C 4902

Siglum: C 4902
Alternative Sigla: Dunand 1040 a
Transliteration: l mʿd(ʾ)l (h-) dr s¹nt h- ġ{ṯ} w ṣyd h- gdd
OCIANA
Translation: {Mʿdʾl} {was here} the year of much rain and he hunted on the level ground
OCIANA
Language and Script: Safaitic

Interpretation

Apparatus Criticus: C: w ṣyd h- gdd "and he fished in this pool"
Commentary: For ġṯ compare Classical Arabic ġayṯ "rain over a wide area, rain that is productive of much good" (Lane 2314b). C interprets gdd from Classical Arabic ǧad which he translates as "stagnant water at the edge of the desert". However, it appears that it is actually used of "a well [rather than a pool] in a place where there is much herbage" (Lane 385c, Groom 1983: 131–132, under "Judd") which would not be a suitable place for fishing. It should be noted, however, that fishing can certainly take place in desert pools where water has collected and has remained for several months. The Safaitic Epigraphic Survey Programme in 1996 saw a number of fishermen on the lake formed by the dam at Al-Namārah, and was given a fish, some 30 cms long, which one of them had caught. However, in this case, it seems more likely that gdd is to be compared to Arabic ǧadad "hard, level ground" (Lane 386c).

Groom, N. A Dictionary of Arabic Topography and Placenames. A Transliterated Arabic-English Dictionary with an Arabic Glossary of Topographical Words and Placenames. London: Longman / Beirut: Librairie du Liban, 1983.
[Lane] Lane, E.W. An Arabic-English Lexicon, Derived from the Best and Most Copious Eastern Sources. (Volume 1 in 8 parts [all published]). London: Williams & Norgate, 1863-1893.
[C] Ryckmans, G. Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum: Pars Quinta, Inscriptiones Saracenicae Continens: Tomus I, Fasciculus I, Inscriptiones Safaiticae. Paris: E Reipublicae Typographeo, 1950–1951.

Site: On the right bank of Wādī Ġarz (C p. 600), Al-Suwaydāʾ (al-Sweidah) or Rif Dimašq Governorates, Syria

Updated 16 Sep, 2024 by OCIANA