Debate between Bird and Fish

The Debate Between Bird and Fish (c. 2000 BCE) is a Sumerian poem dated to the Ur III Period (2047-1750 BCE) when the genre of the literary debate was especially popular. The poem is the earliest extant on the theme of difficult neighbors and how quickly problems can escalate.

The poem begins as a creation myth. After the gods Anu (An) and Enlil have established the heavens and earth, Enki (god of wisdom, also referenced as Nudimmud) lays out the marshlands around his city of Eridu, provides for the Sumerians (“the black-headed” referenced in line 9), and places fish and birds in their proper places after instructing them on how to behave (lines 1-21). Problems begin when Fish objects to the behavior of his neighbor Bird, claiming she is too loud, and then insults her further. Bird responds with her own insults, and the argument escalates (lines 22-101). Fish decides to settle the problem by destroying Bird’s nest and killing her young, and when Bird returns and finds the wreckage, she seeks out Fish’s spawn and kills them (lines 102-121). Their argument escalates further, and they bring their case before Shulgi, depicted as a son of Enlil, to resolve the issue (lines 122-147).

Shulgi decides in favor of Bird, citing her sweet singing voice and the pleasure she brings to banquets and the E-kur (temple). Shulgi’s judgment (lines 168-177) has been interpreted by some scholars, including Jeremy Black, as resting “as much on the pleasure created to man and the gods by Bird’s beautiful plumage and attractive singing” as anything else (230). While this may be so, the piece is fragmented toward the conclusion, and Shulgi’s judgment no doubt went further than only the lines preserved.

It is likely, as Black also notes, the Shulgi’s judgment was also based on “Fish’s savage attack on Bird’s eggs” (230) and the fact that Fish started the trouble in the first place. The piece ends with praise to Enki whose wisdom would have inspired Shulgi to award the legal victory to Bird over Fish. Although the poem would have served as entertainment, it would also have emphasized the importance of getting along with one’s neighbours in accordance with the will of the gods.

The literary debate genre served as entertainment but also conveyed an important message encouraging cultural values. The works were also part of the curriculum of the scribal schools and needed to be mastered before a student could graduate. he most popular literary debate is thought to have been The Debate Between Sheep and Grain based on the number of copies of that text found and its inclusion in the final part of a student’s education. The Debate Between Bird and Fish seems to have also been popular, however.

World History