【简译】绵羊与谷物之间的辩论（农业和畜牧业间的争论）

《绵羊与谷物之间的辩论》是什么时候出现的

          约公元前2000年

《绵羊与谷物之间的辩论》的作者是谁？

          与几乎所有美索不达米亚的文学作品一样，《绵羊与谷物之间的辩论》的作者不详。

《绵羊与谷物之间的辩论》讲了什么？

          《绵羊与谷物之间的辩论》部分是创世神话，但主要是绵羊和谷物（畜牧业和农业）的化身之间关于哪个更优越的争论。谷物赢得了这场争论，因为羊需要食用谷物来维持生存，而谷物不需要羊。

《绵羊与谷物之间的辩论》很受欢迎吗？

          是的，根据所发现的楔形文字副本的数量，《绵羊与谷物之间的辩论》相当受欢迎。人们经常在苏美尔国王的法庭和其他地方演出。

The Debate Between Sheep and Grain (c. 2000 BCE) is one of the best-known Sumerian literary debates in a genre that was popular entertainment by the late 3rd millennium BCE. In this piece, personifications of grain and sheep argue which is more important, with grain judged the winner because sheep need grain, but grain needs no sheep.

          《绵羊与谷物之间的辩论》（农业和畜牧业间的争论）（约公元前2000年）是苏美尔文学中最著名的辩论之一，这种体裁在公元前三千年晚期已成为一种流行。在这篇作品中，谷物和绵羊的化身互相争论哪个更重要，谷物被认为是赢家，因为羊需要谷物，但谷物不需要羊。

The piece is thought to have been inspired by the tension between Sumerian farmers and herdsmen who both required land. Sheepherders needed extensive land for grazing, but this was often occupied by fields of grain, and where it was not, irrigation ditches and canals presented obstacles for moving a flock. The shepherds would appeal to their goddess, Lahar, for help against the farmers while the latter appealed to their own goddess of grains, Ashnan, to protect their fields from the shepherds. The Debate Between Sheep and Grain is often interpreted as an argument between these two goddesses in the great banquet hall after they have become drunk.

          人们认为这篇文章的灵感来自苏美尔农民和牧民之间的紧张关系，他们都需要土地。牧羊人需要大量的土地来放牧，但这些土地往往被粮田占据，而在没有粮田的地方，灌溉沟渠和运河成为羊群移动的障碍。牧羊人会向他们的女神拉哈尔（Lahar）求助，以对抗农民，而农民则向他们自己的谷物女神阿什南 (Ashnan)求助，以保护他们的田地免受牧羊人的侵害。绵羊和谷物之间的辩论通常被解释为这两位女神在大宴会厅中喝醉后的争论。

The piece was popular entertainment, based on the number of copies found at the Temple Library of Nippur and elsewhere in the mid-19th through the mid-20th centuries. Debate pieces were presented in ancient Mesopotamia as dramatic performances at courts by professional actors taking the parts of the narrator and the contestants.

          根据19世纪中叶至20世纪中叶在尼普尔神庙图书馆和其他地方发现的副本数量，该作品很受欢迎。辩论作品在古代美索不达米亚以戏剧表演的形式出现在法庭上，由专业演员扮演叙述者和参赛者的角色。

The Debate Between Sheep and Grain – and the other debates like it – would be comparable to a Broadway play in the modern era whose first run is exclusionary owing to the high price for tickets but, in time, moves to more modest venues accessible for lower prices. A debate piece might have begun its run in the court of a king but later be performed elsewhere for those of the lower classes, as suggested by the number of copies found in various locations.

          绵羊和谷物之间的辩论，以及其他类似的辩论，可以与现代的百老汇戏剧相提并论，由于票价高昂，它的首次演出带有阶级排斥性，但随着时间的推移，它转移到可以以较低价格进入的更温和的场所。正如在不同地点发现的副本数量所表明，一部辩论作品可能一开始在国王的宫廷中上演，但后来在其他地方为下层阶级的人演出。

背景介绍

The origin of the debate genre is unclear, but once established, it became a standard part of the curriculum of the edubba ("House of Tablets"), the Sumerian scribal schools. The Debate Between Sheep and Grain was included as one of the more difficult pieces a student needed to master after passing through the Tetrad and Decad phases of instruction. How they might have been used in schools is unclear – they may have been performed by more than one student or recited only by the one who had copied it – but by the Ur III Period (2047-1750 BCE) they were performed regularly at court. Scholar Jeremy Black comments:

          Formal debates were a popular entertainment at the court of the kings of the Third Dynasty of Ur. Records survive indicating that payments were made to the performers who took part. Typically, the contest is between two natural phenomena, animals, or materials that are significant to human life: Winter and Summer, Bird and Fish, Sheep and Grain, Tree and Reed, Date Palm and Tamarisk, Hoe and Plough, Silver and Copper. The debate progresses as each contestant, personified, speaks alternately, often with considerable acrimony. Each tries to persuade the audience that it is more beneficial to mankind than the other. (225)

          辩论体裁的起源尚不清楚，但一旦确立，它就成为苏美尔文士学校抄写员（Edubba）课程的一个标准部分。《绵羊和谷物之间的辩论》被列为学生在通过四分法和十分法教学阶段后需要掌握的较难的内容之一。这些作品如何在学校中使用尚不清楚，它们可能由多个学生表演，或者只由抄写它的人背诵，但到了乌尔第三王朝（公元前2047-1750年），它们在宫廷中经常被表演。学者杰里米·布莱克评论说：

          正式辩论是乌尔第三王朝国王的宫廷中流行的一种娱乐。现存的记录表明，人们向参加的表演者支付了报酬。通常情况下，比赛是在两种自然现象、动物或对人类生活有意义的材料之间进行。冬天和夏天，鸟和鱼，绵羊和谷物，树和芦苇，枣树和柽柳，锄头和犁，银和铜。辩论的过程中，每个参赛者化身为物，交替发言，往往相当激烈。每个人都试图说服观众，它比另一个事物更有利于人类。(225)

The debate is usually concluded by a king or god declaring the winner. In the case of The Debate Between Sheep and Grain, Enki, the god of wisdom, decides in favor of Grain, and Enlil, the Father God, decrees it so.

          辩论通常由国王或神明宣布获胜者而结束。在《绵羊和谷物之间的辩论》中，智慧之神恩基决定支持谷物，父神恩利尔也下令如此。

摘     要

The poem begins as a creation myth in the time of the ancient Anunna gods, before grain or sheep existed and so prior to the time of the younger gods such as Uttu (goddess of weaving, not to be confused with Utu-Shamash, the sun god) or Ningiszida (an underworld, vegetative god associated with agriculture, here possibly given as Nigir-sig in line 16) or Sakkan (the lord of herds and wild animals, sometimes given as Cakkan). The reference to Ezina-Kusu in line 11 is to the other names for (or aspects of) the goddess Ashnan who became more prominent after the earlier agricultural goddess, Nisaba, became the deity of writing.

          这场辩论开始于古代阿努纳奇（Anunna）诸神时代的创世神话，当时还没有谷物或绵羊，因此也早于年轻的神灵如乌特图（Uttu，编织女神，不能与太阳神乌图-沙马什混淆）或Ningiszida（与农业有关的冥界植物神，这里可能在第16行被称为尼吉尔-西格）或Sakkan（牧群和野生动物的主宰，有时被称为Cakkan）。第11行中提到的Ezina-Kusu是指阿什南女神的其他名字（或方面），在早期的农业女神尼萨巴（Nisaba）成为写作之神后，她变得更加突出。

In lines 26-36, the gods create Grain and Sheep but find they do not make satisfying meals and so decide to send them down from their Holy Mountain to the humans. Lines 43-53 depict humanity's interaction with Sheep and Grain, fencing in the one and cultivating the other, a reference to what is now known as animal husbandry and the Agricultural Revolution. Whether domestication of animals or plants was more important to the development of civilization is a debate ongoing in the present day and this piece is understood as the earliest expression of that argument.

          在第26-36行中，众神创造了谷物和绵羊，但发现它们不能提供令人满意的食物，因此决定将它们从圣山上送到人类手中。第43-53行描述了人类与绵羊和谷物的互动，他们将羊围起来，耕种谷物，这是指现在已知的畜牧业和农业革命。驯化动物还是植物对文明的发展谁更重要，这是当今正在进行的一场辩论，而这篇文章被理解为这种争论的最早表达。

Sheep and Grain – Lahar and Ashnan – make the world beautiful and the gods An (Anu) and Enlil are satisfied with their decision. Trouble begins when Sheep and Grain become drunk in the dining hall, and Grain claims it is superior to Sheep (lines 65-91). The rest of the poem gives the back-and-forth of the two contestants until lines 180-191 when Enki convinces Enlil to proclaim Grain the winner because it does not need Sheep, but Sheep cannot live without Grain. The last lines end with praise to Enki for his wisdom in recognizing that agriculture is more important than animal husbandry.

          绵羊和谷物——拉哈尔和阿什南——使世界变得美丽，众神之父An（Anu）和恩利尔（Enlil）对他们的决定感到满意。当绵羊和谷物在食堂喝醉后，麻烦就开始了，谷物声称它比绵羊优越（第65-91行）。文章其余部分介绍了两位辩论者的来回情况，直到第180-191行，恩基说服恩利尔宣布谷物获胜，因为谷物不需要绵羊，但绵羊没有谷物就无法生存。最后几行以赞美恩基的智慧结束，他认识到农业比畜牧业更重要。

原     文

The following passage is taken from The Literature of Ancient Sumer, translated by Jeremy Black et al. Ellipses indicate missing words or lines, and question marks suggest an alternate translation for a word or phrase.

          以下段落摘自《古苏美尔文学》，由杰里米·布莱克等人翻译。省略号表示缺少的单词或行，问号表示某个单词或短语的另一种翻译。

1-11: When, upon the hill of heaven and earth, An spawned the Anuna gods, since he neither spawned nor created Grain with them, and since in the Land he neither fashioned the yarn of Uttu (the goddess of weaving) nor pegged out the loom for Uttu – with no Sheep appearing, there were no numerous lambs, and with no goats, there were no numerous kids, the sheep did not give birth to her twin lambs, and the goat did not give birth to her triplet kids; the Anuna, the great gods, did not even know the names Ezina-Kusu (Grain) or Sheep.

1-11: 在天地之丘上，众神之父An（Anu）创造了阿努纳奇（Anunna）诸神，因为他既没有生产也没有和他们一起创造谷物，且在土地上他既没有为乌特图（织布女神）的纱线做造型，也没有钉住乌特图的织布机——没有绵羊出现，就没有众多的羔羊，没有山羊，就没有众多的孩子；绵羊没有生下她的双胞胎羔羊，山羊没有生下她的三胞胎孩子。阿努纳奇，伟大的神灵，甚至不知道Ezina-Kusu（谷物）或绵羊的名字。

12-25: There was no muc grain of thirty days; there was no muc grain of forty days; there was no muc grain of fifty days; there was no small grain, grain from the mountains or grain from the holy habitations. There was no cloth to wear; Uttu had not been born – no royal turban was worn; lord Nigir-sig, the precious lord, had not been born; Sakkan (the god of wild animals) had not gone out into the barren lands. The people of those days did not know about eating bread. They did not know about wearing clothes; they went about with naked limbs in the Land. Like sheep they ate grass with their mouths and drank water from the ditches.

12-25: 三十天没有米粮；四十天没有米粮；五十天没有米粮；没有小米、山里的粮食和圣地的粮食。没有衣服可以穿；乌特图还没有出生——没有戴王室头巾；尊贵的Nigir-sig 大人也没有出生；Cakkan（四足动物之神）并没有走到贫瘠的土地。那时候的人不知道吃面包。他们不知道穿衣服；他们光着四肢在土地上走动。他们像羊一样用嘴吃草，喝沟里的水。

26-36: At that time, at the place of the gods' formation, in their own home, on the Holy Mound, they created Sheep and Grain. Having gathered them in the divine banqueting chamber, the Anuna gods of the Holy Mound partook of the bounty of Sheep and Grain but were not sated; the Anuna gods of the Holy Mound partook of the sweet milk of their holy sheepfold but were not sated. For their own well-being in the holy sheepfold, they gave them to mankind as sustenance.

26-36: 当时，在众神形成的地方，在他们自己的家里，在圣丘上，众神创造了绵羊和谷物。圣丘的阿努纳奇诸神把它们聚集在神圣的宴会厅里，诸神分享了绵羊和谷物的恩惠，但没有得到满足；圣丘的阿努纳奇诸神还喝了圣羊圈的甜奶，也没有得到满足。为了他们自己在神圣羊圈中的幸福，他们把绵羊和谷物送给人类作为食物。

37-42: At that time Enki spoke to Enlil: "Father Enlil, now Sheep and Grain have been created on the Holy Mound, let us send them down from the Holy Mound." Enki and Enlil, having spoken their holy word, sent Sheep and Grain down from the Holy Mound.

37-42: 当时恩基对恩利尔说：“父亲，现在绵羊和谷子已经在圣丘上创造出来了，让我们把它们从圣丘上送下来。” 恩基和恩利尔在说出他们的圣言后，将绵羊和谷子从圣丘上送了下来。

43-53: Sheep being fenced in by her sheepfold, they gave her grass and herbs generously. For Grain they made her field and gave her the plough, yoke and team. Sheep standing in her sheepfold was a shepherd of the sheepfolds brimming with charm. Grain standing in her furrow was a beautiful girl radiating charm; lifting her raised head up from the field she was suffused with the bounty of heaven. Sheep and Grain had a radiant appearance.

43-53: 羊被围在羊圈里，他们慷慨地给她草和药材。他们为她做田，给她犁、轭和团队。绵羊站在她的羊圈里，是一个充满魅力的羊圈牧人。庄稼站在她的犁沟里，是一个散发着魅力的美丽姑娘；她从田里抬起头来，充满了天堂的恩惠。绵羊和谷子都有一个光芒四射的外表。

54-64: They brought wealth to the assembly. They brought sustenance to the Land. They fulfilled the ordinances of the gods. They filled the storerooms of the Land with stock. The barns of the Land were heavy with them. When they entered the homes of the poor who crouch in the dust, they brought wealth. Both of them, wherever they directed their steps, added to the riches of the household with their weight. Where they stood, they were satisfying; where they settled, they were seemly. They gladdened the heart of An and the heart of Enlil.

54-64: 他们给集会带来财富。他们给土地带来了养料。他们履行了诸神的条例。他们用存货填满仓房。谷仓都被装满了。当他们进入那些蹲在尘土中的穷人家里时，他们带来了财富。他们两个人，无论脚步走到哪里，都以他们的重量增加了家庭的财富。他们在哪里站立，就在哪里满足；他们在哪里定居，就在哪里体面。他们使众神之父和恩利尔的心欢欣鼓舞。

65-70: They drank sweet wine, they enjoyed sweet beer. When they had drunk sweet wine and enjoyed sweet beer, they started a quarrel concerning the arable fields, they began a debate in the dining hall.

65-70: 他们喝了甜酒，他们喜欢甜啤酒。喝完甜酒，喝完甜啤酒，就开始为耕地的事争吵，就开始在食堂辩论。

71-82: Grain called out to Sheep: "Sister, I am your better; I take precedence over you. I am the glory of the lights of the Land. I grant my power to the sajursaj (a member of the cultic personnel of Inanna) – he fills the palace with awe and people spread his fame to the borders of the Land. I am the gift of the Anuna gods. I am central to all princes. After I have conferred my power on the warrior, when he goes to war he knows no fear, he knows no faltering (?) – I make him leave ... as if to the playing field."

71-82: 谷物对绵羊叫道：“姐妹，我比你更好；我比你优先。我是这片土地之光的荣耀。我把我的力量授予sajursaj（伊南娜的崇拜人员）--他使宫殿充满敬畏，人们把他的名声传到大地的边疆。我是阿努纳奇诸神的礼物。我是所有王子的核心。在我把我的力量赋予战士之后，当他去打仗时，他不知道恐惧，不知道动摇（？）--我让他离开......就像去比赛场一样。”

83-91: "I foster neighbourliness and friendliness. I sort out quarrels started between neighbours. When I come upon a captive youth and give him his destiny, he forgets his despondent heart and I release his fetters and shackles. I am Ezina-Kusu (Grain); I am Enlil's daughter. In sheep shacks and milking pens scattered on the high plain, what can you put against me? Answer me what you can reply!"

83-91:“我促进邻里关系和友好。我解决了邻里之间的争吵。当我遇到一个被俘虏的青年并赋予他命运时，他会忘记绝望，我会释放他的束缚和枷锁。我是Ezina-Kusu（谷子）；我是恩利尔的女儿。在散落在高原上的羊棚和挤奶场，你能用什么来反对我？请回答我，你能回答什么！"

92-101: Thereupon Sheep answered Grain: "My sister, whatever are you saying? An, king of the gods, made me descend from the holy place, my most precious place. All the yarns of Uttu, the splendour of kingship, belong to me. Sakkan, king of the mountain, embosses the king's emblems and puts his implements in order. He twists a giant rope against the great peaks of the rebel land. He ... the sling, the quiver and the longbows."

92-101：于是绵羊回答谷物：“我的妹妹，你在说什么？An，众神之王，使我从圣地降临，我最珍贵的地方。乌特图的所有纱线，王权的光辉，都属于我。山中之王Sakkan为国王的徽记压印，并将他的器具摆放整齐。他在反叛之地的高耸山峰上扭动着一根巨大的绳索。他...... 投石器、箭袋和长弓。"

102-106: "The watch over the elite troops is mine. Sustenance of the workers in the field is mine: the waterskin of cool water and the sandals are mine. Sweet oil, the fragrance of the gods, mixed (?) oil, pressed oil, aromatic oil, cedar oil for offerings are mine."

102-106：“看守精锐部队是我。田间工人的食物是我：凉水水袋和凉鞋是我。甜油，神的香气，混合（？）油，供奉的压榨油、芳香油、香柏油都是用我制成的。”

107-115: "In the gown, my cloth of white wool, the king rejoices on his throne. My body glistens on the flesh of the great gods. After the purification priests, the incantation priests and the bathed priests have dressed themselves in me for my holy lustration, I walk with them to my holy meal. But your harrow, ploughshare, binding and strap are tools that can be utterly destroyed. What can you put against me? Answer me what you can reply!"

107-115："穿着用我制成的白羊毛长袍，国王在他的宝座上欢欣鼓舞。我的身体在伟大神灵的肉体上熠熠生辉。在净化祭司、咒语祭司和沐浴祭司为我穿上圣洁的光泽后，我与他们一起共享圣餐。但你的耙子、犁铧、捆绑器和皮带都是可以彻底摧毁的工具。你能用什么来反对我呢？你能回答什么就回答我吧！"

116-122: Again, Grain addressed Sheep: "When the beer dough has been carefully prepared in the oven, and the mash tended in the oven, Ninkasi (the goddess of beer) mixes them for me while your big billy-goats and rams are dispatched for my banquets. On their thick legs they are made to stand separate from my produce."

116-122：谷物再次对绵羊说：“当啤酒面团在炉子里精心烘烤，醪液在炉子里调好后，Ninkasi（啤酒女神）为我搅拌它们，而你的大山羊和公羊被派去参加我的宴会。他们用粗大的腿，与我的产品分开站立。”

123-129: "Your shepherd on the high plain eyes my produce enviously; when I am standing in the furrow in the field, my farmer chases away your herdsman with his cudgel. Even when they look out for you, from the open country to the hidden places, your fears are not removed from you: fanged (?) snakes and bandits, the creatures of the desert, want your life on the high plain."

123-129：“你在高地上的牧人羡慕地看着我的产品；当我站在田里的沟里时，我的农夫用他的锄头赶走了你的牧人。即使他们为你把风，从空旷的地方到隐蔽的地方，你的恐惧也没有从你身上消除：毒牙（？）蛇和强盗，沙漠中的生物，想要你在高平原上的生命。”

130-142: "Every night your count is made, and your tally-stick put into the ground, so your herdsman can tell people how many ewes there are and how many young lambs, and how many goats and how many young kids. When gentle winds blow through the city and strong winds scatter, they build a milking pen for you; but when gentle winds blow through the city and strong winds scatter, I stand up as an equal to Iskur (the god of storms). I am Grain, I am born for the warrior – I do not give up. The churn, the vat on legs (?), the adornments of shepherding, make up your properties. What can you put against me? Answer me what you can reply!"

130-142：“每天晚上都要清点你的数目，把你的帐杆插在地上，这样你的牧人就可以告诉人们有多少只母羊和多少只羔羊，有多少只山羊和多少只小羊。当轻风吹过城市，强风吹散时，他们会为你建一个挤奶栏；但当轻风吹过城市，强风吹散时，我就会站起来，与伊斯库尔（风暴之神）平等。我是谷物，我为战士而生——我不放弃。搅拌器、有腿的大桶（？）、牧羊人的装饰品，构成了你的财产。你能用什么来反对我？回答我，你能回答什么！"

143-155: Again, Sheep answered Grain: "You, like holy Inanna of heaven, love horses. When a banished enemy, a slave from the mountains or a labourer with a poor wife and small children comes, bound with his rope of one cubit, to the threshing-floor or is taken away from (?) the threshing-floor, when his cudgel pounds your face, pounds your mouth, as a pestle (?) ... your ears (?) ... and you are ... around by the south wind and the north wind. The mortar ... As if it were pumice (?) it makes your body into flour."

143-155: 绵羊再次回答谷物：“你，就像天上圣洁的伊南娜，喜欢马。当一个被放逐的敌人，一个来自山区的奴隶，或者一个带着贫穷的妻子和幼小的孩子的劳工，用他一立方的绳子捆绑着来到打谷场，或者被从（？）打谷场带走，当他的木槌敲打你的脸，敲打你的嘴，像杵（？臼......。犹如浮石（？），它使你的身体变成面粉。”

156-168: "When you fill the trough the baker's assistant mixes you and throws you on the floor, and the baker's girl flattens you out broadly. You are put into the oven and you are taken out of the oven. When you are put on the table I am before you – you are behind me. Grain, heed yourself! You too, just like me, are meant to be eaten. At the inspection of your essence, why should it be I who come second? Is the miller not evil? What can you put against me? Answer me what you can reply!"

156-168: “当你填满食槽时，面包师的助手把你混在一起，然后把你扔在地上，面包师的女孩把你大致压平。你被放进烤箱，你被从烤箱里拿出来。当你被放在桌子上时，我在你面前，你在我后面。谷子，注意你自己！你也和我一样，是一个人。你也和我一样，是要被吃掉的。在对你的本质进行检查时，为什么是我排在第二位？磨坊主不邪恶吗？你能用什么来反对我？请回答我，你能回答什么！"

169-179: Then Grain was hurt in her pride and hastened for the verdict. Grain answered Sheep: "As for you, Iskur is your master, Sakkan your herdsman, and the dry land your bed. Like fire beaten down (?) in houses and in fields, like small flying birds chased from the door of a house, you are turned into the lame and the weak of the Land. Should I really bow my neck before you? You are distributed into various measuring-containers. When your innards are taken away by the people in the marketplace, and when your neck is wrapped with your very own loincloth, one man says to another: 'Fill the measuring-container with grain for my ewe!'"

169-179：谷物自尊心受到伤害，急忙作出判决。谷物回答羊说：“至于你，伊斯库尔（Iskur）是你的主人，Sakkan是你的牧人，旱地是你的床。就像火被扑灭（？）在房屋和田野里，就像小飞鸟被赶出家门，你变成了地上的瘸子和弱者。我真的应该在你们面前低头吗？你被分配到各种量器中。当你的内脏被市场上的人拿走，当你的脖子被你自己的腰布包住时，一个人对另一个人说：‘给我的母羊在量筒里装满粮食！’”

180-191: Then Enki spoke to Enlil: "Father Enlil, Sheep and Grain should be sisters! They should stand together! Of their threefold metal ... shall not cease. But of the two, Grain shall be the greater. Let Sheep fall on her knees before Grain. Let her kiss the feet of ... From sunrise till sunset, may the name of Grain be praised. People should submit to the yoke of Grain. Whoever has silver, whoever has jewels, whoever has cattle, whoever has sheep shall take a seat at the gate of whoever has grain, and pass his time there."

180-191: 然后恩基对恩利尔说：“恩利尔，绵羊和谷物应该是姐妹! 他们应该站在一起! 它们的三倍金属......将不会停止。但在这两者中，谷物应是更大的。让绵羊跪倒在谷物面前。让她亲吻谷物的脚... 从日出到日落，愿谷物的名被赞美。人们应顺服于谷物的枷锁。谁拥有银子，谁拥有珠宝，谁拥有牛，有羊的就坐在有粮的门口消磨时光。"

192-193: Dispute spoken between Sheep and Grain: Sheep is left behind and Grain comes forward – praise be to Father Enki!

192-193: 绵羊和谷物之间的争执。绵羊被抛在后面，谷物走了出来——赞美父亲恩基!

总     结

The Debate Between Sheep and Grain would have been performed in rotation with other debate pieces including The Debate Between Plough and Hoe, The Debate Between Bird and Fish, The Debate Between Winter and Summer, and other similar titles, all of which seem to have been popular entertainment for all the Mesopotamian social classes. As noted, The Debate Between Sheep and Grain appears to have been especially popular but multiple copies of others have also come to light.

          《绵羊与谷物之间的辩论》会与其他辩论作品轮流演出，包括《犁与锄的辩论》、《鸟与鱼的辩论》、《冬与夏的辩论》以及其他类似的作品，这些作品似乎都是美索不达米亚所有社会阶层的流行娱乐。如前所述，《绵羊与谷物之间的辩论》特别受欢迎，但也有多份其他作品被发现了。

It is unclear how long the debate genre pieces were performed, but they were still in use by scribal schools during the Neo-Assyrian Period (c. 912-612 BCE) and included in the collection of the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh. When the Assyrian Empire fell in 612 BCE, and Nineveh was sacked and burned, the fires baked the clay tablets of the library and the fallen walls covered them, preserving them for over 2,000 years until they were discovered in 1849 by Sir Austen Henry Layard. First translated in 1918, The Debate Between Sheep and Grain has since delighted readers as much as it once did its ancient audiences.

          目前还不清楚辩论体裁的作品表演持续了多久，但在新亚述时期（约公元前912-612年），它们仍然被文士学校采用，并被列入尼尼微的亚述巴尼拔图书馆的收藏。公元前612年亚述帝国灭亡，尼尼微被洗劫一空，大火烘烤了图书馆的泥板，倒塌的墙壁覆盖了它们，将它们保存了2000多年，直到1849年被奥斯丁·亨利·莱亚德爵士发现。自 1918 年首次翻译以来，《绵羊与谷物之间的争论》就像它曾经取悦古代读者一样取悦现代读者。

参考书目：

Bertman, S. Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. Oxford University Press, 2005.

Black, J. et al. The Literature of Ancient Sumer. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Kramer, S. N. History Begins at Sumer. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1988.

Kramer, S. N. The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character. University of Chicago Press, 1971.

Kriwaczek, P. Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization. St. Martin's Griffin, 2012.

Leick, G. The A to Z of Mesopotamia. Scarecrow Press, 2010.

原文作者：Joshua J. Mark

原文网址：https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2122/the-debate-between-sheep-and-grain/