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BABYLONIAN FOLK-LORE.
7.“Thou wentest, thou spoiledst
The land of the foe,
For the foe came and spoiled
Thy land, even thine.
8.“A heifer am I,
To the cow I am yoked;
The plough-handle is strong,
Lift it up, lift it up!
9.“Before the oxen as they march,
All in the grain thou liest thee down.
10.“My knees are marching,
My feet are not resting;
With no wealth of thy own
Grain thou makest for me.”
The last three songs are plainly addressed to the oxen, and must have been favourites among their drivers. The Accadians of Babylonia were pre-eminently an agricultural people, and it is only natural, therefore, that their popular songs should mainly have reference to the works of the field.
