cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/36433522 (because what’s more memetic than a fart joke?)
Hope you don’t mind if I borrow this.
Explanation: This clay tablet contains an example of written fart humor. The same joke can be found in a collection of Sumerian proverbs dating back to 1900-1600 BC as well. Some things never change.
Line 5 referenced by the translation is immediately below the horizontal line in the tablet image above.
Additional reading:
Electronic Babylonian Library (tablet image and additional translation details): BM.98743
Internet Archive preview showing the translation in image above: Lambert, Wilfred G. 1963. Babylonian Wisdom Literature.
Wiki page on flatulence humor
Reuters article on this and other old jokes
Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, proverbs: collection 1 (translation of older source with link to transliteration of cuneiform)
Eh…
It wasn’t a criticism of the translation, more a commentary on the historical problem of old men marrying children and the hope I’m wrong in my assumptions.