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Introduction

1. The emergence of writing in ancient Mesopotamia

2 Literature in ancient Mesopotamia

3. History of the Epic of Gilgamesh

4. Epic of Gilgamesh

Conclusion

Literature

Introduction

At the turn of IV-III millennium BC. in the Sumerian cities of the Southern Mesopotamia, the first clay tablets appeared with samples of archaic writing, which arose on the basis of a system of three-dimensional clay symbols-chips, which were used for accounting in the temple households of Sumer.

The appearance of writing played a huge role in the formation and consolidation of the new culture of the ancient society, with the advent of which new forms of information storage and transmission became possible. The advent of writing contributed to the development of literature.

Ancient Mesopotamian literature is a single, despite bilingualism, literature of the peoples who inhabited the interfluve of the Euphrates and the Tigris in the III-I millennium BC - the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians and Assyrians.

New trends, images and themes appeared in literature and art. Many poems, legends, myths, songs were written. The most important monument of Sumerian literature was the cycle of legends about Gilgamesh, the legendary king of the city of Uruk, who ruled in the 18th century. BC. In these tales, the hero Gilgamesh is presented as the son of a mere mortal and the goddess Ninsun, his wanderings around the world in search of the secret of immortality are described in detail. The legends about Gilgamesh and the legends about the global flood had a very strong influence on world literature and culture and on the culture of neighboring peoples who adopted and adapted the legends to their national life.

1. Appearancewriting in ancient Mesopotamia

The most significant contribution of the Sumerians to the history of world culture is the invention of writing. Writing has become a powerful accelerator of progress in all areas of human activity: with its help, property accounting and production control were established, economic planning became possible, a stable education system appeared, the volume of cultural memory increased, resulting in a new type of tradition based on following the canon. written text. The Sumerians wrote with fingers (sticks) on wet clay, they called this occupation cuneiform. After the Sumerians, a huge number of clay cuneiform tablets remained.

The Sumerian script contains logograms (or ideograms) that are read as whole words, signs for vowels, and also consonants together with vowels (but not just consonants separately). To make it easier for the reader to navigate when reading complex texts, often reminiscent of puzzles, scribes used special determinants to designate wooden tools or objects, the names of professions, numerous plants, etc. .

The Akkadian language has been attested in southern Mesopotamia since the first half of the 3rd millennium BC, when speakers of this language borrowed cuneiform from the Sumerians and began to use it widely in their daily lives. From the same time, intensive processes of interpenetration of the Sumerian and Akkadian languages ​​began, as a result of which they learned many words from each other. But the predominant source of such borrowings was the Sumerian language. .

One of the greatest achievements of Babylonian and Assyrian culture was the creation of libraries. In Ur, Nippur and other cities, starting from the 2nd millennium BC, for many centuries scribes collected literary and scientific texts, and thus extensive private libraries arose.

Among all the libraries in the Ancient East, the most famous was the library of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (669-c. 635 BC), carefully and with great skill collected in his palace in Nineveh. For her, throughout Mesopotamia, scribes made copies of books from official and private collections or collected the books themselves. The royal annals, chronicles of the most important historical events, collections of laws, literary works and scientific texts were stored in the library of Ashurbanipal. In total, more than 30,000 tablets and fragments have been preserved, which reflect the achievements of the Mesopotamian civilization. At the same time, Ashurbanapal's library was the first systematically selected library in the world, where clay books were placed in a certain order. Many books were presented in several copies, so that two or more readers could use the necessary texts at the same time. .

Our knowledge is only an interpretation of "cuneiform" sources, most of which were translated and rewritten by the priests of later cultures, for example, the Epic of Gilgamesh or the Enuma Elish poem dating from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC.

2. Lliterature in ancient Mesopotamia

In terms of the number of surviving works, cuneiform literature far surpasses all other literature of antiquity, except for Greek and Roman. True, the volume of cuneiform literary works for the most part is small: it was difficult to write lengthy texts on heavy and bulky clay tiles. Therefore, even the largest cuneiform literary monuments contain no more than two or three thousand lines. Sumerian literature has come down to us mainly in the records of the 19th-18th centuries. BC. The Mesopotamian tradition is characterized by the presence of so-called literary catalogues. The oldest of the discovered catalogs dates back to the 1st millennium BC. Catalogs are lists in which the titles of works are recorded according to the first lines of the text. Literary texts have been found in many private homes. Sumerian catalogs mark 87 literary works. For some of them, the authors are indicated, but often semi-mythical personalities appear in their capacity, sometimes deities ...

By genre, these are: poetic records of myths; epic tales; prayers; hymns to kings and gods; psalms; wedding love songs; weeping - funeral, about national disasters; from didactic works - teachings, edifications; fables; Proverbs and sayings. A special genre was made up of works about the death of Sumerian cities due to raids by neighboring tribes. The “Lament for the death of the inhabitants of Ur” (at the end of the 21st century BC) was very popular, which describes terrible details about the suffering of women, the elderly and children who suffered from hunger, burned in houses on fire and drowned in the river. The most famous monument of Sumerian literature is the cycle of epic tales about the legendary hero Gilgamesh. .

The oldest monuments in the Akkadian language date back to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. e. The displacement of the Sumerian language by Akkadian did not mean the destruction of the Sumerian culture, there was a merging of cultural traditions. This is evident in mythology as well. All Akkadian deities are either of Sumerian origin or identified with Sumerian ones. .

Babylonian literature is also characterized by literary catalogues. The catalogs sometimes indicate the authorship of the texts, but in some cases this is far from plausible - "written from the mouth of a horse." An example of an author's work is the epic "About Etana", the author of which is considered to be Lu-Nanna. .

In the first half of the XI century. BC. the poem "Babylonian theodicy" appears. Unlike most ancient Eastern literary works, which are anonymous, we know the author of this poem. He was a certain Esagil-kini-ubbib, who served as a priest-caster at the royal court. It expresses in vivid form the religious and philosophical ideas that agitated the Babylonians. "Theodicy" is built in the form of a dialogue between an innocent sufferer and his friend. Throughout the work, the sufferer denounces unrighteousness and evil, sets out his claims to the gods and laments the injustice of social order. The friend seeks to refute these arguments. The author of the work does not express his attitude to the essence of the dispute and does not impose his opinion on the reader or listener. X century BC dates back to an interesting work called "Slave, obey me", permeated with a pessimistic attitude to life and its vicissitudes. It contains a dialogue between a master and his slave. Bored with idleness, the master enumerates a variety of desires that he would like to fulfill. The slave first supports the intentions of the owner and expresses his arguments in favor of their implementation. Then, when the master refuses to implement them, the slave each time argues that all human actions are useless and meaningless. The slave inspires the master that one should not do good to people, because after death the villains, and the righteous, and the noble, and the slaves are equal and no one will distinguish them from each other by their skulls. At the end of the work, the slave convinces his life-weary master that the only good is death. Then the master expresses his desire to kill his slave. But he is saved by what indicates the inevitability of the imminent death of the master himself. .

Of great artistic value is the "Poem on the Creation of the World" created on 7 tablets. The purpose of the poem: to justify the exaltation of the almost unknown until the XIX-XVIII centuries. BC. the city of Babylon and its local deity Marduk. The time of the creation of the poem is not earlier than the 18th century. BC. .

3. History of the Epic of Gilgamesh

One of the most famous works of Sumerian literature is the Epic of Gilgamesh. Twelve cuneiform tablets from the library of Assurbanipal contain the national hero epic, later translated into Akkadian.

The epic tells about the legendary king of Uruk Gilgamesh, his savage friend Enkidu and the search for the secret of immortality. One of the chapters of the epic, the story of Utnapishtim, who saved mankind from the global flood, is very reminiscent of the biblical story of Noah's Ark, which suggests that the epic was familiar even to the authors of the Old Testament.

According to the researchers of the Epos, the first songs about Gilgamesh were created at the end of the first half of the third millennium BC. e. The first tablets that have come down to our time were created 800 years later. Around this time, the creation of the Akkadian version of the poem is also attributed, which probably finally took shape in the last third of the third millennium BC. e. In the second millennium BC. e. in Palestine and Asia Minor, another version of the Akkadian poem was created - the "peripheral". The translation of the Epic into the Hurrian and Hittite languages ​​is attributed to the same time ...

From the end of the second millennium to the 7th-6th centuries BC. the final version of the Epos was created - "Nineveh", which was found in the library of Ashurbanipal.

The oldest of the texts are written in the Sumerian language. The most important is the version in Akkadian, which is a huge artistic achievement. .

The epic was based on both mythological motifs based on the religious beliefs of the Sumerians and historical legends. Gilgamesh was a historical figure - a lugal of the Sumerian city of Uruk around 2800-2700 BC. e. His name, which in the Sumerian language is conditionally transmitted as "Bilgames", is mentioned in the Sumerian tablet with a list of Sumerian rulers of the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. e. But quite early, Gilgamesh began to be deified. From the 18th century BC e. his name in the form "Bilgemes" or "Bilgames" is mentioned among the Sumerian deities. Numerous legends arose around him, in which he was represented as a divine hero, the son of the goddess Ninsun and the hero Lugalbanda. .

Later, the name of Gilgamesh became very popular in Babylon, the Hittite kingdom and Assyria, the image of a hero fighting animals was associated with him, his companion was a half-bull-half-man hero. Later it was believed that Gilgamesh is a deity that protects people from demons, a judge of the underworld. His images were placed at the entrance to the house, because it was believed that in this way he was protected from evil spirits.

Several Sumerian legends and songs that mention Gilgamesh have survived to our time: a poem about Gilgamesh and Akka, the king of Kish, “Gilgamesh and the Mountain of the Living”, “Gilgamesh and the heavenly bull”, “Gilgamesh and willow”. The exact time of their creation is unknown. At the time of their creation, Gilgamesh was no longer remembered as a historical figure. At the same time, these works, belonging to the genre of the epic poem, are primitive in content and archaic in form, which is very different from the Akkadian poem about Gilgamesh.

The Epic of Gilgamesh, the famous king of Uruk in Mesopotamia, was written in a time that was completely forgotten, until in the 19th century archaeologists began to excavate the ruined cities of the Middle East. The discovery of the epic is due, firstly, to the curiosity of two Englishmen, and then to the work of many scientists who collected, copied and translated the clay tablets on which the poem was written. This work continues in our time, and many gaps are being filled from year to year.

3. Epic of Gilgamesh

written language Akkadian epic

The epic tells of the demigod Gilgamesh, a mighty warrior, king of Uruk. No one could compare with him in strength, and he brought uncountable misfortunes to people, "raging with the flesh." They prayed to the gods to appease the king of Uruk. And so the goddess Aruru, having listened to them, "plucked off the clay, threw it on the ground, Blinded Enkidu, created a hero.", Who could curb the fury of Gilgamesh. His body was covered with wool, he lived among the animals, "he knew neither people nor the world." Protecting the animals from the hunters, he aroused their hatred for him, but they could not do anything with him. .

In desperation, the hunters went to Uruk and fell at the feet of King Gilgamesh, begging to be delivered from their hated enemy. Gilgamesh embarked on a trick, advising the hunters to take the harlot Shamhat to Enkidu - let him seduce him. And so they did. And "the harlot gave him pleasure, the work of women." When he was satisfied with the caress of Enkidu, he found that his body weakened and "he became deeper in understanding." The animals left him, and then Shamhat reproached him, saying why he walks with the beast: “I will take you to Uruk, where the mighty Gilgamesh lives.” Enkidu agreed and declared that he would fight Gilgamesh. Shamhat began to exhort him to show prudence, for in prophetic dreams the appearance of a friend was destined for the king of the fenced Uruk, and to be him, Enkidu, that friend.

On the way to Uruk, Shamhat teaches Enkidu to wear clothes, eat bread, and, having come to Uruk, Enkidu blocks the entrance to the bridal chamber, where only Gilgamesh had the right to enter. The people of Uruk recognize him as their hero. The heroes fought in battle, but they were equal in strength, and Gilgamesh led him to his mother Ninsun, where they fraternize, but Enkidu cries because he has nowhere to apply his strength. .

Gilgamesh invites him to go on a campaign against Humbaba - the keeper of the cedar forests in Lebanon, Enkidu tries to dissuade Gilgamesh, telling how dangerous the forest of Humbaba and Humbaba himself, whom the gods endowed with strength and courage, but Gilgamesh convinces Enkidu that a person's life is already so short, and it is better to die as a hero who will be remembered for centuries than in obscurity. The elders of Uruk also try to dissuade him, but then they bless him and ask Enkidu to take care of the king. Before the campaign, they visit Queen Ninsun, who also worries about her son and makes a sacrifice to the god Shamash.

On the way to the cedar forest, Gilgamesh has dreams that Enkidu interprets as predictions of victory over Humbaba, but they eventually turn to the god Shamash for guidance, and he tells them to immediately attack Humbaba while he is wearing only one of the seven terrible robes. The heroes are afraid to enter the forest, but Gilgamesh encourages Enkidu and they enter Humbaba's domain and start cutting down cedars, Humbaba's appearance frightens them, but Shamash's support causes the friends to attack the guardian of the forest and kill him and his seven robes-rays.

The goddess Ishtar offers Gilgamesh to become her husband, but he refuses, saying that she had many husbands, and now everyone is either killed or bewitched. Embittered, Ishtar asks Anu to create a bull capable of killing the hero, but Gilgamesh and Enkidu defeat the bull with coordinated actions. Enkidu has a dream that the gods Anu and Enlil want to kill him, although Shamash intercedes for him. Gilgamesh wants to pray to Enlil, but Enkidu dissuades him, and he turns to Shamash, cursing the hunter and the harlot Shamhat, but Shamash points out to Enkidu what Shamhat gave him, and he cancels his curse, replacing it with a blessing. .

Enkidu falls ill and soon dies. Gilgamesh becomes sad and orders a statue of his brother to be made. Gilgamesh goes into the desert, on a journey, realizing his mortality after the death of a friend, he is afraid of death. Traveling, he reaches the edge of the world, where he meets a scorpion man and tells him about his sadness and that he wants to find Utnapishti, the only person who received immortality (according to some sources, the ancestor of Gilgamesh), and ask him about life and death. The scorpion man says that the path to the country of Dilmun, where the gods settled Utnapishti, which lies through a long cave, is terrible and not walked by people - only the gods go this way. Gilgamesh is not afraid, and the scorpion man blesses him.

Gilgamesh did not master the difficult path the first time - he was frightened and returned, on the second attempt he passed the cave and ended up in a beautiful garden of precious stone trees. There he meets the mistress of the gods Siduri, who, frightened, closes herself from him in the house, and at first does not believe that he is Gilgamesh, since he is dirty and thin, he has to tell his story.

She tries to convince him that immortality is not supposed to be a man, it’s not worth wasting time searching - it’s better to enjoy life, but Gilgamesh asks her how to find Utnapishti, and she says that, except for Shamash, no one can cross, and only Urshanabi, a shipbuilder Utnapishti, who has idols in the forest, can help.

Urshanabi helps Gilgamesh get to Utnapishti. Gilgamesh tells him about his grief and asks how Utnapishti managed to become equal to the gods.

Utnapishti tells the story of a flood in which only he survived, and the gods accepted him, but for Gilgamesh the gods cannot be gathered for advice. Utnapishti tells Gilgamesh that there is a flower at the bottom of the ocean that gives eternal youth, he gets it and decides to first test it on the elders of Uruk. But on the way back, the snake steals the flower and Gilgamesh comes back empty-handed.

In some interpretations, there is also a continuation in which Gilgamesh meets his brother Enkidu, who came out of the underworld, and tells about the difficult life in the world of the dead (for the ancient Sumerians, a rather gloomy idea of ​​\u200b\u200bposthumous existence is characteristic, unlike, for example, from the Egyptians). After that, Gilgamesh resigns himself to the fate of a mortal.

Conclusion

The most ancient inhabitants of Mesopotamia created a high culture, which had an exceptionally strong influence on the further development of all mankind, becoming the property of many countries and peoples. On the territory of Mesopotamia, many features of material and spiritual culture arose and took shape, which for a long time determined the entire subsequent course of world history.

The prestige of the Mesopotamian culture in writing was so great that in the second half of the 2nd millennium BC. e., despite the decline of the political power of Babylonia and Assyria, the Akkadian language and cuneiform become a means of international communication throughout the Middle East. The text of the treaty between Pharaoh Ramesses II and the Hittite king Hattusili III was written in Akkadian. Even to their vassals in Palestine, the pharaohs write not in Egyptian, but in Akkadian.

Scribes at the courts of the rulers of Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt diligently studied the Akkadian language, cuneiform, and literature.

Sumerian and Akkadian ritual, "scientific" and literary texts are being copied and translated into other languages ​​throughout the area of ​​cuneiform writing.

The Sumerians created the first poems in history - about the "Golden Age", wrote the first elegies. They are the authors of the oldest medical books in the world - collections of recipes.

The civilization of the Ancient Mesopotamia had a huge impact on the ancient, and through it - on the medieval culture of Europe, the Middle East, and ultimately - on the world culture of the New and Modern times.

Literature

1. Dyakonov I.M. History of the Ancient East. - M.: Nauka, 1983.

2. Kramer S.N. The story begins in Sumer. M., 1991.

3. Oppenheim A. Ancient Mesopotamia. M., 1990.

4. Turaev B.A. History of the Ancient East. - Minsk: Harvest, 2004. - 752 p.

5. Afanasyeva V., Lukonin V., Pomerantseva N. The Art of the Ancient East (Small History of Art). M., 1976.

6. Afanas'eva V.K. Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Epic images in art. - M.: Nauka, 1979. - 219 p. - (Culture of the peoples of the East).

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Table One

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

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

He, their shepherd, he, their guardian,
He, beautiful, strong, he, wise.
Their prayer reached the high sky,
The heavenly gods, the lords of Uruk, said to Aruru:
“Behold, you 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 the husband of the wife,
He, to whom the blessed Uruk is entrusted,
He, their shepherd, he, their guardian. Heeds their requests Aruru,
To Aruru the great they proceed again:
"You, Aruru, have already created Gilgamesh,
You will be able to create and his likeness,
Let them compete in strength, and let Uruk rest."

Listens to Aruru and in the heart gives birth to the likeness of Anu,
Washes Apypy's hands, throws in a handful of clay.
And creates Eabani, the hero, the power of Ninib.
In the hair of his body, he wears, like women, a braid,
Strands of curls fall like ripe ears of corn,
He knows neither land nor people, dressed like Gira,
Together with the gazelles it nibbles the grass,
With cattle goes to the watering hole,
He rejoices with the water creature in his heart.
One hunter, skillful hunter,
I spotted him at the watering hole,
Again and again at the waterhole.
The hunter was frightened, his face darkened,
I was very sad, wept bitterly,
The heart sank, and sorrow penetrated to the womb,
He and his flock hurried to the house.

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


It roams freely in our domain.
He is always in the pasture among the gazelles,
Always his feet at the watering hole,
I wander and do not dare to approach him.


He stole from me the beasts of the desert,
He won't let me work in the wilderness."
The mouth is opened by the father, the hunter to teach:
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 the father's word,
Starts on the road, steps slow down in Uruk,
Comes to the feast, says to Gilgamesh:
“O king, the man who came down from the mountain,
In your domain freely roams,
I dug traps, he filled them in
I set the nets, he tore them out,
He won't let me work in the wilderness."

Gilgamesh opens his mouth, and the hunter listens:
"Return, my hunter, and take the harlot with you,
And when that person comes to the watering place,
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 the harlot with him,
Both set off on a straight path
And on the third day they came to that field.
The hunter sat down, and the harlot sat down,
A day and another wait at the watering hole,
Animals come and drink cold water
The herd comes running, rejoices in the heart.
And he, Eabani - his homeland of the mountain -
Together with gazelles, he nibbles grass,
With cattle goes to a watering place,
The heart rejoices with water creatures.
A harlot saw him, a passionate man,
Strong, destroyer, in the middle of the desert:
It's him, whore, open your breasts
Open your womb, let him take your maturity.
Give him pleasure, the business of women.
As soon as he sees you, he rushes to you
And leave the beasts that grew in the midst of his wilderness."
The harlot bared her breasts and opened her bosom,
She was not ashamed, she breathed his breath,
She threw off the fabric and lay down, and he lay down on top,
He directed the power of his love to her.
For six days, seven nights, Eabani came and played with the harlot
And when he satisfied his thirst,
He addressed the beasts as before.
They saw him, Eabani, and the gazelles rushed off,
The beasts of his desert recoiled 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 ran until now.
But now he feels a new mind
Returns and sits at the feet of the harlot,
Looks into the eyes of his harlot,
And while talking, 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 take you to Uruk high,
To the sacred house, the home of Ishtar and Anu,

And reigns over people like a wild buffalo.
He says, and these words are pleasant to him,
He wants to look for a friend by heart:
"I agree, harlot, take me to the city,
Where Gilgamesh dwells, perfected by strength,
I want to call him and argue with him;
I will scream in Uruk - I am the mighty one,
It is I who rule the destinies of men,
He who was born in the desert, great is his strength,
Before his face, yours will turn pale,
And who will be defeated, I know in advance.

Eabani and the harlot enter Uruk,
They meet people in magnificent clothes,
Here before them is the palace of Gilgamesh,
The place where the holiday never ends
Young men feast there, harlots feast,
Everyone is full of lust, full of fun,
Shouts force the elders to come out;
And again the harlot says to Eabani:
"O 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 stronger than you,
He that does not lie down day or night.
Pacify, Eabani, your anger in vain,
Gilgamesh, Shamash loves him,
Wisdom was breathed into him by Anu, Bel, and Ea;
Even before you came down from the mountain,
Gilgamesh saw you in a dream in Uruk;
He woke up and told his mother a dream:

"My mother, I dreamed last night
The sky was full of stars
And, like the host of Anu, fell upon me
A man born on a mountain;
I grabbed him, but he was stronger
I threw it, but it didn't budge
The whole region of Uruk rose up against him,
But he stood like a pillar, and they kissed his feet;
Then, as a woman, I jumped on him,
I overcame him and threw him to your foot,
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 an army of Anu, fell upon you,
The one you defeated and threw at my foot,
An honest and strong comrade, always helping out a friend,
His power is great throughout the country,
Great is his strength, like the host of Anu."
Gilgamesh Eabani noticed from the throne,
Gilgamesh speaks to Eabani,
And they sit down, like brothers, side by side.

Table two

Gilgamesh darkened when he heard Eabani's story:
"Listen, young men, listen to me, old men,
About my Eabani, about my friend I cry!
I, like mourners, scream lamentations,
My ax and my wrists
My sword from the belt and from the curls of jewelry,
Festive robes, badges of majesty
I fold and cry for my Eabani
For him, the man of the desert, I weep!”

The hunter found a high heart in himself,
He brought a harlot to Eabani to curse her maturity:
"I will appoint your fate, 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 the house of debauchery like cattle!
Let the road be your home
Only under the shadow of the wall will you find rest,
Both the libertine and the drunk will torture your body,
For the fact that you deprived me, Eabani, of strength,
For taking me, Eabani, out of my desert!”
Shamash heard him and opens his mouth,
Calls to him from the high sky:
"Why, Eabani, do you curse the harlot like that,
That gave you food worthy of God,
That gave you wine worthy of a prince,
Wrapped your body in lush fabrics,
Led to Gilgamesh, your beautiful friend?
Behold, now Gilgamesh is your brother, your comrade,
He puts you in a luxurious bed for the night
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 lords kiss your feet,
The people of Uruk sing your glory.
To please you, the harlot gave you servants,
And at your request, I dressed her body in shameful clothes,
I clothed him with the skin of a dog, and he runs in the desert."
The dawn shone a little, the word of the great Shamash
flew to Eabani, and the angry heart humbled itself:
“Let the one who ran away return, her path will be easy,
Let princes and lords ask for her love,
The mighty leader will untie his belt over her,
Give her gold and lapis lazuli."
Thus Eabani humbled his sorrowful heart.
The night has come, and he lies down alone,
And he told his friend the night alarm:
"This night I had visions,
The heavens cried out and the earth answered
And an unknown man stood before me,
Eyes were burning, and the face was dark,
The head was similar to the head of an eagle,
And on the fingers could be seen eagle claws.
High, high, between the clouds he ascended
And he lifted me high, high,
Flying makes my head spin
Instead of arms, I had bird wings.
Follow me into the house of darkness, the dwelling of Negral,
To the house from which no one enters,
The path of no return
To the house where they don't see the light
Where they feed on dust, where dirt serves as food,
They are dressed as birds in the attire of wings, -
Into the dwelling of dust where I have descended,
I saw a tray with a terrible tiara,
Of all the tiaras that reigned in the world.
The servants of Anu and Bela cook the roast,
They offer boiled food and cold water.
There lives a priest and a warrior,
Prophet and perjurers,
Abyssal spellcasters, great gods,
Etana lives, and Gira lives,
Ereshkigal lives there, queen of the earth;
The scribe-maiden, Belit-seri bowed before her,
Everything she wrote down is read before her.
She raised her eyes and saw me
And she asked the counselor not to disturb her.
Only the dawn flashed, Gilgamesh discovered the hidden rest,
He took out a huge table that was made of linden,
I filled a vessel of jasper with honey,
Oil vessel of lapis lazuli,
Cups of wine, and the sun appeared at that moment.

“Friend, Humbaba does not spare people,
No babies in the wombs of women."
Open the mouth of Eabani, says to Gilgamesh:
"My friend, the one we are going to is mighty,
This is Humbaba, the one we are going for, he is terrible!”
Gilgamesh opens his mouth, says Eabani:
"My friend, now you have spoken the truth."

Table three

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

Rimat-Belit listened for a long time
With sadness to the speeches of his son Gilgamesh.
She entered the temple of the goddess hastily,
She put her ornaments on her body
And jewelry on your chest, too,
She crowned her curls with her tiara,
She climbed the wide steps to the terrace.
Got up. And before Shamash she laid incense,
She laid down sacrifices and raised her hands to Shamash:
“Why did you give Gilgamesh a vigilant heart,
Why did you conquer my son?
You touch him and he leaves
To Humbaba by a distant road,
Enters the battle, which is unknown to him,
Started an unknown business now.
Until the day he leaves and returns
Until the day he reaches the cedars,
Smite the mighty, smite Humbaba
And destroy the evil that hates you,
You, when he turns to the sky,
He will turn to you, Aya, bride, remember!
She put out the censer, took off her tiara,
She called Eabani and addressed him
“Eabani, strong, my fun; 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 plots a work of strength,

The whole country rose up against the ruler,
The whole country gathered to the walls of Uruk,
Keeps King Gilgamesh from leaving.
But he jumped on them like a wild buffalo
Overturned the people blocking the exit,
And wept over the fallen like a weak child.
Then the beautiful man Eabani,
Eabani, worthy of the bed of the goddess,
Before Gilgamesh, like a beautiful god,
Locked the gate leading to the field,
Gilgamesh does not get out of them.
Together they come to the gate,
Quarreling loudly among the noisy streets,
But Gilgamesh pacifies the rebels,
He makes the stones crumble
He makes the wall rock.

Here is Gilgamesh with Eabani in the field,
Together they go to the forest of Humbaba,
Bitterly they reproach each other.
There is no former strength in Eabani,
Strands of curls soaked in sweat
He was born in the desert and is afraid of the desert.
He slows down, Eabani
His face darkened, and he himself trembles,
Salty tears come to my eyes.
Here he lies on his side already without strength,
Can't move hand or foot
He opens his mouth and says to Gilgamesh:
"To keep the cedars intact,
To frighten people, Bel intended him,
Destined 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 steps in the thicket,
And everyone who comes to his thicket,
Whoever enters under the cedars suffers sickness.”
Gilgamesh says to his beautiful friend, says Eabani:
“Like the army of Anu, your strength is great,
You were born in the desert and you are afraid of Humbaba!
My heart is not afraid of the keeper of cedars.

"My friend, let's not go under the cedars,
My hands are weak, my limbs are taken away.
Again Gilgamesh says to his friend, Eabani says:
"My friend, like a small child, you cry,

God did not pass here, did not cast you to the ground.
We still have a long way to go,
I will go alone, seasoned in battle,
You will return home and you will no longer be afraid,
Drums and songs will delight your ears,
And the weakness of your arms and legs will leave.
But I see you're up, we'll go together
Your heart wanted a fight: forget about death and don't be afraid!
A person who is cautious, determined, strong
Saves himself in battle, saves his friend!
And for distant days they will keep their name!”
So they reach the green mountain,
Lower their voice and stand by.

Table Five

They get close, look into the thicket.
And they see huge cedars, And they see forest paths,
Where Humbaba wanders with a measured step,
The roads are straight, the paths are excellent,
And they see the cedar mountain, the home of the gods, the temple of Irnini.
Before the mountain rises the cedar, grows luxuriantly,
His benevolent shadow is full of jubilation,
Horsetails hid in it, and mosses hid,
Fragrant herbs hid under the cedar.

Double hour contemplate the heroes of the thicket
And they contemplate two double hours.
Eabani opened his mouth and said to Gilgamesh:
“Verily, now is the time for us to show our strength,
Humbaba lives in a beautiful place.”
Gilgamesh heard the words of Eabani,
He hurriedly stands next to his friend:
"Well, let's go into this thicket and look for Humbaba,
In seven robes he clothed a mighty body,
But prepares for battle and draws six,
Like a wounded buffalo, it goes into a rage."
Here is Gilgamesh shouting, his voice full of menace,
He calls the ruler of the forest: “Come out, Humbaba!”
Once he shouts, he shouts another time and a third,
But Humbaba will not meet him.
Eabani lays down on the ground, and indulges in sleep,
And waking up, he said to Gilgamesh about the dream:
"The dream I had was terrible,
At the top of the mountain, you and I stood,
And suddenly the mountain collapsed under us,
And we both rolled off her like bugs
You, beautiful and strong, lord of Uruk,
I, who was born in the desert."
Gilgamesh says in reply to Eabani:
"My friend, your dream is beautiful for both of us,
Precious is your sleep, he proclaims happiness.
This is Humbaba - the mountain that you saw
Now I know that we will overcome Humbaba,
Let us throw his corpse into a thicket of cedars.”

Here the dawn flashed, and the heroes began to pray,
Twenty hours later they offered sacrifices to the dead,
Thirty hours later they completed their lamentations,
A deep ditch was dug before Shamash,
Gilgamesh ascended the stone altar
And with a prayer into the ditch he threw the grain:
"Bring, O mountain, a dream to Eabani,
Help him, God, to see the future!”
Prayer accepted and the rain fell
And with the rain came a dream to Eabani,
He bowed him like a ripe ear,
Gilgamesh fell to his knees, holding his friend's head.
He ended his dream in the middle of the night
He rose and said to the lord of Uruk:
“Friend, did you shout at me? Why am I awake?
Did you touch me? Why am I anxious?
Hasn't God passed here, my body trembles.
My friend, I saw a new dream
The dream I had was absolutely terrible.
The heavens cried out, the earth mooed,
The light was gone, the darkness came out,
Lightning flashed, darkness spread,
Death rained down on the ground
She quickly extinguished the flame
Turned lightning into foul smoke.
Let's go down, friend, into the plain and there we will decide what to do!
Gilgamesh opens his mouth, says Eabani:
Precious is your dream, it proclaims happiness,
I know now that we will destroy Humbaba!”
Here the cedars are shaken, and Humbaba comes out,
Terrible, he comes out from under the cedars.
Both heroes rushed, competing in courage,
Both grappled with the ruler of the cedars.
Twice fate helped Eabani,
And Gilgamesh shakes Humbaba's head.

Table six

He washed the weapon, he cleaned the weapon,
On the back will dissolve fragrant curls,
He threw off the dirty, threw the clean on his shoulders,
He put a tiara on his head, pulled himself into a tunic.
And the mistress of Ishtar fixed her eyes on him,
She fixed her eyes on the beauty of Gilgamesh:
“Hy, Gilgamesh, from now on you are my lover!
I want to enjoy your desire.
You will be my husband, I will be your wife,
I'll lay a chariot of lapis lazuli for you
With golden wheels, with ruby ​​spokes,
And you will harness huge horses to it;
Come into our abode, 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 lords,
The people of the mountains and the plains will bring you tribute,
The herds will become fat, the goats will give birth to you twins;
The mule will perform under a heavy burden,
Your mighty horse will drive the chariot
And be proud that he does not know his equals.

Ginglgamesh opens his mouth and speaks,
To the mistress Ishtar addresses the word:
"Keep your wealth for yourself,
Body and clothing adornments,
Save your food and drink,
Your food, which is worthy of God,
And your drink, which is worthy of the master.
Because your love is like a storm
Doors that let rain and storm through
The palace where heroes die
Resin that scorches its owner.
Fur that waters its owner.
Where is the lover you'll always love
Where is the hero, pleasing to you in the future?
Here, I'll tell you about your desires:
To the lover of your first youth, Tammuz,
You appointed groaning for years and years!
A motley bird, shepherdess, you fell in love,
You beat her, you broke her wings,
And she lives in the thicket and screams: wings, wings!
You fell in love with a lion perfected by strength,
Seven and seven more traps you dug for him!
I fell in love with a horse famous in battle,
And gave him a whip, a bit and spurs,
You gave him seven double hours of running
You judged him to be exhausted and then only get drunk,
Silili, his mother, you judged the sobs!
You loved the shepherd, the keeper of the flock,
He always lifted incense before you,
Every day I killed a kid for you,
You beat him up, turned him into a hyena
And his underlings are chasing him,
His own dogs tear his skin!
And your father's gardener was dear to you, Ishullan,
Bringing you the jewels of the garden,
Every day decorating your altar with flowers,
You raised your eyes to him and reached out to him:
My Ishullanu, full of strength, let's get drunk with 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 should eat food of shame and curses,
And the thorns of the bush serve me as clothing.
And as soon as you heard these words,
You beat him up, turned him into a rat
You told him to stay in his house
He will not ascend to the roof, he will not descend into the field.
And, having fallen in love with me, you will also change my image!

Ishtar heard these words,
Ishtar got angry, 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 curses.

“Verily, you have caused much trouble,
And so Gilgamesh told your crimes
Your crimes, your curses."

“My father, let the bull of heaven be born,
Bull of heaven that will kill Gilgamesh.
If you do not fulfill this request,
I will break down the gates that contain the waters,
I will let all the winds through the earthly space,
And there will be fewer living than dead."
Mouth opens Anu, mistress Ishtar answers:
“What do you want from me?
Can you rest on straw for seven years,
Can you collect ears of corn for seven years
And for seven years there are only roots?
Ishtar opens his mouth and answers his father, Anu:
“I will rest on straw for seven years,
I will collect ears of corn 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 bull appeared from heaven,
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,
I saw Eabani and rushed at the hero,
But, grasping the horns, Eabani bowed his muzzle,
He killed two hundred people with his second breath.
His third breath swept over the earth in vain,
Eabani threw him, and he breathed his last.
Eabani opened his mouth and said to Gilgamesh:
"My friend, we have defeated the heavenly beast,
Shall we now say that we shall not have glory in posterity?
And Gilgamesh, like a beautiful god,
Mighty and brave lord of Uruk,
Cuts the bull between the horns and neck,
Cut the bull, take 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, side by side.

Ishtar climbed the high wall of Uruk,
She climbed the ledge and said her curse:
“Curse Gilgamesh, who has clothed me in mourning,
He and his Eabani killed my bull."
And when Eabani heard it,
He pulled out the leg of the bull, threw it in the face of the goddess.
“I’ll catch you and do the same with you,
I will wrap your bull with tripe all over you.
Ishtar gathered both harlots and dancers,
Above the bull's foot she raised moaning with them.
And Gilgamesh called the joiners and carpenters together,
So that they admire the length of bull horns.
Thirty mines of azure stones are their mass,
Their depth is two double cubits,
And six measures of oil capacity for both.
He dedicates them to his deity Lugal-gang,
He carries them and hangs them in the temple of his master.
Gilgamesh and Eabani wash their hands in the Euphrates,
And they set off on their journey, and come to the square of Uruk.
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 shines among the people,
Gilgamesh is mighty among the people!
People have learned the weight of our anger,
There is no one with a cheerful heart,
I will direct the path of their hearts!”
Gilgamesh made a feast in his house,
People lie down on the beds of the night and doze,
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 did the great gods gather in council,
And in a disturbing dream I saw the door,
And touched her, and then got scared?
Raises the battle ax Eabani,
Addresses the door like a person:
“The door from the forest, devoid of reason,
Whose mind does not exist
I praised your tree for twenty hours of travel in the district,
Even the uplifted cedar that I saw in the forest of Humbaba,
Rarity can not compare with you.
You are seventy-five cubits wide and twenty-four long,
A lord made you, he reigned in Nippur.
But if I knew, O door, that you are blocking my way,
That your beauty adorns my prison,
I'd pick up an ax and cut you to pieces."
Then Eabani turns to his friend, to Gilgamesh:
“My friend, with whom we have done so much work,
Decay is everywhere, wherever I cast my eyes,
My friend, the dream that foretold me doom is coming true,
The day that the dream told me about is now coming.

Eabani lies down on her rich bed
And neither day, nor the second, nor the third, does not rise from her,
Day four, and fifth, sixth, and seventh, and eighth, and ninth,
All twelve days leaves Eabani's illness in bed.
Then he calls Gilgamesh, 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 I won't go out into the field,
My friend, he who fears is cursed!”

Table eight

The dawn broke a little, Eabani said to Gilgamesh:
“Death 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 will not escape your fate, beautiful!
Day and night you worked, entered the cedar thicket,
Reigned in blissful Uruk, and you were honored,
How many spaces you and I went around, both flat and mountainous
And I'm tired, and I'm lying, and I won't get up again.
Cover me with the rich clothes your mother wears,
Moisten my curls with cedar oil,
The one under which Humbaba died from our anger,
He who guards the beasts of the desert,
The one who played with the herd by the water,
Never sit next to you
Never drink water in the Euphrates,
The blessed one will never enter Uruk!”
And over his friend Gilgamesh wept:
"Eabani, my friend, my brother, desert panther,
We roamed together, we climbed mountains together,
Defeated Humbaba, the keeper of the cedar thicket,
And they killed the heavenly bull;
What kind of dream has taken possession of you now,
Why are you darkened and do not heed me!
But Eabani did not raise his eyes to his friend,
Gilgamesh touched his heart, and the heart did not beat.
Then he fell on a friend like a bride,
Like a roaring lion, he rushed at his friend,
Like a lioness whose cub is killed
He grabbed his motionless body,
I tore my clothes, shed copious tears,
He threw off the royal signs, mourning his death.

Six days, 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 defeated Humbaba, the keeper of the cedars,
You killed lions in mountain gorges,
He also slew 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 through the forehead,
Chest filled with sorrow
And with the face of a person leaving on a long journey, your face is similar,
Pain, sadness and anxiety changed him,
Why are you running into a deserted field?”
And Gilgamesh said, answered the people of Uruk:
"Eabani, my friend, my brother, desert panther,
Together with whom we have seen so much hardship,
The friend with whom we killed lions,
They killed the bull that came down from the sky,
Defeated Humbaba, the keeper of the cedar,
Now his fate is complete.
Six days and nights over them I cried
Until the day he was lowered into the grave,
And now I'm afraid of death, and God in a deserted field,
The dying word of a friend weighs on me.
How, oh, how can I be comforted? How, oh how will I cry?
My beloved friend is now like dirt,
And won't I lie down, like him, so as not to get up forever?

Table nine

Gilgamesh according to Eabani, his friend,
Weeps 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 God, I'm running away!
To the power of Ut-napishtim, son of Ubar-Tutu,
I have taken the path, I go hastily.
At night I came to the mountain gorges,
I saw lions, and now I'm scared!
I will raise my head, I will call to the great Sin,
And to the assembly of the gods my prayers will ascend:
"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 called again to the great Sin,
And to Ishtar, the heavenly harlot, his prayers were raised.
The mountain was called Mashu,
And when he approached Masha,
Those who watched the daily solar exit and return, -
The vault of heaven touched their heads,
And below their chests reached hell,
Scorpion people kept the doors
Their sight was death, and their eyes were horror,
Their terrible brilliance overturned the mountains!
When they left and when they returned, they kept the sun.
He saw them, Gilgamesh, and out of fear
And his face darkened with anxiety.
He collected his thoughts and bowed before them.
The scorpion man called out to his wife:
"He who approaches us, his body is like the body of a god."
The scorpio woman answers her husband:
"God is two-thirds, man is only one."
Gilgamesh says to the scorpion man:
“Do you know where Ut-napishtim, my father, dwells,
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 go such a way,
There is no one who would pass through this mountain.
The darkness is deep there, and there is no light there.
Neither when the sun comes out nor when it returns.
But go, Gilgamesh, do not delay at the mountain gates,
May the gods keep you healthy and unharmed!
The scorpion man finished, Gilgamesh entered the cave,
On the night road of the sun, it passes a double hour,
The darkness is deep there, and there is no light there, He does not see anything behind him.
Eight o'clock is ticking and the north wind is blowing

Ten o'clock goes, goes out towards the sun,
At the twelfth hour, a radiance broke out.
He saw the trees of the gods, directed the path to them,
The apple tree bends under the fruits,
Clusters 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 the Sabeian sits on the throne of the sea,
She sits, the gods favor her,
They gave her a necklace, they gave her a belt,
She is completed with a veil, covered with a veil.
Gilgamesh rushed like a wild buffalo,
Shrouded in skin, his body is the body of a god,
Chest filled with sorrow
With the face of a person leaving on a long journey, his face is similar.
The Sabean woman sees him from afar,
He speaks in his heart, convinces himself:
“Maybe the one who walks is the destroyer.
Where did he come to my domain?
The Sabean woman saw him, closed the doors,
Doors closed, bolted.
Gilgamesh planned to enter these doors,
He raised his head, unhooked the ax,
Says the Sabean woman this word:
“What did you see? You closed the doors!
I'll kick down the doors, I'll break the bolt."
The Sabean woman says to Gilgamesh:
"Why is your heart beating, your eyes are lowered,
Why are you running across the field?"
Gilgamesh speaks to the Sabean woman:
Eabani, my brother, panther of the desert,
Now his fate is complete
Am I not the same, won't the same thing happen to me?
Ever since I've been a bird of the desert,
Maybe there are fewer stars in the sky,
For so many years I have been sleeping.
Let me see the sun, be filled with light,
Abundant light hides darkness,
May the dead see the radiance of the sun!
Show me, Sabean, the way to Ut-napishtim,
What is his sign, tell this sign;
If possible, I will swim across the sea,
If not, I'll go by field.
The Sabean woman says to Gilgamesh:
“There, Gilgamesh, there is no way to find,
No one from ancient times has sailed across the sea;
Shamash has done it, and no one will dare again.
Difficult transition, hard road,
Deep are the waters of death, blocking the approaches!
Where will you, Giligamesh, 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 "brothers of stones", in the forest he collects herbs,
Let him see your face!
You can - swim with them; can't, come back!
But why, Gilgamesh, do you wander so much?
The immortality you want, you won't find!
When the gods created the human race,
Death they ordered the human race
And they saved life in their hands.
You, Gilgamesh, fill your stomach,
Have fun day and night
Celebrate every day
Every day be happy and cheerful
May your robes be magnificent,
The head is anointed, the body is washed,
Admire the child grasping your hand
Let your spouse fall to your chest!

Gilgamesh heard the word of the Sabean woman,
Hung up the ax, went to the shore,
Ur-Ea there was a true 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 is my name!
From the dwelling of the gods here I came
Far way from 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 thus:
Your hands, Gilgamesh, have accomplished much,
"Brothers of Stones" are broken by you;
Raise, Gilgamesh, your axe,
Cut down the poles of sixty cubits,
Take the bark off them and lay them on the shore."
And when Gilgamesh did it,
He and Ur-Ea boarded the ship,
The ship was pushed into the waves and set off.
Their journey is for a month. On the third day they looked:
Ur-Ea stepped into the waters of death.
Ur-Ea says to Gilgamesh:
"Gilgamesh, move forward, work the pole,
Let not your hands touch the water of death!”
The pole broke Gilgamesh, one, and the second, and the third,
He broke a hundred and twenty poles in all,
Gilgamesh took off his clothes,
He erected the mast with his own hands.
Ut-write from afar looks,
Speaks in his heart, speaks the word
He takes advice to himself:
“Why are the poles of the ship broken?
Someone beyond my control is on the ship.
Not quite a man, he is on the right side,
I look and see that he is not quite a man!

“What happened to your power? Why is your gaze lowered?
Why does your heart beat, wrinkles cut through your forehead?
Gilgamesh answers Ut-napishtim:
“I said - I will see Ut-napishtim, about whom fame is carried,
And I got up, and went through all the countries,
I got over the difficult mountains,
Sailed all the depths of the sea,
Good wind in my face did not blow,
I plunged myself into poverty, filled my limbs with pain,
I did not enter the house of the Sabean woman, my clothes were rotten!
Gorge bird, lion and jackal, deer and panther
They served me as food, with their skins I consoled my heart.
Let the one who is contented 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 forever?
Does hatred enter the heart forever?
Do rivers flood the plains forever?
Have the birds ever seen the sun?
For a long time there has been no immortality on earth,
The dead and the sleeping are alike,
Both do not know the face of death.
Lord and servant are equal before her,
The Anunnaki, the great gods, hide her,
Mametu, lady of the fates, governs them,
Life or death they indicate
They don't let you guess the hour of death."

Table Eleven

“O Ut-write, I contemplate you,
Your appearance is not terrible, 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, got life in the assembly of the immortals?
Ut-napishtim says to Gilgamesh:
I will reveal to you, Gilgamesh, the secret word,
I will tell you the secret of the gods:
Shurippak city you know
which stands near the Euphrates,
The ancient city, the gods live in it,
And their heart, the great gods, prompted to make a flood.
Among them was their father, Anu,
Bel the warrior, their adviser,
Enyugi, their boss,
And Ninib, their herald,
Ea the wisest sat with them;
He repeated their words to the reed fence:
"Hedge, fence! Fence, fence!
Listen, fence! Understand, fence!
Shurippak's man, son of Ubar-Tutu,
Tear down your house, build a ship
Leave wealth, think about life
Hate wealth for the sake of life
Immerse the seeds of all life in the interior of the ship.
Let them be measured, its dimensions,
The dimensions of the ship you will build
Let the width and length correspond to each other!
Then only you can lower it into the sea!”
I understood and said to Ea my lord:
"Oh, my lord, everything that you said,
I took it with my heart and I will fulfill everything,
But what shall I tell the crowd and the elders?”
Ea opened his mouth and answered me,
He answered his servant thus:
This is what you will tell the crowd and the elders:
- I am hated by Bel and I will not live in your city
I will not put my feet on the ground of Bela,
I will go down to the ocean and live with Ea my lord.
And on you he will send in abundance of water,
Bird prey and fish prey,
He will send unclean rain on you. —

A little morning flashed, I started to work,
On the fifth day, the drawings were finished:
One hundred and twenty cubits must be walls,
And the roof volume is also one hundred and twenty,
I outlined the outlines, drew them after;
I boarded the ship six times,
I divided its roof into seven parts,
He divided his interior into nine,
In the middle of it he put struts,
I arranged the steering wheel and everything you need,
I poured six measures of resin into the bottom,
At the bottom I poured three measures of tar;
Porters three measures of oil:
I left one measure for the sacred sacrifice,
The boatman hid the other two measures.
For the people of the bulls I cut,
Every day I killed a goat,
Berry juice, they brought me wine and butter
I gave him water like simple water;
I arranged a holiday, like on New Year's Day,
He opened the pantries, took out the precious myrrh.
Before sunset, the ship was finished,
The builders brought the mast for the ship.
Everything that I had, I loaded on it,
All that I had silver, I loaded on it,
All that I had gold, I loaded on it,
Everything that I had loaded, all the seed of life
I concluded in the interior of the vessel; relatives and family
The cattle of the field and the beasts of the field, I loaded them all.

Shamash appointed me an hour:
- In the evening of darkness, the ruler will send unclean waters,
Get inside the ship and shut the door.
- The hour has come a foregone conclusion:
In the evening of darkness, the ruler spilled unclean waters;
I looked at the images of the day
And I was afraid of this weather
He entered the ship and slammed the doors;
To drive the ship, to the boatman Puzur-Bel
I entrusted the construction with everything loaded.
As soon as the dawn lit up
A black cloud rose from the depths of heaven,
Adad growled at her,
Naboo and the King stepped forward;
Messengers, they went through the mountain and the field;
Nergal knocked over the mast.
He goes, Ninib, he leads the fight behind him;
The torches were brought by the Anunnaki,
Their lights illuminate the earth.
The roar of Adad filled the sky,
Everything that was brilliant turns to dusk.
Brother sees no more brother
People in the sky cannot recognize each other,
The gods fear the flood
They run away, they ascend to the sky of Anu.
They sit down there like dogs, lie down on camps.
Ishtar calls loudly like a day laborer,
In a marvelous voice, the queen of the gods proclaims:
“Let that day crumble into dust,
Laziness, when I said evil before the gods,
Because I said evil before the gods,
To destroy people and call the flood.
Is it for this that I cherished my people,
So that, like a brood of fish, they fill the sea?
Through the fault of the Anunnaki, the gods weep with her,
The gods are crushed and sit in tears,
Their lips are compressed, and the body trembles.
For six days, six nights, the wind and waters roam, the hurricane rules the land.
At the beginning of the seventh day the hurricane subsides,
He who fought like an army;
The sea calmed down, the wind subsided, the flood stopped.
I looked at the sea: the voice is not heard,
All humanity has become mud,
Above the roofs lay a swamp!
I opened the window, the day lit up 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 saw an island,
A ship is approaching Mount Nizir,
Mount Nizir does not let the ship from itself,
Day, and the second, and the third does not let him in,
The fourth, fifth, sixth day does not let him in.
The seventh day caught fire
I took a dove, let it out,
The dove flew away and returned

I took the swallow, let it out,
The swallow flew away, returned
As if she didn’t find a place for herself, she returned.
I took a crow, let it out,
The raven sped 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 made a libation,
I placed the victim on a mountaintop.
Fourteen sacrificial urns I placed,
Myrtle, cedar and reed spread out under them.
The gods smelled
The gods smelled a good smell,
The gods flocked like flies over the sacrificers.
Only the queen of the gods rushed,
She lifted up the ornaments that Anu made her:
"0 gods standing here, how can I not forget my lapis lazuli necklace,
I will not forget these days, I will always remember!
Let the gods approach the victim
But let Bel not come to the victim
Because he did not think, the flood arranged,
He appointed death for my people.
Only the god Bel rushed,
He saw the ship, Bel, and became angry,
Filled with anger against the Igigi:
“Has any mortal escaped?
A person should not live in the midst of destruction!”
Ninib opens his mouth,
He says to the hero Bel:
“Who, besides Ea, is the creator of creation?
Ea alone knows the whole thing.”
Ea opens his mouth,
He says to the hero Bel:
"You, wise man among the gods, warrior,
How did you not think, did you arrange a flood?
Lay sin on the sinner,
Put the blame on the guilty!
But retreat before it is destroyed!
Why did you make a flood?
Let the lion come and devour the people!
Why did you make a flood?
Let the leopard come and devour the people!
Why did you make a flood?
Let famine come, destroy the earth!
Why did you make a flood?
Let the plague come and ravage 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, lifted me high;
And he lifted up my wife, put us side by side;
He touched our faces, stood between us, blessed us:
“Before Ut-napishtim was mortal,
Now both he and his wife are like us immortals:
Let him live, Ut-napishtim, far away at the mouth of the rivers!
They took me and settled me in the mouths of the rivers.
And you, Gilgamesh, which of the gods will introduce into their assembly,
To gain the immortality you seek?
Here! Six days, seven nights, don't lie down, try it!
As soon as Gilgamesh sank to the ground,
Sleep blew over him like a storm.
Ut-napishtim says to his wife:
“Do you see a strong man who wants immortality?
Sleep, like a storm, blew on him!
The wife says to the hermit, Ut-napishtim:
"Touch it, let the man wake up at once
And by the way he came, he will return unharmed!
Through the great gate from which he came out, he will return home!”
Ut-napishtim says to his wife:
“Humanity is bad and repays good with evil!
But bake bread for him, put it at his head!
And while he slept on the deck of the ship,
She baked bread, put it at his head.
And while he slept, knowledge told him:
“His first bread is leavened,
The second is sustained, the third is flavored,
The fourth one is fried, it has turned white,
The fifth has grown old
Sixth boil,
Seventh!…” He touched him, the man woke up immediately!
Gilgamesh says to the hermit Ut-napishtim:
“I lay motionless! Spread a dream 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 loaves 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 has stolen,
Me, in whose bedroom doom lies?"
Ut-pishtim addressed Ur-Ea to the boatman.
“Ur-Ea, let the sea rejoice with you!
He who wanders along the shore, let him see!
The person before whom you came
Whose body is covered with dirty clothes
And whose beauty hides hides,
Take him, Ur-Ea, and take him to the bath,
Let him wash the clothes in water until they are clean.
From his shoulders, let him throw off the skins, and let the sea carry them away,
Let his marvelous body excite envy in the beholder,
Let it be new, his head bandage,
Let him be covered with a dress, a shameless garment!
Until the day he arrives in his city,
Until the day he ends the road,
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 set sail.
The hermit Ut-napishtim was told by his wife:
"Gilgamesh traveled, he was weary, weary,
What will you give him when he returns?"
Gilgamesh heard and raises 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:
You see a plant at the bottom of the ocean,
His thorn, like a thorn, will pierce your hand,
If your hand will get this plant.
As soon as Gilgamesh heard this,
He tied heavy stones to his feet,
And they threw it into the ocean.
He took a plant, it pierced his hand,
He then untied the heavy stones
And went upstairs with his prey.
Gilgamesh addressed Ur-Ea:
“Ur-Ea, this plant is very famous,
Because of it, a person receives the breath of life.
I will take him to strong Uruk, I will divide 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 passed, they completed their lamentations;
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 dragged the plant away.
Gilgamesh returned, shouted a curse,
Then he sat down and wept;
Tears roll down his cheek,
To the boatman Ur-Ea he says:
“For whom, oh Ur-Ea, did my hands endure weariness?
For whom did I waste the blood from my heart?
After all, I did not accomplish feats for myself,
I have done feats for the lions of the desert,
And my plant is swayed by the waves.
When I went ashore
I saw a sacred sign: time to moor,
Time to leave the ship at the shore.

Twenty hours passed, they offered a sacrifice to the dead,
Thirty hours passed, they completed their lamentations,
And then they saw blessed Uruk.
Gilgamesh addressed the boatman Ur-Ea:
“Ur-Ea, come up 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 garden, one ruins of the temple of the goddess -
Three sara, and I will 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:
"Oh Gilgamesh, if you want to see Eabani,
Eabani, who lives in the realm of the dead,
Throw off your clean clothes, put on your dirty clothes,
As if in Ninazu's palace you were a citizen!
Do not anoint yourself with fragrant oil from the urn:
Hearing the smell, the shadows will rush to you!
Do not put 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:
Do not make noise, stepping on the ground!
Don't kiss the wife you love
And do not beat your wife, whom you hate!
Don't kiss your child you love
And don't hit your child you hate!
Then you will hear the complaint of the earth!


Her breasts don't look like an urn!"
Three days have passed and Gilgamesh breaks the law,
He kisses the wife he loves
Hits a child he hates.
He cannot hear the complaint of the earth:
The one that sleeps, the one that sleeps, Ninazu's mother, the one that sleeps,
Her shining thighs are not covered with clothes,
Her chest is not like an urn.
Eabani can't get to the ground.
Namtaru did not take it, misfortune did not take it, the earth does not let it in,
The ruthless guardian of Nergal did not take him, the earth does not let him in,
At the place of the battle of people, he did not fall, the earth does not let him in.
Ninsun weeps for her servant Eabani,
She hastily comes alone to Bel's house,
Belle did not say a word, to come to Sin,
Sin didn't say a word, comes to Ea,
Ea father says to Nergal:
"Strong Nergal, open the hole of hell,
Let the shadow of Eabani come to your brother!
Strong Nergal heeds the command of Ea,
He open the hole of hell,
And from there, like a breath, comes the shadow of Eabani.
Gilgamesh speaks to his friend, speaks to Eabani:
"Tell me my friend, tell me my friend,
Tell me the law of the earth that you know!” —
“I won’t tell, my friend, I won’t tell!
If I said the law of the earth,
Then you should sit down and cry!” —
"What? Let me sit down and cry!
Tell me the law of the earth that you know." —
“The head that you touched and rejoiced in your heart,
Like old clothes, the worm devours them!
The chest that you touched and rejoiced in your heart,
Like an old sack, full of dust!
My whole body is like dust!” —
“He who died the death of iron, did you see?” - "Saw!
He lies on the bed, drinks clear water. —
“And the one who was killed in battle, did you see?” —
"Saw! His mother and father hold his head, his wife bent over him. —
Did you see the one whose body was thrown into the field? - "Saw!
His shadow does not find rest in the earth. —
“And the one whose spirit no one cares about, have you seen?” —
"Saw! He eats leftovers in pots and leftovers from the street.”

The epic tells of the demigod Gilgamesh, a mighty warrior, king of Uruk. No one could compare with him in strength, and he brought countless troubles to people who turned to the goddess Aruru in order to appease the king of Uruk. And so the goddess Aruru, listening to them, Blinded Enkidu, created a hero "who could curb the fury of Gilgamesh"). His body was covered with wool, he lived among the animals, "he knew neither people nor the world." Protecting the animals from the hunters, he aroused their hatred for him, but they could not do anything with him.

The hunters went to Uruk and fell at the feet of King Gilgamesh, begging to be delivered from their hated enemy. Gilshamesh brought Enkidu with the harlot Shamhat, who later humanized Enkidu, he decided to come to Uruk and fight Gilgamesh. The heroes fought in battle, but they were equal in strength, and Gilgamesh led him to his mother Ninsun, where they fraternize, but Enkidu cries because he has nowhere to apply his strength.

Gilgamesh invites him to go on a campaign against Humbaba - the keeper of the cedar forests in Lebanon, Enkidu tries to dissuade Gilgamesh, telling how dangerous the forest of Humbaba and Humbaba himself are, but Gilgamesh convinces Enkidu The elders of Uruk also try to dissuade him, but then they bless and ask Enkidu to take care of the king. Before the campaign, they visit Queen Ninsun, who also worries about her son and makes a sacrifice to the god Shamash.

The heroes are wary of entering the forest, but Gilgamesh encourages Enkidu and they enter Humbaba's domain and begin to cut down the cedars. Humbaba's appearance frightens them, but Shamash's support causes the friends to attack the guardian of the forest and kill him and his seven ray-robes.

The goddess Ishtar offers Gilgamesh to become her husband, but he refuses. Embittered, Ishtar asks Ana to create a bull capable of killing the hero, but Gilgamesh and Enkidu defeat the bull with coordinated actions. Enkidu has a dream that the gods Anu and Enlil want to kill him, although Shamash intercedes for him. Gilgamesh wants to pray to Enlil, but Enkidu dissuades him, and he turns to Shamash, cursing the hunter and the harlot Shamhat, but Shamash points out to Enkidu what Shamhat gave him, and he cancels his curse, replacing it with a blessing.

Enkidu falls ill and soon dies. Gilgamesh becomes sad and orders a statue of his brother to be made. Gilgamesh goes into the desert, on a journey - realizing his mortality after the death of a friend, he is afraid of death. Traveling, he reaches the edge of the world, where he meets a scorpion man and tells him about his sadness and that he wants to find Utnapishti, the only person who received immortality (according to some sources, the ancestor of Gilgamesh), and ask him about life and death. The scorpion-man says that the path to the country of Dilmun, where the gods settled Utnapishti, lies through a long cave, is terrible and is not walked by people - only the gods go this way. Gilgamesh is not afraid, and the scorpion man blesses him.

on the second attempt, he passed the cave and found himself in a beautiful garden of precious stone trees. There he meets the mistress of the gods Siduri, who, frightened, closes herself from him in the house and at first does not believe that Gilgamesh is in front of her, since he is dirty and thin - Gilgamesh has to tell his story. She tries to convince him that immortality is not supposed to be a man, it’s not worth wasting time searching - it’s better to enjoy life, but Gilgamesh asks her how to find Utnapishti, and she says that, except for Shamash, no one can cross, and only Urshanabi, a shipbuilder Utnapishti, who has idols in the forest, can help.

Urshanabi helps Gilgamesh get to Utnapishti. Gilgamesh tells him about his grief and asks how Utnapishti managed to become equal to the gods. Utnapishti tells the story of a flood in which only he survived, and the gods accepted him, but for Gilgamesh the gods cannot be gathered for advice. Utnapishti tells Gilgamesh that there is a flower at the bottom of the ocean that gives eternal youth; he gets it and decides to first test it on the elders of Uruk. But on the way back, the snake steals the flower, and Gilgamesh returns with nothing.

In some interpretations, there is also a continuation in which Gilgamesh meets his brother Enkidu, who came out of the underworld, and tells about the difficult life in the world of the dead (for the ancient Sumerians, a rather gloomy idea of ​​\u200b\u200bposthumous existence is characteristic, unlike, for example, from the Egyptians). After that, Gilgamesh resigns himself to the fate of a mortal.

The most outstanding work of Babylonian literature was the "Poem of Gilgamesh", in which the eternal question about the meaning of life and the inevitability of death of a person, even a glorified hero, is posed with great artistic power. Separate parts of this poem date back to Sumerian antiquity. This is the story of Gilgamesh's struggle with the monster Humbaba, the guardian of the cedar grove. This is the legend of Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven.

The story of Gilgamesh's conversation with the shadow of his deceased friend Enkidu is preserved in the Sumerian poem Gilgamesh and the Willow. Finally, another Sumerian legend describes Gilgamesh's struggle with Akka, king of Kish, who laid siege to Uruk. It is possible that in Sumer there was a whole cycle of legends about the exploits of Gilgamesh. Artistic images of Gilgamesh, illustrating individual episodes of the poem, are carved on seals dating back to the Sumerian era.

The name of Gilgamesh, the semi-legendary king of Uruk, is preserved in the lists of the most ancient kings of Sumer. Judging by one fragment, one of the editions of this poem was compiled during the 1st Babylonian dynasty. The most complete, however, is the Assyrian edition, written in Akkadian in Assyrian cuneiform in the 7th century BC. BC e. for the Nineveh Library of King Ashurbanipal.

The whole poem is divided into four main parts: 1. The story of Gilgamesh's cruel rule in Uruk, the appearance of the second hero, Enkidu, and the friendship of the two heroes. 2. Description of the exploits of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. 3. Wanderings of Gilgamesh in search of immortality. 4. The final part, containing the conversation of Gilgamesh with the shadow of the deceased Enkidu.

Indeed, some episodes could be distant echoes of historical events described in ancient legends. These are the episodes about the reign of Gilgamesh in Uruk, about his struggle with Humbaba, about the attitude of Gilgamesh towards the goddess Ishtar, which indicates the struggle between the royal power and the priesthood. However, mythological and legendary stories are inserted into the poem about Gilgamesh, borrowed from ancient legends about the flood and the creation of man.

At the beginning of the poem, Gilgamesh - "two-thirds god and one-third man" - reigns in the ancient city of Uruk and cruelly oppresses the people, forcing them to build city walls and temples to the gods. The gods, heeding the complaints of the people of Uruk, create the hero Enkidu, endowed with supernatural power and living among the animals. In an effort to lure this primitive hero to him, Gilgamesh sends a temple slave to him, who tames Enkidu's wild temper and leads him to Uruk.

Here, both heroes enter into single combat, but cannot defeat each other. Having become friends, they accomplish their feats together. They head to the cedar forest, engage in combat with the keeper of the cedar grove, Humbaba, and kill him.

The goddess Ishtar, seeing the victorious hero, offers him her love. However, the wise and cautious Gilgamesh rejects the gifts of the goddess of love, reminding her of how much grief and suffering she caused her former friends:

You doomed Tammuz, the friend of your youth,

Year after year for bitter tears.

Offended by Gilgamesh's refusal, Ishtar asks her father, the supreme god Anu, to create a heavenly bull that would destroy the recalcitrant hero. Yielding to the urgent requests of Ishtar, the god Anu sends a monstrous bull to Uruk, which destroys several hundred people. However, the heroes kill this terrible monster. After washing their hands in the waters of the Euphrates, they return to Uruk, where the inhabitants of the city greet them with a triumphal song:

Who is the best among the heroes?

Who is majestic among men?

Gilgamesh is great among heroes.

Enkidu is great among men!

After the celebration in the royal palace, Enkidu sees a prophetic dream that portends his death. Indeed, Enkidu falls mortally ill. He complains to his friend about the fate that dooms him to an inglorious death from illness, depriving him of the opportunity to die in a fair fight on the battlefield. Gilgamesh mourns the death of his friend and for the first time feels the wind of the wings of death over him.

Gilgamesh performs funeral rites on the body of a friend.

Tormented by the fear of death, driven by deathly sorrow, Gilgamesh sets off on a long journey. He directs his steps to his ancestor Ut-napishtim, who received from the gods a great gift of immortality. The difficulties of a long journey do not frighten Gilgamesh. Neither the lions guarding the gorges of the mountains, nor the fantastic scorpion people, "whose eyes are death", nor the Garden of Eden with trees on which precious stones bloom, nor the goddess Siduri, who urges him to forget about death and surrender to all joys, can detain him. life. Gilgamesh sails on a ship through the "deep waters of death" and reaches the monastery where the immortal Ut-napishtim lives.

A brave hero tries to find out from his ancestor the secret of eternal life. Answering Gilgamesh's questions, Ut-napishtim tells him about the global flood, about how the god Ea taught him to build an ark and save himself from water chaos in it. This ancient legend about the flood, during which only one man escaped and received immortality from the gods, who took “the seed of all life” (that is, various animals and birds) into the ark, is inserted into the text of the poem as a special episode.

It is possible that this legend reflected the eternal struggle of the Sumerians with the spontaneous floods of the rivers, which, flooding the lowlands of Mesopotamia, threatened with great destruction, but at the same time provided abundant harvests for the ancient farmers.

Taking pity on Gilgamesh, Ut-napishtim tries various magical methods to make Gilgamesh immortal. However, everything turns out to be in vain.

Then Ut-napishtim reveals to Gilgamesh the "secret word" and advises him to sink to the bottom of the ocean to pluck the grass of immortality. Gilgamesh, on his way back to Uruk, takes out this miraculous herb. But carelessness destroys the hero. Seeing a pond on his way, Gilgamesh plunges into its cool waters. At this time, a snake creeps up and steals the grass of immortality. The saddened hero, having returned to Uruk, asks the gods for the last favor - to see at least the shadow of his deceased friend Enkidu. Then the god of wisdom Ea orders the lord of the underworld Nergal to release the shadow of Enkidu onto the earth. The poem ends with a final dialogue between friends. In response to Gilgamesh's passionate entreaty to tell him the "law of the earth," Enkidu describes the afterlife of people in the darkest colors.

For the first time, with the utmost clarity and with great artistic power, the idea of ​​the inevitability of death is expressed, to which all people are subject, even heroes who have accomplished the greatest feats, in which "two-thirds of God and one-third of man."

The Gilgamesh Poem occupies a special place in Babylonian literature. In it, the thought of the eternal desire of a person to know the “law of life”, the secret of life and death, is clothed in an artistic form. The words of the poem are filled with deep pessimism, in which the afterlife is depicted as an abode of sorrow and suffering.

Even the famous hero Gilgamesh, “mighty, great and wise,” cannot achieve the highest mercy from the gods and gain immortality. Bliss in the afterlife is given only to those who fulfill the commandments of religion, the requirements of the priests, the rites of a religious cult. This is the main idea of ​​the whole poem, the roots of which go back to folk art, but which largely reflected the later ideology of the aristocratic priesthood.

The same idea of ​​eternal life, the same striving for immortality pervades the Poem of Adapa. It tells how the ideal wise man, "the seed of mankind" - Adapa, the son of the god of wisdom Ea, who supplied the temple in Eridu with bread, drink, game and fish as a priest, once broke the wings of the south wind and was summoned to the court of the supreme god for this Anu.

Following the advice of his father, Adapa wins over the gods - the gatekeepers of heaven, and then the supreme god. But at the same time he refuses the food of eternal life and the drink of immortality. So Adapa, due to his own excessive caution, is deprived of that immortality that was intended for him from above.

The clay tablets on which the earliest records of the folk tales of Gilgamesh were made date back to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. e.

There is reason to believe that Gilgamesh was a real historical figure. His name is preserved in the list of the most ancient kings of Sumer. The real Gilgamesh ruled in the city of Uruk at the end of the 27th - beginning of the 26th centuries BC. e. Legends call Gilgamesh the son of the Uruk king Lugalbanda and the goddess Ninsun. This statement is not as fantastical as it might seem, since in ancient Sumer there was a custom for the king to enter into a "sacred marriage" with a priestess, who was considered the living embodiment of the goddess she served.

Name " Gilgamesh" presumably means " hero ancestor". There are several versions of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The most complete and interesting is the so-called "Nineveh version”, written in Assyrian cuneiform in Akkadian for the Nineveh library of King Ashurbanipal. This entry was made in the 7th century BC. e. but, according to the scribe, is an exact copy from an older original. According to tradition, the Uruk spellcaster Sinlikeunninni, who lived at the end of the 2nd millennium BC, is considered the author of this original. e.

The Nineveh version of the poem about Gilgamesh is called "About the All-Seen." This is one of the most remarkable works of ancient Eastern literature. Disparate legends and tales are brought here to a coherent plot unity, the characters of the heroes are given in psychological development, and the whole narrative is imbued with philosophical reflections on life, death and the meaning of human existence.

At the beginning of the poem, Gilgamesh is a young and frivolous ruler. Not knowing where to put his strength, he brutally oppresses his subjects, and he indulges in revelry.

Driven to despair, the inhabitants of Uruk turned to the gods with a prayer to create a worthy adversary for Gilgamesh.

The goddess Aruru molded from clay a mighty half-man-half-beast named Enkidu Enkidu was endowed with bestial speed and dexterity, he had long hair, and his body was covered with wool.

For the time being, Enkidu did not know anything about the world of people, he lived in the forest, eating grass, and wild animals considered him theirs.

Once Gilgamesh had a dream that a heavy stone fell from the sky, to which all the inhabitants of Uruk bowed, and Gilgamesh himself fell in love with him, like a living being, and brought him to his mother.

Gilgamesh's mother, the wise goddess Ninsun, interpreted the dream in this way: Gilgamesh will find a powerful friend whom he will love like a brother.

Soon a hunter came to Gilgamesh with a complaint that a wild man had appeared in the forest, who frightened the hunters and took away their prey, filled up the hunting pits and freed the animals from the snares.

Gilgamesh advised the hunter to lure the wild man out of the forest with the help of a woman.

The hunter hired a beautiful harlot named Shamkhat in the city and went with her to the forest.

The harlot seduced Enkidu and took him to Uruk. There he tasted human food - bread and wine - and thus joined the world of people, having lost his bestial essence.

Enkidu resigned himself - he, as before, did not run!
But he became smarter, deeper understanding.
(Translated by I. Dyakonov)

After some time, Enkidu met Gilgamesh. There was a fight between them, but neither could overcome the other. They recognized that their forces are equal - and fraternized. Gilgamesh took Enkidu to his mother Ninsun, who blessed both of them as her sons.

Despite this favorable turn of fate, Enkidu " got upset, sat down and cried ". And when Gilgamesh asked him about the reason for such sadness, he answered:

“Screams, my friend, tear my throat:
I’m sitting idle, my strength is gone.”

Then Gilgamesh suggested that together they go to the Lebanese mountains, covered with cedar forests, and destroy the monster Humbaba living there.

Enkidu was afraid. In his former forest life, he approached Humbaba's dwelling and knew that “The hurricane is his voice, his mouth is the flame, death is the breath". In addition, the god Enlil endowed Humbaba with the ability, at will, to deprive anyone of courage.

Enkidu began to dissuade his friend from a hopeless enterprise. He was joined by the wise men of Uruk. They said to Gilgamesh: Why did you want to do this? Unequal fight in Humbaba's dwelling! And the mother of Gilgamesh, the wise Ninsun, exclaimed, addressing the god of the sun:

“Why did you give me Gilgamesh as a son And put a restless heart in his chest?”
But Gilgamesh had already made up his mind. He said to Enkidu:
“I will go before you, and you shout to me:
"Go, don't be afraid!" If I fall, I will leave a name;
Gilgamesh took the fight to the ferocious Humbaba!"

Enkidu then swore that he would fight alongside Gilgamesh, and the brothers set off. In three days they traveled for six weeks and reached the forest where Humbaba lived.

The monster appeared before them surrounded by " seven lights”, and these magical radiances instilled an overwhelming fear in the heroes. But then the sun god Shamash himself came to the aid of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Courage returned to the heroes, they defeated Humbaba, slew the seven lights, cut down the magical cedars, which contained the remnants of evil power, and uprooted the stumps.

After hard work, Gilgamesh bathed in the stream, "he parted from the dirty, he put on the clean," and the goddess Ishtar noticed his beauty. She descended from heaven and offered herself to Gilgamesh as his wife. But he refused due to the bad reputation of the goddess.

"What glory are you being given?
Let me list who you fornicated with!”

Some historians see in the conflict between Gilgamesh and Ishtar a reflection of the real conflict between royal and priestly power.

The offended goddess asked her father, the god Anu, to create a gigantic bull that would destroy the impudent Gilgamesh. The bull appeared. But Gilgamesh, with the help of Enkidu, defeated this monster, and the heroes returned in glory to Uruk.

At night, Enkidu saw in a dream the Council of the Gods. The gods were angry because Gilgamesh and Enkidu killed Humbaba, who was under the auspices of Enlil, and the bull created by Anu, and argued whether both heroes should be punished or only one of them. In the end, the gods decided.

"Let Enkidu die, But Gilgamesh must not die."

Enkidu told his dream to Gilgamesh, and both of them were sad. Gilgamesh tried to propitiate the gods with sacrifices, promised to decorate their idols with gold, but the gods replied: “Do not spend, O king, on gold idols, God will not change the words that are said.” By the will of the gods, Enkidu fell ill and died. Gilgamesh mourned his friend bitterly:

"I cry for Enkidu, my friend,
Like a weeper, I sob bitterly.
My beloved friend became the earth!
Enkidu, my beloved friend, has become the earth!”

Gilgamesh called the best craftsmen from all over the country and ordered them to make a statue of Enkidu: the body is made of gold, the face is made of alabaster, the hair is made of lapis lazuli.

After burying Enkidu with honors, Gilgamesh donned rags and fled into the desert. He was tormented not only by sadness for his dead friend, but also by the thought of his own mortality, which he only now realized: And won't I die like Enkidu? Anguish has penetrated my womb, I am afraid of Death and run into the desert.» Gilgamesh decided to find the wise Utnapishti, the only immortal among people, and learn from him the secret of immortality.

Gilgamesh walked for many days and finally reached the high mountains, the tops of which propped up the sky, and the bases went to the underworld. Here the world of people ended and an unknown path began, along which the sun rose to the sky at dawn, and went into darkness at sunset.

This path was guarded by scorpion people. They tried to apprehend Gilgamesh:

“Never, Gilgamesh, has there been a road,
No one has yet gone uphill.
The darkness is thick, no light is visible.
But Gilgamesh answered:
"And in the heat and in the cold, in the dark and in the gloom,
In sighs and weeping - I will go forward!

He rushed into the darkness and, passing through it, went out to the light of another world. He saw a wonderful garden, where the leaves on the trees were of lapis lazuli, and the fruits were of carnelian. Behind the garden stretched an endless sea - the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bDeath, and on its shore, on a steep cliff, lived the mistress of the gods Siduri.

Learning that Gilgamesh wants to find immortality, Siduri did not approve of his intentions:

"Gilgamesh! Where are you aiming?
The life you seek, you will not find.
The gods when they created man
They determined the death of a man.

"Day and night, may you be cheerful,
Celebrate the holiday every day.
Look how the child is holding your hand
Please your friend with your arms - Only this is the business of man.

But Gilgamesh refused to return to the human world and continued on his way. Having crossed the dark waters, he appeared before the immortal Utnapishti, who lived on the other side of the Sea of ​​Death.

Utnapishti, like Siduri, tells Gilgamesh that the gods have determined life and death for man and commanded " live alive". The wise old man reproaches Gilgamesh for neglecting the duty of the ruler and forsaking his people: “Oh Take your face, Gilgamesh, to your people. Why does their ruler wear rags?» Then follows an insert episode: Utnapishti tells that during the Great Flood it was he who built the ark, saved his family and a couple of all the animals and birds, not allowing life to fade on earth. For this, the gods rewarded him with immortality.

The legend of the Great Flood is not connected with the epic of Gilgamesh and was included in the narrative only to emphasize the idea that only through an exceptional, unprecedented feat in the past and impossible in the future, a person could gain immortality, that this is the only case.

Gilgamesh falls into despair:

“What shall I do, Unapishti, where shall I go?
Death dwells in my chambers,
And wherever I look, death is everywhere!”

Wishing to console Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim told him that at the bottom of the Sea of ​​Death a flower grows that restores youth. The one who obtained it, although he will not gain immortality, will still lengthen his life.

Gilgamesh tied two heavy stones to his feet, dived to the bottom of the sea and plucked a wonderful flower. With the precious booty, Gilgamesh safely reached the world of men.

He stopped at the lake to bathe in earthly water, but then a snake crawled out of the hole and stole a wonderful flower. The snake shed its old skin and gained new youth, and Gilgamesh returned to his hometown empty-handed.

But when he saw the mighty walls of Uruk, once erected at his command, his soul was filled with pride.

The end of the poem is difficult to interpret, but most researchers tend to see here the optimistic idea that the true immortality of a person lies in his deeds accomplished during his life.

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The Tale of Gilgamesh Updated: September 24, 2017 By: admin