Gilgamesh

  And by sunset I had done the whole boat.

  What came next was very hard work.

  We rolled the boat down on logs, moving them

  From back to front until she was two-thirds in water.

  I loaded aboard everything I owned,

  [70] Loaded aboard all the silver I had,

  Loaded aboard all of my gold,

  Loaded aboard all the animals I kept.

  I sent all of my relatives onto the ship,

  Sent on beasts of the field and beasts of the wild,

  And craftsmen and artisans of every kind.

  Shamash had set for me a definite time:

  ‘In the morning he will send you a shower

  And in the evening he will send a heavy rain.

  Go into your ship then and close the door.’

  [80] “The definite time arrived.

  In the morning there was a shower

  And in the evening a heavy rain.

  I looked out to see what the weather was like,

  And the weather was truly frightful to look at.

  {75} I went into the ship and closed the door.

  I had left all my property to the shipwright,

  To Puzur-Enlil, who now sealed the boat shut.

  When dawn first began to brighten the sky

  A dark, black cloud rose from the horizon,

  [90] And Adad the Storm God rumbled within it.

  The gods Shullat and Hanish went before him

  Shouldering the thunderhead that was his throne.

  The god Errakal was uprooting the piers,

  And Ninurta was busy overwhelming dams.

  The Anunnaki lifted their blazing torches,

  Spreading sheet lightning over all the land.

  Adad passed over the sky like a shadow,

  And all the brightness fell from the air.

  He charged the land like a rampaging bull

  [100] And smashed it to pieces like a clay pot.

  Gale-force winds blew for an entire day,

  Blew hard as can be, and then down came the Deluge,

  Sweeping like a battle over all the people.

  A man could not make out a man before him,

  No one could be recognized amid the havoc.

  Even the gods were terrified of the Flood;

  They fled up into the heaven of Anu

  And lay there in the sky curled up like dogs.

  Belet-ili cried out in her lovely voice,

  [110] Our Lady wailing like a woman in childbirth:

  ‘The days of old have turned into clay

  Because I said bad things among the gods.

  How could I say bad things among the gods,

  Declare a war to destroy my people?

  I am the one who gave birth to these people,

  And now they fill the ocean like fish!’

  “The Anunnaki wept along with her;

  Tears in their eyes, the gods were weeping;

  {76} Their lips were dry and parched with fever.

  [120] Six days and seven nights the gale-winds blew,

  The rain poured down, the Flood flattened the land.

  But when the seventh day dawned

  The winds died down, and the water subsided.

  The sea that had writhed like a woman in labor

  Now was calm, the storm over, the Deluge ended.

  I opened a window, and sunlight fell on my face.

  I looked at the weather, and it was perfectly calm,

  But all of the people had turned into clay,

  And the land was as flat as the roof of a house.

  [130] I sank to my knees and wept,

  Tears running all down my face.

  I scanned the ocean’s horizon in all directions

  And saw fourteen patches of land emerging.

  The ship came to ground on Nimush Mountain,

  Mount Nimush held it fast and did not let it move.

  A first day and a second day Nimush Mountain

  held the boat fast and did not let it move.

  A third day and a fourth day Nimush Mountain

  held the boat fast and did not let it move.

  [140] A fifth day and a sixth day Nimush Mountain

  held the boat fast and did not let it move.

  When the seventh day dawned

  I brought out a dove and let it go.

  The dove flew off but then came back to me;

  There was no place to land and so it came back.

  I brought out a swallow and let it go.

  The swallow flew off but then came back to me;

  There was no place to land and so it came back.

  I brought out a raven and let it go.

  [150] The raven flew off and saw the water subsiding.

  It found food, cawed, and did not come back.

  Then I sacrificed incense to the Four Winds,

  Pouring out offerings on the mountain top.

  I set out seven pots and another seven,

  {77} Piling beneath them cane, cedar, and myrtle.

  The gods smelled the savor, smelled the sweet savor,

  And gathered like flies around the sacrifice.

  As soon as Belet-ili arrived, she lifted in prayer

  The lapis lazuli beads Anu had made to court her:

  [160] ‘O gods, may the great beads in this necklace of mine,

  Cause me to remember these days forever.

  All of the gods will come to this sacrifice.

  But to this sacrifice do not let Enlil come.

  His mind was murky and he caused the Deluge,

  Delivered my people to utter destruction.’

  “As soon as Enlil arrived

  He saw the boat and was filled with anger,

  Raging against the Igigi, the gods:

  ‘How did this creature get away with this?

  [170] No mortal man was meant to survive!’

  “Ninurta opened his mouth and said to great Enlil:

  ‘Who but Ea could make such a thing happen?

  Only Ea understands these matters.’

  “Ea opened his mouth and said to great Enlil:

  ‘Great hero Enlil, wisest of the gods,

  How could you so foolishly cause the Deluge?

  Punish the criminal with his own crime!

  Afflict the wrongdoer with his own wrong!

  Loosen so it won’t snap, tighten so it won’t go slack.

  [180] Instead of bringing on the Deluge,

  You could have sent a lion to thin out the people.

  Instead of bringing on the Deluge,

  You could have sent a wolf to thin out the people.

  {78} Instead of bringing on the Deluge,

  A famine could have ravaged the land.

  Instead of bringing on the Deluge,

  The god of plague could have ravaged the land.

  I did not myself reveal the great gods’ secret.

  I sent Atrahasis a vision and he learned it himself.

  [190] Now you must decide what to do with him.’

  “Enlil came aboard the boat,

  Took me by the hand and led me on deck,

  Brought my wife on too and had her kneel beside me.

  He stood between us, touched our brows and blessed us:

  ‘Utanapishtim was a mortal man before,

  But now he and his wife are like us, the gods.

  He will dwell in the distance, where the rivers rise.’

  “And they settled us in the distance, where the rivers rise.

  As for you, who will call the gods to assembly

  [200] So you can come to have the life you are seeking?

  Try going without sleep for six days, seven nights.”

  Gilgamesh had no sooner settled himself down

  Than a fog of sleep drifted around him.

  Utanapishtim said to his wife:

  “Look at the man who so much wanted to live.

  A fog of sleep has already drifted around him.”


  And his wife said to Utanapishtim the Distant:

  “Touch the man and wake him up.

  He will go back as he came, hale and hearty,

  [210] Back through the same gate and home to his land.”

  Utanapishtim answered his wife:

  {79} “Men are not honest. He will try to deceive you.

  Bake for him daily a loaf of bread. Line them up

  By his head, and mark the wall each day he sleeps.”

  So she baked loaves of bread daily, lined them up

  By his head, and marked the wall each day he slept.

  The first loaf of bread was completely stale,

  The second was leathery, the third moldy,

  The fourth loaf was turning white,

  [220] The color of the fifth was already gray,

  The sixth loaf was freshly baked,

  And the seventh loaf was still in the oven.

  Then her husband touched Gilgamesh.

  He awoke, and said to Utanapishtim the Distant:

  “I had just drifted off to sleep

  When you touched me and woke me up.”

  And Utanapishtim answered him:

  “Gilgamesh, count for me your loaves of bread

  And you will see how many days you slept.

  [230] The first loaf of bread was completely stale,

  The second was leathery, the third moldy,

  The fourth loaf was turning white,

  The color of the fifth was already gray,

  The sixth loaf was freshly baked,

  And the seventh loaf was still in the oven,

  And it was only then that I touched you.”

  Then Gilgamesh said to Utanapishtim the Distant:

  “O Utanapishtim, what should I do, where should I go?

  A thief has stolen my body.

  [240] Death has moved into my bedroom,

  And wherever I go, Death will be with me.”

  {80} Then Utanapishtim said to Urshanabi the boatman:

  “May boat and dock disdain you Urshanabi.

  Begone from this shore you once walked upon.

  And as for the man that you brought here,

  His body is matted with filthy hair,

  And the pelts he wears have marred his beauty.

  Take him to the bathtub, Urshanabi,

  And let him wash his matted hair clean.

  [250] Let him throw his old pelts into the sea

  And soak in the tub until his skin glows.

  Have a new headband made for him to wear,

  And royal robes that befit his dignity.

  And until he comes home at last to his city

  And reaches his journey’s end, let his robes

  Show no signs of wear, but stay clean and new.”

  Then Urshanabi led Gilgamesh to the bathtub,

  And Gilgamesh washed his matted hair clean.

  He threw his old pelts into the sea

  [260] And soaked in the tub until his skin glowed.

  He had a new headband made for him to wear,

  And royal robes that suited his dignity.

  And until he came home at last to his city

  And reached his journey’s end, his robes

  Showed no signs of wear, but stayed clean and new.

  Gilgamesh and Urshanabi were the boat’s crew.

  They had launched it and were setting forth

  When Utanapishtim’s wife said to him:

  “Gilgamesh toiled mightily to get here.

  [270] What have you given him for his journey home?”

  Gilgamesh then picked up a punting-pole

  And pushed the ship back up to the shore.

  Utanapishtim then said to Gilgamesh:

  {81} “You toiled mightily to get here, Gilgamesh.

  What can I give you for your journey home?

  I will let you in on a secret, O Gilgamesh,

  A deep secret, a mystery of the gods.

  There is a plant that resembles boxthorn,

  Very prickly to one who picks it,

  [280] But if you can come to obtain this plant

  You will become a young man again.”

  When Gilgamesh heard what Utanapishtim told him,

  He waded out to sea, clearing a channel,

  Tied heavy stones to his feet, and the stones

  Pulled him down to the Ocean’s floor.

  He found the plant there and plucked it out,

  Cut the heavy stones loose from his feet,

  And the sea carried him up and onto the shore.

  Gilgamesh said to Urshanabi the boatman:

  [290] “This plant, Urshanabi, is the Heartbeat Plant.

  It can restore to a man his youthful vigor.

  I will take it to Uruk the Sheepfold

  And feed some to an oldster to test it out.

  Its new name will be Old Man Grows Young.

  I will eat some myself and be young again.”

  At twenty leagues they stopped to break bread.

  At thirty leagues they halted for the night.

  Gilgamesh found a pool of cool water

  And went in it to bathe. While he was there,

  [300] A snake caught scent of the aromatic plant,

  Approached silently, and bore the plant off.

  As it slithered away, the snake sloughed off its skin.

  Gilgamesh sat on the ground and wept,

  And as the tears coursed down his cheeks

  He said to Urshanabi the boatman:

  {82} “For whom did I work so hard, Urshanabi,

  For whom did I drain my heart dry of blood?

  I didn’t do anything good for myself,

  Only did the earth-lion, the snake, a favor.

  [310] Now all along the shore the tide is rising.

  When I opened the channel I left my tools behind.

  What could I find to guide me to the spot?

  I should have turned back, left the boat beached.”

  At twenty leagues they stopped to break bread.

  At thirty leagues they halted for the night.

  When they arrived at Uruk the Sheepfold

  Gilgamesh said to Urshanabi the boatman:

  “O Urshanabi, climb Uruk’s walls and walk along them.

  Examine the massive, terraced foundations.

  [320] Is the masonry not of fine, fired bricks?

  Those foundations were laid by the Seven Sages.

  One square mile is town, one square mile orchard,

  One square mile clay-pits, and half a square mile

  The temple of Ishtar. Three square miles and a half

  Is the area of Uruk.”

  ~ END ~

  {83} Glossary of Deities, Persons, and Places

  Adad: Storm God.

  Annunaki: Group of the senior gods and goddesses of Mesopotamia.

  Antu: Goddess of Heaven; wife of Anu.

  Anu: God of Heaven; progenitor of the other gods and goddesses.

  Aruru: One of the names of the Creator or Mother Goddess.

  Atrahasis: “Exceedingly Wise”; earlier name for the survivor of the Flood, Utanapishtim.

  Aya: Goddess of Dawn; wife of the Sun God Shamash.

  Belet-ili: “Lady of the Gods,” an epithet of the Creator or Mother Goddess.

  Belet-seri: “Lady of the Wilderness”; divine scribe of the Underworld.

  Bibbu: Divine butcher of the Underworld.

  Bull of Heaven: Monstrous bovine in the charge of Anu; a manifestation of dangerous weather, including violent rainstorm and thunder as well as drought and resultant famine.

  Cedar Forest: Timber-bearing region to the northwest of Babylonia, likely the Taurus or Amanus Mountains.

  Dumuzi: Spirit of vegetal growth; spouse of Ishtar whom she had condemned to take her place in the Underworld.

  Dumuzi-abzu: “Dumuzi of the Abyss”; aspect of Ishtar’s husband in his Underworld exile.

  Ea: God of Wisdom; champion of humans among the gods. Also called Enki
.

  Eanna: “House of Heaven”; temple of Inanna and Anu in Uruk.

  Ebabbara: “House of Brightness”; temple of the Sun God in the city of Sippar, a town near Babylon.

  Egalmah: “Exalted Palace”; temple of Ninsun in Uruk.

  Enki: God of Wisdom; champion of humans among the gods. Also called Ea.

  Enkidu: Primeval man who becomes the bosom friend of Gilgamesh.

  Enlil: God of underground sweet waters; chief of the divine assembly.

  Ereshkigal: Divine Queen of the Underworld.

  {84} Errakal: Epithet of Nergal, divine King of the Underworld.

  Etana: Human hero who had flown to Heaven on the back of an eagle. Now deceased, he is an inhabitant of the Underworld.

  Euphrates River: Western river of Mesopotamia; its northern reaches border the Cedar Forest.

  Gilgamesh: King of Uruk, son of the goddess Ninsun and the mortal Lugalbanda, and therefore “Two parts god, one part human” (Tablet IX 43).

  Hanish: Divine bull who along with Shullat pulls the chariot of the Storm God.

  Humbaba: Monstrous guardian of the Cedar Forest, the nature of whose terrifying form is unclear. He was in the service of Enlil but was loathed by Shamash.

  Hushbisha: A divine official of the Underworld.

  Igigi: Group of the most important gods and goddesses of Mesopotamia, more or less equivalent to the Annunaki.

  Inanna: Sumerian name of Ishtar.

  Irnina: A name for the Underworld.

  Ishtar: Semitic goddess of war and of sexuality; daughter of Anu.

  Ishullanu: Human gardener of Anu; mistreated by Ishtar after he had rebuffed her sexual advances.

  Larsa: City in southern Mesopotamia to the north of Uruk; one of the homes of the Sun God.

  Lugalbanda: Human king of Uruk, divinized after death; father and patron deity of Gilgamesh.

  Mammitu: One of the names of the Creator or Mother Goddess.

  Marduk: The god of the city of Babylon. His mention in connection with the Cedar Forest is puzzling.

  Mashu Mountains: “The Twins”; mythical mountains far to the east from which the Sun God rises in the morning.

  Mount Lebanon: Mountain range in western Syro-Palestine.