Oldest Love Poem
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Posted:Mar 30, 2015 6:25 am
Last Updated:May 20, 2015 3:45 am 4239 Views
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Which was the oldest love poem in the world? Was it “The Song of Solomon’ or something else?
Until the legendary, George Smith could translate the cuneiform texts, that were discovered by Layard on excavation of a Biblical site at Nineveh in 1846-1847, the story of the Fall of Man and The great Flood and Noah’s Ark were considered as the original compositions of the authors of the Book of Genesis. However, the translated cuneiform texts tell us that those were preexisting Mesopotamian tales, which were re-worked by later Hebrew scribes. It also confirmed that The Song of Songs or The Song of Solomon as it is known was not the oldest love poem. Written in 6th-3rd centuries BCE, it is no more considered as the oldest love poem after the discovery of the poem The Love Song for Shu-Sin (written c.2000 BCE).
The Love Song for Shu-Sin was not just a love poem. We now know that it was also a part of a sacred rite, performed each year, known as the “sacred marriage” in which the king Shu-Sin who ruled over the land of Sumer close to four thousand years ago would symbolically marry the goddess Inanna, mate with her, and ensure fertility and prosperity for the coming year.
Interested readers may please go through the translation of The Love Song of Shu-Sin quoted here under from Samuel Noah Kramer's work History Begins at Sumer, pp 246-247:
"Bridegroom, dear to my heart,
Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet,
Lion, dear to my heart,
Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet.
You have captivated me, let me stand tremblingly before you.
Bridegroom, I would be taken by you to the bedchamber,
You have captivated me, let me stand tremblingly before you.
Lion, I would be taken by you to the bedchamber.
Bridegroom, let me caress you,
My precious caress is more savory than honey,
In the bedchamber, honey-filled,
Let me enjoy your goodly beauty,
Lion, let me caress you,
My precious caress is more savory than honey.
Bridegroom, you have taken your pleasure of me,
Tell my mother, she will give you delicacies,
My father, he will give you gifts.
Your spirit, I know where to cheer your spirit,
Bridegroom, sleep in our house until dawn,
Your heart, I know where to gladden your heart,
Lion, sleep in our house until dawn.
You, because you love me,
Give me pray of your caresses,
My lord god, my lord protector,
My Shu-Sin, who gladdens Enlil’s heart,
Give my pray of your caresses.
Your place goodly as honey, pray lay your hand on it,
Bring your hand over like a gishban-garment,
Cup your hand over it like a gishban-sikin-garment"
It is a balbale-song of Inanna.
Source: History Begins at Sumer.
Book by Samuel Noah Kramer
Happy Readings:
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Details of the uploaded Pictures
1.Marriage of Inanna to Dumezi ( Shu-Sin)
2.This cuneiform tablet contains a love poem written between 2037 and 2029 BCE
3.The Sumerian poem on the right is about the passionate embrace on the left.
4.Cover of the Book.
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Farewell To Spring Flowers Of Bangladesh.
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Posted:Mar 28, 2015 8:26 am
Last Updated:Apr 23, 2015 12:12 am 4635 Views
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We are sad because spring has since left us ! I take this opportunity to post some colorful pictures of spring for the viewers to enjoy.
Happy Viewing;
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Currency War.....A letter to Fimour!
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Posted:Mar 25, 2015 5:50 am
Last Updated:Nov 26, 2023 8:22 am 4146 Views
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Let us discuss something else today.
Something about the currency war, which is going on for a long without a declaration formally by the Countries, involved!
The silent war has already affected me. It might have affected you also. Perhaps you are not aware of it.
All major economies including the Eurozone countries, Russia, Japan, and China have depreciated their respective currencies against the dollar!
Just compare the current exchange rate of your currency with US Dollar and see how much the dollar’s value appreciated during the last year!
The exchange rate for the euro has dropped from 1.4 to a dollar to 1.12 in one year and the Japanese yen dropped from .012 in 2013 to .009 in 2015. Russia's ruble has nosedived.
Do such changes affect our lives in any way?
If you are an American and if you travel a lot, you will be happy for obvious reasons. If you like to drive a Japanese car, you will be delighted if the dollar appreciates more than now! However, those who make money by exporting American products would not be happy. The American Car manufacturers will not be happy either.
How much the currency war affects me? I am not an American. Do I need to bother with the unseen problem? Yes, I have to bother about the currency war now being silently fought! Do you know why? The answer is simple. My currency is pegged to the American dollar and we have allowed it to appreciate against the euro and some other currencies!! Simple as that!!
What are the impacts of a depreciating currency?
It has multiple impacts. When my currency depreciates against other currencies, our exports become cheaper, and, inversely, imports become more expensive. We are to pay more for our travel. Rather we have to bring a cut on our travel plan unless we are filthy rich. We may have to drop the idea of joining a get-together somewhere in America! We may not be able to buy the Japanese car either that we hoped to drive for so long. Not being a petroleum-producing country, the cost of petrol would go up. However, our garments would be cheaper for customers who prefer shopping at Macy's or elsewhere like it in America.
Hope, we now understand why countries let their currencies depreciate.
Yes Fimour, you are correct. It is for boosting exports and stimulating demand for domestic products. We may not, however, forget the harmful effects of depreciation. It pushes up the domestic rate of inflation.
I should stop now. It is getting long, Fimour. However, I hope that this will make you understand why it will not be possible for me to be with you this winter!! Have a wonderful summer, Fimour.
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Do They Speak Thousand Words... .....
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Posted:Mar 21, 2015 12:52 am
Last Updated:Aug 29, 2015 10:27 pm 4340 Views
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Do the three pictures appended speak anything to us? We know that a picture is worth a thousand words! Are images just a mixture of colors caught on paper or screen? Do they stir and evoke raw emotions inside of us?
Source: bdnews24.com
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‘It Is Not Cupid But Stupid…'
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Posted:Mar 17, 2015 3:18 am
Last Updated:Mar 18, 2015 8:56 pm 4229 Views
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What constitutes a *? How a * is legally defined?
According to section 375 of the penal code of this country, “.* is a form of physical penetration, which is conducted against a woman’s will or without her consent or upon consent that is acquired forcefully”.
Therefore, consensual sexual relation cannot be termed as ra**. If we look at the neighboring country, we would find that an Indian court ruled recently that a woman can not bring such charge against a man for the physical relationship they had earlier with consent after they break up.
Sometime such charge is brought up against a celebrity. It happens in this country too like other developed countries. However, it would certainly be a tough job to prove the charge under the existing law of the country. We can mention here the example of the case of R vs. Linekar. The concerned Court rejected the complaint, which alleged that the man did not pay the woman the money he had committed before engaging in physical relation.
From what has been mentioned above, it could be safely said that if an adult male is engaged with a female in a relationship knowingly, they are obliged to accept the consequences. However, it will surely be labeled as an offense if the female is not of proper age or any one is cheated or forced upon.
Recently, a mother of four brought such a complaint against a man before an Indian Court alleging that he had assured of marrying her before having sex with her. The court rejected the allegation.
An Indian bench, consisting of two Justices, expressed concern over the rising trend of women alleging such particular charge centering break-ups and assurance of marriage.They questioned whether moral transgression like an extra-marital affair be equated to such act when the woman enters into the relationship with open eyes. Can breach of promise invite the charge under discussion ?
In the order, the court said, "It is not Cupid but stupid…"
These court rulings can be considered as warnings for the females, The rulings, do not however, approve whatever people do in the name of affair..
It should also be noted that the issue of cheating can change the pace and direction of a case any time.
I wonder why the onus of proving such a charge should primarily be rested on the victim everywhere in this world. Why the promises made on or before having sex should be ignored while judging such a case by the courts? Is it not time to replace the existing law by a more progressive and tough one?
May be, someone from my readers has the answers to my questions!
Happy Reading:
Source: The Dhaka Tribune.
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Solar-Powered Plane Completes Second Leg Of Round-The-World Flight
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Posted:Mar 11, 2015 2:58 am
Last Updated:Mar 14, 2015 10:37 pm 4305 Views
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The Plane-Solar Impulse 2- fueled by the sun’s rays only, landed in Oman Tuesday night after a delay of two days.
It took off from Abu Dhabi on Monday with pilot Andre Borschberg at the control for the 250-mile flight.
The plane left Muscat, Oman after eight hours stopover for Ahmadabad, India with pilot Bertrand Piccard at the control.
Solar Impulse 2's visit to Oman was a short pit-stop on its marathon 35,000-kilometer, five month journey across the globe, via India, Myanmar, China and the U.S.
Monday's journey to Oman was a relatively short one, compared to some of the longer legs, which will take up to five or six days and nights.
Borschberg and Piccard will spend a total of 500 hours behind the controls over the entire trip, taking it in turns in the tiny 3.8-square meter single-seater cockpit.
The pair will also split ocean-flying duties: Piccard will take on the five-day, five-night journey across the Pacific, while Borschberg will tackle the Atlantic.
The Swiss aircraft touched down at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 11.24 p.m. Gujarat Chief Secretary D.J. Pandian received pilot Bertrand Piccard at the airport and presented him with a Gujarati shawl. “I am happy to be in India,” said Mr. Piccard.
This is the airplane’s second stop. Solar Impulse 2 began its journey from Abu Dhabi on Monday and made a stopover at the Muscat International Airport in Oman on Tuesday morning. From Oman, it headed for Ahmadabad, covering a distance of 1,465 km in 16 hours.
It will be stationed here for two days for the pilots to hold meetings with government officials, stakeholders and civil society members. The Aditya Birla Group is the India host for Solar Impulse 2.
Readers may like to know that Mr. Bertrand Piccard is one of the first balloonists to circle the earth.
Pictures of the plane could be seen below:
Source: CNN. The Hindu.
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The History Of Money.
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Posted:Mar 9, 2015 4:15 am
Last Updated:Dec 4, 2015 8:29 am 4215 Views
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COLOR indigo]According to Voltaire, “it is easier to write on money than to obtain it, and those who gain it, jest much at those who only know how to write about it.”
Is money one of the shatteringly simplifying ideas of all time? I think that Paul J. Bohannan can explain it better than me as he considers money so. He believes that money creates its own revolution.
Does most money have any value of its own? The answer is simple. No, it does not. It is worth what it can buy at any
given tim[e.
Could we trace out the exact time when money or some thing like money came to play its part to run the day-to-day lives of we humans? When and how money was first introduced to human society and where?
The history of money begins with humans learning to trade first the things they possessed in excess for the things they needed. Please do not ask me when or where. It may be in an unknown village of a country in West Africa either at a certain time or in the island of Manhattan at morning hours of an unrecorded day! However, it can only be said that the system works almost similar way today even with certain variation. We could now give the seller money so that he can buy what he needs!
It was barter in the beginning!
Barter was born when a group of our ancestors learned to produce extra things to exchange for what they did not have or were unable to produce themselves. Some of you may be surprised if I refer to the great swap of 1626 involving beads and trinkets worth $24 for the island of Manhattan.
As the trade flourished, people had to come up with new ideas for solving various problems related to trade. Therefore, money came into use for obvious reasons! People had to agree about something that was acceptable to all as a means of payment.
Over the years, money has taken many different forms. In ancient China, salt was also used as money for making purchases. Even the Roman soldiers received sacks of salt as salary. We all know the word salary drives from the Latin word sal, which means salt. Do not be surprised if some one tells you that wooden nickels were also used in the U.S. for specific reasons in the 1930s, after the Great Depression. Perhaps, you may have also heard about Four Bits used by American colonists.
There are other forms of payment used by different countries at different times throughout ages. These are Stone money, Ivory (Whale Tooth) Elephant Hair, Tobacco, Brick Tea money, East Indian money Tree, Copper money, Gold Stater, Drachma, Owl Coin, Sestertius of Caesar Augustus, Pine Tree Shilling, Yen or Round money and Piece of Eight (8 Reals ) etc..
Readers may please view the pictures of some known objects used as money in different countries during a given time on the picture section of this page.
People in Egypt and in Asia Minor, used various precious metals—gold, silver and copper to pay for goods and services beginning from 2500 BC. The Kingdom of Lydia started minting coins made of electrum ( a pale yellow alloy of gold and silver ) by 700 BC.
The earliest Paper money could be traced to China. Kublai Khan issued paper money in 1282. The notes made of mulberry bark bearing his seal and his treasurers’ signatures became legal tenders. The Kuan, issued in China by the Ming dynasty, between 1368 and 1399 is the oldest surviving paper money.
Paper money, now a days, come in different colors, sizes and denominations. However, their real value depends on the economic strength of the country that issues the notes.
The history of money is a long one. If my readers would like to learn more about it then they must take the help of books written on money. There are many well-written and informative books on the subject available in the book market. Needless to mention here that “now, at the opening of twenty-first century, the world has since entered the third stage of its monetary history---the era of electronic money and the virtual economy.”
Happy Readings:
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An Unanswered Question.
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Posted:Feb 25, 2015 6:18 am
Last Updated:Feb 19, 2019 7:54 am 4251 Views
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A Question that remained unanswered through out ages
In the name of peace, I have posted this poem for each of you to read, to ponder on its interpretation and its meaning. I wish you find an answer to the the conclusive questions.
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Does anyone have any idea what could be the ultimate answer from the poet's creator if HE finally decides to respond!
Thank you for your time.
My creator, you've sent your envoys into this heartless world,
In every age, every era of humankind's.
They left words in their wake, "love, forgive, and unmake the poison of hatred built up in your minds."
Glory be to them, for they are legendary, revered by all, yet
In this day of crisis, when everything is amiss, I shut them out in deep regret.
For I have seen masked malice, violence veiled by the alibi
Of nightfall, that struck down innocents.
I have seen nameless rage, that possesses a youth that hits his head
Against rocks until lifeless,his anger never vents.
I have seen sins of the strong, taking their course, without recourse
As words of justice remain mute,
So does my own voice. I am silenced, choked and helpless today
As the music forever leaves my flute.
My world has dissolved, wounded, under the deep shadow of a nightmare, therefore
Tearfully, my omniscient, I am asking you....
Those who spewed needless evil, poisoned your air, put out your lights
All lights
Could you forgive them?
Have you loved them too? **[/COLOR
**A poem written originally in Bengali by Rabindra Nath Tagore.
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The Most Misunderstood Word !
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Posted:Feb 20, 2015 3:22 am
Last Updated:Feb 24, 2015 11:16 pm 4672 Views
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There comes a time in everyone’s life---both male and female----when one falls in love! It even comes suddenly to the tough one who does not show weakness at anytime—under any circumstance. The particular one can be the most feared head teacher of a girls school or someone unpredictable as well !!
Most of my past life I had been trying to understand what love really is and why we fall in love at least once in our lifetime? Here, to speak truthfully, I must admit that I could not find correct and acceptable answers to these two questions until now ;
What is love ? And why we humans fall in love!
Could anyone of my readers help me to find the desired answers?
I can however leave some hints for my readers to find out the answers even if those answers may not be acceptable to all. Here under is the free text translation of my favorite song done by a 12-year-old girl that required minor editing by her father. Before proceeding further, my readers may please read the text of the song for arriving at the correct answer
Comrade, what is this worry?
Explain, the meaning of pain, oh friend!
Day in day out you all speak of love
Define it to me - is it only pain?
Does it only bring tears to shed,
Is it only a fragrance of sorrow?
Why do you all indulge in such a luxury of pain...?
In my eyes it's all beautiful
All golden and fair and bright..
The blue sky, the green woodlands
The pale moonlight and the warm sunshine
They are all alike to me
They laugh sing and play all along
Like the flowers that shed their petals laughing
The moonlight laughs and fades away
The sea of lights overflows with laughter
The stars look down from their abode and smile
But there's none so joyful as me
Come friend, come to me
The joyous song from the heart of the joyful
Will fill you with joyous peace..
You cry your heart out all day and night
Come laugh and enjoy it's charm this day
Leave behind the melancholy past, come dear
Come join me in my joyful song….
Happy Endeavour, Dear Readers:
Original Written in Bengali by Rabindra Nath Tagore.
Category : Dance Drama. Translated by : 12-year 0ld of Mr.Amitabha Mitra.
This Post is dedicated to Fimour who loves to listen the song.
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13
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The Hug And Free Coffee
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Posted:Feb 13, 2015 8:40 am
Last Updated:Jan 5, 2023 11:34 pm 4212 Views
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Perhaps, many of us may have read on the chat room pages from time to time that the host of a bash jokingly telling a woman member of this site that she would not require to pay any fee involving cash to the host for rendering services for arranging the bash.
She could join the gathering absolutely free in exchange for a hug being fee for the services he rendered!
The practice of enjoying a hug by a woman, pretty or ugly, as a fee for rendering services does no longer remain limited to a bash arranger of this great site.
The idea might have spread to United Kingdom where the first cuddle cafe has opened in London this week, where visitors can get a free cup tea and Cakes in exchange for a hug.
The name of the first such cuddle café may not be mentioned here for obvious reason! Someone may consider it as an attempt to advertise a Coffee House!!
Designed to generate warm fuzzies and elevate happiness levels among its visitors, the only currency accepted at the Cafe is the hug.
Based on statistics suggesting that Brits are cuddle deficient -- the Cafe, teamed up with a bona fide researcher to lend credence to its marketing stunt.
Happy reading......
Photo: Africa Studio/shutterstock.com/AFP
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