The Dialogue of Pessimism is an ancient Mesopotamian literary composition in the form of a dialogue between a master and his slave. Its interpretations have varied, but it is generally considered an unusual text which thematises the futility of human action. It is an example of ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature.
The Dialogue is a loosely poetic composition in Akkadian, written soon after 1000 BC in Mesopotamia. It was discovered in five different clay tablet manuscripts written in the cuneiform script. The text is well-preserved, as only 15 of its 86 lines are fragmentary.[1] Two textual versions seem to survive, as a Babylonian tablet is substantially different from Assyrian versions.[2] Ancient audiences may have known it by the Akkadian title arad mitanguranni ("slave, attend me"), the phrase at the beginning of every stanza.[3]
Content and style
The Dialogue of Pessimism takes the form of a dialogue between a master and his slave valet. In each of the first ten stanzas the master proposes a course of action, for which the slave provides good reasons. Each time, however, the master changes his mind and the slave provides equally good reasons for not pursuing that course of action. The courses of action are:
I. Driving to the palace
II. Dining
III. Hunting
IV. Marriage (“building a house” in Speiser)
V. Litigation (this is the most fragmentary stanza)
VI. Leading a revolution (“commit a crime” in Speiser)
VII. Sexual intercourse
VIII. Sacrifice
IX. Making investments (“plant crops” in Speiser)
X. Public service
A sample of the Dialogue is (Master Slave):
Slave, listen to me! Here I am, master, here I am! I want to make love to a woman! Make love, master, make love! The man who makes love forgets sorrow and fear! O well, slave, I do not want to make love to a woman. Do not make love, master, do not make love. Woman is a real pitfall, a hole, a ditch, Woman is a sharp iron dagger that cuts a man’s throat. (Stanza VII, lines 46–52)[4]
Stanza XI is substantially different:
Slave, listen to me! Here I am, master, here I am! What then is good? To have my neck and yours broken, or to be thrown into the river, is that good? Who is so tall as to ascend to heaven? Who is so broad as to encompass the entire world? O well, slave! I will kill you and send you first! Yes, but my master would certainly not survive me for three days.[5] (Lines 79–86)
The dialogue is limited to two people (unlike, for instance, Plato’s dialogues), as is common in ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature. It has much in common with the local tradition of dispute literature, including its cynical, questioning outlook.[6] As with other dispute poems, it may have been performed orally outside the school setting.[7] Rather than a set of abstract or universal principles to be applied to every situation, the slave employs concrete images and instances.[8]
The dialogue also references Mesopotamian literature of other sorts. Line 76 quotes a line at the beginning and the end of the Epic of Gilgamesh. Lines 86–87 quote an ancient Sumerian saying.[9] Lines 62–69 may allude to a part of the Great Hymn to Shamash (lines 118–127).[10]
Interpretation
Interpretation of the Dialogue is divided. Some consider the Dialogue a theodicy. Others consider it a statement of life's absurdity, because there are no definitive right and wrong choices or reasons for action. The final stanza is therefore a logical outcome of this quandary, the choice of non-existence over existential futility.[11] This has led recent interpreters to compare the Dialogue to modern existentialists such as Kierkegaard[12] and Camus.[13]
An opposing interpretation takes its cue from the slave's final cheeky retort, seeing the Dialogue as social satire. By this view, the boisterous slave exposes the vacillation and unproductiveness of his aristocratic master through giving conflicting and clichéd answers.[14] Religious satire may also be present in comments about the behaviour of the gods.
Parallels with the second-millennium Mesopotamian text Monologue of the Righteous Sufferer (also known as "I will praise the Lord of Wisdom") and the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes suggest a third interpretation. The universe is indeed enigmatic, even seeming meaningless, but it may have some rationale known to the gods (suggested in the slave's comment about heaven and earth in Stanza XI). Rather than counselling death out of despair, the master wants the slave to enter before him into death so that he can ask the gods. The slave’s final satirical rejoinder parries his master's suggestion. The Dialogue may be satirical, serious, or both, but by this view its message is that the gods control the destinies, which are unknown to us.[15] The wise man, like the slave, reserves judgement and assesses possibilities in the face of life’s ambiguities, albeit retaining his sense of humour.[16]
Parallels with the Old Testament
There is a thematic parallel between the Dialogue of Pessimism and the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. The affirmations and their negations given by the Dialogue's slave are similar to the list of actions and their opposites given in Ecclesiastes 3:1-9 ("a time to be born and a time to die..."). Ecclesiastes, like the Dialogue, has been the subject of pessimistic and optimistic interpretations, and is also amenable to the interpretation that the incomprehensibility of the universe and human life point to our limitations and the transcendent knowledge of God.[17]
There are also some parallels and contrasts with the Book of Job. Like the Dialogue, Job also considers death as an option in the face of life's contradictions (Job 3:2–13), although he never contemplates suicide. Moreover, Job does not conclude on a note of death: rather, that theme was more present at the outset. The use of irony and satire to probe life's mysteries also feature in both the Dialogue and Job (e.g. Job 9:39–31).[18]
A proverb appearing at the end of the dialogue, "who is so tall as to ascend to the heavens? who is so broad as to encompass the entire world?" has several biblical parallels, among which are the opening verse of the proverbs of Agur (Proverbs 30:4); Deuteronomy 30:11-14; Job 11:7-9; and Job 28:12-18.[19]
^Translations from Bottéro (1992: 253–257), after Lambert (1963). Speiser's translation (1954) provides extensive annotations on text and translation.
^A similar prediction is made in Walter Scott's Quentin Durward, where, in chapter 29, the astrologer secures his own safety by predicting to Louis XI that the king would die 24 hours after the astrologer’s own death.
^Denning-Bolle, 1987: 226, 229. Bottéro (1992) observes several times that the Mesopotamian mind did not formulate abstract or universal principles but, rather, employed sometimes exhaustive lists of instances and examples.
Bottéro, J. (1992). Mesopotamia: Writing, Reasoning, and the Gods. Chicago. (Especially “The Dialogue of Pessimism and Transcendence”, pp. 251–267.)
Denning-Bolle, S. J. (1987). Wisdom and Dialogue in the Ancient Near East. Numen 34 (2): 214–234.
Hartley, J. E. (2008). Job 2: Ancient Near Eastern Background. In T. Longman III & P. Enns (Eds.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings. Inter-Varsity Press: 316–361.
Jacobsen, T. (1948). The Negation of All Values: A Dialogue of Pessimism. In H. & H. A. Frankfort, J. A. Wilson, & T. Jacobsen, Before Philosophy: The Intellectual Adventure of Ancient Man. Penguin: 231–234.
Helle, S. (2017). Babylonian Perspectives on the Uncertainty of Death: SB Gilgamesh X 301-321. KASKAL 14: 211–219.
Hurowitz, V. A. (2007). An Allusion to the Šamaš Hymn in the Dialogue of Pessimism. In R. J. Clifford (Ed.), Wisdom Literature in Mesopotamia and Israel. Society of Biblical Literature: 33–36.
Kim, K. (2008). Lemuel and Agur. In T. Longman III & P. Enns (Eds.), Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings. Inter-Varsity Press: 427–431.
Lambert, W. G. (1963). The Dialogue of Pessimism. In ibid., Babylonian Wisdom Literature. Oxford: 139–149.
Metcalf, C. (2013). Babylonian Perspectives on the Certainty of Death. KASKAL 10: 255–267.
Speiser, E. A. “The Case of the Obliging Servant.” Journal of Cuneiform Studies 8 (3): 98–105.
Samet, N. (2008). The Babylonian Dialogue between a Master and His Slave: A New Literary Analysis. Shnaton 23: 99–130.
Samet, N. (2010). The Tallest Man Cannot Reach Heaven, The Broadest Man Cannot Cover Earth - Reconsidering the Proverb and Its Biblical Parallels. Journal of Hebrew Scripture 10, article 8.
van der Toorn, K. (1991). The Ancient Near Eastern literary dialogue as a vehicle of critical reflection. In G. J. Reinink & H. L. J. Vanstiphout (Eds.), Dispute Poems and Dialogues in the Ancient and Mediaeval Middle East: 59-75. OLA 42; Leuven: Peeters.
January 09, 2023
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The Dialogue of Pessimism is an ancient Mesopotamian literary composition in the form of a dialogue between a master and his slave Its interpretations have varied but it is generally considered an unusual text which thematises the futility of human action It is an example of ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature Contents 1 Text and dating 2 Content and style 3 Interpretation 4 Parallels with the Old Testament 5 References 6 BibliographyText and dating EditThe Dialogue is a loosely poetic composition in Akkadian written soon after 1000 BC in Mesopotamia It was discovered in five different clay tablet manuscripts written in the cuneiform script The text is well preserved as only 15 of its 86 lines are fragmentary 1 Two textual versions seem to survive as a Babylonian tablet is substantially different from Assyrian versions 2 Ancient audiences may have known it by the Akkadian title arad mitanguranni slave attend me the phrase at the beginning of every stanza 3 Content and style EditThe Dialogue of Pessimism takes the form of a dialogue between a master and his slave valet In each of the first ten stanzas the master proposes a course of action for which the slave provides good reasons Each time however the master changes his mind and the slave provides equally good reasons for not pursuing that course of action The courses of action are I Driving to the palace II Dining III Hunting IV Marriage building a house in Speiser V Litigation this is the most fragmentary stanza VI Leading a revolution commit a crime in Speiser VII Sexual intercourse VIII Sacrifice IX Making investments plant crops in Speiser X Public service A sample of the Dialogue is Master Slave Slave listen to me Here I am master here I am I want to make love to a woman Make love master make love The man who makes love forgets sorrow and fear O well slave I do not want to make love to a woman Do not make love master do not make love Woman is a real pitfall a hole a ditch Woman is a sharp iron dagger that cuts a man s throat Stanza VII lines 46 52 4 Stanza XI is substantially different Slave listen to me Here I am master here I am What then is good To have my neck and yours broken or to be thrown into the river is that good Who is so tall as to ascend to heaven Who is so broad as to encompass the entire world O well slave I will kill you and send you first Yes but my master would certainly not survive me for three days 5 Lines 79 86 The dialogue is limited to two people unlike for instance Plato s dialogues as is common in ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature It has much in common with the local tradition of dispute literature including its cynical questioning outlook 6 As with other dispute poems it may have been performed orally outside the school setting 7 Rather than a set of abstract or universal principles to be applied to every situation the slave employs concrete images and instances 8 The dialogue also references Mesopotamian literature of other sorts Line 76 quotes a line at the beginning and the end of the Epic of Gilgamesh Lines 86 87 quote an ancient Sumerian saying 9 Lines 62 69 may allude to a part of the Great Hymn to Shamash lines 118 127 10 Interpretation EditInterpretation of the Dialogue is divided Some consider the Dialogue a theodicy Others consider it a statement of life s absurdity because there are no definitive right and wrong choices or reasons for action The final stanza is therefore a logical outcome of this quandary the choice of non existence over existential futility 11 This has led recent interpreters to compare the Dialogue to modern existentialists such as Kierkegaard 12 and Camus 13 An opposing interpretation takes its cue from the slave s final cheeky retort seeing the Dialogue as social satire By this view the boisterous slave exposes the vacillation and unproductiveness of his aristocratic master through giving conflicting and cliched answers 14 Religious satire may also be present in comments about the behaviour of the gods Parallels with the second millennium Mesopotamian text Monologue of the Righteous Sufferer also known as I will praise the Lord of Wisdom and the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes suggest a third interpretation The universe is indeed enigmatic even seeming meaningless but it may have some rationale known to the gods suggested in the slave s comment about heaven and earth in Stanza XI Rather than counselling death out of despair the master wants the slave to enter before him into death so that he can ask the gods The slave s final satirical rejoinder parries his master s suggestion The Dialogue may be satirical serious or both but by this view its message is that the gods control the destinies which are unknown to us 15 The wise man like the slave reserves judgement and assesses possibilities in the face of life s ambiguities albeit retaining his sense of humour 16 Parallels with the Old Testament EditThere is a thematic parallel between the Dialogue of Pessimism and the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament The affirmations and their negations given by the Dialogue s slave are similar to the list of actions and their opposites given in Ecclesiastes 3 1 9 a time to be born and a time to die Ecclesiastes like the Dialogue has been the subject of pessimistic and optimistic interpretations and is also amenable to the interpretation that the incomprehensibility of the universe and human life point to our limitations and the transcendent knowledge of God 17 There are also some parallels and contrasts with the Book of Job Like the Dialogue Job also considers death as an option in the face of life s contradictions Job 3 2 13 although he never contemplates suicide Moreover Job does not conclude on a note of death rather that theme was more present at the outset The use of irony and satire to probe life s mysteries also feature in both the Dialogue and Job e g Job 9 39 31 18 A proverb appearing at the end of the dialogue who is so tall as to ascend to the heavens who is so broad as to encompass the entire world has several biblical parallels among which are the opening verse of the proverbs of Agur Proverbs 30 4 Deuteronomy 30 11 14 Job 11 7 9 and Job 28 12 18 19 References Edit Bottero 1992 251f Lambert 1963 143 Speiser 1954 103f Lambert 1963 144 Hurowitz 2007 33 Translations from Bottero 1992 253 257 after Lambert 1963 Speiser s translation 1954 provides extensive annotations on text and translation A similar prediction is made in Walter Scott s Quentin Durward where in chapter 29 the astrologer secures his own safety by predicting to Louis XI that the king would die 24 hours after the astrologer s own death van der Toorn 1991 Speiser 1954 105 Denning Bolle 1987 232 Denning Bolle 1987 226 229 Bottero 1992 observes several times that the Mesopotamian mind did not formulate abstract or universal principles but rather employed sometimes exhaustive lists of instances and examples Speiser 1954 104f Hurowitz 2007 Lambert 1963 139 142 Hartley 2008 353f Metcalf 2013 Helle 2017 218 Speiser 1954 103 105 Bottero 1992 259 267 Denning Bolle 1987 229 Bottero 1992 260 262 Hartley 2008 353f Kim 2008 430 Samet 2010Bibliography EditBottero J 1992 Mesopotamia Writing Reasoning and the Gods Chicago Especially The Dialogue of Pessimism and Transcendence pp 251 267 Denning Bolle S J 1987 Wisdom and Dialogue in the Ancient Near East Numen 34 2 214 234 Hartley J E 2008 Job 2 Ancient Near Eastern Background In T Longman III amp P Enns Eds Dictionary of the Old Testament Wisdom Poetry amp Writings Inter Varsity Press 316 361 Jacobsen T 1948 The Negation of All Values A Dialogue of Pessimism In H amp H A Frankfort J A Wilson amp T Jacobsen Before Philosophy The Intellectual Adventure of Ancient Man Penguin 231 234 Helle S 2017 Babylonian Perspectives on the Uncertainty of Death SB Gilgamesh X 301 321 KASKAL 14 211 219 Hurowitz V A 2007 An Allusion to the Samas Hymn in the Dialogue of Pessimism In R J Clifford Ed Wisdom Literature in Mesopotamia and Israel Society of Biblical Literature 33 36 Kim K 2008 Lemuel and Agur In T Longman III amp P Enns Eds Dictionary of the Old Testament Wisdom Poetry amp Writings Inter Varsity Press 427 431 Lambert W G 1963 The Dialogue of Pessimism In ibid Babylonian Wisdom Literature Oxford 139 149 Metcalf C 2013 Babylonian Perspectives on the Certainty of Death KASKAL 10 255 267 Speiser E A The Case of the Obliging Servant Journal of Cuneiform Studies 8 3 98 105 Samet N 2008 The Babylonian Dialogue between a Master and His Slave A New Literary Analysis Shnaton 23 99 130 Samet N 2010 The Tallest Man Cannot Reach Heaven The Broadest Man Cannot Cover Earth Reconsidering the Proverb and Its Biblical Parallels Journal of Hebrew Scripture 10 article 8 van der Toorn K 1991 The Ancient Near Eastern literary dialogue as a vehicle of critical reflection In G J Reinink amp H L J Vanstiphout Eds Dispute Poems and Dialogues in the Ancient and Mediaeval Middle East 59 75 OLA 42 Leuven Peeters Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dialogue of Pessimism amp oldid 1115447377, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
