The myth of Gilgamesh summary. The history of the creation of the "Epic of Gilgamesh"

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Epic of Gilgamesh

About the one who has seen it all

The Epic of Gilgamesh, written in the Babylonian literary dialect of the Akkadian language, is the central, most important work of Babylonian-Assyrian (Akkadian) literature.

Songs and legends about Gilgamesh have come down to us written in cuneiform on clay tiles - “tables” in four ancient languages of the Middle East - Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite and Hurrian; in addition, mentions of it were preserved by the Greek writer Aelian and the medieval Syrian writer Theodore bar-Konai. The earliest known mention of Gilgamesh is older than 2500 BC. e., at the latest dates back to the 11th century. n. e. Sumerian epic tales about Gilgamesh probably developed at the end of the first half of the 3rd millennium BC. e., although the records that have reached us date back to the 19th–18th centuries. BC e. The first surviving records of the Akkadian poem about Gilgamesh date back to the same time, although in oral form it probably took shape in the 23rd–22nd centuries. BC e. This more ancient date for the origin of the poem is indicated by its language, somewhat archaic for the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. e., and the mistakes of the scribes, indicating that, perhaps, even then they did not clearly understand it in everything. Some images on seals of the XXIII–XXII centuries. BC e. clearly illustrated not by Sumerian epics, but specifically by the Akkadian epic of Gilgamesh.

Already the oldest, so-called Old Babylonian, version of the Akkadian epic represents a new stage in the artistic development of Mesopotamian literature. This version contains all the main features of the final edition of the epic, but it was significantly shorter than it; Thus, it lacked the introduction and conclusion of the later version, as well as the story of the great flood. From the “Old Babylonian” version of the poem, six or seven unrelated passages have come down to us - badly damaged, written in illegible cursive and, in at least one case, in an uncertain student’s hand. Apparently, a slightly different version is represented by Akkadian fragments found in Megiddo in Palestine and in the capital of the Hittite state - Hattusa (now a settlement near the Turkish village of Bogazkoy), as well as fragments of translations into the Hittite and Hurrian languages, also found in Bogazkoy; they all date back to the 15th–13th centuries. BC e. This so-called peripheral version was even shorter than the "Old Babylonian" version. The third, “Nineveh” version of the epic was, according to tradition, written down “from the mouth” of Sin-like-unninni, an Uruk spellcaster who apparently lived at the end of the 2nd millennium BC. e. This version is represented by four groups of sources: 1) fragments no younger than the 9th century. BC e., found in the city of Ashur in Assyria; 2) more than a hundred small fragments of the 7th century. BC e., relating to the lists that were once kept in the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal in Nineveh; 3) a student’s copy of the VII–VIII tables, recorded from dictation with numerous errors in the 7th century. BC e. and originating from a school located in the Assyrian provincial city of Khuzirin (now Sultan Tepe); 4) fragments of the 6th (?) century. BC e., found in the south of Mesopotamia, in Uruk (now Varka).

The “Nineveh” version is textually very close to the “Old Babylonian” version, but it is more extensive, and its language is somewhat updated. There are compositional differences. With the “peripheral” version, as far as can be judged so far, the “Nineveh” version had much less textual similarities. There is an assumption that the text of Sin-like-unninni was written at the end of the 8th century. BC e. revised by an Assyrian priest and collector of literary and religious works named Nabuzukup-kenu; in particular, it has been suggested that he came up with the idea of adding at the end of the poem a literal translation of the second half of the Sumerian epic “Gilgamesh and the Huluppu Tree” as a twelfth table.

Due to the lack of a verified, scientifically based consolidated text of the “Nineveh” version of the poem, the translator often had to decide on his own the question of the relative position of individual clay fragments. It should be noted that the reconstruction of some places in the poem is still an unsolved problem.

The published excerpts follow the “Nineveh” version of the poem (NV); however, from the above it is clear that the full text of this version, which in ancient times amounted to about three thousand verses, cannot yet be restored. And other versions have survived only in fragments. The translator filled in the gaps in the NV according to other versions. If any passage has not been preserved completely in any version, but the gaps between the surviving pieces are small, then the intended content was completed by the translator in verse. Some of the newest clarifications of the text are not taken into account in the translation.

The Akkadian language is characterized by tonic versification, which is also widespread in Russian; this allowed the translation to try to convey as much as possible the rhythmic moves of the original and, in general, exactly those artistic means that the ancient author used, with minimal deviation from the literal meaning of each verse.

The text of the preface is given according to the edition:

Dyakonov M.M., Dyakonov I.M. “Selected Translations”, M., 1985.

Table I

About having seen everything to the ends of the world,
About the one who knew the seas, crossed all the mountains,
About conquering enemies together with a friend,
About the one who has comprehended wisdom, about the one who has penetrated everything
He saw the secret, knew the secret,
He brought us news of the days before the flood,
I went on a long journey, but I was tired and humbled,
The story of the labors was carved in stone,
Uruk surrounded with a wall 1
Uruk- a city in the south of Mesopotamia, on the banks of the Euphrates (now Varka). Gilgamesh is a historical figure, the king of Uruk who ruled the city around 2600 BC. e.

Eana's bright barn 2
Eana- the temple of the sky god Anu and his daughter Ishtar, the main temple of Uruk. In Sumer, temples were usually surrounded by outbuildings where the harvest from the temple estates was kept; these buildings were themselves considered sacred.
Sacred.-
Look at the wall, whose crowns, like a thread,
Look at the shaft that knows no likeness,
Touch the thresholds that have been lying since ancient times,
And enter Eana, the home of Ishtar 3
Ishtar- goddess of love, fertility, as well as hunting, war, patroness of culture and Uruk.

Even the future king will not build such a thing, -
Rise and walk the walls of Uruk,
Look at the base, feel the bricks:
Are its bricks burnt?
And weren’t the walls laid by seven sages?

He is two thirds god, one third he is human,
His body image is incomparable in appearance,

He raises the wall of Uruk.
A violent husband, whose head, like that of a tour, is raised,

All his comrades rise to the occasion!
The men of Uruk are afraid in their bedrooms:
“Gilgamesh will not leave his son to his father!”

Is it Gilgamesh, the shepherd of fenced Uruk,
Is he the shepherd of the sons of Uruk,
Powerful, glorious, having comprehended everything?

Often the gods heard their complaint,
The gods of heaven called upon the Lord of Uruk:
“You have created a violent son, whose head is raised like that of an aurochs,
Whose weapon in battle has no equal, -
All his comrades rise to the drum,
Gilgamesh will leave no sons to fathers!
Day and night the flesh rages:
Is he the shepherd of fenced Uruk,
Is he the shepherd of the sons of Uruk,
Powerful, glorious, having comprehended everything?
Gilgamesh will not leave the virgin to his mother,
Conceived by a hero, betrothed to a husband!
Anu often heard their complaint.
They called out to the great Arur:
"Aruru, you created Gilgamesh,
Now create his likeness!
When he equals Gilgamesh in courage,
Let them compete, let Uruk rest.”
Aruru, having heard these speeches,
She created the likeness of Anu in her heart
Aruru washed her hands,
She plucked off the clay and threw it on the ground,
She sculpted Enkidu, created a hero.
Spawn of midnight, warrior of Ninurta,
His whole body is covered with fur,
Like a woman, she wears her hair,
The strands of hair are thick like bread;
I knew neither people nor the world,
He is dressed in clothes like Sumukan.

Man - hunter-hunter
He meets him in front of a watering hole.
The first day, and the second, and the third
He meets him in front of a watering hole.
The hunter saw him and his face changed,
He returned home with his cattle,
He became frightened, fell silent, became numb,
There is sorrow in his chest, his face is darkened,
Longing entered his womb,
His face became like one walking a long way. 4
“He who walks a long way” is a dead man.

The hunter opened his mouth and spoke, he spoke to his father:
“Father, a certain man who came from the mountains, -

His hands are as strong as stone from heaven, -

I'll dig holes and he'll fill them in,

His father opened his mouth and said, he said to the hunter:
"My son, Gilgamesh lives in Uruk,
There is no one stronger than him
Throughout the country his hand is mighty,

Go, turn your face to him,
Tell him about the strength of man.
He will give you a harlot - bring her with you.
The woman will defeat him like a mighty husband!
When he feeds the animals at the watering hole,

Seeing her, he will approach her -
The animals that grew up with him in the desert will abandon him!”
He obeyed his father's advice,
The hunter went to Gilgamesh,
He set out on his journey, turned his feet to Uruk,
In front of Gilgamesh's face he said a word.
“There is a certain man who came from the mountains,
Throughout the country his hand is mighty,
His hands are strong, like stone from heaven!
He wanders forever in all the mountains,
Constantly crowds with animals to the watering hole,
Constantly directs steps towards a watering hole.
I'm afraid of him, I don't dare approach him!
I'll dig holes and he'll fill them in,
I'll set traps - he'll snatch them,
Beasts and creatures of the steppe are taken from my hands, -
He won’t let me work in the steppe!”
Gilgamesh tells him, the hunter:
“Go, my hunter, bring the harlot Shamkhat with you,
When he feeds the animals at the watering hole,
Let her tear off her clothes and reveal her beauty, -
When he sees her, he will approach her -
The animals that grew up with him in the desert will leave him.”
The hunter went and took the harlot Shamkhat with him,
We hit the road, we hit the road,
On the third day we reached the agreed upon place.
The hunter and the harlot sat in ambush -
One day, two days they sit at a watering hole.
The animals come and drink at the watering hole,
The creatures come, the heart is gladdened by water,
And he, Enkidu, whose homeland is the mountains,
He eats grass with the gazelles,
Together with the animals he crowds to the watering hole,
Together with the creatures, the heart rejoices with water.
Shamkhat saw a savage man,
A fighter husband from the depths of the steppe:
“Here he is, Shamkhat! Open up your womb
Bare your shame, let your beauty be comprehended!
When he sees you, he will approach you -
Don't be embarrassed, take his breath
Open your clothes and let it fall on you!
Give him pleasure, the work of women, -
The animals that grew up with him in the desert will abandon him,
He will cling to you with passionate desire.”
Shamkhat opened her breasts, exposed her shame,
I wasn’t embarrassed, I accepted his breath,
She opened her clothes and he lay on top,
Gave him pleasure, the work of women,
And he clung to her with passionate desire.
Six days have passed, seven days have passed -
Enkidu tirelessly got to know the harlot.
When I've had enough of affection,
He turned his face to the beast.
Seeing Enkidu, the gazelles ran away,
The steppe animals avoided his body.
Enkidu jumped up, his muscles weakened,
His legs stopped, and his animals left.
Enkidu resigned himself - he can’t run like before!
But he became smarter, with deeper understanding, -
He returned and sat at the feet of the harlot,
He looks the harlot in the face,
And whatever the harlot says, his ears listen.
The harlot tells him, Enkidu:
“You are beautiful, Enkidu, you are like a god,”
Why are you wandering in the steppe with the beast?
Let me lead you into fenced Uruk,
To the bright house, the dwelling of Anu,

And, like a tour, it shows its power to people!”
She said that these speeches are pleasant to him,
His wise heart is looking for a friend.
Enkidu speaks to her, the harlot:
“Come on, Shamkhat, bring me
To the bright holy house, the dwelling of Anu,
Where Gilgamesh is perfect in strength
And, like a tour, it shows its power to people.
I will call him, I will say proudly,
I will shout in the midst of Uruk: I am mighty,
I alone change destinies,
Whoever was born in the steppe, his strength is great!”
“Come on, Enkidu, turn your face to Uruk,”
Where Gilgamesh goes, I truly know:
Let us go, Enkidu, to fenced Uruk,
Where people are proud of their royal dress,
Every day they celebrate a holiday,
Where the sounds of cymbals and harps are heard,
And the harlots. glorious in beauty:
Full of voluptuousness, they promise joy -
They take the great ones away from the bed of the night.
Enkidu, you don't know life,
I will show Gilgamesh that I am happy with the lamentations.
Look at him, look at his face -
He is beautiful with courage, masculine strength,
His whole body carries voluptuousness,
He has more power than you,
There is no peace either day or night!
Enkidu, curb your insolence:
Gilgamesh - Shamash loves him 5
Shamash is the god of the Sun and justice. His rod is a symbol of judicial power.

Anu, Ellil 6
Ellil is the supreme god.
They brought it to their senses.
Before you came here from the mountains,
Gilgamesh saw you in a dream among Uruk.
Gilgamesh stood up and interpreted the dream,
He tells his mother:
“My mother, I saw a dream at night:
The heavenly stars appeared to me in it,
It fell on me like a stone from the sky.
I lifted him up - he was stronger than me,
I shook him - I can’t shake him off,
The edge of Uruk rose to him,

People crowd towards him,
All the men surrounded him,
All my comrades kissed his feet.
I fell in love with him, just as I fell in love with my wife.
And I brought it to your feet,
You made him equal to me.”
Gilgamesh’s mother is wise, she knows everything, she tells her master,

“He who appeared like the stars of heaven,
What fell on you like a stone from the sky -
You raised him - he was stronger than you,
You shook it and you can’t shake it off,
I fell in love with him, like I clung to my wife,
And you brought him to my feet,
I compared him to you -
The strong will come as a companion, a friend's savior,
Throughout the country his hand is mighty,
His hands are strong, like stones from heaven, -
You will love him as you will cling to your wife,
He will be a friend, he will not leave you -
This is the interpretation of your dream.”

“My mother, I saw a dream again:
In fenced Uruk the ax fell, and people crowded around:
The edge of Uruk rose to him,
The whole region gathered against him,
People crowd towards him, -
I fell in love with him, like I fell in love with my wife,
And I brought it to your feet,
You made him equal to me.”
Gilgamesh’s mother is wise, she knows everything, she tells her son,
Ninsun is wise, she knows everything, she tells Gilgamesh:
“You saw a man in that axe,
You will love him, just as you will cling to your wife,
I will compare him with you -
Strong, I said, a comrade will come, a savior of a Friend.
Throughout the country his hand is mighty,
His hands are strong, like stone from heaven!“
Gilgamesh says to her, his mother:
"If. Ellil commanded - let an adviser arise,
Let my friend be my adviser,
Let me be an adviser to my friend!”
This is how he interpreted his dreams.”
She told Enkidu Shamhat the dreams of Gilgamesh, and both began to fall in love.

Table II

(At the beginning of the table of the "Nineveh" version there is missing - apart from small fragments of cuneiform writing - about one hundred and thirty-five lines containing the episode, which in the "Old Babylonian version" - the so-called "Pennsylvanian table" - is stated as follows:

* „…Enkidu, get up, I will lead you
* To the temple of Eane, the dwelling of Anu,
* Where Gilgamesh is perfect in deeds.
* And you will love him as much as yourself!
* Get up from the ground, from the shepherd’s bed!“
* Heard her word, perceived her speech,
* Women's advice sank into his heart.
* I tore the fabric and dressed him alone,
* I dressed myself with the second fabric,
* Taking my hand, she led me like a child,
* To the shepherd's camp, to the cattle pens.
* There the shepherds gathered around them,
They whisper, looking at him:
“That man resembles Gilgamesh in appearance,
Shorter in stature, but stronger in bone.
It is true, Enkidu, creature of the steppe,
Throughout the country his hand is mighty,
His hands are strong like stone from heaven:
* He sucked animal milk!“
* On the bread that was placed in front of him,
* Confused, he looks and looks:
* Enkidu did not know how to eat bread,
* Was not trained to drink strong drink.
* The harlot opened her mouth and spoke to Enkidu:
* “Eat bread, Enkidu, that is characteristic of life.”
* Drink strong drink – this is what the world is destined for!”
* Enkidu ate his fill of bread,
* He drank seven jugs of strong drink.
* His soul leaped and roamed,
* His heart rejoiced, his face shone.
* He felt his hairy body,
* He anointed himself with oil, became like people,
* I put on clothes and looked like my husband.
* He took weapons and fought with lions -
* The shepherds rested at night.
* He defeated lions and tamed wolves -
* The great shepherds slept:
* Enkidu is their guard, a vigilant husband.
The news was brought to Uruk, fenced off to Gilgamesh:

* Enkidu indulged in fun with the harlot,
* He looked up and saw a man, -
* He says to the harlot:
* “Shamkhat, bring the man!
* Why did he come? I want to know his name!”
*Clicked, the harlot of man,
* He came up and saw him.
* “Where are you, O husband, in a hurry? Why are you going?
difficult?"
* The man opened his mouth and spoke to Enkidu:
* “I was called into the bridal chamber,
* But the destiny of people is submission to the higher ones!
* Loads the city with baskets of bricks,
* The feeding of the city is entrusted to the laughing people,
* Only to the king of fenced Uruk
* The marriage peace is open,
* Only Gilgamesh, king of the fenced Uruk,
* Marriage peace is open, -
* He has a betrothed wife!
* So it was; I will say: so it will be,
* This is the decision of the Council of Gods,
* By cutting the umbilical cord, that’s how he was judged!”
* From the words of a person
his face turned pale.

(About five verses are missing.)

* Enkidu walks in front, and Shamhat walks behind,

Enkidu went out onto the street of fenced Uruk:
“Name at least thirty mighty ones, I will fight them!”
He blocked the way to the marriage peace.
The edge of Uruk rose to him,
The whole region gathered against him,
People crowd towards him,
The men gathered around him,
Like weak guys, they kiss his feet:
“From now on, a wonderful hero has appeared to us!”
That night a bed was made for Ishhara,
But a rival appeared to Gilgamesh, like a god:
Enkidu blocked the door to the marriage chamber with his foot,
He did not allow Gilgamesh to enter.
They grabbed at the door of the marriage chamber,
They began to fight in the street, on the wide road, -
The porch collapsed and the wall shook.
* Gilgamesh knelt on the ground,
* He humbled his anger, calmed his heart
* When his heart subsided, Enkidu spoke to Gilgamesh:
* “Your mother gave birth to one like you,
* Fence Buffalo, Ninsun!
* Your head has risen high above men,
* Ellil has judged the kingdom for you over the people!”

(From the further text of Table II in the “Nineveh” version, only insignificant fragments have been preserved; it is only clear that Gilgamesh brings his friend to his mother Ninsun.)

“Throughout the whole country his hand is mighty,
His hands are strong, like stone from heaven!
Bless him to be my brother!”
Gilgamesh's mother opened her mouth and spoke to her master,
The buffalo Ninsun speaks to Gilgamesh:
"My son, ……………….
Bitterly …………………. »
Gilgamesh opened his mouth and spoke to his mother:
« ……………………………………..
He came to the door and talked some sense into me with his might.”
He bitterly reproached me for my violence.
Enkidu has neither mother nor friend,
He never cut his loose hair,
He was born in the steppe, no one can compare with him
Enkidu stands, listens to his speeches,
I got upset, sat down and cried,
His eyes filled with tears:
He sits idle and loses his strength.
Both friends hugged, sat next to each other,
By the hands
they came together like brothers.

* Gilgamesh tilted. face, Enkidu says:
* “Why are your eyes filled with tears,
* Your heart is saddened, do you sigh bitterly?”
Enkidu opened his mouth and spoke to Gilgamesh:
* “The screams, my friend, tear my throat:
* I sit idle, my strength disappears.”
Gilgamesh opened his mouth and spoke to Enkidu:
* “My friend, far away there are the mountains of Lebanon,
* Those mountains of Kedrov are covered with forest,
* The fierce Humbaba lives in that forest 7
Humbaba is a giant monster who protects cedars from people.

* Let's kill him together, you and I,
* And we will drive out everything that is evil from the world!
* I will chop cedar, and the mountains will grow with it, -
* I will create an eternal name for myself!”

* “I know, my friend, I was in the mountains,
* When I wandered with the beast together:

* Who will penetrate into the middle of the forest?
* Humbaba - his hurricane voice,
* His mouth is a flame, death is his breath!

* “I want to climb the cedar mountain,
* And I wish to enter the forest of Humbaba,

(Two to four verses are missing.)

* I’ll hang the battle ax on my belt -
* You go behind, I’ll go in front of you!”))
* Enkidu opened his mouth and spoke to Gilgamesh:
* “How will we go, how will we enter the forest?
* God Ver, his guardian, is powerful, vigilant,
* And Humbaba - Shamash endowed him with strength,
* Addu endowed him with courage,
* ………………………..

Ellil entrusted to him the fears of men.
Humbaba is a hurricane his voice,
His lips are fire, death is his breath!
People say - the path to that forest is hard -
Who will penetrate into the middle of the forest?
So that he protects the cedar forest,
Ellil entrusted to him the fears of men,
And whoever enters that forest is overwhelmed by weakness.”
* Gilgamesh opened his mouth and spoke to Enkidu:
* “Who, my friend, ascended to heaven?
* Only the gods with the Sun will remain forever,
* And a man - his years are numbered,
* No matter what he does, it’s all wind!
* You are still afraid of death,
* Where is it, the power of your courage?
I will go in front of you, and you shout to me: “Go, don’t be afraid!”
* If I fall, I will leave my name:
* “Gilgamesh took on the fierce Humbaba!”
* But a child was born in my house, -
* He ran up to you: “Tell me, you know everything:
* ……………………………….
*What did my father and your friend do?”
* You will reveal to him my glorious share!
* ……………………………….
* And with your speeches you sadden my heart!

* I will create an eternal name for myself!
* My friend, I will give the masters the duty:
*Let the weapon be cast in front of us.”
* They gave duty to the masters, -
* The masters sat down and discussed.
* Large axes were cast, -
* They cast the axes into three talents;
* The daggers were cast large, -
* Blades of two talents,
* Thirty mines of protrusions on the sides of the blades,
* Thirty minas of gold, - dagger hilt, -
* Gilgamesh and Enkidu each carried ten talents.
* Seven locks were removed from the gates of Uruk,
* Hearing about this, the people gathered,
* Crowded on the street of fenced Uruk.
* Gilgamesh appeared to him,
The assembly of the fenced Uruk before him sat down.
* Gilgamesh says to them:
* “Listen, elders of fenced Uruk,
* Listen, people of fenced Uruk,
* Gilgamesh, who said: I want to see
* The one whose name scorches countries.
* I want to defeat him in the cedar forest,
* How mighty am I, son of Uruk, let the world hear!
* I will raise my hand, I will chop cedar,
* I will create an eternal name for myself!”
* Elders of fenced Uruk
* They answer Gilgamesh with the following speech:
* “You are young, Gilgamesh, and you follow your heart,
*You yourself don’t know what you’re doing!
* We heard, - the monstrous image of Humbaba, -
* Who will deflect his weapon?
* There are ditches there in the field around the forest, -
* Who will penetrate into the middle of the forest?
* Humbaba - his hurricane voice,
* His lips are fire, death is his breath!
* Why did you want to do this?
* The battle in Humbaba’s dwelling is unequal!”
* Gilgamesh heard the word of his advisers,
* He looked back at his friend, laughing:
* “Now I’ll tell you what, my friend, -
* I'm afraid of him, I'm afraid of him greatly:
* I will go with you to the cedar forest,
* So that it’s not there
If we’re afraid, we’ll kill Humbaba!”
* The elders of Uruk speak to Gilgamesh:
* «…………………………….
* …………………………….
* May the goddess go with you, may your God protect you,
* May he lead you along a prosperous road,
* Let him return you to the pier of Uruk!
* Gilgamesh knelt before Shamash:
* “I heard the word that the elders said,”
* I go, but I raised my hands to Shamash:
* Now may my life be preserved,
* Take me back to the pier of Uruk,
* Stretch your canopy over me!”

(In the "Old Babylonian" version there are several destroyed verses, from which it can be assumed that Shamash gave an ambiguous answer to the heroes' fortune telling.)

* When I heard the prediction - ……….
* ………………… he sat down and cried,
* Tears ran down Gilgamesh's face.
* “I am walking a path where I have never gone before,
* Dear, whom my whole region does not know.
* If now I am prosperous,
* Leaving on a campaign of his own free will, -
* You, O Shamash, I will praise,
* I will place your idols on thrones!”
* The equipment was laid before him,
* Axes, large daggers,
* Bow and quiver - they were given into his hands.
* He took an ax, filled his quiver,
* He put the Anshan bow on his shoulder,
* He tucked the dagger into his belt, -
They prepared for the campaign.

(Two unclear lines follow, then two corresponding to the unpreserved first line of Table III of the “Nineveh” version.)

The Epic of Gilgamesh, written in the Babylonian literary dialect of the Akkadian language, is the central, most important work of Babylonian-Assyrian (Akkadian) literature.

The text of the preface is given according to the edition:

Dyakonov M.M., Dyakonov I.M. “Selected Translations”, M., 1985.

Table I

About having seen everything to the ends of the world,
About the one who knew the seas, crossed all the mountains,
About conquering enemies together with a friend,
About the one who has comprehended wisdom, about the one who has penetrated everything
He saw the secret, knew the secret,
He brought us news of the days before the flood,
I went on a long journey, but I was tired and humbled,
The story of the labors was carved in stone,
Uruk surrounded with a wall
The bright barn of the sacred Eana.-
Look at the wall, whose crowns, like a thread,
Look at the shaft that knows no likeness,
Touch the thresholds that have been lying since ancient times,
And enter Eana, the home of Ishtar
Even the future king will not build such a thing, -
Rise and walk the walls of Uruk,
Look at the base, feel the bricks:
Are its bricks burnt?
And weren’t the walls laid by seven sages?

He is two thirds god, one third he is human,
His body image is incomparable in appearance,

He raises the wall of Uruk.
A violent husband, whose head, like that of a tour, is raised,

All his comrades rise to the occasion!
The men of Uruk are afraid in their bedrooms:
“Gilgamesh will not leave his son to his father!”

Is it Gilgamesh, the shepherd of fenced Uruk,
Is he the shepherd of the sons of Uruk,
Powerful, glorious, having comprehended everything?

Often the gods heard their complaint,
The gods of heaven called upon the Lord of Uruk:
“You have created a violent son, whose head is raised like that of an aurochs,
Whose weapon in battle has no equal, -
All his comrades rise to the drum,
Gilgamesh will leave no sons to fathers!
Day and night the flesh rages:
Is he the shepherd of fenced Uruk,
Is he the shepherd of the sons of Uruk,
Powerful, glorious, having comprehended everything?
Gilgamesh will not leave the virgin to his mother,
Conceived by a hero, betrothed to a husband!
Anu often heard their complaint.
They called out to the great Arur:
"Aruru, you created Gilgamesh,
Now create his likeness!
When he equals Gilgamesh in courage,
Let them compete, let Uruk rest.”
Aruru, having heard these speeches,
She created the likeness of Anu in her heart
Aruru washed her hands,
She plucked off the clay and threw it on the ground,
She sculpted Enkidu, created a hero.
Spawn of midnight, warrior of Ninurta,
His whole body is covered with fur,
Like a woman, she wears her hair,
The strands of hair are thick like bread;
I knew neither people nor the world,
He is dressed in clothes like Sumukan.

Man - hunter-hunter
He meets him in front of a watering hole.
The first day, and the second, and the third
He meets him in front of a watering hole.
The hunter saw him and his face changed,
He returned home with his cattle,
He became frightened, fell silent, became numb,
There is sorrow in his chest, his face is darkened,
Longing entered his womb,
His face became like one walking a long way.
The hunter opened his mouth and spoke, he spoke to his father:
“Father, a certain man who came from the mountains, -

His hands are as strong as stone from heaven, -

I'll dig holes and he'll fill them in,

His father opened his mouth and said, he said to the hunter:
"My son, Gilgamesh lives in Uruk,
There is no one stronger than him
Throughout the country his hand is mighty,

Go, turn your face to him,
Tell him about the strength of man.
He will give you a harlot - bring her with you.
The woman will defeat him like a mighty husband!
When he feeds the animals at the watering hole,

Seeing her, he will approach her -
The animals that grew up with him in the desert will abandon him!”
He obeyed his father's advice,
The hunter went to Gilgamesh,
He set out on his journey, turned his feet to Uruk,
In front of Gilgamesh's face he said a word.
“There is a certain man who came from the mountains,
Throughout the country his hand is mighty,
His hands are strong, like stone from heaven!
He wanders forever in all the mountains,
Constantly crowds with animals to the watering hole,
Constantly directs steps towards a watering hole.
I'm afraid of him, I don't dare approach him!
I'll dig holes and he'll fill them in,
I'll set traps - he'll snatch them,
Beasts and creatures of the steppe are taken from my hands, -
He won’t let me work in the steppe!”
Gilgamesh tells him, the hunter:
“Go, my hunter, bring the harlot Shamkhat with you,
When he feeds the animals at the watering hole,
Let her tear off her clothes and reveal her beauty, -
When he sees her, he will approach her -
The animals that grew up with him in the desert will leave him.”
The hunter went and took the harlot Shamkhat with him,
We hit the road, we hit the road,
On the third day we reached the agreed upon place.
The hunter and the harlot sat in ambush -
One day, two days they sit at a watering hole.
The animals come and drink at the watering hole,
The creatures come, the heart is gladdened by water,
And he, Enkidu, whose homeland is the mountains,
He eats grass with the gazelles,
Together with the animals he crowds to the watering hole,
Together with the creatures, the heart rejoices with water.
Shamkhat saw a savage man,
A fighter husband from the depths of the steppe:
“Here he is, Shamkhat! Open up your womb
Bare your shame, let your beauty be comprehended!
When he sees you, he will approach you -
Don't be embarrassed, take his breath
Open your clothes and let it fall on you!
Give him pleasure, the work of women, -
The animals that grew up with him in the desert will abandon him,
He will cling to you with passionate desire.”
Shamkhat opened her breasts, exposed her shame,
I wasn’t embarrassed, I accepted his breath,
She opened her clothes and he lay on top,
Gave him pleasure, the work of women,
And he clung to her with passionate desire.
Six days have passed, seven days have passed -
Enkidu tirelessly got to know the harlot.
When I've had enough of affection,
He turned his face to the beast.
Seeing Enkidu, the gazelles ran away,
The steppe animals avoided his body.
Enkidu jumped up, his muscles weakened,
His legs stopped, and his animals left.
Enkidu resigned himself - he can’t run like before!
But he became smarter, with deeper understanding, -
He returned and sat at the feet of the prodigal

All nations have their heroes. In ancient Mesopotamia, such a famous hero was King Gilgamesh - warlike and wise, seeking immortality. The found tablets with writings telling about him are perhaps the very first monument of literary skill.

Who is Gilgamesh?

The legend of Gilgamesh is also invaluable about the beliefs of the Sumerians. In ancient Mesopotamia, the king of Uruk (a strong and developed populated city-kingdom at that time) was Gilgamesh, who was cruel in his youth. He was strong, stubborn, and had no respect for the gods. His strength was so superior to that of an earthly man that he could overcome a bull or a lion with just his hands, as did the biblical hero Samson. He could go to the other side of the world to perpetuate his name; and cross the Sea of Death to give people hope for immortal life on earth.

Most likely, after his death, the people exalted their king so highly in their legends that they called him two-thirds a god, and only one-third a man. He achieved such veneration thanks to an insatiable thirst to find the gods and claim eternal life for himself. It is this plot that describes the Babylonian legend of Gilgamesh.

This tale of a hero who experienced many misfortunes on his travels is analyzed by philosophers and theologians, in the hope of finding answers to eternal questions about life and death that the Sumerians may have known.

Gilgemesh's friend - Enkidu

Another main one is the strong Enkidu, who came from the gods to kill Gilgamesh. The king of Uruk treated the people so cruelly that people prayed to the supreme goddess to create an enemy for their king, so that the young warrior would have something to do with his youthful enthusiasm and warlike strength.

And the Sumerian goddess created, at the request of the suffering, a half-beast and half-man. And he received the name Enkidu - the son of Enki. He came to fight and defeat Gilgamesh. But when he failed to defeat his opponent in a duel, Enkidu and Gilgamesh came to terms with the fact that their mighty forces were the same. Subsequently, Gilgemesh became Enkidu's best friend. And Gilgamesh even brought him to his mother, the goddess Ninsun, so that she would bless the half-beast as a brother for her son.

Together with Enkidu, the hero went to the land of cedars. Apparently, modern Lebanon was called the land of cedars. There they killed the guardian of the cedar forest - Humbaba, for which Enki's son suffered.

According to legend, he died of illness after 12 difficult days instead of Gilgamesh himself. The king bitterly mourned his close friend. But Gilgamesh himself was destined to continue his journey on earth. A summary of the Epic of Gilgamesh gives an idea of how much friendship with this creature changed the irreverent Gilgamesh. And after the death of this hero, the king was again radically transformed.

Tablets with legends

Scientists from all countries are interested in the question of where the Epic of Gilgamesh was created. The epic was written on clay tablets. There is an assumption that the legend was written somewhere in the 22nd century. BC. 12 tablets with cuneiform texts were discovered at the end of the 19th century. The very first of them (the one that tells about the flood) was found during excavations of the library of the ancient Assyrian king Shurbanipalla. At that time, the city of Nineveh was located on this site. And now this is the territory of what is now Iraq.

And then researcher George Smith went in search of other tables in the territory of Ancient Sumer. There are a total of 12 songs in the epic, each of which contains 3000 poetic lines of text. Now all these clay tablets are kept in the English World History Museum.

Later, after the death of D. Smith, other tablets were found and deciphered. The Sumerian “Epic of Gilgamesh” was found in Syriac, Akkadian and 2 other ancient languages.

Who recorded the epic: versions

Assyriologists do not know who wrote the poem. The tale of a hero capable of enduring the most terrible hardships for the sake of a higher goal is Sumer's most valuable book. Some legends say that Gilgamesh himself, after his arrival from unknown lands, began to write on clay with a chisel about his adventures, so that his ancestors would not forget about them. But this is an unlikely version. The poem could be written by a person with the thinking of an artist and an artistic style, one who believed in the power of words, not weapons.

Someone among the people, who had obvious literary talent, combined all the disparate legends into a single story and wrote it in the form of a poem. This poem about Gilgamesh, which has survived to this day, is considered the first literary work.

The Epic of Gilgamesh begins with a description of how the young and eccentric king conquered Uruk and refused to obey the king of the city of Kish Agga. Together with young warriors, he defends his kingdom and orders the construction of a stone wall around the city. This is the first mention of Gilgamesh. Further, the myth tells about Gilgamesh and the huluppu tree (a willow planted on the banks of the Euphrates River by the gods), in the trunk of which the demoness Lilith hid. And a huge snake burrowed into the root of a tree planted by the gods. Gilgamesh is shown here as a brave defender who did not allow the mighty tree, beloved by the Assyrian goddess of love Inanna, to be defeated.

When the fertility goddess Ishtar (Isis among the Greeks) appreciated the courage of the young king, she ordered him to become her husband. But Gilgamesh refused, for which the gods sent a formidable and huge bull to earth, eager to destroy the hero. Gilgamesh, together with his faithful and resilient friend, defeats the bull, as well as the giant Humbaba.

And the king’s mother, when he planned the campaign, was extremely alarmed and asked not to go into battle against Humbaba. But still, Gilgamesh did not listen to anyone, but decided everything himself. Together with a friend, they defeat the giant guarding the cedar forest. They cut down all the trees, uprooting huge roots. The friends did not use these trees for construction or anything else. Cedars have only some kind of sacred meaning in the epic.

Then the gods kill Enkidu for killing the giant and cutting down the sacred forest. He died from an unknown illness. Despite all the pleas, the gods did not have mercy on the half-beast. This is what the Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh tells.

Gilgamesh puts on rags and sets off on an unknown journey in order to find and beg eternal life from higher powers. He crossed the waters of death and was not afraid to come to its other shore, where Utnapishtim lived. He told Gilgamesh about a flower that grows at the bottom of the Sea of Death. Only the one who picks a wondrous flower can prolong his life, but still not forever. Gilgamesh ties heavy stones to his strong legs and throws himself into the sea.

He managed to find the flower. However, on the way home, he plunges into a cool pond and leaves the flower on the shore unattended. And at this time the snake steals the flower, becoming younger before the hero’s eyes. And Gilgamesh returned home, defeated by his defeat. After all, he never allowed himself to lose. This is a summary of the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The biblical flood in the legend of Ancient Sumer

The first ruler undoubtedly existed. The myth of Gilgamesh is not entirely fiction. However, after thousands of years, the image of a real person and fiction have merged in such a way that it is not possible to separate these images today.

The Epic of Gilgamesh contains a detailed account of the Flood. Walking along the path that is open only to one Sun, Gilgamesh comes to the kingdom of Utnapishtim, the only immortal among people, for answers to his questions. The great-ancestor Utnapishtim, who knew all the secrets, told him about the terrible flood in ancient times and the construction of the ship of salvation. The prototype of the great-ancestor Utnapishtim is the Old Testament Noah. How the Sumerians knew this story about the biblical flood is unclear. But according to biblical legends, Noah really lived for more than 600 years, and could be considered immortal for representatives of other nations.

Found in lands that were previously Assyrian, “The Legend of Gilgamesh, Who Has Seen Everything” is a find of unprecedented significance, as it gives food for thought. This legend is compared in meaning to the “Book of the Dead” of the Egyptian people and even to the Bible.

The main idea of the poem

The idea of the poem is not new. Transformation of the hero's character is inherent in many old legends. For such research, the found Epic of Gilgamesh is especially valuable. Analysis of the beliefs of the Sumerians, their ideas about life and gods, their concept of what life after death is like - all this continues to be explored to this day.

What is the main idea that can be seen in the legend? As a result of his wanderings, Gilgamesh does not receive what he was looking for. At the end of the tale, as the myth of Gilgamesh describes, the flower of immortality ends up in the hands of a cunning snake. But spiritual life is emerging in the hero of the epic. From now on, he believes that immortality is possible.

The summary of the Epic of Gilgamesh is not subject to strict logical presentation. Therefore, there is no way to consistently trace how the hero developed, what his interests were. But the legend says that Gilgamesh strove for glory like no other. Therefore, he goes to a dangerous battle with the giant Humbaba, from whom the hero is saved only by a request to the god Shamash from his mother-goddess. God Shamash raises the wind, obscuring the giant’s gaze, and thereby helps the heroes in their victory. But Gilgamesh needs glory again. He moves on. Goes into the waters of death.

Yet at the end of the poem, the king finds peace of mind when he sees the almost finished walls around the kingdom of Uruk. His heart rejoiced. The hero of the epic discovers the wisdom of existence, which speaks of the infinity of the soul, working for the sake of others. Gilgamesh is relieved that he was able to do something for future generations.

He listened to the advice of the gods that was given to him in the garden: man is mortal by nature, and one must appreciate his short life, be able to rejoice in what is given.

Analysis of some philosophical problems raised in the epic

The heir to the throne and the hero in such an ancient source as the poem of Gilgamesh goes through various trials and is transformed. If at the beginning the king appears in the form of an unbridled, wayward and cruel young man, then after the death of Enkidu he is already capable of deep heartfelt grief for his friend.

For the first time realizing the fear of the death of the body, the hero of the poem turns to the gods to learn the secrets of life and death. From now on, Gilgamesh cannot simply rule his people, he wants to learn about the mystery of death. His soul comes to complete despair: how could the irrepressible strength and energy in Enkidu’s body die? This fire of the soul leads the hero further and further from his native land, giving him strength to overcome unprecedented difficulties. This is how the Epic of Gilgamesh is interpreted. Philosophical problems of existence and non-existence also shine through in these verses. Especially in the passage that talks about the lost flower, which supposedly bestows cherished immortality. This flower is clearly a philosophical symbol.

A deeper interpretation of this epic is a transformation of the spirit. Gilgamesh turns from a man of earth into a man of heaven. The image of Enkidu can be interpreted as the bestial instincts of the king himself. And fighting him means fighting with yourself. Ultimately, the king of Uruk defeats his lower nature and acquires the knowledge and character qualities of a being two-thirds divine.

Comparison of the Epic of Gilgamesh with the Book of the Dead of the Egyptians

A striking allusion can be found in the story of Gilgamesh's passage through the waters of the dead with the help of Charon. Charon in Egyptian mythology is a deep, skinny old man who transports the deceased from the mortal world to another world and receives payment for this.

Also, the legend of Gilgamesh mentions what the world of the dead is like according to the beliefs of the Assyrians. This is a depressing abode where water does not flow and not a single plant grows. And a person receives payment for all his deeds only during his lifetime. Moreover, his life is obviously short and meaningless: “Only the gods with the Sun will remain forever, and man—his years are numbered...”

The Egyptian “Book of the Dead” is papyrus, where various spells are written down. The second section of the book is devoted to how souls enter the underworld. But if Osiris decided that the soul had done more good, it was released and allowed to be happy.

Gilgamesh, after communicating with the gods, is sent back to his world. He undergoes ablution, puts on clean clothes, and although he loses the flower of life, he appears in his native Uruk as a renewed, sanctified blessing.

Epic translated by Dyakonov

Russian orientalist I.M. Dyakonov began translating the epic in 1961. In his work, the translator relied on a ready-made translation by V.K. Shileika. He turned out to be the most accurate Epic of Gilgamesh. He worked through a lot of ancient materials, and by this time it was already known to the scientific world that the prototype of the hero did exist.

This is a valuable literary and historical document - the Epic of Gilgamesh. Dyakonov's translation was republished in 1973 and again in 2006. Its translation is the skill of a philological genius, multiplied by the value of an ancient legend, a historical monument. Therefore, all those who have already read and appreciated the Babylonian legend, the legend of Gilgamesh, left wonderful reviews of the book.

INSTEAD OF INTRODUCTION

Perhaps some provisions will seem to mythological theorists to be well-known and do not require special evidence, while other observations and comments, on the contrary, are expressed too quickly and without evidence. But the author, naturally, could not provide an in-depth study of Sumerian material in one relatively short article. His task was rather to attract attention, primarily from Sumerologists, to the features of this very non-trivial Sumerian text. It seems to me that he sheds light not only on some facets of the Sumerians’ comprehension of the world, but also on the general laws of human thinking. My teacher Igor Mikhailovich Dyakonov, who was partly familiar with the interpretation of the text set out below, argued with me on many issues. And yet I would like to dedicate this work to his memory - to the memory of an amazing person and a wonderful scientist who left us, devoting all his strength to the service of science, his ability to think and create, without which he could not imagine a full life and deeply respected the same desire in others.

It is believed that the Sumerians did not leave us works specifically devoted to the ideas of the origin of the world, the laws of the world order, such as, say, the Babylonian poem « Enuma elish » (« When at the top » ). Sumerian cosmogonic ideas, as a rule, are contained in the prologues that precede almost every major literary work, as well as in many etiological myths or dialogue-disputes about the advantages. From these sources these ideas are extracted and compared, and thus a very fragmentary picture of the Sumerian ideas about the universe is reconstructed.
One of the sources that fill our gaps in knowledge of Sumerian cosmogony is the large prologue to the legend of Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the underworld, which was pointed out at one time by one of its main publishers S.N. Kramer. But the acquaintance of researchers with this work practically began not with the initial, but with the final part of the poem, which was added to the Akkadian epic of Gilgamesh in the form of the twelfth table, most likely in the 1st millennium BC. e. The latter circumstance caused all sorts of bewilderment, because the text seemed to be completely unrelated to the previous content: thus, Enkidu, who died, according to the seventh table of the epic, turns out to be alive again and dies a completely different death. When, after the full publication of the Sumerian version of the text, it became clear that the twelfth table was simply a translation of part of the Sumerian legend, they stopped paying serious attention to it in the context of the entire epic and sometimes even completely ignored it.
The complete publication of the text was carried out in 1963 by the Israeli scholar Aharon Shaffer. Thus, a monument prepared for publication through the works of many researchers, which is especially characteristic of Sumerology, provides an opportunity for a new interpretation of the work.
Brief content of the text. The tale, which begins in the traditional Sumerian manner about the creation of all things on earth, immediately proceeds to a story about the history of a certain huluppu tree (the most private translation of it is « willow » or « poplar » ), whose roots are damaged by the waters of the Euphrates, on the banks of which it grows. The Euphrates is agitated by gusts of the South wind and, perhaps, by the stormy voyage of the god Enki, rushing in a boat to the underworld (or circling the underworld). The tree is saved by a certain wife walking along the shore. She pulls out the tree and replants it in « Inanna's blooming garden » , which is located in Uruk. From the further narration it turns out that this wife is Inanna. She carefully looks after the tree, intending to subsequently make a sacred throne (throne) and a sacred bed out of it. But in the tree there are certain creatures hostile to Inanna’s intentions: in the roots - « snake that doesn't know the spell » , in the middle is the maiden Lilith, in the branches, that is, at the top, the eagle-like bird Anzud hatches a chick. Inanna weeps and turns to her brother, the sun god Utu, with a request to help her. He does not respond to her pleas. Then she turns to Gilgamesh, the Uruk hero. Gilgamesh, dressed in traveling attire and armed, kills the snake, and Lilith and Anzud themselves disappear - Lilith runs into the desert, the eagle grabs its chick and flies away to the mountains. Gilgamesh, with the help of his fellow citizens, cuts down a tree, gives the trunk to Inanna, and makes a pukku and Mick To y (we will return to the meaning of these items later). WITH pukku and Mick To Many strange events are connected, and due to the curse of the inhabitants of Uruk, they fall into the underworld. All of Gilgamesh’s attempts to reach them are in vain, and then his servant Enkidu, seeing his master’s grief, volunteers to get them. Gilgamesh teaches Enkidu how he must behave in the underworld in order to be able to return from there unharmed. Enkidu does not follow his master's instructions, doing just the opposite, and remains in the underworld. At the prayers and requests of Gilgamesh, Enlil orders the god Utu to open a hole in the underworld so that the spirit of Enkidu can meet with his friend. Gilgamesh asks him questions about the fate of dead people underground. Unfortunately, it is this part of the story that is most fragmentary and almost never restored.
The almost strictly proportional three-part division of the poem is noteworthy, although it is not immediately noticeable due to the literal repetitions of large parts of the text presented in the language eme-sal(so-called « female » the language in which the speeches of goddesses and female beings were presented, mainly in liturgical and partly in literary texts).
The approximate distribution of parts of a story of 303 lines is as follows: the first part – lines 1 – 90, the second – lines 91 – 205, the third – lines 206 – 303, i.e. ninety, one hundred eleven and ninety one hundred and seven lines; this is not entirely accurate, because one part of the story smoothly transitions into another. Nevertheless, the content of the story corresponds to its structure, for the first part is devoted to heavenly affairs, the second to earthly affairs, and the third to the life of the underworld. Let's look at each part in detail.

PART 1. THINGS OF HEAVEN

Strings 1 – 16 . Creation and structure of the world. This is the famous prologue-starter that precedes the entire work. It says; A) about revealing all that exists through radiance (i.e., light) and about calling all that exists by name, and not just naming, but « tenderly, affectionately » (this is our interpretation, see details « Started from the beginning » , stk. 414, p. 15); b) about the creation of the elements of civilization - they began to bake bread and smelt metal, but not yet in real embodiment (stkk. 6 - 7); V) about the separation of heaven from earth (stkk. 8 – 9); G) about the naming of a person's name, which should be perceived as an act preceding his actual physical creation. The latter is not mentioned in this work (stkk. 10); d) about the division of the world between higher powers: An takes the sky for himself, Enlil takes the earth, the goddess Ereshkigal « give » the underworld, Kuru (unfortunately, the interpretation of this paragraph is still controversial), and Enki sets sail, apparently circumnavigating the ocean of underground fresh water, whose master he appears in most Sumerian-Babylonian legends (stkk. 11 - 16).
Strings 17 – 26 - Enki's swimming. Here the action seems to break away from its cosmic enormity and suddenly moves on to a detailed story of how Enki sailed in his boat, going to the underworld. It is not entirely clear why so much attention has been paid to this particular event. Two of my special articles are devoted to the consideration and interpretation of this mysterious passage, to which I refer the reader, but here I would like to briefly note: a technique that is very convenient to call a cinematic term « influx » , characteristic of Sumerian literature. It consists precisely in the fact that after the end of global events the author unexpectedly highlights some detail, as if enlarging it, bringing it to our eyes and examining it in all its specificity. Further, it is the story of Enki’s voyage that becomes the beginning of the development of subsequent events, thus making the transition to the next part - the fate of the tree huluppu.
Strings 27 – 31 . This important passage is introduced by the formula « Then » , « in those days » (u4-ba), i.e. the way a new story usually begins. The main character is a tree. There was a tree (so literally), and it was the only one of its kind, i.e. unique. It was planted by someone on the banks of the Euphrates, fed by its waters, and suddenly came under unexpected danger.
Strings 32 – 39 . Introducing another character and a new topic - wife, « obedient to the words of Anna and Enlil » . Submissive in what way? It can be assumed that everything that happens is blessed by An and Enlil, and even that Inanna is carrying out the order of the supreme gods. Inanna brings the tree into her « blooming garden » and somehow especially carefully looks after it, accompanying its care with certain actions, possibly ritual (stkk. 36 - 37), and dreaming of making sacred objects out of it. Consequently, at the beginning of history, a tree was a young shoot, a sapling.
Strings 40 – 46 . The beginning of a new action - a tree has grown, but creatures have appeared in it, whose appearance prevents the possibility of cutting it down. This is the aforementioned snake, Lilith, Anzud with her chick. Strings 47 – 51 . Inanna's appeal to her brother, the sun god Utu, for help. Strings 52 – 89 - repetition of the story « feminine language » , and it is interesting that lines 52 – 53 summarize the content of the first seven lines of the prologue and it, this content is summarized very expressively: « ...in those ancient days when the Fates were awarded, when abundance poured out over the Country » , i.e. Sumer. Therefore, the main thing that the prologue told us was the determination of the Fates of the world, thanks to which Sumer was filled with abundance. The last line of this first part contains a very important point - Utu does not respond to Inanna’s requests, he is silent, but this circumstance is not explained in any way and for some reason does not cause any angry emotions in Inanna, which is unusual for her behavior, judging by other literary texts .
This is where the story ends, in our opinion. « heavenly affairs » and begin « earthly affairs » . But the question immediately arises: on what basis did we divide the text in this way, when the first part talks about Enki’s voyage along the very specific Euphrates River, and about the real city of Uruk, where the goddess grows her tree in the garden. Where does the action take place - on earth, in Sumer or somewhere else? This is indeed very important, and one could justify it by explaining that in this part of the tale the gods act, but nothing is said about people. But there is another, more significant circumstance. Not only in this tale, but also in other Sumerian literary monuments, it is often at first unclear where the events take place. On the one hand, as if on earth: in Uruk, on the Euphrates, etc. But in the legend about Enki and the Essences taken away by Inanna, which also speaks of Uruk and the Euphrates, it is already unequivocally said that Inanna leads « heavenly boat » or « boat of heaven » , from which it follows that this boat should have moved across the sky, but the text simultaneously lists real piers on the Euphrates. It seems that Inanna is moving in two planes at once - across the sky and across the earth, just as in another legend she simultaneously leaves several of her temples. Therefore, actions taking place as if in « heaven and earth » , in our history should, I think, be perceived as relating primarily to « heavenly affairs » .

PART 2. EARTHLY AFFAIRS

They begin with a very specific, purely earthly detail - « at dawn, when the sky lit up, when the birds chirped at dawn, Utu came out of the bedchamber » . Just now the god Utu was mentioned in the story as a silent listener of Inanna, but now he is the sun and illuminates the earth from the sky, and this is shown in one verbal image - the singing of birds at dawn. And on this basis we think that the action begins already in earthly Uruk, where, of course, the goddess Inanna has access, for we are in a time when the gods communicated with people. Inanna turns to Gilgamesh and repeats to him word for word the story that she told Utu (stkk. 96 - 133).
Earthly affairs are primarily associated with the feat of Gilgamesh, who, as befits a hero, performs it in full accordance with the epic tradition. Lines 134 – 139. Preparation for the feat - equipment for the campaign and weapons of Gilgamesh, emphasizing the incredibly heroic strength of the hero. Lines 140 – 148. The feat of Gilgamesh, and, judging by the brevity of the description, it is given to him with extraordinary ease; the fate of the felled tree, which he gives to Inanna for her crafts. Lines 149 – 176. Story pukku And mikku. Amazing events take place that are of key importance not only for the second part of the story, not only for the entire tale as a whole, but are also closely connected with other works, in particular with the beginning of the Akkadian epic of Gilgamesh. What are these pukku And mikku? The text says that Gilgamesh made them from the roots and branches of a tree huluppu. The most common translation is drum and drumsticks. But since there was no absolutely firm confidence in the similar meaning of these objects, a new interpretation by the Israeli Assyriologist Jacob Klein recently appeared, accepted by many Western colleagues. Klein believes that we are talking about a game like horse polo with a wooden ball and a stick pushing this ball. The role of the horse, according to Klein, was played by those same young people about whom, both in the Sumerian text and in the Akkadian epic, it is said that Gilgamesh forced them to do something and thereby tortured them. Despite the fact that the idea of a drum and sticks now seems to be completely denied, I dare to remain with the previous interpretation in the absence of a more convincing one: I expressed my objections in a publication devoted, in particular, to the interpretation of two passages from the monument now being analyzed. The main point of my objections is that despite all the given contexts, Klein’s interpretation remains an ingenious hypothesis, and nothing more, and, moreover, quite sociologized. From my point of view, objects made from magic wood have some magical properties, and most likely these are musical instruments. The lines that tell what is happening, in my translation, sound like this:
149. He made himself a magic drum from the roots. Pukku.
150. Made magic drumsticks from branches. Mikku .
151. The drum is loud, it carries the drum into the spacious streets.
152. Loud, loud, he takes him out into the wide street.
153. The youths of his city began to play the drum.
154. They, a troop of widows’ children, who gallop tirelessly,
155. « Oh my throat, oh my thighs » , - so they cry loudly.
156. He who has a mother, she brings food to her son.
157. Whoever has a sister, she pours water for her brother.
158. When will evening come.
159. Where the drum stood, he marked the place.
160. He raised the drum in front of him, he brought it into the house.
161. When morning came, where they danced,
162. From curses, from widows,
163. From the cries of little girls: « Oh Utu! » ,
164. The drum, together with the drumsticks, fell to the dwelling of the underworld.
What is this guy crying and screaming about? « squad of widows' children » ? « O my thighs, O my throat! » . Why is their complaint directed specifically at the hips and throat? And why do their relatives, especially women (mother and sisters), bring them food and food? Yes, because they sing and dance, exhausting their strength endlessly and cannot stop. But they can’t stop because most likely this drum is magical - you need to know the spell so that it stops playing, and then the person can be considered the master and ruler of certain magical powers. But they do not know the formula of the spell - this is clear from the entire context, which is why the women utter a curse that sends the magic drum to the underworld. Why are we so sure of this? Because before us appears a motif well known from fabulous world folklore. This is how the sea king dances in the tale of the Russian hero Sadko - he dances and cannot stop until Sadko stops playing the gusli, this is how any thief of magical objects dances or is beaten (samoguda gusli, magic drum, club, etc.) .d.), which he cunningly took away from the hero, who received them magically, very often associated with the latter’s stay in the underworld. After all, the young men clearly played the drum without asking Gilgamesh. Lines 165 – 169. Magical objects have not just fallen into the underworld, they lie in front of him, in the hole, they are visible. But unattainable. Gilgamesh pulls « arm and leg » , but can't get them. Lines 170 – 176. The rather mysterious complaints of Gilgamesh in his indescribably passionate longing for the magic drum, it seems to me, are fully explained by our interpretation, but are incomprehensible if we are talking about playing ball. Lines 177 – 180. The appearance of an assistant - Gilgamesh's servant Enkidu is ready to go down to the underworld and get magical objects that ended up there by magic (a curse spell). Lines 181 – 205. Instructions of Gilgamesh. He gives Enkidu strict orders, the essence of which is that Enkidu must try to slip through the underworld, trying to be there as unnoticed as possible, and, most importantly, not to become like the dead who have already gone there. Only in this case will he have a chance to return back.

PART 3. AFFAIRS OF THE UNDERWORLD

Lines 206 – 221c. A complete violation of Gilgamesh's prohibitions. Enkidu does just the opposite. Why? Maybe he thinks that by becoming like the dead, he will become more invisible? Be that as it may, he remains in Kur, the underground kingdom. He was grabbed « cry of the underworld » , i.e., apparently, this is how he signifies the fact that he has become noticeable, like a new newcomer. Lines 221 g – 221 g. There is a detailed explanation why he cannot rise - Namtar did not take him ( « fate » ), he was not captured by the demon of disease Azag, he did not fall on the battlefield, he was grabbed by the Earth. Lines 222 – 225. Gilgamesh's attempts to save his servant, appeals to the gods are unsuccessful, until he calls on Enki. He orders the sun god Utu to open a hole in the underworld and with a gust of wind Enkidu (or rather, his spirit, as the Akkadian epic directly says) brings him out of the earth. Lines 246 – 303. One of the most important parts of the legend is the laws of the underworld. Unfortunately, this is the most fragmentary part of the story, but from the surviving lines it is clear that it is not built chaotically, but has a very clear conceptual structure.
As these passages survive, three clear groups can be identified.
1. The role of offspring in a person’s posthumous life. Lines 255 – 278. Gilgamesh asks Enkidu a question about the fate of people who have one, then two, three or four, and so on up to seven sons, and we see how, starting from the number four, the fate of those living in the underworld improves. One son is no matter how son, his father is underground « in front of a peg driven into the wall, he sobs bitterly » . But the father of seven sons, « like a friend of the gods sits in a chair, enjoying the music of dances » . And the one who has no heirs at all is in the most disastrous position. Also terrible is the fate of the palace eunuch, a nulliparous woman, a young man and a young girl, who died before they had time to know love and, accordingly, give birth to offspring.
2. The next topic is the method of death of a person. The surviving lines are 290 - 303. We are talking about the fate of soldiers who fell in battle and died from all sorts of accidents: a man knocked down by piles, a young man who died in the prime of life, a baby who was not born or was stillborn, etc. We will return to this topic later.
3.Finally , judging by one of the versions set forth in fragment I16878, the final part of the text contained personal specific stories of individual people, for Gilgamesh in it asks about the fate of his parents, again about his unborn babies, about « sons of Girsu » , about the Sumerians, about the Akkadians. It seems that there must have been an ethical motive here, since the question is asked about the fate of those who did not honor their father and mother, who were cursed by their father and mother, who broke their oaths, swore with a false oath, etc. This is a very important point, because, although in most cases, due to the damaged text, we do not have an answer as to what the fate of these people was, nevertheless, from the surviving fragments we can make an assumption about the cruelty of their posthumous fate: « drinks bitter water, does not get satiation » (about the cursed by father and mother).
Thus, we have before us a work in which a harmonious and integral picture of ideas about the structure and establishment of the world order, about the basic laws of life has been created. At the same time, the principle of tripartiteness prevails not only in the main division of the theme (top - middle - bottom), but there is a noticeable tendency towards it throughout the course of the action, in its smaller division in each part of the story.
Already the first three lines of the prologue

as if they set the tone, emphasizing the importance of this tripartite not only as a stylistic poetic device, but also as a desire to express the deep essence of events, for with these words Time is created, while the following lines create Space. Further, Time and Space are concretized and specified. But we insist that for now we are talking only about naming the action, about « becoming a name for people » , i.e. about some ideal states preceding the subsequent incarnation. That's why « eating bread in houses » and the creation of melting crucibles I propose to understand in exactly the same way as the creation of « Woe of Heaven and Earth » Ashnan Grains and Lahar Sheep, whose products were originally intended for the Anunnaki gods and only because they could not assimilate them, were transferred to people.
Perhaps, according to modern impressions, these ideas are expressed somewhat naively, but this is by no means baby babble, although we have before us a logic that does not separate the concrete from the abstract, the symbol from the symbolized reality, or the idea from the image. This is precisely the logic that we call poetic, and in it the awareness of the significance of everything that is happening is given quite clearly and definitely in images that for the ancient Sumerian did not require additional explanations and interpretations. The same can be said about the subsequent descriptions of the events that make up the prologue.
Further, as we have seen, a tree appears, and now, after considering everything that has been said, it is impossible to deny that it plays here the role of a mediator, a connected link between the worlds, their unifying principle. In his book « Archaic myths of East and West » Igor Mikhailovich Dyakonov fiercely opposed the attribution of V.N. Ax tree huluppu roles « world tree and center of the universe » ; however, one cannot help but see that it is precisely this motif that connects, on the one hand, the first and second, and on the other, the second and third parts of the legend. It is also indisputable that the three creatures that settled in the village divide its vertical horizontal line into three structural parts. Another thing is that from all this the role of the world tree still does not work out, since the tree is cut down, moreover, it seems to grow specifically for cutting down, it is prepared for this.
Also, although they seem to be traditional, the creatures that settled in the village, or rather their functions, are quite mysterious. Snake - roots - underworld - why do we say with such confidence that we are talking about evil? In the text she is called a snake, « not knowing the spell » , and this definition brings us to the familiar association of Psalm 57, verses 5 - 6, which speaks of a deaf asp who does not hear the voice of the sorcerer-exorcist. That is, it is a snake that is not susceptible to magic spells and, therefore, has great witchcraft power. Further, the maiden Lilith, described in the text as an extremely frivolous creature, may be a prostitute. And finally, Anzud with his chick, who, according to the Sumerian texts, unlike the Akkadian ones, is by no means an evil, but an extremely powerful creature, the one to whom Enlil gave to decide the Fates and who favors mortals, in any case, the father of Gilgamesh Lugalbanda. Therefore, the only evil of these creatures is that they were found in the tree that Inanna needed to create cult objects? But let's not rush to conclusions. A number of Sumerian literary texts associated with the name of the deity Ninurta help reveal the episode. This is a legend « Lord in great radiance... » , the story of Ninurta's return to Nippur, an excerpt from the cylinder of A. Gudea, as well as a number of Sumerian-Akkadian monuments. All of them are associated with the praise of the Sumerian deity Ninurta - « Angim » (similar to Anu/sky), he is called the winner of Kur and is further told how he decorates his cart with spoils of battle, including Anzud, a tree huluppu, a seven-headed snake and other creatures that can be divided into three categories: mythical animals and monsters, personified minerals and personified trees, since the remaining texts, which give some listing options in other sequences, also talk about other trees.
Two points are important for us here: 1) Ninurta is the winner of the snake, Anzund and the tree, i.e., apparently, at some stage one hero was replaced by another; 2) the role of the tree huluppu(halub). As we see, the role of « world tree » , despite such a seductive and absolutely indisputable tripartite division of world space vertically and horizontally, as well as the functions connecting it in the text. All Ninurta's trophy objects are, to one degree or another, carriers of evil, which is repeatedly emphasized by his epithets of the hero, the conqueror of evil. After they are killed, they become objects that ward off evil, as the texts also explicitly say. This means that Igor Mikhailovich was absolutely right in that part of his criticism, where he objected to attributing to wood huluppu the role of the world tree and where he called on researchers to be extremely careful in drawing conclusions.
However, it is also clear that both the tree itself and the objects made from it possessed some kind of magical power and magical properties. And then it turns out that a very important part of human life, « earthly affairs » constitute heroic deeds, on the one hand, and magical actions, perhaps even simply practicing witchcraft, as something very dubious, on the other. The hints and innuendos of the Akkadian epic become even more clear after our interpretation of the Sumerian passage with Pukku And Mikku. The hatred of these items on the part of women and young girls is also understandable. Perhaps Utu’s silent refusal is even understandable - after all, he is the god of justice, purification and truth, the judge of people. The essence of the actions performed by Gilgamesh, forcing his comrades to do this, is the opposite of the ideas of motherhood and fertility, as I tried to show in a number of my works. The Snake and Anzud, and the maiden Lilith, are also closely connected with this theme, as well as with the search for ways of power over the world, with actions and forms of their manifestations unworthy of a ruler. Perhaps this is why Gilgamesh in Sumerian legends is mortal and upon his death becomes a judge of the underworld, but does not receive « eternal life » , to which he strives so much and which his antipode Ziusudra-Atrahasis achieves.
IN « earthly part of the story » Thus, there are three main themes: A) expulsion of evil magical forces, liberation from them; b) hero's feat; V) troubles from uncontrolled magic, from magic. To what extent Enkidu’s death is connected with these events, judging only by the content of our text, is difficult to say, although the theme of death from violating prohibitions, the theme of being held by the earth or Kur is very important in this third part of the tale, again (once again! ) divided into three parts: 1) orders of Gilgamesh; 2) Gilgamesh's prayers and lamentations. Requests for a date with a friend; 3) a story about the orders of the underworld.
Gilgamesh's advice on how to behave in the underworld is interesting for us in connection with another text - « Girl and gir» . Gir5 means « traveler, wanderer » , lit. « going » (in the context of the work, he turns out to be the spirit of the dead). Gilgamesh's orders state that Enkidu should not dress in light-colored clothing, lest he be mistaken for it. gira. Surprisingly, the behavior of Enkidu in violating orders and the girl in the legend, preparing for the arrival of the wandering gir, coincide. The girl prepares the sacrificial oil(s), and Enkidu anoints himself with the sacrificial oil. The girl prepares some items for the newcomer (reins, whip, headband, etc.), and Enkidu picks up a spear and a dogwood staff. But the girl is preparing, as it turns out from the further context, for a funeral; she must bury this wandering spirit so that it calms down. This text, part of a series of funerary lamentations, is closely related to the funerary rite. What about our text? Is this part a veiled description of a funeral rite? If this is so, her presence in our work was more than appropriate, but I do not presume to consider my assumption proven.
When talking about the Sumerian-Akkadian views on the afterlife, as a rule, they refer to the description of the underworld in the poem about the descent of Ishtar and the corresponding passage from the Epic of Gilgamesh, emphasizing the sense of despondency, horror and hopeless monotony that runs through them. The first part of Enkidu’s story in our history completely coincides with such ideas, perhaps even aggravated by the deployment of a description of the suffering of ethereal people, as well as those who unexpectedly died, not in battle, but in the presence of the unfortunate and, perhaps, without performing a funeral rite for them ( « ...have you seen the spirit of someone who has no one to take care of? » ).
But here are three provisions that I would like to pay special attention to: the fate of those who died in the prime of life, the fate of born (stillborn) babies and those who burned in fire. The one who is burned has no ghost spirit, only his smoke rises to the sky. This is in contrast to all the wandering spirits, ghosts, penumbras. What amazing knowledge about spirits, such as if a person could clearly observe and explore this phenomenon - a ghost spirit. Further, the one who died in the prime of life and, apparently, blameless (he is somewhat different from the boy and girl mentioned in lines 275 - 277, if only in that they are listed in the context of infertility), lies there, « where is the bed of the gods » , and dead (or unborn) babies frolic « around a table of gold and silver, where there is honey and beautiful olives » . Another one, and what a deep mythologem, and how many sensations, aspirations behind it, and what a powerful concept, albeit not formulated theoretically, but expressed by the poet’s intuition, which allows us to end the work with precisely these provisions!
And it already becomes clear why the Akkadian priests (or the Zhoets-compiler) considered it necessary to add this third part of the Sumerian legend to such an important ideological work as the Akkadian epic of Gilgamesh, without taking into account some plot inconsistencies and not daring to edit it according to external logic events: a different internal logic and not at all ideological and political considerations guided them, but deeper reasons - in this case, the Sumerian text should have been perceived by them as sacred.

V. K. Afanasyeva

S.N. Kramer published the first part of the poem in 1958 under the tentative title “Gilgamesh and the Tree.” huluppu" (cm. Kramer S.N. Gilgames and the huluppu-tree // AS. 1938. No. 10). For information on Sumerian cosmogony, including in the published text, see idem. Sumerian Mythology. Philadelphia, 1944. P. 30 f.; idem. History begins at Sumer. N.Y., 1959. P. 171.

Translation of the Sumerian version of the second (almost third) part of the poem was done by Gadd (GaddC.J. Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet XII // RASS. XXX. P. 127 – 143). Langdon also published some excerpts ( LangdonSt. The Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh // JRAS. 1932. P. 911 – 948).

Thus, I.M. Dyakonov, in the first edition of the complete text of the Epic of Gilgamesh, writes that Table XII “represents a literal translation of part of the ancient Sumerian song “Gilgamesh and the Willow”, mechanically attached to the text of the “Nineveh version” of the epic (after the conclusion, which was originally there was in this version the ending of the XI song)" (The Epic of Gilgamesh (about who has seen everything) / Translated with acc. by I.M. Dyakonov. M. - L., 1961. P. 119), and further joins the opinion of a number of researchers that this addition was made at the end of the 8th century. a certain Assyrian priest Nabuzukupkenu, a famous collector and copyist of literary and religious texts (ibid., p. 123, note 10). On this basis, in subsequent editions of the text by I.M. Dyakonov omitted the XII table (see, for example, Library of World Literature. Vol. I. Poetry and prose of the ancient East. M.. 1973 or “I will reveal to you the secret word”: Literature of Babylonia and Assyria / Translated from acc., compiled V.K. Afanasyeva and I.M. Dyakonov. M., 1981. P. 194), which, however, was not allowed by other publishers of the epic.

Shafer A. Sumerian Sources of Tablet XII of the Epic of Gilgames. Diss. Oriental Studies. Univ. of Pennsylvania. 1963. Ann Arbor, Microfilms 63 – 7085.

I have partially and quite briefly outlined the interpretation of the monument in the comments to the poetic translation of the text, see “From the Beginning of Beginnings.” Anthology of Sumerian poetry / Translation, commentary, dictionary by V.K. Afanasyeva. St. Petersburg, 1997. Further references to the text are based on this edition. For publication of the first part of the poem with transcription and grammatical commentary, see Afanasyeva V.K. One Sumerian song about Gilgamesh and its illustration in glyptic // VDI. 1962. No. 1. P. 74 – 93.

Kramer assumed that Enki sets sail to fight Kur, the serpent monster, personification of the underworld, to liberate Ereshkigal (see AS. 10. C. 3 - 4, 37 cm., and also Kramer. Sumerian Mythology... P. 38 – 78, etc.), but later he did not insist on this interpretation.

Afanasyeva V.K. On the problem of interpretation of Sumerian literary texts // Hermitage Readings. In memory of V.G. Lukonina. St. Petersburg, 1996. pp. 114 – 120; Afanasieva V. Rationales und Irrationales in Antiken Denken oder aus dem Blickwinkel des Dichters // Intellectual Life of the Ancient Near East. Papers presented at the 43rd. RAI. Prague, July 1 – 5, 1996. Prague, 1998. pp. 19 – 28. The main meaning of this passage is that the poet, with the help of expressive and very precise metaphors, shows how quickly and violently Enki’s boat rushes through the waters, leaving , in front and behind there are large circles of breakers and small breakers, scattering “like turtles” and raging at the bow and stern of the boat, like a wolf and a lion. No analogies with stones-idols and demons- gala, as I assumed in my first edition of the text (see VDI. 1962. No. 1. P. 89. Note 13), it is not here.

It is characteristic that Inanna is introduced into the story in the same way as Enki, without being called by name, which is revealed in subsequent lines of the text. Enki - “He, the Father” and then only Enki; Inanna - “wife, Ana submissive to words.” A typical stylistic device of Sumerian literature.

Thus, the belt that Gilgamesh puts on weighs 50 minutes, i.e. 25 kg, then - “he made 50 minutes as 30 shekels,” i.e. this weapon is very light for him, he carries it as if playfully; Gilgamesh's bronze ax weighs "7 gu and 7 min", i.e. more than 350 kg.

S. Smith assumed that pukku And mikku– musical instruments, most likely spiritual (see Smith S. // RASS. XXX. P. 153). The meaning of “drum and drumsticks” was proposed by S.N. Kramer (Sumerian Mythology... P. 34: also JAOS. 64. P. 20), and this opinion was accepted by many colleagues, in particular I.M. Dyakonov.

Klein J. A New Look at the “Opression of Uruk” Episode in Gilgamesh Epic // Memorial Volume fur Jacobsen (in print). Klein in his work, citing the initial passage of the Akkadian epic, rightly doubts that previous assumptions about the right of the first night usurped by Gilgamesh are more than doubtful. However, his translation of the phrase ina pukkisu teburu -usu - “on account of his ball (game) his companions are (constantly) aroused” (“Epic of Gilgamesh”, pl. I, II, 10) seems to me even more dubious. Therefore, I prefer to stick to the former - “All his comrades rise to the drum” (see The Epic of Gilgamesh, p. 8).

It is possible Pukku And Mikku proper names of magical objects, just like, for example, Sharur - the name of Ninurta, who has wonderful magical properties.

One of my objections to Klein: places associated with the mention pukku And mikku, are dark, they seem to be shrouded in mystery, both in the Sumerian legend and in the Akkadian epic, there is some kind of reticence in them. In those cases when the Sumerian texts talk about sports, about various kinds of competitions, for example, as in Shulga’s text: “I am a king, a hero from my mother’s womb...”, his sports record in running is told not just openly, but with taste, with many colorful and expressive details (see “From the beginning of the beginning”: “I am a king, a hero from my mother’s womb!”, pp. 247 – 250).

Cooper J.S. The Return of Ninurta to Nippur. Roma, 1978. Appendix A: The Trophies of Ninurta, where in more detail. Including in the tables, beings and substances are rewritten and grouped, whose winner is Ninurta.

Most likely, Gilgamesh replaced Ninurta, and not only because replacing a god with a hero is a traditional transformation of the plot, but also because of the possibility of dating the tales of Ninurta (Gudea? - 2123 BC), at the same time it seems that the replacement of the hero, as well as the composition of the Sumerian text “Gilgamesh and Enkidu”, occurred during the III dynasty of Ur.

Afanasyeva V.K. Magic in ancient Eastern fertility rites // Hermitage readings in memory of B.B. Piotrovsky. St. Petersburg, 1998. pp. 3 – 9; Afanasieva V. Rationales und Irrationales... (see bibliography) and a number of others. I will very briefly repeat some provisions. I have already suggested, based on folklore sources and associations, that this drum is magical and those who dance to it cannot stop because they do not know the formulas of the spell, i.e. do not have the power over him that Gilgamesh apparently has. This assumption already leads us into the circle of magical rituals and the idea of the power of witchcraft, witchcraft power. The participants in this ritual are certainly in a state of ecstasy, and this is what primarily worries their loved ones. But such states, as a rule, are associated with original actions, and we can assume that we are talking about some kind of original ritual, one that has some kind of unnaturalness. Such actions are carried out to achieve secret power, intimate knowledge”, achieving such a special state when a person “comes out” of his physical body and begins to see himself from the outside, which represents the initial stage of mastering his psychophysical structure and acquiring power over the higher forces of nature and supernatural knowledge. Typically, these rituals are accompanied by abnormal sexual relations, when the task of those coming together is not to waste energy on conception, but a kind of “spontaneous combustion”, the withdrawal of sexual energy into another sphere. And it seems to me that it is this phenomenon that is not so much talked about as the Sumerian legend and the Akkadian epic that are kept silent and blurred out, hence the reproach of Ishtar and such hatred of her (it is not for nothing that Gilgamesh accuses her of magical transformations of her lovers - into a horse, a spider, a lion, bird). All these actions are not so much uncharacteristic of fertility rites and the covenant “be fruitful and multiply,” but rather are opposite and hostile to them, hence the anxiety and hatred of the drum.

Kramer S.N. The GIR5 and Ki-sikil, A New Sumerian Elegy // ANES in Memory of J.J. Finkelstein. 1977. P. 139 – 142.

As B. Alster showed, this text is part of a series of funeral laments “Edinna, Usagga” (see. AlsterB. Edin-na-u-sag-ga. Keilschritliche Literatur. B., 1986. S. 19 – 37).

See “I will reveal to you the hidden word” (p. 92), “The Descent of Ishtar” and lines 34 – 45 of the table. VII of The Epic of Gilgamesh (pp. 162 – 163), repeating the first description almost literally. We encounter the same cliché in the tale of Nergal and Ereshkigal (p. 82), and in a number of other works, which indicates a firmly established tradition.

The text is reproduced from the edition: Afanasyeva VC. The legend of Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the underworld in the light of the cosmogonic ideas of the Sumerians // Bulletin of Ancient History No. 2, 2000, pp. 53 – 63.

Table one

About the one who saw everything to the end of the universe,
Who knew the hidden, who comprehended everything,
Tested the fate of earth and sky,
The depths of knowledge of all the sages.
He knew the unknown, solved mysteries,
He brought us news of the days before the flood,
He walked far, and got tired, and returned,
And he engraved his works in stone.
He surrounded blessed Uruk with a wall,
Pure Temple, Saint Eanna
Gilded the base, copper is stronger,
And the high walls from which the priests do not leave,
They contained an inscription on a stone that had been there since ancient times.

He is beautiful, he is strong, he is wise,
He is two-thirds deity, only one-third man,
His body is as bright as a big star,
But he knows no equal in the art of torment
Those people who are entrusted to the authorities.
Gilgamesh, he will not leave his son to his mother,
He will not leave the bride to the groom,
Daughter to the hero, husband to the husband,
Day and night he feasts with them,

He is their shepherd, he is their guardian,
He is beautiful, strong, he is wise.
Their prayer reached the high sky,
The heavenly gods, the lords of Uruk, said to Arur:
“Behold, you have created a son, and he has no equal,
But Gilgamesh is cruel, you feast day and night,
The groom will not leave the bride and his wife's husband,
He to whom blessed Uruk is entrusted,
He is their shepherd, he is their guardian." Aruru listens to their requests,
They approach the great Arur again:
“You, Aruru, have already created Gilgamesh,
You will be able to create his likeness,
Let them compete in strength, and Uruk rest."

He listens to Aruru and gives birth to the likeness of Anu in his heart,
Apypy washes his hands and throws in a handful of clay.
And creates Eabani, the hero, the power of Ninib.
His body is in his hair, he wears a braid like a woman,
Strands of curls fall like ripe ears,
He knows neither the land nor the people, he is dressed like Gira,
Together with the gazelles, he plucks the grass,
He goes with the cattle to the watering hole,
With the water creature the heart rejoices.
One hunter, a skilled hunter,
I spotted him at the watering hole,
Again and again at the watering hole.
The hunter was frightened, his face darkened,
I was very sad, I cried bitterly,
My heart sank, and sorrow penetrated to my belly,
He and his flock hurried towards the house.

The hunter opens his mouth and announces to his father:
“My father, the man who came down from the mountain,”

He roams freely throughout our lands.
He is always in the pasture among the gazelles,
His feet are always at the watering hole,
I wander around and don’t dare approach him.

He drove away the beasts of the desert from me,
He does not allow me to work in the desert."
The father opens his mouth to teach the hunter:
“Find King Gilgamesh in blessed Uruk -
His power is great throughout the country,
Great is his strength, like the army of Anu -
Tell him what you know, ask him for advice.”
The hunter listens to his father's word,
Sets off on his journey, slows down his steps in Uruk,
He comes to the feast and says to Gilgamesh:
“O king, the man who came down from the mountain,
Roams freely in your domain,
I dug traps, he filled them,
I set up the nets, he tore them out,
He doesn’t let me work in the desert.”

Gilgamesh opens his mouth, and the hunter listens:
“Come back, my hunter, and take the harlot with you,
And when that man comes to the watering hole,
Let her take off her clothes, and he will take her maturity.
He will approach her as soon as he sees her,

And the hunter went and took with him the harlot,
Both set off on the straight road
And on the third day they came to that field.
The hunter sat down, and the harlot sat down,
Day and another they wait at the watering hole,
The animals come and drink cold water,
The herd comes running, their hearts rejoice.
And he, Eabani - his homeland is the mountains -
She plucks grass together with gazelles,
He goes with the cattle to a watering hole,
With water creatures the heart rejoices.
A harlot saw him, a passionate man,
Strong, destroyer, in the middle of the desert:
It's him, harlot, open your breasts
Open your womb, let him take your maturity.
Give him pleasure, it's women's business.
As soon as he sees you, he will rush towards you
And he will leave the beasts that grew in the middle of his desert.”
The harlot bared her breasts and opened her womb,
She was not ashamed, she breathed in his breath,
She threw off the cloth and lay down, and he lay on top,
He directed the power of his love towards her.
For six days, seven nights Eabani came and played with the harlot
And when he had satisfied his thirst,
He addressed the animals as before.
They saw him, Eabani, and the gazelles rushed off,
The beasts of his desert retreated from him.
Eabani was ashamed of himself, his body became heavy,
His knees stopped when he chased the herd,
And he could not run as he had run until now.
But now he feels a new mind,
He returns and sits at the feet of the harlot,
The harlot looks into his eyes,
And while speaking, his ears are attentive:
“You are strong and beautiful, you are like a god, Eabani,
What are you doing among the beasts of the desert?
I will lead you to high Uruk,
To the sacred house, the dwelling of Ishtar and Anu,

And he reigns over people like a wild buffalo.”
He speaks, and these speeches are pleasant to him,
He wants to look for a friend after his heart:
"I agree, harlot, take me to the city,
Where lives Gilgamesh, perfect in strength,
I want to challenge him and argue with him;
I will scream in Uruk - I am the mighty one,
It is I who rule people's destinies,
He who was born in the desert, great is his strength,
Before his face your face will turn pale,
And I know in advance who will be defeated.”

Eabani and the harlot enter Uruk,
They meet people in magnificent clothes,
Here in front of them is the palace of Gilgamesh,
A place where the holiday never ends,
The young men feast there, the harlots feast,
Everyone is full of lust, full of fun,
The elders are forced to come out with shouts;
And again the harlot says to Eabani:
“Oh Eabani, you are now wise,
Here is Gilgamesh before you, the man who laughs,
Do you see him? Look into his eyes!
His eyes are shining, his appearance is noble,
His body excites desires
And he is more powerful than you,
He who does not lie down either day or night.
Calm down, Eabani, your vain anger,
Gilgamesh, Shamash loves him,
Anu, Bel and Ea breathed wisdom into him;
Even before you came down from the mountain,
Gilgamesh in Uruk saw you in a dream;
He woke up and told his mother the dream:

“My mother, I dreamed last night
The sky was full of stars
And, like the army of Anu, he fell upon me
A man born on the mountain;
I grabbed him, but he was stronger
I threw it but it didn't budge
The whole region of Uruk rose against him,
But he stood like a pillar, and they kissed his feet;
Then, like a woman, I jumped on him,
I overpowered him and threw him at your feet,
It was you who wanted us to measure strength."
Rimat-Belit, who knows everything, says to the master,
Ramat-Belit, who knows everything, says to Gilgamesh:
“He who is among the stars in the vast sky,
Like the army of Anu, he fell upon you,
The one whom you defeated and threw at my feet,
An honest and strong comrade, always helping a friend,
His power is great throughout the country,
Great is his strength, like the army of Anu.”
From the throne Gilgamesh Eabani noticed,
Gilgamesh speaks to Eabani,
And they sit down like brothers, next to each other.

Table two

Gilgamesh became sad when he heard Eabani's story:
“Listen, young men, listen to me, old men,
For my Eabani, for my friend I cry!
I, like mourners, scream lamentations,
My ax and my wrists
My sword from the belt and from the curls of the decoration,
Robes of festival, signs of greatness
I lay down and cry for my Eabani,
For him, the man of the desert, I cry!”

The hunter discovered a high heart in himself,
He brought a harlot to Eabani so that he could curse her maturity:
"I will assign you a destiny, harlot,
It will not change in the country forever.
Behold, I curse you with a great curse,
Your house will be destroyed by the power of the curse,
They will drive you into a house of debauchery like a beast!
Let the road become your home,
Only under the shadow of the wall will you find rest,
Both the libertine and the drunkard will torment your body,
Because you, Eabani, deprived me of my strength,
For taking me, Eabani, away from my desert!”
Shamash heard him and opened his mouth,
Calls to him from the high sky:
“Why, Eabani, do you curse the harlot so much,
Who gave you food worthy of God,
What wines worthy of a prince gave you,
Dressed your body in lush fabrics,
Brought to Gilgamesh, your wonderful friend?
Now, Gilgamesh is your brother, your comrade,
He lays you down for the night in a luxurious bed,
In a comfortable bed he lays you down for the night;
You are sitting in an easy chair, to the left of the throne,
And the rulers kiss your feet,
The people of Uruk sing your praises.
To please you, the harlot gave you servants,
And at your request I clothed her body with shameful clothing,
I clothed him with the skin of a dog, and he ran through the desert.”
The dawn shone a little, the word of the great Shamash
flew to Eabani, and the angry heart was humbled:
“Let the one who ran away return, her path will be easy,
Let princes and rulers ask for her love,
The mighty leader will untie his belt over her,
He will give her gold and lapis lazuli.”
Thus Eabani humbled his sorrowful heart.
Night has come and he lies down alone,
And he told his friend his nightly alarm:
“Last night I had visions,
The heavens cried out and the earth answered,
And an unknown man stood before me,
The eyes were burning, and the face was dark,
The head was similar to the head of an eagle,
And eagle claws were visible on his fingers.
High, high, between the clouds he ascended
And he raised me high, high,
The flight made my head spin
Instead of hands I had the wings of a bird.
Follow me into the house of darkness, the dwelling of Negral,
To a house from which no one who enters can leave,
The path of no return
To a house where they don't see the light,
Where they feed on dust, where dirt serves as food,
Dressed as birds in a robe of wings, -
To the abode of dust where I descended,
I saw a tray with a terrible tiara,
From all the tiaras that reigned in the world.
The servants Anu and Bel are preparing a roast,
They offer boiled food and cold water.
There lives a priest and a warrior,
Prophet and oathbreakers,
Abyss-casters, great gods,
Etana lives, and Gira lives,
Ereshkigal lives there, queen of the earth;
The maiden scribe, Belit-seri bowed before her,
Everything she wrote down is read in front of her.
She raised her eyes and saw me,
And she asked the counselor not to disturb her.”
As soon as the dawn flashed, Gilgamesh opened the hidden peace,
He took out a huge table that was made of linden,
He filled a jasper vessel with honey,
Oil vessel made of lapis lazuli,
Cups of wine, and at that moment the sun appeared.

“Friend, Humbaba does not spare people,
No babies in the wombs of women."
Open the mouth of Eabani, he says to Gilgamesh:
“My friend, the one we are going against is mighty,
It’s Humbaba, the one we’re going after, he’s scary!”
Gilgamesh opens his mouth and says to Eabani:
“My friend, today you have spoken the truth.”

Table three

The people of Uruk said to King Gilgamesh:
“Next to you is Eabani, faithful friend,
Against you is Humbaba, guardian of the cedar,
You have chosen a great job for yourself.
We will honor you with this meeting, sir,
And for the meeting you will honor us, lord!”
Gilgamesh opens his mouth and says to Eabani:
“My friend, let's go through the high door
To the maidservant Ninsun, the great queen,
To my mother, who knows secrets."

Rimat-Belit listened for a long time
With sadness the speeches of my son Gilgamesh.
She entered the temple of the goddess hastily,
She placed her jewelry on her body
And jewelry on your chest too,
She crowned her curls with her tiara,
She walked up the wide steps to the terrace.
Got up. And she laid incense before Shamash,
She laid down the sacrifices and raised her hands to Shamash:
“Why did you give Gilgamesh a vigilant heart,
Why did you conquer my son?
You touched him and he goes away
To Humbaba on a distant road,
He enters into a battle that is unknown to him,
Now I have started an unknown business.
Until the day he leaves and comes back,
Until the day he reaches the cedars,
Smite the mighty, smite Humbaba
And the evil that hates you will destroy you,
You, when he turns to the sky,
He will turn to you, Aya, bride, remember!”
She extinguished the incense burner, took off her tiara,
She called Eabani and addressed him
“Eabani, strong, my joy; listen to me:
Now you and Gilgamesh will defeat Humbaba,
With an offering for Shamash, with a prayer for Aya.

Table four

Crowds of people among the streets of Uruk,
He is plotting a matter of power,

The whole country rose up against the ruler,
The whole country gathered at the walls of Uruk,
Does not allow King Gilgamesh to leave.
But he jumped on them like a wild buffalo,
Knocked over the people blocking the exit,
And he cried over the fallen like a weak child.
Then the wonderful man Eabani,
Eabani, worthy of the goddess's bed,
Before Gilgamesh, like a beautiful god,
Locked the gate leading to the field,
Gilgamesh is prevented from leaving them.
Together they approach the gate,
They quarrel loudly among the noisy streets,
But Gilgamesh pacifies the rebels,
He makes the stones crumble
He makes the wall shake.

Here is Gilgamesh with Eabani in the field,
Together they go to Humbaba's forest,
They reproach each other bitterly.
Eabani does not have the same strength,
Strands of curls are soaked with sweat,
He was born in the desert and is afraid of the desert.
He slows down, Eabani,
His face has darkened, and he himself is trembling,
Salty tears come to my eyes.
Now he lies down on his side without any strength,
I can’t move my arm or my leg,
He opens his mouth and says to Gilgamesh:
“To keep the cedars unharmed,
Bel intended him to frighten people,
Destined for Humbaba, whose voice is like a storm,
Whose larynx is like that of a god, whose breath is like a storm.
He listens to screams and footsteps in the thicket,
And everyone who comes into his thicket,
Whoever enters under the cedars suffers from illness.”
Gilgamesh says to his wonderful friend, says Eabani:
“Like the army of Anu, great is your strength,
You were born in the desert and you are afraid of Humbaba!
My heart is not afraid of the keeper of the cedars.”

“My friend, let’s not go under the cedars,
My hands are weak, my limbs are taken away.”
Gilgamesh speaks to his friend again, says Eabani:
“My friend, you are crying like a little child,

God did not pass here, he did not throw you to the ground.
There is still a long way ahead of us,
I will go alone, experienced in battle,
You will return home and you will no longer be afraid,
Drums and songs will delight your ears,
And weakness will leave your arms and legs.
But I see you're up, we'll go together
Your heart wanted a battle: forget about death and don’t be afraid!
A careful, decisive, strong person
Saves himself in battle, saves his friend!
And for distant days they will keep their name!
So they reach the green mountain,
They lower their voice and stand next to him.

Table five

They stand nearby and look into the thicket.
And they see huge cedars, And they see forest paths,
Where Humbaba wanders with measured steps,
The roads are straight, the paths are excellent,
And they see the cedar mountain, the dwelling of the gods, the temple of Irnini.
The cedar rises before the mountain, grows magnificently,
His supportive shadow is full of rejoicing,
Horsetails lurked in it, and mosses lurked,
Fragrant herbs lurked under the cedar.

The heroes contemplate the thicket for a double hour
And they also contemplate two double hours.
Eabani opened his mouth and said to Gilgamesh:
“Truly, now is the time for us to show our strength,
Humbaba lives in a beautiful place."
Gilgamesh heard the words of Eabani,
He quickly stands next to his friend:
“Well, let’s enter this thicket and find Humbaba,
In seven garments he clothed his mighty body,
But he prepares for battle and seduces six,
Like a wounded buffalo, he goes into a rage.”
Here Gilgamesh shouts, his voice is full of threat,
He calls the ruler of the forest: “Come out, Humbaba!”
Once he screams, he screams another time and a third time,
But Humbaba does not come to meet him.
Eabani lies down on the ground and indulges in sleep,
And, waking up, he tells Gilgamesh about his dream:
"The dream I had was terrible,
You and I stood on the top of the mountain,
And suddenly the mountain collapsed below us,
And we both rolled off her like bugs
You, beautiful and strong, Lord of Uruk,
I, born into the world in the desert."
Gilgamesh says in response to Eabani:
“My friend, your dream is beautiful for both of us,
Your sleep is precious, it heralds happiness.
This is Humbaba - the mountain that you saw
Now I know that we will defeat Humbaba,
We’ll throw his corpse into a thicket of cedars.”

The dawn flashed, and the heroes began to pray,
Twenty hours later they made sacrifices to the dead,
Thirty hours later they finished their lamentations,
They dug a deep ditch in front of Shamash,
Gilgamesh ascended to the altar of stone
And with a prayer he threw the grain into the ditch:
“Bring, O mountain, a dream to Eabani,
Help him, God, to see the future!”
The prayer was accepted and the rain fell,
And with the rain a dream came to Eabani,
He bowed him down like a ripe ear,
Gilgamesh fell to his knees, holding his friend's head.
He finished his dream in the middle of the night,
He stood up and said to the Lord of Uruk:
“Friend, did you shout at me? Why did I wake up?
Did you touch me? Why am I worried?
Has God passed here, my body is trembling.
My friend, I saw a new dream,
The dream I had was completely terrible.
The heavens cried out, the earth lowed,
There was no light, darkness came out,
Lightning flashed, darkness spread,
Death fell like rain on the ground,
She quickly extinguished the flame,
Turned lightning into stinking smoke.
Let’s go down, friend, to the plain and there we’ll decide what to do!”
Gilgamesh opens his mouth and says to Eabani:
Your sleep is precious, it heralds happiness,
I know now that we will destroy Humbaba!”
Now the cedars are shaking, and Humbaba comes out,
Scary, he comes out from under the cedars.
Both heroes rushed, competing in courage,
Both grappled with the ruler of the cedars.
Fate helped Eabani twice,
And Gilgamesh shakes Humbaba's head.

Table six

He washed the weapon, he polished the weapon,
Will spread fragrant curls down your back,
He threw off the dirty, threw the clean over his shoulders,
He placed a tiara on the head and pulled himself into the tunic.
And Lady Ishtar fixed her eyes on him,
She fixed her eyes on the beauty of Gilgamesh:
“Hey, Gilgamesh, from now on you are my lover!
I want to enjoy your lust.
You will be my husband, I will be your wife,
I will lay for you a chariot of lapis lazuli
With wheels of gold and spokes of rubies,
And you will harness huge horses to it;
Enter our monastery, into the incense of cedar,
And when you enter our abode,
Those who sit on thrones will kiss your feet,
All will fall before you, kings, princes and rulers,
The people of the mountains and plains will bring you tribute,
The herds will become fat, the goats will give birth to twins for you;
The mule will perform under a heavy burden,
Your mighty horse will propel your chariot
And be proud that he has no equal.”

Ginlgamesh opens his mouth and speaks,
Ishtar addresses the mistress:
"Keep your wealth for yourself,
Body and clothing decorations,
Save food and drink for yourself,
I eat your food, which is worthy of God,
And your drink is worthy of a ruler.
After all, your love is like a storm,
A door that lets rain and storm through,
The palace where heroes die,
Resin that scorches its owner.
Fur that waters its owner.
Where is the lover you would always love,
Where is the hero you will like in the future?
Here, I’ll tell you about your desires:
To the lover of your first youth, Tammuz,
You have appointed groaning for years and years!
You fell in love with a motley bird, shepherdess,
You beat her, you broke her wings,
And she lives in the thicket and shouts: wings, wings!
You fell in love with a lion, perfect in strength,
You dug traps for him seven and seven times again!
I fell in love with a horse famous in battle,
And she gave him a whip, a bit and spurs,
You gave him seven double hours of running
You judged him to be exhausted and then just get drunk,
Silili, his mother, you judged the sobs!
You loved the shepherd, the keeper of the flock,
He always offered incense before you,
Every day I killed a kid for you,
You beat him up, turned him into a hyena
And his own shepherds are chasing him,
His dogs are tearing his skin!
And your father’s gardener was dear to you, Ishullan,
Bringing you the jewels of the garden,
Every day you decorated your altar with flowers,
You raised your eyes to him and reached out to him:
My Ishullanu, full of strength, let us revel in love,
To feel my nakedness, stretch out your hand.”
And he said to Ishullan: “What do you want from me?
Didn't my mother bake? Have I not eaten?
And I must eat the food of shame and curses,
And the thorns of the bush serve as clothing for me.”
And as soon as you heard these speeches,
You beat him up, turned him into a rat
You told him to stay in his house,
He will not go up to the roof, he will not go down to the field.
And, having loved me, you will also change my image!

Ishtar heard these speeches,
Ishtar got angry and flew to the sky,
Ishtar appeared before her father Anu,
She appeared before Antu's mother and said:
"My father, Gilgamesh just cursed me,
Gilgamesh told my crimes,
My crimes, my spells."

“Truly, you have caused many disasters,
And so Gilgamesh told your crimes
Your crimes, your spells."

“My father, let the bull of heaven be born,
The bull of heaven that will kill Gilgamesh.
If you do not fulfill this request,
I will break the gates that enclose the waters,
I will send all the winds across the earthly space,
And there will be fewer alive than dead.”
Anu opens her mouth, and Lady Ishtar answers:
“What do you want from me?
Can you rest on straw for seven years?
Can you gather ears of grain for seven years?
And have you eaten nothing but roots for seven years?”
Ishtar opens her mouth and answers her father, Anu:
“I will rest on straw for seven years,
I will collect ears of grain for seven years
And for seven years there are only roots,
If the bull of heaven kills Gilgamesh!

Anu listened to her requests, and the heavenly bull appeared,
Anu took him by the tail and threw him into Uruk from the sky.
He crushed a hundred people in his heavy fall,
He rose to his feet and killed five hundred people with his breath,
He saw Eabani and rushed at the hero,
But, grabbing the horns, Eabani bowed his muzzle,
He killed two hundred people in total with his second breath.
His third breath swept over the earth in vain,
Eabani threw him, and he gave up the ghost.
Eabani opened his mouth and said to Gilgamesh:
“My friend, we have defeated the heavenly beast,
Shall we now say that we will have no glory in our posterity?
And Gilgamesh, like a beautiful god,
Mighty and brave lord of Uruk,
Cuts the bull between the horns and the neck,
You cut the bull, takes out the bloody heart,
He places it at the foot of Shamash.
Heroes go to the foot of Shamash
And they sit down like brothers, next to each other.

Ishtar climbed the high wall of Uruk,
She climbed onto the ledge and said her curse:
“Curse Gilgamesh, who clothed me in mourning,
He and his Eabani killed my bull.”
And when Eabani heard this,
He pulled out the bull's leg and threw it in the goddess's face.
“Now I’ll catch you and do the same to you,
I’ll wrap your bull’s tripe all over you.”
Ishtar gathered both harlots and dancers,
Over the bull's leg she raised a lament with them.
And Gilgamesh called the joiners and carpenters together,
So that they admire the length of the bull's horns.
Thirty minutes of azure stones, their mass,
They are two double cubits deep,
And six measures of oil capacity for both.
He dedicates them to his deity Lugal-banda,
He carries them and hangs them in the temple of his lord.
Gilgamesh and Eabani wash their hands in the Euphrates,
And they set off and come to Uruk Square.
The people of Uruk gather, they are contemplated,
And Gilgamesh says to the maids of the house:
“Who is brilliant among the people?
Who is powerful among the people?
Gilgamesh is brilliant among the people,
Gilgamesh is powerful among the people!
People have learned the severity of our anger,
There is no one merry at heart,
I will direct the path of their hearts!”
Gilgamesh held a feast in his house,
People lie down on beds at night and doze off,
Eabani lies down and sees visions,
And he gets up and tells Gilgamesh.

Table seven

Eabani opened his mouth and said to Gilgamesh:
“Friend, why have the great gods gathered in council,
And in an alarming dream I saw a door,
And he touched her, and then he got scared?”
Raises the battle ax Eabani,
Addresses the door as if it were a person:
"The door from the forest, devoid of reason,
Whose mind doesn't exist
I praised your tree for twenty hours of travel in the area,
Even the exalted cedar that I saw in the forest of Humbaba,
Rarity cannot compare with you.
You are seventy-five cubits wide and twenty-four long,
He made you a ruler, he reigned in Nippur.
But if I knew, O door, that you were blocking my way,
That your beauty adorns my prison,
I would pick up an ax and split you into pieces.”
Eabani then turns to his friend, Gilgamesh:
“My friend, with whom we have done so much work,
Decay is everywhere, wherever I look,
My friend, the dream that foreshadowed my destruction is coming true,
The day that the dream told me about is now coming.”

Eabani lies down on her rich bed
And she doesn’t get up for a day, or a second, or a third,
Day four, and five, sixth, and seventh, and eighth, and ninth,
Eabani's illness leaves him in bed for all twelve days.
He then calls Gilgamesh and says to his wonderful friend:
“My friend, some fierce god cursed me,
Like the one who lost his courage in battle.
I'm afraid of the fight and won't go out into the field,
My friend, the one who is afraid is cursed!

Table eight

As the dawn began to shine a little, Eabani said to Gilgamesh:
“Death has conquered me, I am now powerless.
The gods love you and will make you strong,
All the maidens of Uruk will proclaim your glory,
But you won’t escape your destiny, beautiful!
Day and night you worked, you entered the cedar thicket,
Reigned in blessed Uruk, and they gave you honor,
How many spaces have we covered, both flat and mountainous?
And I’m tired, and I’m lying down, and I won’t get up again.
Cover me with magnificent clothes like your mother wears,
Moisten my curls with cedar oil,
The one under whom Humbaba died from our anger,
He who protects the animals of the desert,
The one who played by the water with the herd,
He will never sit next to you,
He will never drink water in the Euphrates,
The blessed one will never enter Uruk!”
And Gilgamesh wept over his friend:
"Eabani, my friend, my brother, desert panther,
We wandered together, climbed mountains together,
They defeated Humbaba, the guardian of the cedar thicket,
And the heavenly bull was killed;
What kind of sleep has taken possession of you now,
Why are you darkened and don’t listen to me!”
But Eabani didn’t look up at his friend,
Gilgamesh touched his heart, and his heart did not beat.
Then he fell on his friend as if on a bride,
Like a roaring lion, he rushed at his friend,
Like a lioness whose cub has been killed,
He grabbed his motionless body,
He tore his clothes, shed copious tears,
He threw off the royal signs, mourning his death.

For six days and six nights Gilgamesh stayed with Eabani,
And when the dawn shone, the people of Uruk gathered to him
And they said to the lord, they said to Gilgamesh:
"You have defeated Humbaba, the keeper of the cedars,
You killed lions in mountain gorges,
He also killed the bull that came down from the sky.
Why is your power lost, why is your gaze lowered,
The heart beats so fast, wrinkles cut across the forehead,
The chest is filled with sorrow,
And your face is similar to the face of one leaving on a long journey,
Pain, sadness and anxiety changed him,
Why are you running into a deserted field?
And Gilgamesh said and answered the people of Uruk:
"Eabani, my friend, my brother, desert panther,
Together with whom we saw so many hardships,
The friend with whom we killed lions,
They killed the bull that came down from the sky,
They defeated Humbaba, the guardian of the cedar,
Now his fate has been fulfilled.
For six days and nights I cried over them
Until the day he was lowered into his grave,
And now I’m afraid of death, and of God in a deserted field,
My friend’s dying word weighs heavily on me.
How, oh, how will I be consoled? How, oh how will I pay?
My beloved friend is now like dirt,
And will I not lie down like him, so as not to rise up forever?

Table nine

Gilgamesh by Eabani, his friend,
He cries bitterly and runs into the desert:
"I will die! Am I not the same as Eabani?
My chest is filled with sorrow,
I'm afraid of death, and to God, I'm running away!
To the power of Ut-napishtim, son of Ubar-Tutu,
I have taken the path, I am walking hastily.
At night I came to the mountain gorges,
I saw Lviv, and now I’m scared!
I will raise my head and call upon the great Sin,
And my prayers will ascend to the assembly of the gods:
“Gods, I pray you, save me, save me!”
He lay down on the ground and was frightened by a terrible dream.
He raised his head and again called out to the great Sin,
And to Ishtar, the heavenly harlot, his prayers were raised.
The mountain was called Mashu,
And when he approached Mash,
Those who watched the sunny exit and return every day -
The vault of heaven touched their heads,
And below their chests reached hell, -
Scorpio people kept the doors,
Their appearance was death, and their gazes were horror,
Their terrible brilliance overturned mountains!
When they left and when they returned, they glared at the sun.
He saw them, Gilgamesh, and out of fear
And his face darkened with anxiety.
He gathered his thoughts and bowed before them.
The scorpion man shouted to his wife:
“The one who comes to us, his body is like the body of a god.”
The Scorpio woman answers her husband:
“He is two-thirds God, only one-third man.”
Gilgamesh says to the scorpion man:
“Do you know where Ut-napishtim, my father, lives,
He who grew up in the assembly of the gods and gained eternal life?
The scorpion man opens his mouth and says to Gilgamesh:
“There is no one, Gilgamesh, who would pass such a road,
There is no one who could pass through this mountain.
The darkness there is deep and there is no light there
Neither when the sun goes out, nor when it returns.
But go, Gilgamesh, do not tarry at the mountain gates,
May the gods keep you healthy and safe!”
The scorpion man finished, Gilgamesh entered the cave,
On the night road of the sun he passes a double hour,
The darkness is deep there, and there is no light there. He sees nothing behind him.
It's eight o'clock and the north wind is blowing,

Ten o'clock goes by, goes out towards the sun,
At the twelfth hour the radiance spread.
He saw the trees of the gods and directed the path towards them,
The apple tree bends under the fruits,
The grapes hang, which are gratifying to see,
The tree of paradise grew on the azure stone,
And on it the fruits are perfect to look at.
Among them are emeralds, rubies, yachts,
And a cat's eye and a moonstone.
Gilgamesh entered the blessed grove,
He looked up at the tree of paradise.

Table ten

Siduri Sabean sits on the throne of the sea,
She sits, the gods are favorable to her,
They gave her a necklace, they gave her a belt,
It is completed with a veil and hidden with a veil.
Gilgamesh rushed like a wild buffalo,
Shrouded in skin, his body is the body of a god,
The chest is filled with sorrow,
His face is similar to the face of someone leaving on a long journey.
The Sabaean woman sees him from afar,
He speaks in his heart, convinces himself:
“Perhaps the one who comes is a destroyer.
Where did he come to my domain from?
The Sabaean woman saw him and closed the door,
She closed the doors and bolted them.
Gilgamesh planned to enter these doors,
He raised his head, unhooked the ax,
Says the following word to the Sabaean woman:
“What did you see? You closed the doors!
I’ll knock down the doors and break the bolt.”
The Sabaean woman says to Gilgamesh:
“Why is your heart beating, your gaze downcast,
Why are you running across the field?
Gilgamesh addresses the Sabaean woman with a word:
Eabani, my brother, desert panther,
Now his fate has been fulfilled,
Am I not the same? Will the same thing happen to me?
Ever since I wandered as a bird of the desert,
Maybe there are fewer stars in the sky,
For so many long years I was asleep.
May I see the sun, be saturated with light,
From the abundant light there is darkness,
May the dead see the radiance of the sun!
Show me, Sabaean, the way to Ut-napishtim,
What is its sign, tell me this sign;
If possible, I will sail across the sea,
If it’s not possible, I’ll go to the field.
The Sabaean woman says to Gilgamesh:
“There is no way to find a way there, Gilgamesh,
No one has sailed across the sea since ancient times;
Shamash did it, and no one will dare again.
The transition is difficult, the road is difficult,
Deep are the waters of death that block the approaches!
Where will you, Gilgamesh, cross the sea?
What will you do when you enter the waters of death?
There is, Gilgamesh, Ur-Ea, the boatman of Ut-napishtim,
With them are the “brothers of the stones”, in the forest he collects herbs,
Let him see your face!
If you can, swim with them; You can’t, come back!
But why, Gilgamesh, do you wander so much?
You won't find the immortality you want!
When the human race was created by the gods,
They ordered death to the human race
And they saved life in their hands.
You, Gilgamesh, fill your stomach,
Have fun both day and night,
Have a holiday every day
Be happy and cheerful every day,
May your robes be magnificent,
The head is anointed, the body is washed,
Admire the child who grabs your hand
Let your wife fall to your chest!”

Gilgamesh heard the Sabaean word,
He hung his ax and went ashore,
Ur-Ea there was a story, the boatman Ut-papishtim,
Ur-Ea looks into his eyes,
Ask Gilgamesh:
What is your name? Tell it to me!
I am Ur-Ea, the boatman of Ut-napishtim!
Gilgamesh opens his mouth and answers:
"I am Gilgamesh! That's my name!
From the home of the gods I came here
A long way from the sunrise.
And now, Ur-Ea, when I see your face,
Show me the way to the hermit Ut-napishtim."

The boatman Ur-Ea answers Gilgamesh as follows:
Your hands, Gilgamesh, have accomplished a lot,
“The Stone Brothers” have been defeated by you;
Raise your axe, Gilgamesh,
Cut out sixty cubits of poles,
Rip off the bark from them and put them on the shore.”
And when Gilgamesh did this,
He and Ur-Ea boarded the ship,
The ship was pushed onto the waves and set off.
Their journey is for a month. On the third day we looked:
Ur-Ea entered the waters of death.
Ur-Ea says to Gilgamesh:
“Gilgamesh, move ahead, work as a pole,
May your hands not touch the waters of death!”
Gilgamesh broke the pole, one, and the second, and the third,
He broke a hundred and twenty poles in all,
Gilgamesh took off his clothes,
I erected the mast with my own hands.
Ut-napishtim looks from afar,
Speaks in his heart, pronounces the word,
He holds advice to himself:
“Why are the ship’s poles broken?
Someone beyond my control is standing on the ship.
He's not quite a man on the right side,
I look and see that he’s not entirely human!”

“What happened to your power? Why is your gaze lowered?
Why is your heart beating and wrinkles appearing on your forehead?
Gilgamesh answers Ut-napishtim:
“I said - I will see Ut-napishtim, about whom there is glory,
And I rose and went through all the countries,
I crossed difficult mountains,
Swam across all the depths of the sea,
No good wind blew in my face,
I plunged myself into poverty, filled my limbs with pain,
I did not enter the house of the Sabaean woman, my clothes were rotten!
Gorge bird, lion and jackal, deer and panther
They served as food for me, their skins pleased my heart.
Let the one who is satisfied lock the doors,
Joy flew away from me, I reached the border of sorrow.”
Ut-napishtim says to Gilgamesh:
“Are we building houses forever? Are we working forever?
Do brothers part with each other forever?
Does hatred enter the heart forever?
Do rivers forever flood the plains?
Have the birds seen the sun forever?
Since ancient times there has been no immortality on earth,
The dead and the sleeping are similar to each other,
Both do not know the face of death.
Master and servant are equal before her,
The Anunnaki, the great gods, hide it,
Mametu, mistress of fate, rules with them,
Life or death they indicate
They don’t let you guess the hour of death.”

Table eleven

“Oh Ut-write, I contemplate you,
Your appearance is not scary, you are like me,
You are like me, you are not different from me.
Your heart is fit to laugh in battle
Like everyone else, when you sleep, you lie on your back!
Why are you so exalted, have you gained life from the assembly of immortals?”
Ut-napishtim says to Gilgamesh:
I will reveal to you, Gilgamesh, a secret word,
I will tell you the secret of the gods:
Shurippak, the city you know
which stands near the Euphrates,
An ancient city, the gods live in it,
And their hearts, the great gods, pushed them to make the flood.
Among them was their father, Anu,
Bel warrior, their adviser,
Eniugi, their chief,
And Ninib, their messenger,
Ea the wisest sat with them;
He repeated their words to the reed hedge:
“Hedge, hedge! Fence, fence!
Listen, hedge! Understand, fence!
The man Shurippaka, son of Ubar-Tutu,
Destroy your house, build a ship,
Leave your wealth, think about life,
Hate riches for life's sake
Immerse the seeds of all life into the interior of the vessel.
Let them be measured, its dimensions,
The dimensions of the ship you will build are
Let width and length answer each other!
Then only you can lower it into the sea!”
I understood and said to Ea, my master:
"Oh my lord, everything you said
I listened with my heart and will do everything,
But what will I tell the crowd and the elders?”
He opened his mouth and answered me,
He answered his servant like this:
This is what you will tell the crowd and the elders:
- I am hated by Bel and will not live in your city
I won’t put my feet on Bel’s ground,
I will go down to the ocean, I will live with Ea, my master.
And he will send abundance of water upon you,
Prey birds and fish prey,
He will send unclean rain on you. —

As soon as the morning dawned, I began to work,
On the fifth day I finished the drawings:
The walls must be one hundred and twenty cubits long,
And the roof volume is also one hundred and twenty,
I outlined the outlines and drew them afterwards;
I covered the ship with planking six times,
I divided its roof into seven parts,
His insides were divided into nine,
He placed spacers in the middle,
I arranged the steering wheel and everything that is needed,
I poured six measures of resin into the bottom,
I poured three measures of tar into the bottom;
Bearers of three measures of oil:
I left one measure for the sacred sacrifice,
The boatman hid the other two measures.
I slaughtered bulls for the people,
Every day I killed a goat,
They brought me berry juice, wine and butter
I gave him water like plain water;
I arranged a holiday, like on New Year's Day,
He opened the pantries and took out the precious myrrh.
Before sunset the ship was finished,
The builders brought a mast for the ship.
I loaded everything I had onto it,
I loaded everything I had in silver onto it,
All that I had in gold I loaded onto it,
All that I had I loaded, all the seed of life
I imprisoned myself in the interior of the ship; relatives and family,
The cattle of the field and the beasts of the field, I loaded them all.

Shamash appointed an hour for me:
- In the evening of darkness the ruler will send unclean waters,
Enter the interior of the ship and slam the door.
- The destined hour has come:
In the evening of darkness the ruler shed unclean waters;
I looked at the images of the day
And I was scared of this weather,
He entered the ship and slammed the doors;
To steer the ship, the boatman Puzur-Belu
I entrusted the construction with everything loaded.
As soon as the dawn broke,
A black cloud rose from the depths of the sky,
Adad growled inside her,
Nabu and the Tsar stepped forward;
The messengers, they walked through the mountain and the field;
Nergal knocked over the mast.
He is coming, Ninib, he is leading the battle;
The Anunnaki brought the torches,
With their lights they illuminate the earth.
The roar of Adad filled the sky,
Everything that was brilliant turns into darkness.
Brother doesn't see brother anymore
People in the sky cannot recognize each other,
The gods are afraid of the flood
They run away, they ascend to the sky of Anu.
There they sit down like dogs, lying on their camps.
Ishtar calls out loudly like a charwoman,
With a wondrous voice the queen of the gods exclaims:
"Let that day crumble into dust,
Laziness, when I said something evil before the gods,
Because I said something evil before the gods,
To destroy people and bring about a flood.
Is it for this reason that I cherished my people?
So that, like a brood of fish, they fill the sea?
Because of the Anunnaki, the gods weep with her,
The gods are depressed and sit in tears,
Their lips are compressed and their body trembles.
For six days, six nights the wind and water roam, a hurricane rules the earth.
At the beginning of the seventh day the hurricane subsides,
He who fought like an army;
The sea calmed down, the wind calmed down, the flood stopped.
I looked at the sea: the voice was not heard,
All humanity has become dirt,
There was a swamp above the rooftops!
I opened the window, the day illuminated my cheek,
I went crazy, I sat and cried,
Tears streamed down my cheek.
I looked at the world, at the expanse of the sea,
Twelve days' journey away an island was visible,
A ship is approaching Mount Nizir,
Mount Nizir does not allow ships away from it,
The day, and the second, and the third does not let him in,
The fourth, fifth, sixth day he won’t let him in.
The seventh day caught fire,
I took the dove and let it out,
The dove flew away and returned,

I took the swallow and let it out,
The swallow flew away and returned,
As if she couldn’t find a place for herself, she returned.
I took the crow and let it out,
The raven rushed off, he saw the damage to the water:
He eats, he flutters, he croaks, he doesn’t want to come back.
I left it to the four winds, I poured out a libation,
I placed the victim on a mountain top.
I placed fourteen sacrificial urns,
Myrtle, cedar and reeds were spread under them.
The gods smelled it
The gods smelled a good smell,
The gods flocked like flies over those making sacrifices.
Only the queen of the gods rushed in,
She offered the jewelry that Anu had made for her:
"0 gods standing here, how I will not forget my necklace of lapis lazuli,
I won’t forget these days either, I will always remember them!
Let the gods approach the victim
But let Bel not approach the victim
Because he did not think twice, he caused a flood,
He has ordained death for my people.”
Only God Bel came rushing,
He saw the ship, Bel, and became angry,
Filled with anger against Igigi:
“Has any mortal escaped?
A person should not live among destruction!”
Ninib opens his mouth,
He says to the hero Bel:
“Who, besides Ea, is the creator of creation?
“Ea alone knows the whole matter.”
He opens his mouth,
He says to the hero Bel:
“You, a sage among the gods, a warrior,
Why didn't you realize that you caused a flood?
Place the sin on the sinner,
Place the blame on the culprit!
But retreat before he is destroyed!
Why did you cause the flood?
Let the lion come and devour people!
Why did you cause the flood?
Let the leopard come and devour people!
Why did you cause the flood?
Let famine come and devastate the land!
Why did you cause the flood?
Let the plague come and devastate the earth!
I did not reveal the secret of the great gods to people,
Wise one, I sent them a dream, and the dream told them a secret.”
The gods then asked Bel for advice;
Bel boarded the ship
He took me by the hand and lifted me high;
And he lifted up my wife and placed us side by side;
He touched our faces, stood between us, and blessed us:
“Before Ut-napishtim were mortals,
Now both he and his wife are like us, immortals:
Let him live, Ut-napishtim, at the mouths of rivers far away!
They took me and settled me at the mouths of rivers.
And you, Gilgamesh, who of the gods will introduce you into their assembly,
So that you can find the immortality you are looking for?
Here! Don’t lie down for six days, seven nights, try!”
As soon as Gilgamesh fell to the ground,
Sleep blew over him like a storm.
Ut-napishtim says to his wife:
“Do you see the strong one who wants immortality?
Sleep blew over him like a storm!”
The wife says to the hermit, Ut-napishtim:
“Touch him, let the man awaken immediately
And the way he came, he will return unharmed!
He will return home through the big gate from where he came out!”
Ut-napishtim says to his wife:
“Humanity is evil and rewards good with evil!
But bake him some bread and place it at his bedside!”
And while he slept on the deck of the ship,
She baked some bread and placed it at his bedside.
And while he was sleeping, knowledge told him:
“His first bread is leavened,
The second one is seasoned, the third one is seasoned,
The fourth one was fried, it turned white,
The fifth has become old,
Sixth brew,
Seventh!..." He touched him, the man woke up immediately!
Gilgamesh says to the hermit Ut-napishtim:
“I lay motionless! They spread sleep over me!
Suddenly you touched me and I woke up.”
Ut-napishtim says to Gilgamesh:
“Count, Gilgamesh, count your loaves!
Let the quality of the bread be known to you!”
Gilgamesh says to Ut-napishtim:
“What, what will I do, Ut-write? Where will I go?
I, whose joys the thief stole,
I, in whose bedroom lies destruction?
Ut-napishtim turned to Ur-Ea the boatman.
“Ur-Ea, let the sea rejoice with you!
Let him who wanders along the shore see!
The man you came before
Whose body is covered with dirty clothes
And whose beauty is covered by skins,
Take him, Ur-Ea, and take him to the bathhouse,
Let him wash his clothes in water until they are clean.
Let him throw off the skins from his shoulders, and let them be carried away by the sea,
Let his marvelous body arouse envy in the beholder,
Let it become new, his head bandage,
Let him be covered with a dress, with unshameful clothing!
Until the day he arrives in his city,
Until the day he finishes his journey,
His dress will not wear out, but will remain new.”
Gilgamesh and Ur-Ea boarded the ship,
They pushed the ship into the waves and sailed away.
His wife said this to the hermit Ut-napishtim:
"Gilgamesh traveled, he was tired, weary,
What will you give him when he returns?
Gilgamesh heard and raised the pole,
He brings the ship to the shore.
Ut-napishtim says to Gilgamesh:
“To you, Gilgamesh, I will reveal a secret word,
I will tell you the sacred word:
Do you see a plant on the ocean floor?
Its thorn, like a thorn, will pierce your hand,
If your hand can reach this plant.”
As soon as Gilgamesh heard this,
He tied heavy stones to his feet,
And they plunged him into the ocean.
He took the plant, it pierced his hand,
Then he untied the heavy stones
And he went upstairs with his prey.
Gilgamesh addressed Ur-Ea:
“Ur-Ea, this plant is very famous,
Because of him, a person receives the breath of life.
I will take it to strong Uruk, divide it among my fellow citizens,
His name is “the old man becomes young.”
I will eat it in Uruk and become a young man.”

Thirty hours had passed, they finished lamenting;
Gilgamesh saw a well of cold water,
He went down into it and washed himself with water.
The snake smelled the plant,
She crawled up and took away the plant.
Gilgamesh returned, shouted a curse,
Then he sat down and cried;
Tears are rolling down his cheek,
He says to the boatman Ur-Ea:
“For whom, O Ur-Ea, did my hands endure fatigue?
For whom did I waste the blood from my heart?
After all, I did not perform feats for myself,
I performed feats for the lions of the desert,
And my plant is swayed by the waves.
When I came ashore,
I saw a sacred sign: it’s time to land,
It’s time to leave the ship offshore.”

Twenty hours passed, they made a sacrifice to the dead,
Thirty hours have passed, they finished lamenting,
And then they saw blessed Uruk.
Gilgamesh addressed the boatman Ur-Ea:
“Ur-Ea, go for a walk on the wall of Uruk!
Contemplate the foundation, look at the masonry, isn’t the masonry beautiful?
Or was it not the seven wise men who laid the foundation here?
One sar of the city, one of the garden, one ruins of the temple of the goddess -
Three saras, and I’ll take the wreckage of Uruk and finish it.”

Table twelve

Gilgamesh opens his mouth, Ur-Ea asks:
“How can I descend into the abode of darkness,
How can I see my Eabani?
Ur-Ea says to Gilgamesh:
"O Gilgamesh, if you want to see Eabani,
Eabani, who lives in the kingdom of the dead,
Take off your clean dress, put on a dirty dress,
It’s as if you were a citizen in Ninazu’s palace!
Do not anoint yourself with incense oil from the urn:
When you hear the smell, the shadows will rush towards you!
Do not place your bow on the ground:
All those struck by the bow will surround you!
Do not hold the royal scepter in your hand:
The shadows will declare you a prisoner!
Let no shoes touch your feet:
Don't make any noise while walking on the ground!
Don't kiss your wife, whom you love,
And don’t beat your wife, whom you hate!
Don't kiss the child you love
And don't hit your child whom you hate!
Then you will hear the complaint of the earth!

Her chest doesn’t look like an urn!”
Three days have passed, and Gilgamesh breaks the law,
He kisses the wife he loves,
Hit a child he hates.
He cannot hear the complaint of the earth:
She who rests, she who rests, mother Ninazu, she who rests,
Her shiny thighs are not covered with clothes,
Her chest doesn't look like an urn.
Eabani cannot go to earth.
Namtaru did not take him, misfortune did not take him, the earth did not let him in,
Nergal's merciless guard did not take him, the earth does not let him in,
He didn’t fall at the place of the battle; the earth won’t let him in.
Ninsun cries for his servant Eabani,
She hurriedly comes to Bel's house alone,
Bel didn’t say a word to come to Sin,
Sin did not say a word, comes to Ea,
The father says to Nergal:
“Strong Nergal, open the hole of hell,
Let the shadow of Eabani come to his brother!
Strong Nergal listens to the command of Ea,
He opens the hole of hell,
And from there, like a breath, the shadow of Eabani emerges.
Gilgamesh speaks to his friend, speaks to Eabani:
"Tell me, my friend, tell me, my friend,
Tell me the law of the land that you know!” —
“I won’t tell, my friend, I won’t tell!
If the law of the earth had told me,
Then you would sit down and cry!” —
"What? Let me sit down and pay!
Tell me the law of the land that you know.” —
“The head that you touched and which you rejoiced in your heart,
Like old clothes, the worm devours them!
The breast that you touched and which you rejoiced in your heart,
It's like an old bag, it's full of dust!
My whole body is like dust!” —
“Have you seen the one who died the death of iron?” - "Saw!
He lies on the bed, drinks clear water.” —
“Did you see the one who was killed in battle?” —
"Saw! His mother and father are holding his head, his wife is bending over him.” —
Did you see the one whose body was thrown into the field? - "Saw!
His shadow finds no rest in the earth.” —
“Have you seen the one whose spirit no one cares about?” —
"Saw! He eats leftovers in pots and scraps from the street.”