Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Translation of an Ugaritic Letter


Here's my translation of an Ugaritic letter. I first provide the Ugaritic in transliteration and then give the translation.

(1)thm.'iwdr
(2)l.plsy
(3)rgm
(4)yshlm.lk
(5)l.trgds
(6)w.l.klby
(7)shm't.ht'i
(8)nht'u.ht
(9)hm.'inmm
(10)nht'u.w.l'ak
(11)'my.w.yd
(12)'imy.p.kmtm
(13)'z.m'id
(14)hm.nthkp
(15)m'nk
(16)w.mnm
(17)rgm.d.tshm'
(18)thmt.w.sht
(19)b.spr.'my

As you can see, Ugaritic does not designate vowels, with the exception of 'a, 'i, and 'u. On the basis of a comparison with other Near Eastern languages, as well as looking at loan-words, etc, scholars have managed to come up with a tentative reconstruction of the vowels.

Translation [I have added punctuation]:

(1)Message of 'Iwridarri
(2)to Pilsiya
(3)speak!
(4)May [things] be well to you.
(5)From Targadassi
(6)and from Kalbiya
(7)I hear of the defeats
(8)[by which] they were defeated. Now
(9)if there is not [anything]
(10)we will be defeated so send
(11)to me. The hand
(12)of the gods [is] here [lit. of Death] like death
(13)[which is] very fierce.
(14)Since we await
(15)your reply,
(16)whatever
(17)the word which you hear
(18)there, put it
(19)in a letter to me!

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