Most ancient verse.

by Thorkild Jacobsen

Contains translations into English of Sumerian and Egyptian poems.

Genres: Poetry

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Thorkild Jacobsen (7 June 1904 – 2 May 1993) was a renowned historian specializing in Assyriology and Sumerian literature. He was one of the foremost scholars on the ancient Near East.

Reviews

[Özgür]

Olmayan ingilizcemizle denedik okumayı, ne kadarını anladım orası meçhul. Bildiğim ve beğendiğim 1-2 şiir de vardı denk gelmesi güzel oldu.

[❂ Ann ❂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was amazed at the level of complexity in the Sumerian poems in comparison to the Egyptian poems. And it might be based on the translation. Although, I must say how I concur with the introduction that stated that the translator was presented such a tremendous task of 1)transliteration from cuneiform tablets and then 2) assembling it in such a way that the emotion and meaning is not lost in translation. The Dumuzi poems are really growing on me. I have never seen Akehnatan in such a context. And I was embarassed for the "maiden demure." I was on the ALA Mildred Batchelder Award Committee and can appreciate the work of translators. Thanks to the one who made me aware of such a book. It's proof that the ancients were not simple folk but possess the same feelings of love, frustration, and angst as modern man--and that the human condition is time immemorial.

[Edgar Trevizo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Espléndido libro. Una selección pequeña pero exquisitamente editada. Le debo mucho a sus dos autores por este prodigio de ejemplar. Grandísimo trabajo.