Hymn of the Righteous Sufferer

About the Author

Although the author of this poem is otherwise unknown, the text itself provides many clues if one assumes that the author and the narrator are the same person. In fact, the author identifies himself in line 44 of the third tablet as Shubshi-meshre-Sakkan, while more substantive information about Shubshi-meshre-Sakkan can be found in the first and second tablets. Looking to lines 78–79 of the first tablet, the narrator speaks of his former self as “so grand” with a “vast family.” This sense of having been a person of authority is echoed in lines 29 through 32 of the second tablet, where he refers to instructing his people on his land to respect the gods and the king. Shubshi-meshre-Sakkan may have been a governor, an important functionary, or a feudal lord of some sort who supported the king. He appears to have been wealthy, learned, and secure in his position in his family and with his immediate ruler. While it is conceivable that Shubshi-meshre-Sakkan was a fictional creation, it is reasonable to speculate that he represented the author. Ultimately, the truth is unknown.