Two and a half thousand years ago, in the great cities of Babylon and Nineveh, a nameless poet put the whole of human striving on trial. The Dialogue of Pessimism takes the form of a single, perfectly balanced conversation: 'Servant, obey me,' says the master, and the servant obliges. Go to court, feast, hunt, marry, pray, serve, steal, love — whatever the master proposes, the servant can defend it. And whatever he refuses, the servant can defend just as well. The result is the world's first great comedy of indecision, and one of the earliest meditations on the vanity of human ambition. This modern-English edition keeps the poem's sharp, witty rhythm while making it immediately readable today. An introduction, glossary, and reading guide open up the strange and beautiful world of Mesopotamian wisdom literature. Here is a classic that speaks with startling freshness to anyone who has ever asked whether any of our choices really matter. Part of The World Scriptures Library.