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Anonymous Sumerian · Ur III / Old Babylonian (c. 2100–1600 BCE)

He played with the ball (?) in the broad square, never wanting to stop playing it, and he praised himself in the broad square, never wanting to stop praising himself. (mss. from Urim add:) The young men of his city were playing with the ball (?). For (?) him who made the team of the widows' children xx, they lamented: "O my neck! O my hips!" For those that had a mother, the mother brought bread for her son; for those that had a sister, the sister poured water for her brother. As the evening came, he marked the spot where the ball (?) had been placed, and he picked up his ball (?) from in front of him and took it home. But early in the morning as he xx the place marked, the widows' accusation and the young girls' complaint caused his ball (?) and his mallet (?) to fall down to the bottom of the nether world. (1 ms. adds:) He could not reach them by xx. He tried with his hand but could not reach (1 ms. has instead:) touch them, tried with his foot but could not reach (1 ms. has instead:) touch them.