Page:Discovery and Decipherment of the Trilingual Cuneiform Inscriptions.djvu/318

Rh part of Rawlinson's work. Some of Benfey's sugges- tions have been accepted, others definitely rejected. A few instances will illustrate the nature and extent of the earliest attempt at revision. Almost the first error occurs in Column I. par. 10, where we find : ' The troubles of the state ceased which Bardius excited.' Rawlinson warns us that ' this sentence cannot be read with any certainty,' on account of a blank in the uiscription, and the doubt attaching to the word ' azada.' Benfey derives this word from the Sanscrit ' ajatii,' which signifies ' deprived of children,* and he translates the passage : ' The kingdom was de- prived of heirs because Bardius was killed.' ^ But this alteration turned out to be quite unauthorised. ' Azda,' as the word is now written, is identified with the Armenian 'azd,' ^information,' corresponding to the Sanscrit ' addha,' ' certain ' ; and Eawlinson himself corrected the passage in 1873 to 'It was not known to the state that Bardius was killed.' The accepted ver- sion given by Spiegel is ' The army had no information that Bardius was killed.' - Soon after, we are told that 'Cambyses, unable to endure his [misfortunes], died' (par. 11). Benfey attributes his death to ' overwhelming anger ' (iibergrossem Zorn) ; but Oppert showed that the word really means ' suicide.' In 1873, Eawlinson had made the rectification himself.^ Not more happy was the substitution of ' Liebet mich ' for the often repeated exclamation Kawlinson renders ' II ail to thee ! ' and which properly signilies ' Go forth ! ' as Rawlinson said in 1873.

There are, however, some instances where the

' lienfey, Dir Persischen Keilinschnften (Leipzig, 1847), p. 9. ' liecords of the PaH, U.S. i. 112. Spiegel, pp. 7, SQ. ' liecords, loc. cit. p. 112.

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