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THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH
Assyrian International News Agency
PROLOGUE
GILGAMESH KING IN
URUK
I will
proclaim to the world the deeds of Gilgamesh.
This was the man to whom all things were known;
this was the king who knew the countries of the
world. He was wise, he saw mysteries and knew
secret things, he brought us a tale of the days
before the flood. He went on a long journey, was
weary, worn-out with labour, returning he
rested, he engraved on a stone the whole story.
When the
gods created Gilgamesh they gave him a perfect
body. Shamash the glorious sun endowed him with
beauty, Adad the god of the storm endowed him
with courage, the great gods made his beauty
perfect, surpassing all others, terrifying like
a great wild bull. Two thirds they made him god
and one third man.
In Uruk
he built walls, a great rampart, and the temple
of blessed Eanna for the god of the firmament
Anu, and for Ishtar the goddess of love. Look at
it still today: the outer wall where the cornice
runs, it shines with the brilliance of copper;
and the inner wall, it has no equal. Touch the
threshold, it is ancient. Approach Eanna the
dwelling of Ishtar, our lady of love and war,
the like of which no latter-day king, no man
alive can equal. Climb upon the wall of Uruk;
walk along it, I say; regard the foundation
terrace and examine the. masonry: is it not
burnt brick and good? The seven sages laid the
foundations.
1
THE COMING
OF ENKIDU
GILGAMESH went abroad in the world, but he met
with none who could withstand his arms till be
came to Uruk. But the men of Uruk muttered in
their houses, 'Gilgamesh sounds the tocsin for
his amusement, his arrogance has no bounds by
day or night. No son is left with his father,
for Gilgamesh takes them all, even the children;
yet the king should be a shepherd to his people.
His lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither
the warrior's daughter nor the wife of the
noble; yet this is the shepherd of the city,
wise, comely, and resolute.'
The gods
heard their lament, the gods of heaven cried to
the Lord of Uruk, to Anu the god of Uruk: 'A
goddess made him, strong as a savage bull, none
can withstand his arms. No son is left with his
father, for Gilgamesh takes them all; and is
this the king, the shepherd of his people? His
lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the
warrior's daughter nor the wife of the noble.
When Anu had heard their lamentation the gods
cried to Aruru, the goddess of creation, 'You
made him, O Aruru; now create his equal; let it
be as like him as his own reflection, his second
self; stormy heart for stormy heart. Let them
contend together and leave Uruk in quiet.'
So the
goddess conceived an image in her mind, and it
was of the stuff of Anu of the firmament. She
dipped her hands in water and pinched off day,
she let it fall in the wilderness, and noble
Enkidu was created. There was virtue in him of
the god of war, of Ninurta himself. His body was
rough, he had long hair like a woman's; it waved
like the hair of Nisaba, the goddess of corn.
His body was covered with matted hair like
Samugan's, the god of cattle. He was innocent of
mankind; he knew nothing of the cultivated land.
Enkidu
ate grass in the hills with the gazelle and
lurked with wild beasts at the water-holes; he
had joy of the water with the herds of wild
game. But there was a trapper who met him one
day face to face at the drinking-hole, for the
wild game had entered his territory. On three
days he met him face to face, and the trapper
was frozen with fear. He went back to his house
with the game that he had caught, and he was
dumb, benumbed with terror. His face was altered
like that of one who has made a long journey.
With awe in his heart he spoke to his father:
'Father, there is a man, unlike any other, who
comes down from the hills. He is the strongest
in the world, he is like an immortal from
heaven. He ranges over the hills with wild
beasts and eats grass; the ranges through your
land and comes down to the wells. I am afraid
and dare not go near him. He fills in the pits
which I dig and tears up-my traps set for the
game; he helps the beasts to escape and now they
slip through my fingers.'
His
father opened his mouth and said to the trapper,
'My son, in Uruk lives Gilgamesh; no one has
ever prevailed against him, he is strong as a
star from heaven. Go to Uruk, find Gilgamesh,
extol the strength of this wild man. Ask him to
give you a harlot, a wanton from the temple of
love; return with her, and let her woman's power
overpower this man. When next he comes down to
drink at the wells she will be there, stripped
naked; and when he sees her beckoning he will
embrace her, and then the wild beasts will
reject him.'
So the
trapper set out on his journey to Uruk and
addressed himself to Gilgamesh saying, 'A man
unlike any other is roaming now in the pastures;
he is as strong as a star from heaven and I am
afraid to approach him. He helps the wild game
to escape; he fills in my pits and pulls up my
traps.' Gilgamesh said, 'Trapper, go back, take
with you a harlot, a child of pleasure. At the
drinking hole she will strip, and when, he sees
her beckoning he will embrace her and the game
of the wilderness will. surely reject him.'
Now the
trapper returned, taking the harlot with him.
After a three days' journey they came to the
drinking hole, and there they sat down; the
harlot and the trapper sat . facing one another
and waited for the game to come. For the first
day and for the second day the two sat waiting,
but on the third day the herds came; they came
down to drink and Enkidu was with them. The
small wild creatures of the plains were glad of
the water, and Enkidu with them, who ate grass
with the gazelle and was born in the hills; and
she saw him, the savage man, come from far-off
in the hills. The trapper spoke to her: 'There
he is. Now, woman, make your breasts bare, have
no shame, do not delay but welcome his love. Let
him see you naked, let him possess your body.
When he comes near uncover yourself and lie with
him; teach him, the savage man, your woman's
art, for when he murmurs love to you the wild'
beasts that shared his life in the hills will
reject him.'
She was
not ashamed to take him, she made herself naked
and welcomed his eagerness; as he lay on her
murmuring love she taught him the woman's art
For six days and seven nights they lay together,
for Enkidu had forgotten his home in the hills;
but when he was satisfied he went back to the
wild beasts. Then, when the gazelle saw him,
they bolted away; when the wild creatures saw
him they fled. Enkidu would have followed, but
his body was bound as though with a cord, his
knees gave way when he started to run, his
swiftness was gone. And now the wild creatures
had all fled away; Enkidu was grown weak, for
wisdom was in him, and the thoughts of a man
were in his heart. So he returned and sat down
at the woman's feet, and listened intently to
what she said. 'You are wise, Enkidu, and now
you have become like a god. Why do you want to
run wild with the beasts in the hills? Come with
me. I will take you to strong-walled Uruk, to
the blessed temple of Ishtar and of Anu, of love
and of heaven there Gilgamesh lives, who is very
strong, and like a wild bull he lords it over
men.'
When she
had spoken Enkidu was pleased; he longed for a
comrade, for one who would understand his heart.
'Come, woman, and take me to that
holy temple, to the house of Anu and of Ishtar,
and to the place where Gilgamesh lords it over
the people. I will challenge him boldly, I will
cry out aloud in Uruk, "I am the strongest here,
I have come to change the old order, I am he who
was born in the hills, I am he who is strongest
of all."'
She
said, 'Let us go, and let him see your face. I
know very well where Gilgamesh is in great Uruk.
O Enkidu, there all the people are dressed in
their gorgeous robes, every day is holiday, the
young men and the girls are wonderful to see.
How sweet they smell! All the great ones are
roused from their beds. O Enkidu, you who love
life, I will show you Gilgamesh, a man of many
moods; you shall look at him well in his radiant
manhood. His body is perfect in strength and
maturity; he never rests by night or day. He is
stronger than you, so leave your boasting.
Shamash the glorious sun has given favours to
Gilgamesh, and Anu of the heavens, and Enlil,
and Ea the wise has given him deep
understanding. f tell you, even before you have
left the wilderness, Gilgamesh will know in his
dreams that you are coming.'
Now
Gilgamesh got up to tell his dream to his
mother; Ninsun, one of the wise gods. 'Mother,
last night I had a dream. I was full of joy, the
young heroes were round me and I walked through
the night under the stars of the firmament, and
one, a meteor of the stuff of Anu, fell down
from heaven. I tried to lift it but it proved
too heavy. All the people of Uruk came round to
see it, the common people jostled and the nobles
thronged to kiss its feet; and to me its
attraction was like the love of woman. They
helped me, I braced my forehead and I raised it
with thongs and brought it to you, and you
yourself pronounced it my brother.'
Then
Ninsun, who is well-beloved and wise, said to
Gilgamesh, 'This star of heaven which descended
like a meteor from the sky; which you tried to
lift,- but found too heavy, when you
tried to move it it would not budge, and so you
brought it to my feet; I made it for you, a goad
and spur, and you were drawn as though to a
woman. This is the strong comrade, the one who
brings help to his friend in his need. He is the
strongest of wild creatures, the stuff of Anu;
born in the grass-lands and the wild hills
reared him; when you see him you will be glad;
you will love him as a woman and he will never
forsake you. This is the meaning of the dream.'
Gilgamesh said, 'Mother, I dreamed a second
dream. In the streets of strong-walled Uruk
there lay an axe; the shape of it was strange
and the people thronged round. I saw it and was
glad. I bent down, deeply drawn towards it; I
loved it like a woman and wore it at my side.'
Ninsun answered, 'That axe, which you saw, which
drew you so powerfully like love of a woman,
that is the comrade whom I give you, and he will
come in his strength like one of the host of
heaven. He is the brave companion who rescues
his friend in necessity.' Gilgamesh said to his
mother, 'A friend, a counsellor has come to me
from Enlil, and now I shall befriend and counsel
him.' So Gilgamesh told his dreams; and the
harlot retold them to Enkidu.
And now
she said to Enkidu, 'When I look at you you have
become like a god. Why do you yearn to run wild
again with the beasts in the hills? Get up from
the ground, the bed of a shepherd.' He listened
to her words with care. It was good advice that
she gave. She divided her clothing in two and
with the one half she clothed him and with the
other herself, and holding his hand she led him
like a child to the sheepfolds, into the
shepherds' tents. There all the shepherds
crowded round to see him, they put down bread in
front of him, but Enkidu could only suck the
milk of wild animals. He fumbled and gaped, at a
loss what to do or how he should eat the bread
and drink the strong wine. Then the woman said,
'Enkidu, eat bread, it is the staff of life;
drink the wine, it is the custom of the land.'
So he ate till he was full and drank strong
wine, seven goblets. He became merry, his heart
exulted and his face shone. He rubbed down the
matted hair of his body and anointed himself
with oil. Enkidu had become a man; but when he
had put on man's clothing he appeared like a
bridegroom. He took arms to hunt the lion so
that the shepherds could rest at night. He
caught wolves and lions and the herdsmen lay
down in peace; for Enkidu was their watchman,
that strong man who had no rival.
He was
merry living with the shepherds, till one day
lifting his eyes he saw a man approaching. He
said to the harlot, 'Woman, fetch that man here.
Why has he come? I wish to know his name.' She
went and called the man saying, 'Sir, where are
you going on this weary journey?' The man
answered, saying to Enkidu, 'Gilgamesh has gone
into the marriage-house and shut out the people.
He does strange things in Uruk, the city of
great streets. At the roll of the drum work
begins for the men, and work for the women.
Gilgamesh the king is about to celebrate
marriage with the Queen of Love, and he still
demands to be first with the bride, the king to
be first and the husband to follow, for that was
ordained by the gods from his birth, from the
time the umbilical cord was cut. But now the
drums roll for the choice of the bride and the
city groans.' At these words Enkidu turned white
in the face. 'I will go to the place where
Gilgamesh lords it over the people, I will
challenge him boldly, and I will cry aloud in
Uruk, "I have come to change the old order, for
I am the strongest here."
Now
Enkidu strode in front and the woman followed
behind. He entered Uruk, that great market, and
all the folk thronged round him where he stood
in the street in strong-walled Uruk. The people
jostled; speaking of him they said, 'He is the
spit of Gilgamesh. 'He is shorter.' 'He is
bigger of bone.' This is the one who was reared
on the milk of wild beasts. His is the greatest
strength.' The men rejoiced: 'Now Gilgamesh has
met his match. This great-one, this
hero whose beauty is like a god, he is a match
even for Gilgamesh.'
In Uruk
the bridal bed was made, fit for the goddess of
love. The bride waited for the bridegroom, but
in the night Gilgamesh got up and came to the
house. Then Enkidu stepped out, he stood in the
street and blocked the way. Mighty Gilgamesh
came on and Enkidu met him at the gate. He put
out his foot and prevented Gilgamesh from
entering the house, so they grappled, holding
each other like bulls. They broke the doorposts
and the walls shook, they snorted like bulls
locked together. They shattered the doorposts
and the walls shook. Gilgamesh bent his knee
with his foot planted on the ground and with a
turn Enkidu was thrown. Then immediately his
fury died. When Enkidu was thrown he said to
Gilgamesh, 'There is not another like you in the
world. Ninsun, who is as strong as a wild ox in
the byre, she was the mother who bore you, and
now you are raised above all men, and Enlil has
given you the kingship, for your strength
surpasses the strength of men.' So Enkidu and
Gilgamesh embraced and their friendship was
sealed.
2
THE FOREST
JOURNEY
ENLIL of
the mountain, the father of the gods, had
decreed the destiny of Gilgamesh. So Gilgamesh
dreamed and Enkidu said, 'The meaning of the
dream is this. The father of the gods has given
you kingship, such is your destiny, everlasting
life is not your destiny. Because of this do not
be sad at heart, do not be grieved or oppressed.
He has given you power to bind and to loose, to
be the darkness and the light of mankind. He has
given you unexampled supremacy over the people,
victory in battle from which no fugitive
returns, in forays and assaults from which there
is no going back. But do not abuse this power,
deal justly with your servants in the palace,
deal justly before Shamash.'
The eyes
of Enkidu were full of tears and his heart was
sick. He sighed bitterly and Gilgamesh met his
eye and said,' My friend, why do you sigh so
bitterly? But Enkidu opened his mouth and said,
'I am weak, my arms have lost their strength,
the cry of sorrow sticks in my throat, I am
oppressed by idleness.' It was then that the
lord Gilgamesh turned his thoughts to the
Country of the Living; on the Land of Cedars the
lord Gilgamesh reflected. He said to his servant
Enkidu, 'I have not established my name stamped
on bricks as my destiny decreed; therefore I
will go to the country where the cedar is
felled. I will set up my name in the place where
the names of famous men are written, and where-
no man's name is written yet I will wise a
monument to the gods. Because o£ the evil that
is in the land, we will go to the forest and
destroy the evil; for in the forest lives
Humbaba whose name is "Hugeness", , a ferocious
giant. But Enkidu sighed bitterly and said,
'When I went with the wild beasts ranging
through the wilderness I discovered the forest;
its length is ten thousand leagues in every
direction. Enlil has appointed Humbaba to guard
it and armed him iii sevenfold terrors, terrible
to all flesh is Humbaba. When he roars it is
like the torrent of the storm, his breath is
like fire, and his jaws are death itself. He
guards the cedars so well that when the wild
heifer stirs in the forest, though she is sixty
leagues distant, he hears her. What man would
willingly walk into that country and explore its
depths? I tell you, weakness overpowers whoever
goes near it: it is not an equal struggle when
one fights with Humbaba; he is a great warrior,
a battering-ram. Gilgamesh, the watchman of the
forest never sleeps.'
Gilgamesh replied: 'Where is the man who can
clamber to heaven? Only the gods live for ever
with glorious Shamash, but as for us men, our
days are numbered, our occupations are a breath
of wind. How is this, already you are afraid! I
will go first although I am your lord,
an4.youmay safely call out, "Forward, there is
nothing to fear!" Then if I fall I leave behind
me a name that endures; men - will say of me,
"Gilgamesh has fallen in fight with ferocious
Humbaba." Long after the child has been bony in
my house, they will say it, and remember.'
Enkidu spoke again to Gilgamesh, 'O my lord, if
you will enter that country, go first to the
hero Shamash, tell the Sun God, for the land is
his. The country where the cedar is cut belongs
to Shamash.'
Gilgamesh took up a kid, white without spot, and
a brown one with it; he held them against his
breast, and he carried them into the presence of
the sun. He took in his hand his silver sceptre
and he said to glorious Shamash, 'I am going to
that country, O Shamash, I am going; my hands
supplicate, so let it be well with my soul and
bring me back to the quay of Uruk. Grant, I
beseech, your protection, and let the omen be
good.' Glorious Shamash answered, 'Gilgamesh,
you are strong, but what is the Country of the
Living to you?
'O
Shamash, hear me, hear me, Shamash, let my voice
be heard. Here in the city man dies oppressed at
heart, man perishes with despair in his heart. I
have looked over the wall and I see the bodies
floating on the river, and that will be my lot
also. Indeed I know it is so, for whoever is
tallest among men cannot reach the heavens, and
the greatest cannot encompass the earth.
Therefore I would enter that country: because I
have not established my name stamped on brick as
my destiny decreed, I will go to the country
where the cedar is cut. I will set up my name
where the names of famous men are written; and
where no man's name is written I will raise a
monument to the gods.' The tears, ran down his
face and he said, 'Alas, it is a long journey
that I must take to the Land of Humbaba. If this
enterprise is not to be accomplished, why did
you move me, Shamash, with the restless desire
to perform it? How can I succeed if you will not
succour me? If I die in that country I will die
without rancour, but if I return I will make a
glorious offering of gifts and of praise to
Shamash.'
So
Shamash accepted the sacrifice of his tears;
like the compassionate man he showed him mercy.
He appointed strong allies for Gilgamesh, sons
of one mother, and stationed them in the
mountain caves. The great winds he appointed:
the north wind, the whirlwind, the stone and the
icy wind, the tempest and the scorching wind.
Like ' vipers, like dragons, like a scorching
fire, like a serpent that freezes the heart, a
destroying flood and the lightning's fork, such
were they and Gilgamesh rejoiced.
He went
to the forge and said, ..'I will give orders to
the armourers; they shall cast us our weapons
while we watch them.' So they gave orders to the
armourers and the craftsmen sat down in
conference. They went into the groves of the
plain and cut willow and box-wood; they cast for
them axes of nine score pounds, and great swords
they cast with blades of six score pounds each
one, with pommels and hilts of thirty pounds.
They cast for Gilgamesh the axe 'Might of
Heroes' and the bow of Anshan; and Gilgamesh was
armed and Enkidu; and the weight of the arms
they carried was thirty score pounds.
The
people collected and the counsellors in the
streets and in the market-place of Uruk; they
came through the gate of seven bolts and
Gilgamesh spoke to them in the market-place: 'I,
Gilgamesh, go to see that creature of whom such
things are spoken, the rumour of whose name
fills the world. I will conquer him in his cedar
wood and show the strength of the sons of Uruk,
all the world shall. know of it. I am committed
to this enterprise: to climb the mountain, to
cut down the cedar, and leave behind me an
enduring name.' The counsellors of Uruk; the
great market, answered him, 'Gilgamesh, you are
young, your courage carries you too far, you
cannot know what this enterprise means which you
plan. We have heard that Hurnbaba is not like
men who die, his weapons are such that none can
stand against them; the forest stretches for ten
thousand leagues in every direction; who would
willingly go down to explore its depths? As for
Humbaba, when he roars it is like the torrent of
the storm, his breath is like fire and his jaws
are death itself. Why do you crave to do this
thing, Gilgamesh? It is no equal struggle when
one fights with Humbaba, that battering-ram:
When he
heard these words of the counsellors Gilgamesh
looked at his friend and laughed, 'How shall I
answer them; shall I say I am afraid of Humbaba,
I will sit at home all the rest of my days?'
Then Gilgamesh opened his mouth again and said
to Enkidu, 'My friend, let us go to the Great
Palace, to Egalmah, and stand before Ninsun the
queen. Ninsun is wise with deep knowledge, she
will give us counsel for the road we must go.'
They took each other by the hand as they went to
Egalmah, and they went to Ninsun the great
queen. Gilgamesh approached, he entered the
palace and spoke to Ninsun. 'Ninsun, will you
listen to me; I have a long journey to go, to
the Land of Humbaba, I must travel an unknown
road and fight a strange battle. From the day I
go until I return, till I reach the cedar forest
and destroy the evil which Shamash abhors, pray
for me to Shamash.'
Ninsun
went into her room, she put on a dress becoming
to her body, she put on jewels to make her
breast beautiful, she placed a tiara on her head
and her skirts swept the ground. Then she went
up to the altar of the Sun, standing upon the
roof of the palace; she burnt incense and lifted
her arms to Shamash as the smoke ascended: 'O
Shamash, why did you give this restless heart to
Gilgamesh, my son; why did you give it? You have
moved him and now he sets out on a long journey
to the Land of Humbaba, to travel an unknown
road and fight a strange battle. Therefore from
the day that he goes till the day he returns,
until he reaches the cedar forest, until he
kills Humbaba and destroys the evil thing which
you, Shamash, abhor, do not forget him; but let
the dawn, Aya, your dear bride, remind you
always, and when day is done give him to the
watchman of the night to keep him from harm.'
Then Ninsun the mother of Gilgamesh extinguished
the incense, and she called to Enkidu with this
exhortation: 'Strong Enkidu, you are not the
child of my body, but I will receive you as my
adopted son; you are my other child like the
foundlings they bring to the temple. Serve
Gilgamesh as a foundling serves the temple and
the priestess who reared him. In the presence of
my women, any votaries and hierophants, I
declare it.' Then she placed - the amulet for a
pledge round his neck, and she said to him, 'I
entrust my son to you; bring him back to me
safely.'
And now
they brought to them the weapons, they put in
their hands the great swords in their golden
scabbards, and the bow and the quiver. Gilgamesh
took the axe, he slung the quiver from his
-shoulder, and the bow of Anshan, and buckled
the sword to his belt; and so they were armed
and ready for the journey. Now all the people
came and pressed on them and said, 'When will
you return to the city? The counsellors blessed
Gilgamesh and warned him, 'Do not trust too much
in your own strength, be watchful, restrain your
blows at first. The one who goes in front
protects his companion; the good guide who knows
the way guards his. friend. Let
Enkidu lead the way, he knows the road to the
forest, he has seen Humbaba and is experienced
in battles; let him press first into the passes,
let him be watchful and look to himself.
Let-Enkidu protect his friend, and guard his
companion, and bring him safe through the
pitfalls of the road. We, the counsellors of
Uruk entrust our king to you, O Enkidu; bring
him back safely to us.' Again to Gilgamesh, they
said, 'May Shamash give you your heart's desire,
may he let you see with your eyes the thing
accomplished which your lips have spoken; may he
open a path for you where it is blocked, and a
road for your feet to tread. May he open the
mountains for your crossing, and may the
nighttime bring you the blessings of night, and
Lugulbanda, your guardian god, stand beside you
for victory. May you have victory in
the battle as though you fought with a child.
Wash your feet in the river of Humbaba to which
you are journeying; in the evening dig a well,
and let there always be pure water in your
water-skin. Offer cold water to Shamash and do
not forget Lugulbanda.'
Then
Enkidu opened his mouth and said, 'Forward,
there is nothing to fear. Follow me, for I know
the place where Humbaba lives and the paths
where he walks. Let the counsellors go back.
Here is no cause for fear.' When the counsellors
heard this they sped the hero on his way. 'Go,
Gilgamesh, may your guardian god protect you on
the road and bring you safely back to the quay
of Uruk.'
After
twenty leagues they broke their fast; after
another thirty leagues they stopped for the
night. Fifty leagues they walked in one day; in
three days they had walked as much as a journey
of a month and two weeks. They crossed seven
mountains before they came to the gate of the
forest. Then Enkidu called out to Gilgamesh, 'Do
not go down into the forest; when I opened the
gate my hand lost its strength.' Gilgamesh
answered him, 'Dear friend, do not speak like a
coward. Have we got the better of so many
dangers and travelled so far, to turn back at
last? You, who are tried in wars and battles,
hold dose to me now and you will feel no fear of
death; keep beside me and your weakness will
pass, the trembling will leave your hand. Would
my friend rather stay behind? No, we will, go
down together into the heart of the forest. Let
your courage be roused by the battle to come;
forget death and follow me, a man resolute in
action, but one who is not foolhardy. When two
go together each will protect himself and shield
his companion, and if they fall they leave an
enduring name.'
Together
they went down into the forest and they came to
the green mountain. There they stood still, they
were struck dumb; they stood still and gazed at
the forest. They saw the height of the cedar,
they saw the way into the forest and the track
where Humbaba was used to walk. The way was
broad and the going was good. They gazed at the
mountain of cedars, the dwelling-place of the
gods and the throne of Ishtar. The hugeness of
the cedar rose in front of the mountain, its
shade was beautiful, full of comfort; mountain
and glade were green with brushwood:
There
Gilgamesh dug a well before the setting sun. He
went up the mountain and poured out fine meal on
the ground and said, 'O mountain, dwelling of
the gods, bring me a favourable dream.' Then
they took each other' by the hand and lay down
to sleep; and sleep that flows from the night
lapped over them. Gilgamesh dreamed, and at
midnight sleep left him, and he told his dream
to his friend. 'Enkidu, what was it that woke me
if you did not? My friend, I have dreamed a
dream. Get up, look at the mountain precipice.
The sleep that the gods sent me is broken. Ah,
my friend, what a dream I have had! Terror and
confusion; I seized hold of a wild bull in the
wilderness. It bellowed and beat up the dust
till the whole sky was dark, my arm was seized
and my tongue bitten. I fell back on' my knee;
then someone refreshed me with water from his
water-skin.'
Enkidu
said, 'Dear friend, the god to whom we are
travelling is no wild bull, though his form is
mysterious. That wild bull which you saw is
Shamash the Protector; in our moment of peril he
will take our hands. The one who gave water from
his water-skin, that is your own god who cares
for your good name, your Lugulbanda. United with
him, together we will accomplish a work the fame
of which will never die.'
Gilgamesh said, 'I dreamed again. We stood in a
deep gorge of the mountain, and beside it we two
were like the smallest of swamp flies; and
suddenly the mountain fell, it struck me and
caught my feet from under me. Then came an
intolerable light blazing out, and in it was one
whose grace and whose beauty were greater than
the beauty of this world. He pulled me out from
under the mountain, he gave me water to drink
and my heart was comforted, and he set my feet
on the-ground.'
Then
Enkidu the child of the plains said, 'Let us go
down from the mountain and talk this thing over
together.' He said to Gilgamesh the young god,
'Your dream is good, your dream is excellent,
the mountain which you saw is Humbaba. Now,
surely, we will seize and kill him, and throw
his body down as the mountain fell on the
plain.'
The next
day after twenty leagues they broke their fast,
and after another thirty they stopped for the
night. They dug a well before the sun had set
and Gilgamesh ascended the mountain. He poured
out fine meal on the ground and said, 'O
mountain, dwelling of the gods, send a dream for
Enkidu, make him a favourable dream.' The
mountain fashioned a dream for Enkidu; it came,
an ominous dream; a cold shower passed over him,
it caused him to cower tike the mountain barley
under a storm of rain. But Gilgamesh sat with
his chin on his knees till the sleep which flows
over all mankind lapped over him. Then, at
midnight, sleep left him; he got up and said to
his friend, 'Did you call me, or why did I wake?
Did you touch me, or why am I terrified? Did not
some god pass by, for my limbs are numb with
fear? My friend, I saw a third dream and this
dream was altogether frightful. The heavens
roared and the earth roared again, daylight
failed and darkness fell, lightnings flashed,
fire blazed out, the clouds lowered, they rained
down death. Then the brightness departed, the
fire went out, and all was turned to ashes
fallen about us. Let us go down from the
mountain and talk this over, and consider what
we should do.'
When
they had come down from the mountain Gilgamesh
seized the axe in his hand: he felled the cedar.
When Humbaba heard the noise far off he was
enraged; he cried out, 'Who is this that has
violated my woods and cut down my cedar?' But
glorious Shamash called to them out of heaven,
'Go forward, do not be afraid.' But now'
Gilgamesh was overcome by weakness, for sleep
had seized him suddenly, a profound sleep held
him; he lay on the ground, stretched out
speechless, as though in a dream. When Enkidu
touched him he did not rise, when he spoke to
him he did not reply. 'O Gilgamesh, Lord of the
plain of Kullab, the world grows dark, the
shadows have spread over it, now is the glimmer
of dusk. Shamash has departed, his bright head
is quenched in the bosom of his mother Ningal. O
Gilgamesh, how long will you lie like this,
asleep? Never let the mother who gave you birth
be forced in mourning into the city square.'
At
length Gilgamesh heard him; lie put on his
breastplate, 'The Voice of Heroes', of thirty
shekels' weight; he put it on as though it had
been a light garment that he carried, and it
covered him altogether. He straddled the earth
like a bull that snuff's the ground and his
teeth were clenched. 'By the life of my mother
Ninsun who gave me birth, and by the life of my
father, divine Lugulbanda, let me live to be the
wonder of my mother, -as when she
nursed me on her lap.' A second time he said to
him, 'By the life of Ninsun my mother who gave
me birth, and by the life of my father, divine
Lugulbanda, until we have fought thus man, if
man he is, this god, if god he is, the way that
I took to the Country of the Living will not
turn back to the city.'
Then
Enkidu, the faithful companion, pleaded,
answering him, 'O my lord, you do not know this
monster and that is the reason you are not
afraid. I who know him, I am terrified. His
teeth are dragon's fangs, his countenance is
like a lion, his charge is the rushing of the
flood, with his look he crushes alike the trees
of the forest and reeds in the swamp. O my Lord,
you may go on if you choose into thus land, but
I will go back to the city. I will tell the lady
your mother all your glorious' deeds till she
shouts for joy: and then I will tell the death
that followed till she weeps for bitterness.'
But Gilgamesh said, 'Immolation and sacrifice
are not yet for me, the boat of the dead shall
not go down, nor the three-ply cloth be cut for
my shrouding. Not yet will my people be
desolate, nor the pyre be lit in my house and my
dwelling burnt on the fire. Today, give me your
aid and you shall have mine: what then can go
amiss with us two? All living creatures born of
the flesh shall sit at last in the boat of the
West, and when it sinks, when the boat of
Magilum sinks, they are gone; but we shall go
forward and fix our eyes on this monster. If
your heart is fearful throw away fear; if there
is terror in it throw away terror. Take your axe
in your hand and attack. He who leaves the fight
unfinished is not at peace.'
Humbaba
came out from his strong house of cedar. Then
Enkidu called out, 'O Gilgamesh, remember now
your boasts in Uruk. Forward, attack, son of
Uruk, there is nothing to fear.' When he heard
these words his courage rallied; he answered,
'Make haste, close in, if the watchman is there
do not let him escape to the woods where he will
vanish. He has put on the first of his seven
splendours but not yet the other six, let us
trap him before he is armed.' Like a raging wild
bull he snuffed the ground; the watchman of the
woods turned full of threatenings, he cried out.
Humbaba came from his strong house of cedar. He
nodded his head and shook it, menacing
Gilgamesh; and on him he fastened his eye, the
eye of death. Then Gilgamesh called to Shamash
and his tears were flowing, 'O glorious Shamash,
I have followed the road you commanded but now
if you send no succour how shall I escape?
Glorious Shamash heard his prayer and he
summoned the great wind, the north wind, the
whirlwind, the storm and the icy wind, the
tempest and the scorching wind; they came like
dragons, like a scorching fire, like a serpent
that freezes the heart, a destroying flood and
the lightning's fork. The eight winds rose up
against Humbaba, they beat against his eyes; he
was gripped, unable to go forward or back.
Gilgamesh shouted, 'By the life of Ninsun my
mother and divine Lugulbanda my father, in the
Country of the Living, in this Land I have
discovered your dwelling; my weak arms and my
small weapons I have brought to this Land
against you, and now I will enter your house'.
So he
felled the first cedar and they cut the branches
and laid them at the foot of the mountain. At
the first stroke Humbaba blazed out, but still
they advanced. They felled seven cedars and cut
and bound the branches and laid them at the foot
of the mountain, and seven times Humbaba loosed
his glory on them. As the seventh blaze died out
they reached his lair. He slapped his thigh in
scorn. He approached like a noble wild bull
roped on the mountain, a warrior whose elbows
are bound together. The tears started to his
eyes and he was pale, 'Gilgamesh, let me speak.
I have never known a mother, no, nor a father
who reared me. I was born of the mountain, he
reared me, and Enlil made me the keeper of this
forest. Let me go free, Gilgamesh, and I will be
your servant, you shall be my lord; all the
trees of the forest that I tended on the
mountain shall be yours. I will cut them down
and build you a palace.' He took him by the hand
and led him to his house, so that the heart of
Gilgamesh was moved with compassion. He swore by
the heavenly life, by the earthly life, by the
underworld itself: 'O Enkidu, should not the
snared, bird return to its nest and the captive
man return to his mother's arms?' Enkidu
answered, 'The strongest of men will fall to
fate if he has no judgement. Namtar, the evil
fate that knows no distinction between men, will
devour him. If the snared bird returns to its
nest, if the captive man returns to his mother's
arms, then you my friend will never return to
the city where the mother is waiting who gave
you birth. He will bar the mountain road against
you, and make the pathways impassable.'
Humbaba
said, 'Enkidu, what you have spoken is evil:
you, a hireling, dependent for your bread! In
envy and for fear of a rival you have spoken
evil words.' Enkidu said, 'Do not listen,
Gilgamesh: this Humbaba must die. Kill Humbaba
first and his servants after.' But Gilgamesh
said, 'If we touch him the blaze and the glory
of light will be put out in confusion, the glory
and glamour will vanish, its rays will be
quenched.' Enkidu said to Gilgamesh, 'Not so, my
friend. First entrap the bird, and where shall
the chicks run then? Afterwards we can search
out the glory and the glamour, when the chicks
run distracted through the grass.'
Gilgamesh listened to the word of his companion,
he took the axe in his hand, he drew the sword
from his belt, and he struck Humbaba with a
thrust of the sword to the neck, and Enkidu his
comrade struck the second blow. At the third
blow Humbaba fell. Then there followed confusion
for this was the guardian of the forest whom
they had felled to the ground. For as far as two
leagues the cedars shivered when Enkidu felled
the watcher of the forest, he at whose voice
Hermon and Lebanon used to tremble. Now the
mountains were moved and all the hills, for the
guardian of the forest was killed. They attacked
the cedars, the seven splendours of Humbaba were
extinguished. So they pressed on into the forest
bearing the sword of eight talents. They
uncovered the sacred dwellings of the Anunnaki
and while Gilgamesh felled the first of the
trees of the forest Enkidu cleared their roots
as far as the banks of Euphrates. They set
Humbaba before the gods, before Enlil; they
kissed the ground and dropped the shroud and set
the head before him. When he saw the head of
Humbaba, Enlil raged at them. 'Why did you do
this thing? From henceforth may the fire be on
your faces, may it eat the bread that you eat,
may it drink where you drink.' Then Enlil took
again the blaze and the seven splendours that
had been Humbaba's: he gave the first to the
river, and he gave to the lion, to the stone of
execration, to the mountain and to the dreaded
daughter of the Queen of Hell.
O
Gilgamesh, king and conqueror of the dreadful
blaze; wild bull who plunders the mountain, who
crosses the sea, glory to him, and from the
brave the greater glory is Enki's!
3
ISHTAR AND
GILGAMESH, AND THE DEATH OF ENKIDU
GILGAMESH Washed out his long locks and cleaned
his weapons; he flung back his hair from his
shoulders; he threw off his stained clothes and
changed them for new. He put on his royal robes
and made them fast. When Gilgamesh had put on
the crown, glorious Ishtar lifted her eyes,
seeing the beauty of Gilgamesh. She said, 'Come
to me Gilgamesh, and be my bridegroom; grant me
seed of your body, let me be your bride and you
shall be my husband. I will harness for you a
chariot of lapis lazuli and of gold, with wheels
of gold and horns of copper; and you shall have
mighty demons of the storm for draft mules. When
you enter our house in the fragrance of
cedar-wood, threshold and throne will kiss your
feet. Kings, rulers, and princes will bow down
before you; they shall bring you tribute from
the mountains and the plain. Your ewes shall
drop twins and your goats triplets; your
pack-ass shall outrun mules; your oxen shall
have no rivals, and your chariot horses shall be
famous far-off for their swiftness.'
Gilgamesh opened his mouth and answered glorious
Ishtar, 'If I take you in marriage, what gifts
can I give in return? What ointments and
clothing for your body? I would gladly give you
bread and all sorts of food fit for a god. I
would give you wine to drink fit for a queen. I
would pour out barley to stuff your granary; but
as for making you my wife - that I will not. How
would it go with me? Your lovers have found you
like a brazier which smoulders in the cold, a
backdoor which keeps out neither squall of wind
nor storm, a castle which crushes the garrison,
pitch that blackens the bearer, a water-skin
that chafes the carrier, a stone which falls
from the parapet, a battering-ram turned back
from the enemy, a sandal that trips the wearer.
Which of your lovers did you ever love for ever?
What shepherd of yours has pleased you for all
time? Listen to me while I tell the tale of your
lovers. There was Tammuz, the lover of your
youth, for him you decreed wailing, year after
year. You loved the many coloured roller, but
still you struck and broke his wing; now in the
grove he sits and cries, "kappi, kappi, my wing,
my wing." You have loved the lion tremendous in
strength: seven pits you dug for him, and seven.
You have loved the stallion magnificent in
battle, and for him you decreed whip and spur
and a thong, to gallop seven leagues by force
and to muddy the water before he drinks; and for
his mother Silili lamentations. You have loved
the shepherd of the flock; he made meal-cake for
you day after day, he killed kids for your sake.
You struck and turned him into a wolf, now his
own herd-boys chase him away, his own hounds
worry his flanks. And did you not love Ishullanu,
the gardener of your father's palm grove? He
brought you baskets filled with dates without
end; every day he loaded your table. Then you
turned your eyes on him and said, "Dearest
Ishullanu, come here to me, let us enjoy your
manhood, come forward and take me, I am yours.'
Ishullanu answered, "What are you asking from
me? My mother has baked and I have eaten; why
should I come to such as you for food that is
tainted and rotten? For when was a screen of
rushes sufficient protection from frosts?" But
when you had beard his answer you struck him. He
was changed to a blind mole deep in the earth,
one whose desire is always beyond his reach. And
if you and I should be lovers, should not I be
served in the same fashion as all these others
whom you loved once?'
When
Ishtar heard this she fell into a bitter rage,
she went up to high heaven. Her tears poured
down in front of her father Anu, and Antum her
mother. She said, 'My father, Gilgamesh has
heaped insults on me, he has told over all my
abominable behaviour, my foul and hideous acts.'
Anu opened his mouth and said, 'Are you a father
of gods? Did not you quarrel with Gilgamesh the
king, so now he has related your abominable
behaviour, your foul and hideous acts.'
Ishtar
opened her mouth and said again, 'My father,
give me the Bull of Heaven to destroy Gilgamesh.
Fill Gilgamesh, I say, with arrogance to his
destruction; but if you refuse to give me the
Bull of Heaven I will break in the doors of hell
and smash the bolts; there will be confusion of
people, those above with those from the lower
depths. I shall bring up the dead to eat food
like the living; and the hosts of dead will
outnumber the living.' Anusa d to great Ishtar,
'If I do what you desire there will be seven
years of drought throughout Uruk when corn will
be seedless husks. Have you saved grain enough
for the people and grass for the cattle? Ishtar
replied. 'I have saved grain for the people,
grass for the cattle; for seven years o£
seedless husks, there is grain and
there is grass enough.'
When Anu
heard what Ishtar had said he gave her the Bull
of Heaven to lead by the halter down to Uruk:
When they reached the gates of Uruk the Bull
went to the river; with his first snort cracks
opened in the earth and, a hundred young men
fell down to death. With his second snort cracks
opened and two hundred fell down to death. With
his third snort cracks opened, Enkidu doubled
over but instantly recovered, he dodged aside
and leapt on the Bull and seized it by the
horns. The Bull of Heaven foamed in his face, it
brushed him with the thick of its tail. Enkidu
cried to Gilgamesh, 'my friend, we boasted that
we would .leave enduring names behind us. Now
thrust in your sword between the nape and the
horns.' So Gilgamesh followed the Bull, he
seized the thick of its tail, he thrust the
sword between the nape and the horns and slew
the Bull. When they had killed the Bull of
Heaven they cut out its heart and gave it to
Shamash, and the brothers rested.
But
Ishtar rose tip and mounted the great wall of
Uruk; she sprang on to the tower and uttered a
curse: 'Woe to Gilgamesh, for he has scorned me
in killing the Bull of Heaven.' When Enkidu
heard these words he tore out the Bull's right
thigh and tossed it in her face saying, 'If I
could lay my hands on you, it is this I should
do to you, and lash the entrails to your side.'
Then Ishtar called together her people, the
dancing and singing girls, the prostitutes of
the temple, the courtesans. Over the thigh of
the Bull of Heaven she set up lamentation.
But
Gilgamesh called the smiths and the armourers,
all of them together. They admired the immensity
of the horns. They were plated with lapis lazuli
two fingers thick. They were thirty pounds each
in weight, and their capacity in oil was six
measures, which he gave to his guardian god,
Lugulbanda. But he carried the horns into the
palace and hung them on the wall. Then they
washed their hands in Euphrates, they embraced
each other and went away. They drove through the
streets of Uruk where the heroes were gathered
to see them, and Gilgamesh called to the singing
girls, 'Who is most glorious of the heroes, who
is most eminent among men?' 'Gilgamesh is the
most glorious of heroes, Gilgamesh is most
eminent among men.' And now there was feasting,
and celebrations and joy in the palace, till the
heroes lay down saying, 'Now we will rest for
the night.'
When the
daylight came Enkidu got up and cried to
Gilgamesh, 'O my brother, such a dream I had
last night. Anu, Enlil, Ea and heavenly Shamash
took counsel together, and Anu said to Enlil,
"Because they have killed the Bull of Heaven,
and because they have killed Humbaba who guarded
the Cedar Mountain one of the two must , die."
Then glorious Shamash answered the hero Enlil,
"It was by your command they killed the Bull of
Heaven, and killed Humbaba, and must Enkidu die
although innocent?" Enlil flung round in rage at
glorious Shamash, "You dare to say this, you who
went about with them every day like one of
themselves!"'
So
Enkidu lay stretched out before Gilgamesh; his
tears ran down in streams and he said to
Gilgamesh, ' O my brother, so dear as you are to
me, brother, yet they will take me from you.'
Again he said, 'I must sit down on the threshold
of the dead and never again will I see my dear
brother with my eyes.'
While
Enkidu lay alone in his sickness he cursed the
gate as though it was living flesh, 'You there,
wood of the gate, dull and insensible, witless,
I searched for you over twenty leagues until I
saw the towering cedar. There is no wood like
you in our land. Seventy-two cubits high and
twenty-four wide, the pivot and the ferrule and
the jambs are perfect. A master craftsman from
Nippur has made you; but O, if I had known the
conclusion! If I had known that this was all the
good that would come of it, I would have raised
the axe and split you into little pieces and set
up here a gate of wattle instead. Ah, if only
some future king had brought you here, or some
god- had fashioned you. Let him obliterate my
name and write his own, and the curse fall on
him instead of on Enkidu.'
With the
first brightening of dawn Enkidu raised his head
and wept before the Sun God, in the brilliance
of the sunlight his tears streamed down. 'Sun
God, I beseech you, about that vile Trapper,
that Trapper of nothing because of whom I was to
catch less than my comrade; let him catch least,
make his game scarce, make him feeble, taking
the smaller of every share, let his quarry
escape from his nets.'
When he
had cursed the Trapper to his heart's content he
turned on the harlot. He was roused to curse her
also. 'As for you, woman, with a great curse I
curse you! I will promise you a destiny to all
eternity. My curse shall come on you soon and
sudden. You shall be without a roof for your
commerce, for you shall not keep house with
other girls in the tavern, but do your business
in places fouled by the vomit of the drunkard.
Your hire will be potter's earth, your thievings
will be flung into the hovel, you will sit at
the cross-roads in the dust of the potter's
quarter, you will make your bed on the dunghill
at night, and by day take your stand in the
wall's shadow. Brambles and thorns will tear
your feet, the drunk and the dry will strike
your cheek and your mouth will ache. Let you be
stripped of your purple dyes, for I too once in
the wilderness with my wife had all the treasure
I wished.'
When
Shamash heard the words of Enkidu he called to
him from heaven: 'Enkidu, why are you cursing
the woman, the mistress who taught you to eat
bread fit for gods and drink wine of kings? She
who put upon you a 'magnificent garment, did she
not give you glorious Gilgamesh for your
companion, and has not Gilgamesh, your own
brother, made you rest on a 'royal bed and
recline on a couch at his left hand? He has made
the princes of the earth kiss your feet, and now
all the people of Uruk lament and wail over you.
When you are dead he will let his hair grow long
for your sake, he will wear a lion's pelt and
wander through the desert.'
When
Enkidu heard glorious Shamash his angry heart
grew quiet, he called back the curse and said,
'Woman, I promise you another destiny. The mouth
which cursed you shall bless you! Kings, princes
and nobles shall adore you. On your account a
man though twelve miles off will clap his hand
to his thigh and his hair will twitch. For you
he will undo his belt and open his treasure and
you shall have your desire; lapis lazuli, gold
and' carnelian from the heap in the treasury. A
ring for your hand and a robe shall be yours.
The priest will lead you into the presence of
the gods. On your account a wife, a mother of
seven, was forsaken.'
As
Enkidu slept alone in his sickness, in
bitterness of spirit he poured out his heart to
his friend. 'It was I who cut down the cedar, I
who levelled the forest, I who slew Humbaba and
now see what has become of me. Listen, my
friend, this is the dream I dreamed last night.
The heavens roared, and earth rumbled back an
answer; between them stood I before an awful
being, the sombre-faced man-bird; he had
directed on me his purpose. His was a vampire
face, his foot was a lion's foot, his hand was
an eagle's talon. He fell on me and his claws
were in my hair, he held me fast and I
smothered; then he transformed me so that my
arms became wings covered with feathers. He
turned his stare towards me, and he led me away
to the palace of Irkalla, the Queen of Darkness,
to the house from which none who enters ever
returns, down the road from which there is no
coming back.
'There
is the house whose people sit in darkness; dust
is their food and clay their meat. They are
clothed like birds " with wings for covering,
they see no light, they sit in darkness. I
entered the house of dust and I saw the kings of
the earth, their crowns put away for ever;
rulers and princes, all those who once wore
kingly crowns and ruled the world in the days of
old. They who had stood in the place of the gods
like Ann and Enlil stood now like servants to
fetch baked meats in the house of dust, to carry
cooked meat and cold water from the water-skin.
In the house of dust which I entered were high
priests and acolytes, priests of the incantation
and of ecstasy; there were servers of the
temple, and there was Etana, that king of Dish
whom the eagle carried to heaven in the days of
old. I saw also Samuqan, god of cattle, and
there was Ereshkigal the Queen of the
Underworld; and Befit-Sheri squatted in front of
her, she who is recorder of the gods and keeps
the book of death. She held a tablet from which
she read. She raised her head, she saw me and
spoke:" Who has brought this one here?" Then I
awoke like a man drained of blood who wanders
alone in a waste of rashes; like one whom the
bailiff has seized and his heart pounds with
terror.'
Gilgamesh had peeled off his clothes, he
listened to his words and wept quick tears,
Gilgamesh listened and his tears flowed. He
opened his mouth and spoke to Enkidu: 'Who is
there in strong-walled Uruk who has wisdom like
this? Strange things have been spoken, why does
your heart speak strangely? The dream was
marvellous but the terror was great; we must
treasure the dream whatever the terror; for the
dream has shown that misery comes at last to the
healthy man, the end of life is sorrow.' And
Gilgamesh lamented, 'Now I will pray to the
great gods, for my friend had an ominous dream.'
This day
on which Enkidu dreamed came to an end and be
lay stricken with sickness. One whole day he lay
on his bed and his suffering increased. He said
to Gilgamesh, the friend on whose account he had
left the wilderness, 'Once I ran for you, for
the water of life, and I now have nothing:' A
second day he lay on his bed and Gilgamesh
watched over him but the sickness increased. A
third day he lay on his bed, he called out to
Gilgamesh, rousing him up. Now he was weak and
his eyes were blind with weeping. Ten days he
lay and his suffering increased, eleven and
twelve days he lay on his bed of pain. Then he
called to Gilgamesh, 'My friend, the great
goddess cursed me and I must die in shame. I
shall not die like a man fallen in battle; I
feared to fall, but happy is the man who falls
in the battle, for I must die in shame.' And
Gilgamesh wept over Enkidu. With the first light
of dawn he raised his voice and said to the
counsellors of Uruk:
'Hear
me, great ones of Uruk,
I weep for Enkidu, my friend,
Bitterly moaning like a woman mourning
I weep for my brother.
O Enkidu, my brother,
You were the axe at my side,
My hand's strength, the sword in my belt,
The shield before me,
A glorious robe, my fairest ornament;
An evil Fate has robbed me.
The wild ass and the gazelle
That were father and mother,
All long-tailed creatures that nourished you
Weep for you,
All the wild things of the plain and pastures;
The paths that you loved in the forest of cedars
Night and day murmur.
Let the great ones of strong-walled Uruk
Weep for you;
Let the finger of blessing
Be stretched out in mourning;
Enkidu, young brother. Hark,
There is an echo through all the country
Like a mother mourning.
Weep all the paths where we walked together;
And the beasts we hunted, the bear and hyena,
Tiger and panther, leopard and lion,
The stag and the ibex, the bull and the doe.
The river along whose banks we used to walk,
Weeps for you,
Ula of Elam and dear Euphrates
Where once we drew water for the water-skins.
The mountain we climbed where we slew the
Watchman,
Weeps for you.
The warriors of strong-walled Uruk
Where the Bull of Heaven was killed,
Weep for you.
All the people of Eridu
Weep for you Enkidu.
Those who brought grain for your eating
Mourn for you now;
Who rubbed oil on your back
Mourn for you now;
Who poured beer for your drinking
Mourn for you now.
The harlot who anointed you with fragrant
ointment
Laments for you now;
The women of the palace, who brought you a wife,
A chosen ring of good advice,
Lament for you now.
And the young men your brothers
As though they were women
Go long-haired in mourning.
What is this sleep which holds you now?
You are lost in the dark and cannot hear me.'
He
touched his heart but it did not beat, nor did
he lift his eyes again. When Gilgamesh touched
his heart it did not beat. So Gilgamesh laid a
veil, as one veils the bride, over his friend.
He began to rage like a lion, like a lioness
robbed of her whelps. This way and that he paced
round the bed, he tore out his hair and strewed
it around. He dragged of his splendid robes and
flung them down as though they were
abominations.
In the
first light of dawn Gilgamesh cried out, 'I made
you rest on a royal bed, you reclined on a couch
at my left hand, the princes of the earth kissed
your feet. I will cause all the people of Uruk
to weep over you and raise the dirge of the
dead. The joyful people will stoop with sorrow;
and when you have gone to the earth I will let
my hair grow long for your sake, I will wander
through the wilderness in the skin of a lion.'
The next day also, in the first light, Gilgamesh
lamented; seven days and seven nights he wept
for Enkidu, until the worm fastened on him. Only
then he gave him up to the earth, for the
Anunnaki, the judges, had seized him.
Then
Gilgamesh issued a proclamation through the
land, he summoned them all, the coppersmiths,
the goldsmiths, the stone-workers, and commanded
them, 'Make a statue of my friend.' The statue
was fashioned with a great weight of lapis
lazuli for the breast and of gold for the body.
A table of hard-wood was set out, and on it a
bowl of carnelian filled with honey, and a bowl
of lapis lazuli filled with butter. These he
exposed and offered to the Sun; and weeping he
went away.
4
THE SEARCH
FOR EVERLASTING LIFE
BITTERLY
Gilgamesh wept for his friend Enkidu; he
wandered over the wilderness as a hunter, he
roamed over the plains; in his bitterness he
cried, 'How can I rest, how can I be at peace?
Despair is in my heart. What my brother is now,
that shall I be when I am dead. Because I am
afraid of death I will go as best I can to find
Utnapishtim whom they call the Faraway, for he
has entered the assembly of the gods.' So
Gilgamesh travelled over the wilderness, he
wandered over the grasslands, a long journey, in
search of Utnapishtim, whom the gods took after
the deluge; and they set him to live in the land
of Dilmun, in the garden of the sun; and to him
alone of men they gave everlasting life.
At night
when he came to the mountain passes Gilgamesh
prayed: 'In these mountain passes long ago I saw
lions, I was afraid and I lifted my eyes to the
moon; I prayed and my prayers went up to the
gods, so now, O moon god Sin, protect me.' When
he had prayed he lay down to sleep, until he was
woken from out of a dream. He saw the lions
round him glorying in life; then he took his axe
in his hand, he drew his sword from his belt,
and he fell upon them like an arrow from the
string, and struck and destroyed and scattered
them.
So at
length Gilgamesh came to Mashu, the great
mountains about which he had heard many things,
which guard the rising and the setting sun. Its
twin peaks are as high as the wall of heaven and
its paps reach down to the underworld. At its
gate the Scorpions stand guard, half man and
half dragon; their glory is terrifying, their
stare strikes death into men, their shimmering
halo sweeps the mountains that guard the rising
sun. When Gilgamesh saw them he shielded his
eyes for the length of a moment only; then he
took courage and approached. When they saw him
so undismayed the Man-Scorpion called to his
mate, 'This one who comes to us now is flesh of
the gods.' The mate of the Man-Scorpion
answered, 'Two thirds is god but one third is
man.'
Then he
called to the man Gilgamesh, he called to the
child of the gods: ' Why have you come so great
a journey; for what have you travelled so far,
crossing the dangerous waters; tell me the
reason for your coming?' Gilgamesh answered,
'For Enkidu; I loved him dearly, together we
endured all kinds of hardships; on his account I
have come, for the common lot of man has taken
him. I have wept for him day and night, I would
not give up his body for burial, I thought my
friend would come back because of my weeping.
Since he went, my life is nothing; that is why I
have travelled here in search of Utnapishtim my
father; for men say he has entered the assembly
of the gods, and has found everlasting life: I
have a desire to question him, concerning the
living and the dead.' The Man-Scorpion opened
his mouth and said, speaking to Gilgamesh, 'No
man born of woman has done what you have asked,
no mortal man has gone into the mountain; the
length of it is twelve leagues of darkness; in
it there is no light, but the heart is oppressed
with darkness. From the rising of the sun to the
setting of the sun there is no light.' Gilgamesh
said, 'Although I should go in sorrow and in
pain, with sighing and with weeping, still I
must go. Open the gate ' of the mountain:' And
the Man-Scorpion said, 'Go, Gilgamesh, I permit
you to pass through the mountain of Mashu and
through the high ranges; may your feet carry you
safely home. The gate of the mountain is open.'
When
Gilgamesh heard this he did as the Man-Scorpion
had said, he followed the sun's road to his
rising, through the mountain. When he had gone
one league the darkness became thick around him,
for there was no light, he could see nothing
ahead and nothing behind him. After two leagues
the darkness was thick and there was no light,
he could see nothing ahead and nothing behind
him. After three leagues the darkness was thick,
and there was no w light, he could see nothing
ahead and nothing behind him. After four leagues
the darkness was thick and there was no light,
he could see nothing ahead and nothing behind
him. At the end of five leagues the darkness was
thick and there was no light, he could see
nothing ahead and nothing behind him. At the end
of six leagues the darkness was thick and there
was no light, he could see nothing ahead and
nothing behind him. When he had gone seven
leagues the darkness was thick and there was no
light, he could see nothing ahead and nothing
behind him. When he had gene eight leagues
Gilgamesh gave a great cry, for the darkness was
thick and he could see nothing ahead and nothing
behind him. After nine leagues he felt the
north-wind on his face, but the darkness was
thick and there was no light, he could see
nothing ahead and nothing behind him. After ten
leagues the end was near: After eleven leagues
the dawn light appeared. At the end of twelve
leagues the sun streamed out.
There
was the garden of the gods; all round him stood
bushes bearing gems. Seeing it he went down at
once, for there was fruit of carnelian with the
vine hanging from it, beautiful to look at;
lapis lazuli leaves hung thick with fruit, sweet
to see. For thorns and thistles there were
haematite and rare stones, agate, and pearls
from out of the sea. While Gilgamesh walked in
the garden by the edge of the sea Shamash saw
him, and he saw that he was dressed in the skins
of animals and ate their flesh. He was
distressed, and he spoke and said, 'No mortal
man has gone this way before, nor will, as long
as the winds drive over the sea.' And to
Gilgamesh he said, 'You will never find the life
for which you are searching.' Gilgamesh said to
glorious Shamash, 'Now that I have toiled and
strayed so far over the wilderness, am I to
sleep, and let the earth cover my head for ever?
Let my eyes see the sun until they are dazzled
with looking. Although I am no better than a
dead man, still let me see the light of the
sun.'
Beside
the sea she lives, the woman of the vine, the
maker, of wine; Siduri sits in the garden at the
edge of the sea, with the golden bowl and the
golden vats that the gods gave her. She is
covered with a veil; and where she sits she sees
Gilgamesh coming towards her, wearing skins, the
flesh of the gods in his body, but despair in
his heart, and his face like the face of one who
has made a long journey. She looked, and as she
scanned the distance she said in her own heart,
'Surely this is some felon; where is he going
now? And she barred her gate against him with
the cross-bar and shot home the bolt. But
Gilgamesh, hearing the sound of the bolt, threw
up his head and lodged his foot in the gate; he
called to her, 'Young woman, maker of wine, why
do you bolt your door; what did you see that
made you bar your gate? I will break in your
door and burst in your gate, for I am Gilgamesh
who seized and killed the Bull of Heaven, I
killed the watchman of the cedar forest, I
overthrew Humbaba who lived in the forest, and I
killed the lions in the passes of the mountain.'
Then
Siduri said to him, 'If you are that Gilgamesh
who seized and killed the Bull of Heaven, who
killed the watchman of the cedar forest, who
overthrew Humbaba that lived in the forest, and
killed the lions in the passes of the mountain,
why are your cheeks so starved and why is your
face so drawn? Why is despair in your heart and
your face like the face of one who has made a
long journey? Yes, why is your face burned from
heat and cold, and why do you come here
wandering over the pastures in search of the
wind?
Gilgamesh answered her, 'And why should not my
cheeks be starved and my face drawn? Despair is
in my heart and my face is the face of one who
has made a long journey, it was burned with heat
and with cold. Why should I not wander over the
pastures in search of the wind? My friend, my
younger brother, he who hunted the wild ass of
the wilderness and the panther of the plains,
nay friend, my younger brother who seized and
killed the Bull of Heaven and overthrew Humbaba
in the cedar forest, my friend who was very dear
to me and who endured dangers beside me, Enkidu
my brother, whom I laved, the end of mortality
has overtaken him. I wept far him seven days and
nights till the worm fastened on him. Because of
my brother I am afraid of death, because of my
brother I stray through the wilderness and
cannot rest. But now, young woman, maker of
wine, since I have seen your face do not let me
see the face of death which I dread so much.'
She
answered, 'Gilgamesh, where are you hurrying to?
You will never find that life for which you are
looking. When the gods created man they allotted
to him death, but life they retained in their
own keeping. As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your
belly with good things; day and night, night and
day, dance and be merry, feast and rejoice. Let
your clothes be fresh, bathe yourself in water,
cherish the little child that holds your hand,
and make your wife happy in your embrace; for
this too is the lot of man.'
But
Gilgamesh said to Siduri, the young woman, 'How
can I be silent, how can I rest, when Enkidu
whom I love is dust, and I too shall die and be
laid in the earth. You live by the sea-shore and
look into the heart of it; young woman, tell me
now, which is the way to Utnapishtim, the son of
Ubara-Tutu? What directions are there for the
passage; give me, oh, give me directions. I will
cross the Ocean if it is possible; if it is not
I will wander still farther in the wilderness.'
The wine-maker said to him, 'Gilgamesh, there is
no crossing the Ocean; whoever has come, since
the days of old, has not been able to pass that
sea. The Sun in his glory crosses the Ocean, but
who beside Shamash has ever crossed it? The
place and the passage are difficult, and the
waters of death are deep which flow between.
Gilgamesh, how will you cross the Ocean? When
you come to the waters of death what will you
do? But Gilgamesh, down in the woods you will
find Urshanabi, the ferryman of Utnapishtim;
with him are the holy things, the things of
stone. He is fashioning the serpent prow of the
boat. Look at him well, and if it is possible,
perhaps you will cross the waters with him; but
if it is not possible, then you must go back.'
When
Gilgamesh heard this he was seized with anger.
He took his axe in his hand, and his dagger from
his belt. He crept forward and he fell on them
like a javelin. Then he went into the forest and
sat down. Urshanabi saw the dagger flash and
heard the axe, and he beat his head, for
Gilgamesh had shattered the tackle of the boat
in his rage. Urshanabi said to him, 'Tell me,
what is your name? I am Urshanabi, the ferryman
of Utnapishtim the Faraway.'' He replied to him,
'Gilgamesh is my name, I am from Uruk, from the
house of Anu.' Then Urshanabi said to him, 'Why
are your cheeks so starved and your face drawn?
Why is despair in your heart and your face like
the face of one who has made a long journey;
yes, why is your face burned with heat and with
cold, and why do you come here wandering over
the pastures in search of the wind?
Gilgamesh said to him, 'Why should not my cheeks
be starved and my face drawn? Despair is in my
heart, and my face is the face of one who has
made a long journey. I was burned with heat and
with cold. Why should I not wander over the
pastures? My friend, my younger brother who
seized and killed the Bull of Heaven, and
overthrew Humbaba in the cedar forest, my friend
who was very dear to me, and who endured dangers
beside me, Enkidu my brother whom I loved, the
end of mortality has overtaken him. I wept for
him seven days and nights till the worm fastened
on him. Because of my brother I am afraid of
death, because of my brother I stray through the
wilderness. His fate lies heavy upon me. How can
I be silent, how can I rest? He is dust and I
too shall die and be laid in the earth for ever.
I am afraid of death, therefore, Urshanabi, tell
me which is the road to Utnapishtim? If it is
possible I will cross the waters of death; if
not I will wander still farther through the
wilderness.'
Urshanabi said to him, 'Gilgamesh, your own
hands have prevented you from crossing the
Ocean; when you destroyed the tackle of the boat
you destroyed its safety.' Then the two of them
talked it over and Gilgamesh said, 'Why are you
so angry with me, Urshanabi, for you yourself
cross the sea by day and night, at all seasons
you cross it' 'Gilgamesh, those things you
destroyed, their property is to carry me over
the water, to prevent the waters of death from
touching me. It was for this reason that I
preserved them, but you have destroyed them, and
the urnu snakes with them. But now, go
into the forest, Gilgamesh; with your axe cut
poles, one hundred and twenty, cut them sixty
cubits long, paint them with bitumen, set on
them ferrules and bring them back.'
When
Gilgamesh heard this he went into the forest, he
cut poles one hundred and twenty; he cut them
sixty cubits long, he painted them with bitumen,
he set on them ferrules, and he brought them to
Urshanabi. Then they boarded the boat, Gilgamesh
and Urshanabi together, launching it out on the
waves of Ocean. For three days they ran on as it
were a journey of a month and fifteen days, and
at last Urshanabi brought the boat to the waters
of death: Then Urshanabi said to Gilgamesh,
'Press on, take a pole and thrust it in, but do
not let your hands touch the waters. Gilgamesh,
take a second pole, take a third, take a fourth
pole. Now, Gilgamesh, take a fifth, take a sixth
and seventh pole. Gilgamesh, take an eighth, and
ninth, a tenth pole. Gilgamesh, take an
eleventh, take a twelfth pole.' After one
hundred and twenty thrusts Gilgamesh had used
the last pole. Then he stripped himself, he held
up his arms for a mast and his covering for a
sail. So Urshanabi the ferryman brought
Gilgamesh to Utnapishtim, whom they call the
Faraway, who lives in Dihnun at the place of the
sun's transit, eastward of the mountain. To him
alone of men the gods had given everlasting
life.
Now
Utnapishtim, where he lay at ease, looked into
the distance and he said in his heart, musing to
himself, 'Why does the boat sail here without
tackle and mast; why are the sacred stones
destroyed, and why does the master not sail the
boat? That man who comes is none of mine; where
I look I see a man whose body is covered with
skins of beasts. Who is this who walks up the
shore behind Urshanabi, for surely he is no man
of mine? So Utnapishtim looked at him and said,
'What is your name, you who come here wearing
the skins of beasts, with your cheeks starved
and your face drawn? Where are you hurrying to
now? For what reason have you made this great
journey, crossing "the seas whose passage is
difficult? Tell me the reason for your coming.'
He
replied, 'Gilgamesh is my name. I am from Uruk,
from the house of Anu.' Then Utnapishtim said to
him, 'If you are Gilgamesh, why are your cheeks
so starved and your face drawn? Why is despair
in your heart and your face like the face of one
who has made a long journey? Yes, why is your
face burned with heat and cold; and why do you
come here, wandering over the wilderness in
search of the wind?
Gilgamesh said to him, 'Why should not my cheeks
be starved and my face drawn? Despair is in my
heart and my face is the face of one who has
made a long journey. It was burned with heat and
with cold. Why should I not wander over the
pastures? My friend, my younger brother who
seized and killed the Bull of Heaven and
overthrew Humbaba in the cedar forest, my friend
who was very dear to me and endured dangers
beside me, Enkidu, my brother whom I loved, the
end of mortality has overtaken him. I wept for
him seven days and nights till the worm fastened
on him. Because of my brother I am afraid of
death; because of my brother I stray through the
wilderness. His fate lies heavy upon me. How can
I be silent, how can I rest? He is dust and I
shall die also and be laid in the . earth for
ever.' Again Gilgamesh said, speaking to
Utnapishtim, 'It is to see Utnapishtim whom we
call the Faraway that I have come this journey.
For. this I have wandered over the world, I have
crossed many difficult ranges, I have crossed
the seas, I have wearied myself with travelling;
my joints are aching, and I have lost
acquaintance with sleep which is sweet. My
clothes were worn out before I came to the house
of Siduri. I have killed the bear and hyena, the
lion and panther, the tiger, the stag and the
ibex, all sorts of wild game and the small
creatures of the pastures. I ate their flesh and
I wore their skins; and that was how I came to
the gate of the young woman, the maker of wine,
who barred her gate of pitch and bitumen against
me. But from her I had news of the journey; so
then I came to Urshanabi the ferryman, and with
him I crossed over the waters of death. Oh,
father Utnapishtim, you who have entered the
assembly of the gods, I wish to question you
concerning the living and the dead, how shall I
find the life for which I am searching?
Utuapishtim said, 'There is no permanence. Do we
build a house to stand for ever, do we seal a
contract to hold for all time? Do brothers
divide an inheritance to keep for ever, does the
flood-time of rivers endure? It is only the
nymph of the dragon-fly who sheds her larva and
sees the sun in his glory. From the days of old
there is no permanence. The sleeping and the
dead, how alike they are, they are like a
painted death. What is there between the master
and the servant when both have fulfilled their
doom? When the Anunnaki, the judges, come
together, and Mammetun the mother of destinies,
together they decree the fates of men. Life and
death they allot but the day of death they do
not disclose.'
Then
Gilgamesh said to Utnapishtim the Faraway, 'I
look at you now, Utnapishtim, and your
appearance is no different from mine; there is
nothing strange in your features. I thought I
should find, you like a hero prepared
for battle, but you he here taking your ease on
your back. Tell me truly, how was it that you
came to enter the company of the gods and to
possess everlasting life?' Utnapishtim said to
Gilgamesh, 'I will reveal to you a mystery, I
will tell you a secret of the gods.'
5
THE STORY
OF THE FLOOD
'You
know the city Shurrupak, it stands on the banks
of Euphrates? That city grew old and the gods
that were in it were old. There was Anu,-lord of
the firmament, their father, and warrior Enlil
their counsellor, Ninurta the helper, and Ennugi
watcher over canals; and with them also was Ea.
In those days the world teemed, the people
multiplied, the world bellowed like a wild bull,
and the great god was aroused by the clamour.
Enlil heard the clamour and he said to the gods
in council, "The uproar of mankind is
intolerable and sleep is no longer possible by
reason of the babel." So the gods agreed to
exterminate mankind. Enlil did this, but Ea
because of his oath warned me in a dream. He
whispered their words to my house of reeds,
"Reed-house, reed-house! Wall, O wall, hearken
reed-house, wall reflect; O man of Shurrupak,
son of Ubara-Tutu; tear down your house and
build a boat, abandon possessions and look for
life, despise worldly goods and save your soul
alive. Tear down your house, I say, and build a
boat. These are the measurements of the barque
as you shall build her: let hex beam equal her
length, let her deck be roofed like the vault
that covers the abyss; then take up into the
boat the seed of all living creatures."
'When I
had understood I said to my lord, "Behold, what
you have commanded I will honour and perform,
but how shall I answer the people, the city, the
elders?" Then Ea opened his mouth and said to
me, his servant, "Tell them this: I have learnt
that Enlil is wrathful against me, I dare no
longer walk in his land nor live in his city; I
will go down to the Gulf to dwell with Ea my
lord. But on you he will rain down abundance,
rare fish and shy wild-fowl, a rich
harvest-tide. In the evening the rider of the
storm will bring you wheat in torrents."
'In the
first light of dawn all my household gathered
round me, the children brought pitch and the men
whatever was necessary. On the fifth day I laid
the keel and the ribs, then I made fast the
planking. The ground-space was one acre, each
side of the deck measured one hundred and twenty
cubits, making a square. I built six decks
below, seven in all, I divided them into nine
sections with bulkheads between. I drove in
wedges where needed, I saw to the punt poles,
and laid in supplies. The carriers brought oil
in baskets, I poured pitch into the furnace and
asphalt and oil; more oil was consumed in
caulking, and more again the master of the boat
took into his stores. I slaughtered bullocks for
the people and every day I killed sheep. I gave
the shipwrights wine to drink as though it were
river water, raw wine and red wine and oil and
white wine. There was feasting then as -there is
at the time of the New Year's festival; I myself
anointed my head. On the seventh day the boat
was complete.
-'Then
was the launching full of difficulty; there was
shifting of ballast above and below till two
thirds was submerged. I loaded into her all that
1 had of gold and of living things, my family,
my kin, the beast of the field both wild and
tame, and all the craftsmen. I sent them on
board, for the time that Shamash had ordained
was already fulfilled when he said, "in the
evening, when the rider of the storm sends down
the destroying rain, enter the boat and batten
her down." The time was fulfilled, the evening
came, the rider of the storm sent down the rain.
I looked out at the weather and it was terrible,
so I too boarded the boat and battened her down.
All was now complete, the battening and the
caulking; so I handed the tiller to Puzur-Amurri
the steersman, with the navigation and the care
of the whole boat.
'With
the first light of dawn a black cloud came from
the horizon; it thundered within where Adad,
lord of the storm was riding. In front over hill
and plain Shullat and Hanish, heralds of the
storm, led on. Then the gods of the abyss rose
up; Nergal pulled out the dams of the nether
waters, Ninurta the war-lord threw down the
dykes, and the seven judges of hell, the
Annunaki, raised their torches, lighting the
land with their livid flame. A stupor of despair
went up to heaven when the god of the storm
turned daylight to darkness, when he smashed the
land like a cup. One whole day the tempest
raged, gathering fury as .it went, it poured
over the people like the tides of battle; a imam
could not see his brother nor the people be seen
from heaven. Even the gods were terrified at the
flood, they fled to the highest heaven, the
firmament of Ann; they crouched against the
walls, cowering like curs. Then Ishtar the
sweet-voiced Queen of Heaven cried out like a
woman in travail: "Alas the days -of old are
turned to dust because I commanded evil; why did
I command thus evil in the council of all the
gods? I commanded wars to destroy the people,
but are they not my people, for I brought them
forth? Now like the spawn of fish they float in
the ocean." The great gods of heaven and of hell
wept, they covered their mouths.
'For six
days and six nights the winds blew, torrent and
tempest and flood overwhelmed the world, tempest
and flood raged together like warring hosts.
When the seventh day dawned the storm from the
south subsided, the sea grew calm, the, flood
was stilled; I looked at the face of the world
and there was silence, all mankind was turned to
clay. The surface of the sea stretched as flat
as a roof-top; I opened a hatch and the light
fell on my face. Then I bowed low, I sat down
and I wept, the tears streamed down my face, for
on every side was the waste of water. I looked
for land in vain, but fourteen leagues distant
there appeared a mountain, and there the boat
grounded; on the mountain of Nisir the boat held
fast, she held fast and did not budge. One day
she held, and -a second day on the mountain of
Nisir she held fast and did not budge. A third
day, and a fourth day she held fast on the
mountain and did not budge; a fifth day and a
sixth day she held fast on the mountain. When
the seventh day dawned I loosed a dove and let
her go. She flew away, but finding no
resting-place she returned. Then I loosed a
swallow, and she flew away but finding no
resting-place she returned. I loosed a raven,
she saw that the waters had retreated, she ate,
she flew around, she cawed, and she did not come
back. Then I threw everything open to the four
winds, I made a sacrifice and poured out a
libation on the mountain top. Seven and again
seven cauldrons I set up on their stands, I
heaped up wood and cane and cedar and myrtle.
When the gods smelled the sweet savour, they
gathered like flies over the sacrifice. Then, at
last, Ishtar also came, she lifted her necklace
with the jewels of heaven that once Anu had made
to please her. "O you gods here present, by the
lapis lazuli round my neck I shall remember
these days as I remember the jewels of my
throat; these last days I shall not forget. Let
all the gods gather round the sacrifice, except
Enlil. He shall not approach this offering, for
without reflection he brought the flood; he
consigned my people to destruction."
'When
Enlil had come, when he saw the boat, he was
wrath and swelled with anger at the gods, the
host of heaven, "Has any of these mortals
escaped? Not one was to have survived the
destruction." Then the god of the wells and
canals Ninurta opened his mouth and said to the
warrior Enlil, "Who is there of the gods that
can devise without Ea? It is Ea alone who knows
all things." Then Ea opened his mouth and spoke
to warrior Enlil, "Wisest of gods, hero Enlil,
how could you so senselessly bring down the
flood?
Lay
upon the sinner
his
sin,
Lay upon the transgressor his
transgression,
Punish him a little when he breaks loose,
Do not drive him too hard or he perishes,
Would that a lion had ravaged mankind
Rather than the f loud,
Would that a wolf had ravaged mankind
Rather than the flood,
Would that famine had wasted the world
Rather than the flood,
Would that pestilence had wasted mankind
Rather than the flood.
It was
not I that revealed the secret of the gods; the
wise man learned it in a dream. Now take your
counsel what shall be done with him."
'Then
Enlil went up into the boat, he took me by the
hand and my wife and made us enter the boat and
kneel down on either side, he standing between
us. He touched our foreheads to bless us saying,
"In time past Utnapishtim was a mortal man;
henceforth he and his wife shall live in the
distance at the mouth of the rivers." Thus it
was that the gods took me and placed me here to
live in the distance, at the mouth of the
rivers.'
6
THE RETURN
UTNAPISHTIM said, 'As for you, Gilgamesh, who
will assemble the gods for your sake, so that
you may find that life for which you are
searching? But if you wish, come and put into
the test: only prevail against sleep for six
days and seven nights.' But while Gilgamesh sat
there resting on his haunches, a mist of sleep
like soft wool teased from the fleece drifted
over him, and Utnapishtim said to his wife,
'Look at him now, the strong man who would have
everlasting life, even now the mists of sleep
are drifting over him.' His wife replied, 'Touch
the man to wake him, so that he may return to
his own land in peace, going back through the
gate by which he came.' Utnapishtim said to his
wife, 'All men are deceivers, even you he will
attempt to deceive; therefore bake loaves of
bread, each day one loaf, and put it beside his
head; and make a mark on the wall to number the
days he has slept.'
So she
baked loaves of bread, each day one loaf, and
put it beside his head, and she marked on the
wall the days that he slept; and there came a
day when the first loaf was hard, the second
loaf was like leather, the third was soggy, the
crust of the fourth had mould, the fifth was
mildewed, the sixth was fresh, and the seventh
was still on the embers. Then Utnapishtim
touched him and he woke. Gilgamesh said to
Utnapishtim the Faraway, 'I hardly slept when
you touched and roused me.' But Utnapishtim
said, 'Count these loaves and learn how many
days you slept, for your first is hard, your
second like leather, your third is soggy, the
crust of your fourth has mould, your fifth is
mildewed, your sixth is fresh and your seventh
was still over the glowing embers when I touched
and woke you.' Gilgamesh said, 'What shall I do,
O Utnapishtim, where shall I go? Already the
thief in the night has hold of my limbs, death
inhabits my room; wherever my foot rests, there
I find death.'
Then
Utnapishtim spoke to Urshanabi the ferryman:
'Woe to you Urshanabi, now and for ever more you
have become hateful to this harbourage; it is
not for you, nor for you are the crossings of
this sea. Go now, banished from the shore. But
this man before whom you walked, bringing him
here, whose body is covered with foulness and
the grace of whose limbs has been spoiled by
wild skins, take him to the washing-place. There
he shall wash his long hair clean as snow in the
water, he shall throve off his skins and let the
sea carry them away, and the beauty of his body
shall be shown, the fillet on his forehead shall
be renewed, and he shall be given clothes to
cover his nakedness. Till he reaches his own
city and his journey is accomplished, these
clothes will show no sign of age, they will wear
like a new garment.' So Urshanabi took Gilgamesh
and led him to the washing-place, he washed his
long hair as clean as snow in the water, he
threw off his skins, which the sea carried away,
and showed the beauty of his body. He renewed
the fillet on his forehead, and to cover his
nakedness gave him clothes which would show no
sign of age, but would war like a new garment
till he reached his own city, and his journey
was accomplished.
Then
Gilgamesh and Urshanabi launched the boat on to
the water and boarded it, and they made ready to
sail away; but the wife of Utnapishtim the
Faraway said to him, `Gilgamesh came here
wearied out, he is worn out; what will you give
him to carry him back to his own country? So
Utnapishtim spoke, and Gilgamesh took a pole and
brought the boat in to the bank. `Gilgamesh, you
came here a man wearied out, you have worn
yourself out; what shall I give you to carry you
back to your own country? Gilgamesh, I shall
reveal a secret thing, it is a mystery of the
gods that I am telling you. There is a plant
that grows under the water, it has a prickle
like a thorn, like a rose; it will wound your
hands, but if you succeed in taking it, then
your hands will hold that which restores his
lost youth to a man:
When
Gilgamesh heard this he opened the sluices so
that a sweet water current might carry him out
to the deepest channel; he tied heavy stones to
his feet and they dragged him down to the
water-bed. There he saw the plant growing;;
although it pricked him he took it in his hands;
then he cut the heavy stones from his feet, and
the sea carried him and threw him on to the
shore. Gilgamesh said to Urshanabi the ferryman,
`Come here, and see this marvellous plant. By
its virtue a man may win back all his former
strength. I will take it to Uruk of the strong
walls; there I will give it to the old men to
eat. Its name shall be "The Old Men Are Young
Again"; and at last I shall eat it myself and
have back all my lost youth.' So Gilgamesh
returned by the gate through which he had come,
Gilgamesh and Urshanabi went together. They
travelled their twenty leagues and then they
broke their fast; after thirty leagues they
stopped for the night.
Gilgamesh saw a well of cool water and he went
down and bathed; but deep in the pool there was
lying a serpent, and the serpent sensed the
sweetness of the flower. It rose out of the
water and snatched it away, and immediately it
sloughed its skin and returned to the well. Then
Gilgamesh sat down and wept, the tears ran down
his face, and he took the hand of Urshanabi; 'O
Urshanabi, was it for this that I toiled with my
hands, is it for this I have wrung out my
heart's blood? For myself I have gained nothing;
not I, but the beast of the earth has joy of it
now. Already the stream has carried it twenty
leagues back to the channels where I found it. I
found a sign and now I have lost it. Let us
leave the boat on the bank and go.'
After
twenty leagues they broke their fast, after
thirty leagues they stopped for the night; in
three days they had walked as much as a journey
of a month and fifteen days. When the journey
was accomplished they arrived at Uruk, the
strong-walled city. Gilgamesh spoke to him, to
Urshanabi the ferryman, 'Urshanabi, climb up on
to the wall of Uruk, inspect its foundation
terrace, and examine well the brickwork; see if
it is not of burnt bricks; and did not the seven
wise men lay these foundations? One third of the
whole is city, one third is garden, and one
third is field, with the precinct of the goddess
Ishtar. These parts and the precinct are all
Uruk.'
This too
was the work of Gilgamesh, the king, who knew
the countries of the world. He was wiseä he saw
mysteries and knew secret things, he brought us
a tale of the days before the flood. He went a
long journey, was weary, worn out with labour,
and returning engraved on a stone the whole
story.
7
THE DEATH
OF GILGAMESH
THE
destiny was fulfilled which the father of the
gods, Enlil of the mountain, had decreed for
Gilgamesh: 'In nether-earth the darkness will
show him a light: of mankind, all that are
known, none will leave a monument for
generations to come to compare with his. The
heroes, the wise men, like the new moon have
their waxing and waning. Men will say, "Who has
ever ruled with might and with power like him?"
As in the dark month, the month of shadows, so
without him there is no light. O Gilgamesh, this
was the meaning of your dream. You were given
the kingship, such was your destiny, everlasting
life was not your destiny. Because of this do
not be sad at heart, do not be grieved or
oppressed; he has given you power to bind and to
loose, to be the darkness and the light of
mankind. He has given unexampled supremacy over
the people, victory in battle from which no
fugitive returns, in forays and assaults from
which there is no going back. But do not abuse
this power, deal justly with your servants in
the palace, deal justly before the face of the
Sun.'
The
king has laid himself down and will not rise
again,
The Lord of Kullab will not rise again;
He overcame evil, he will not come again;
Though he was strong of arm he will not rise
again;
He had wisdom and a comely face, he will not
come again;
He is gone into the mountain, he will not come
again;
On the bed of fate he lies, he will not rise
again,
Front the couch of many colours he will not come
again.
The
people of the city, great and small, are not
silent; they lift up, the lament, all men of
flesh and blood lift up the lament. Fate has
spoken; like a hooked fish he lies stretched on
the bed, like a gazelle that is caught in a
noose. Inhuman Namtar is heavy upon him, Namtar
that has neither hand nor foot, that drinks no
water and eats no meat.
For
Gilgamesh, son of Ninsun, they weighed out their
offerings; his dear wife, his son, his
concubine, his musicians, his jester, and all
his household; his servants, his stewards, all
who lived in the palace weighed out their
offerings for Gilgamesh the son of Ninsun, the
heart of Uruk. They weighed out their offerings
to Ereshkigal, the Queen of Death, and to all
the gods of the dead. To Namtar, who is fate,
they weighed out the offering. Bread for Ned the
Keeper of the Gate, bread for Ningizzida the god
of the serpent, the lord of the Tree of Life;
for Dumuzi also, the young shepherd, for Enki
and Ninki, for Endukugga and Nindukugga, for
Enmul and Nimnul, all the ancestral gods,
forbears of Enlil. A feast for Shulpae the god
of feasting. For Samuqan, god of the herds, for
die mother Ninhursag, and the gods of creation
in the place of creation, for the host of
heaven, priest and priestess weighed out the
offering of the dead.
Gilgamesh, the son of Ninsun, lies in the tomb.
At the place of offerings he weighed the
bread-offering, at the place of libation he
poured out the wine. In those days the lord
Gilgamesh departed, the son of Ninsun, the kung,
peerless, without an equal among men, who did
not neglect Enlil his master. O Gilgamesh, lord
of Kullab, great is thy praise.
GLOSSARY OF NAMES
A SHORT
description of the gods and of other persons and
places mentioned in the Epic will be found in
this Glossary. The gods were credited at
different times with a variety of attributes and
characteristics, sometimes contradictory; only
such as are relevant to the material of the
Gilgamesh Epic are given here. The small number
of gods and other characters who play a more
important part in the story are described in the
introduction; in their case a page reference to
this description is given at the end of the
Glossary note. Cross-references to other entries
in the Glossary are indicated by means of
italics.
ADAD:
Storm-, rain-, and weather-god.
ANUNNAKI: Usually gods of the underworld, judges
of the dead and offspring of Anu.
ANSHAN:
A district of Elam in south-west Persia;
probably the source o£ supplies of wood for
making bows. Gilgamesh has a 'bow of Anshan'.
ANTUM:
Wife of Anu.
ANU:
Sumerian An; father of gods, and god of the
firmament, the 'great above'. In the Sumerian
cosmogony there was, first of all, the primeval
sea, from which was born the cosmic mountain
consisting of heaven, 'An', and earth, 'Ki';
they were separated by Enlil, then An carried
off the heavens, and Enlil the earth. Ann later
retreated more and more into the background; he
had an important temple in Uruk.
APSU:
The Abyss; the primeval waters under the earth;
in the later mythology of the Enuma Elish, more
particularly the sweet water which mingled with
the bitter waters of the sea and with a third
watery element, perhaps cloud, from which the
first gods were engendered. The waters of Apsu
were thought of as held immobile underground by
the 'spell' of Ea in a death-like sleep.
ARURU: A
goddess of creation, she created Enkidu from
clay in the image of Anu.
AYA: The
dawn, the bride of the Sun God Shamash.
BELIT-SHERI: Scribe and recorder of the
underworld gods:
BULL of
HEAVEN: A personification of drought created by
Anu for Ishtar.
DILMUN:
The Sumerian paradise, perhaps the Persian Gulf;
sometimes described as 'the place where the sun
rises' and 'the Land of the Living'; the scene
of a Sumerian creation myth and the place where
the deified Sumerian hero of the flood,
Ziusudra, was taken by the gods to live for
ever. See p. 39.
DUMUZI:
The Sumerian form of Tammuz; a god of vegetation
and fertility, and so of the underworld, also
called 'the Shepherd and 'lord of the
sheepfolds'. As the companion of Ningizzida 'to
all eternity' he stands at the gate of heaven.
In the Sumerian 'Descent of Inanna' he is the
husband of the goddess Inanna, the Sumerian
counterpart of Ishtar. According to the Sumerian
King-List Gilgamesh was descended from 'Dumuzi a
shepherd'.
EA:
Sumerian Enki; god of the sweet waters, also of
wisdom, a patron of arts and one of the creators
of mankind, towards whom he is usually
well-disposed. The chief god of Eridu, where he
had a temple, he lived 'in the deep'; his
ancestry is uncertain, but he was probably a
child of Anu.
EANNA:
The temple precinct in Uruk sacred to Anu and
Ishtar.
EGALMAH:
The 'Great Palace' in Uruk, the home of the
goddess Ninsun, the mother of Gilgamesh.
ENDUSUGGA: With Nindukugga, Sumerian gods living
in the underworld; parents of Enlil.
ENKIDU:
Moulded by Aruru, goddess of creation, out of
clay is the image and 'of the essence of Anu',
the sky-god, and of Ninurta the war-god. The
companion of Gilgamesh, he is wild or natural
reran; he was later considered a patron or god
of anima b and may have been the hero of another
cycle. See P. 30.
ENLIL:
God of earth, wind, and the universal air,
ultimately spirit; the executive of Anu. In the
Sumerian cosmogony he was born of the union of
An heaven, and Ki earth. These he separated, and
he then carried off earth as his portion. In
later times he supplanted Anu as chief god. He
was the patron of the city of Nippur. See p. 24.
ENMUL:
See Endukugga.
ENNUGI:
God of irrigation and inspector of Canals.
ENUMA
ELLISH: The Semitic creation epic which
describes the creation of the gods, the defeat
of the powers of chaos by the young god Marduk,
and the creation of man from the blood of Kingu,
the defeated champion of chaos. The title is
taken from the first words of the epic 'When on
high'.
ERESHKIGAL: The Queen of the underworld, a
counterpart of Persephone; probably once a
sky-goddess. In the Sumerian cosmogony she was
carried off to the underworld after the
separation of heaven and earth. See p. 27.
ETANA:
Legendary king of Kish who reigned after the
flood; in the epic which bears his name he was
carried to heaven on the back of an eagle.
GILGAMESH: The hero of the Epic; son of the
goddess Ninsun and of a priest of Kullab, fifth
king of Uruk after the flood, famous as a great
builder and as a judge of the dead. A cycle of
epic poems has collected round his name.
HANISH:
A divine herald of storm and bad weather.
HUMBABA:
Also Huwawa; a guardian of the cedar forest who
opposes Gilgamesh and is killed by him and
Enkidu. A nature divinity, perhaps an Anatolian,
Elamite, or Syrian god. See p. 32.
IGIGI:
Collective name for the great gods of heaven.
IRKALLA:
Another name for Ereshkigal; the Queen of the
underworld.
ISHTAR:
Sumerian Inanna; the goddess of love and
fertility, also goddess of war, called the Queen
of Heaven. She is the daughter of Anu and
patroness of Uruk, where she has a temple. See
p. 25.
ISHULLANA: The: gardener of Anu, once loved by
Ishtar whom he rejected; he was turned by her
into a mole or frog.
KI: The
earth.
KULLAS:Part of Uruk.
LUGULEANDA: Third king of the post-diluvian
dynasty of Uruk, a god and shepherd, and hero of
a cycle of Sumerian poems; protector of
Gilgamesh.
MAGAN: A
land to the west of Mesopotamia, sometimes Egypt
or Arabia, and sometimes the land of the dead,
the underworld:
MAGILUM:
Uncertain meaning, perhaps 'the boat of the
dead'.
MAMMETUM: Ancestral goddess responsible for
destinies.
MAN-SCORPION: Guardian, with a similar female
monster, of the mountain into which the sun
descends at nightfall. Shown on sealings and
ivory inlays as a figure with the upper part of
the body human and the lower part ending in a
scorpion's mil. According to the Enuma Elish
created by the primeval waters in order to fight
the gods.
MASHU:
The word means 'twins' in the Akkadian language.
A mountain with twin peaks into which the sun
descends at nightfall and from which it returns
at dawn. Sometimes thought of as Lebanon and
Anti-Lebanon.
NAMTAR:
Fate, destiny in its evil aspect; pictured as a
demon of the underworld, also a messenger and
chief minister of Ereshkigal; a bringer of
disease and pestilence.
NEDU:
See Ned.
NERGAL:
Underworld god, sometimes the husband of
Ereshkigal, he is the subject of an Akkadian
poem which describes his translation from heaven
to the underworld; plague-god.
NETI:
The Sumerian form of Nedu, the chief gatekeeper
in the
underworld.
NINDUKUGGA: With Endukugga, parental gods
living in the underworld:
NINGAL:
Wife of the Moon God and mother of the Sun.
NINGIESU: An earlier form of Ninurta; god of
irrigation and fertility, he had a field near
Lagash where all sorts of plants flourished; he
was the child of a she-goat.
NINGIZZIDA: Also Gizzida; a fertility god,
addressed as 'Lord of the Tree of Life';
sometimes he is a serpent with human head, but
later he was a god of healing and magic; the
companion of Tammuz, with whom he stood at the
gate of heaven.
NINHURSAG: Sumerian mother-goddess; one of the
four principal Sumerian gods with An, Enlil, and
Enki; sometimes the wife of Enki, she created
all vegetation. The name means 'the Mother'; she
is also called 'Nintu', lady of birth, and IG,
the earth.
NINKI:
The 'mother' of Enlil, probably a form of
Ninhursag.
NINLIL:
Goddess of heaven, earth, and air and in one
aspect of the underworld; wife of Enlil and
mother of the Moon; worshipped with Enlil in
Nippur.
NINSUM
The mother of Gilgamesh, a minor goddess whose
house was in Uruk; she was noted for wisdom, and
was the wife of Lugulbaada.
NINURTA:
The later forth of Ningirsu; a warrior and god
of war, a herald, the south wind, and god of
wells and irrigation. According to one poem he
once dammed up the bitter waters of the
underworld and conquered various monsters.
NISABA:
Goddess of grain.
NISIR:
Probably means 'Mountain of Salvation';
sometimes identified with the Pir Oman Gudrun
range south. of the lower Zab, or
with the biblical Ararat north of Lake Van.
PUZUR-AMURRI: The steersman of Utnapishtim
during the flood.
SAMUQAN:
God of cattle;
SEVEN
SAGES: Wise men who brought civilization to the
seven oldest cities of Mesopotamia.
SHAMASH:
Sumerian Utu; the sun; for the Sumerians he was
principally the judge and law-giver with some
fertility attributes. For the Semites he was
also a victorious warrior, the god of wisdom,
the son of Sin, and 'greater than his father'.
He was the husband and brother of Ishtar. He is
represented with the saw with which he cuts
decisions. In the poems 'Shamash' may mean the
god, or simply the sun.
SHULLAT:
A divine herald of storm and of bad weather.
SHULPAE:
A god who presided over feasts and feasting.
SHURRUPAX: Modem Fara, eighteen miles north-west
of Uruk; one of the oldest cities of
Mesopotamia, and one of the five named by the
Sumerians as having existed before the flood.
The home of the hero of the flood story.
SIDURI:
The divine wine-maker and brewer; she lives on
the shore of the sea (perhaps the
Mediterranean), in the garden of the sun. Her
name in the Hurrian language means 'young woman'
and she may be a form of Ishtar.
SILILI:
The mother of the stallion; a divine mare?
SIN:
Sumerian Nama, the moon. The chief Sumerian
astral deity, the father of Utu-Shamash, the
sun, and of Ishtar. Ills parents were Enlil and
Ninlil. His chief temple was in Ur.
TAMMUZ:
Sumerian Dunuzi; the dying god of vegetation,
bewailed by Ishtar, the subject of laments and
litanies. In an Akkadian poem Ishtar descends to
the underworld in search of her young husband
Tammuz; but in the Sumerian poem on which this
is based it is Inanna herself who is responsible
for sending Dumuzi to the underworld because of
his pride and as a hostage for her own safe
return.
UBARA-TUTU:
A king of Shurrupak and father of Utnapishtim
The only king of Kish named in the prediluvian
Ring-List, apart from Utnapishtim.
URSHANABI: Old Babylonian Sursunabu; the boatman
of Utnapishtim who ferries daily across the
waters of death which divide the garden of the
sun from the paradise where Utnapishtim lives
for ever (the Sumerian Dilmun). By accepting
Gilgamesh as a passenger he forfeits this right,
and accompanies Gilgamesh back to Uruk instead.
URUK:
Biblical Erech, modem Warka, in southern
Babylonia between Fara (Shutrupak) and Ur. Shown
by excavation to have been an important city
from very early times, with great temples to the
gods Anu and Ishtar. Traditionally the enemy of
the city of Kish, and after the flood the seat
of a dynasty of kings, among whom Gilgamesh was
the fifth and most famous.
UTNAPISHTIM: Old Babylonian Utanapishtim,
Sumerian Ziusudra; in the Sumerian poems he is a
wise king and priest of Shurrupak; in the
Akkadian sources he is a wise citizen of
Shurrupak. He is the son of Ubara Tutu, and his
name is usually translated, 'He Who Saw Life'.
He is the protege of the god Ea, by whose
connivance he Survives the flood, with his
family and with 'the seed of all living
creatures'; afterwards he is taken by the gods
to live for ever at 'the mouth of the rivers'
and given the epithet 'Faraway'; or according to
the Sumerians he lives in Dihnun where the sun
rises
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