1 & 2 (Miriam Lichteim). Egyptian Literature: Egyptian Tales, Hymns, Litanies, Invocations, the Book of Dead, and Cuneiform Writings (Epiphanius Wilson).

Similar books and articles. Thorkild Jacobsen - 1994 - Journal of the American Oriental Society 114 (2):145-153. Enki and Ninḫursag, a Sumerian "Paradise" MythEnki and Ninhursag, a Sumerian "Paradise" Myth

Similar books and articles. Inanna and Dumuzi: A Sumerian Love StoryLove Songs in Sumerian Literature. Gonzalo Rubio & Yitschak Sefati - 2001 - Journal of the American Oriental Society 121 (2):268. Enki and Ninḫursag, a Sumerian "Paradise" MythEnki and Ninhursag, a Sumerian "Paradise" Myth.

Thorkild Jacobsen, Assyriology educator emeritus. Recipient George Foot Moore award The Society of Biblical Literature, 1980

Thorkild Jacobsen, Assyriology educator emeritus. Recipient George Foot Moore award The Society of Biblical Literature, 1980. Member American Society for the Study of Religion, American Philosophical Society, American Academy of Arts and Scis, Royal Danish Academy of Sciences (correspondent), British Academy, Deutch Archeological Institute.

Sumerian, the oldest language known, is represented by hundreds of thousands of clay tablets inscribed in the cuneiform writing system. Most of the tablets are devoted to mundane matters -- ration lists, annual accounts, deeds, contracts -- but a substantial number contain examples of perhaps the earliest poetry extant. In this volume, the eminent Assyriologist Thorkild Jacobsen presents translations of some of these ancient poems, including a number of compositions that have never before been published in translation."this elegantly written work is a basic resource for the full understanding of early Mesopotamia. It includes translations of the Cylinders of Gudea and other poems that have been accessible only in outdated versions". -- Daniel Snell, author of Life in the Ancient Near East, 3100-322 B.C.E."What a wonderful bouquet; a gift to us all from a master Sumeriologist, a singer of human achievement, and a lover of words. Jacobsen needs no introduction and this work is special, and should be found in the home of all human and literate persons. It gives access to the mind of ancient Mesopotamia in a manner rarely duplicated heretofore.... Jacobsen has chosen widely from Sumer's rich literature -- myth, epics, hymns, boasts, epithalamia, love songs, lamentations, fables -- nad has presented us with perspective renderings". -- Jack M. Sasson, Religious Studies Review

Kecq

I bought this book after having purchased "Myths from Mesopotamia" by S. Dalley, since the latter book did not contain any translations from Sumerian directly (but it is still a very fine book!). "The Harps that Once..." is a very fine collection of ancient texts: mythological poems about Dumuzi and Inanna, love poetry, hymns, laments, and myths. The comments to the texts may be somewhat briefish, but for those reading the texts for pure pleasure, this will not be a serious drawback. I greatly enjoyed the Dumuzi texts and love poetry. Although the author stated that this translation is just a "subjective attempt", due to the various and very serious problems that Sumerologists face working with this language, the translations are easy to read, and very artistic. Two thumbs up.

Hono

This book includes: Dumuzi poems (including the lengthly and truly beautiful In The Desert Of The Early Grass); erotic lovesongs; hymns to Enlil, Inanna, the city of Kish, and the Nanshe Hymn; the story of Enlil and Ninlil; the Eridu Genesis; Inanna's Descent; the Lugal-e concerning Ninurta; the story of Enmerker and the lord of Aratta; the story of Lugalbanda and the anzu/imdugud bird; Gilgamesh and Agga; The Cursing of Akkad; The Cylinders of Gudea; the Lament for Ur; the 'birth of man' concerning a contest between Enki and Ninmah; Enki And Ninhursag; and two laments "the destroyed house" and "the verdict of Enlil." Jacobsen gives running footnote commentary throughout. Book has a nice weight paper.

Mr.Champions

great

Framokay

This is not a romance novel. It is a translation of ancient Sumarian poetry and it is excellently done. Kudos to Thorkild Jacobsen.

Butius

Let's face it, this is not the sort of book you'd expect to see one reading at the beach. The material is very dry at times, largely due to the fact that the casual reader (like myself) has nowhere near the author's background to really appreciate all the nuances of these hymns and epics.
Ironically, I believe one could truly call this book a "page-turner" in that the poetic style means you have very few words per page--with the exception of a few lengthy footnotes. Even though it's 484 pages long even slow readers (like myself) can finish this book in about 2-3 days.

Although much escaped my understanding there were quite a few interesting observations I was able to make:

--I found it interesting how it described them using counterweights to offset front-heavy jewelry pieces.
--Mention of a Deluge (outside of the Epic of Gilgamesh) which is a common theme in many ancient cultures.
--Mention of a Babel-like scenario from Genesis.
--There appear to be some Biblical parallels that have escaped the author's attention. A good example is this part of "In the Desert by the Early Grass" on page 65 . . .

"I am the mother who gave birth! Woe to that day, that day! Woe to that night!"
O Mother of the lad, Woe to that day, that day! Woe to that night!
The day that dawned for my provider, that [dawned] for the lad, my Damu!
A day to be wiped out, that I would I could forget!"

Compare that wording and content to that of Job 3 (NKJV):

"May the day perish on which I was born, and the night in which it was said, 'A male child is conceived.' May that day be darkness."

--The descriptions of sacrifices bring to mind both those of the Israelites and Vedic Hinduism.
--Temple building instructions also bring to mind those found in the Old Testament.
--There is a theory (not mentioned in this book) that Abraham could not have come from the Ur in Southern Iraq because it was destroyed during his time--this book has "The Lament for Ur" that talks about that destruction.
--In regards to the Deluge accounts, one has to keep in mind that just because an account was written earlier than other accounts does not mean that it is the "true account" and all others are false or inferior. If the Sumerians were the first to document the Deluge then it means only that--other accounts may be more accurate even if they were written much later.
--Finally, having recently read "Ancient Wine" by Patrick McGovern I couldn't help but notice more than a few references to wine and beer in Sumerian culture.

In closing, I'm admittedly not as interested in Sumerian history or poetry as some other reviewers might be, but even as a casual reader I was able to find some things of interest. This would be an excellent book for anyone who wants to broaden their horizons outside of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Ť.ħ.ê_Ĉ.õ.о.Ł

Interesting.

Goll

As the oldest body of literature in the world, Sumerian poetry represents man's first adaptation of writing to express ideas and beliefs far more complex than the "highly structured" applications such as accounting for which writing was originally invented. Many people believe that the ideas and mythological figures present in Sumerian poetry are echoed in the later traditions of Ancient Greece, Ancient Israel, and even Christianity. Clearly then, any person interested in the history of Western literature would be doing themselves a great disservice by ignoring their Sumerian origins.

The book is divided into eight parts: (1) Dumuzi Texts, (2) Royal Lovesongs, (3) Hymns to Gods, (4) Myths, (5) Epics, (6) Admonitory History, (7) Hymns to Temples, and (8) Laments for Temples. Thorkild Jacobsen describes most of the Sumerian literary corpus as being works of praise, such as to a god, a king, or a dead relative. Instead of describing human feelings or ambitions, most of these works serve a ceremonial purpose or are explanations for why the world is the way it is. As a result, many of the poems in this book can be difficult to connect with, since they are taken out of context. Although written down on clay tablets, Jacobsen and others have suggested that Sumerian literature was meant to be narrated orally. As such, an element that is missing from our modern translation is the narrator's embellishment of the story through improvisation, voice intonation, and body language/facial expression.

Nevertheless, it is still possible to get a glimpse into the mindset of the ancient Mesopotamians by reading their literature. The ancient Mesopotamians considered themeselves to have been created by the gods for the express purpose of serving them hand and foot. Apart from this, they had no reason to be. I felt that much of the poetry found in Jacobsen's book represented the Sumerians' desire to maintain the status quo through praise of the gods, currying their favor, and begging for mercy.

"The Harps That Once..." is a fine anthology of Sumerian literature and I would heartily recommend the book to anyone interested in sampling the literature of ancient Mesopotamia. I would also recommend "The Epic of Gilgamesh" translated by Andrew George (2003) (ISBN 0140449191) since it contains five of the Sumerian Gilgamesh stories, which complement nicely the collection represented in Jacobsen's book.