Column I

(The Cause of the Flood)

Gilgamesh unto him spoke, to Uta-Napishtim the Distant:

"Uta-Napishtim, upon thee I gaze, yet in no wise thy presence

strange is, for thou art like me, and in no wise different art thou;

thou art like me; yea, a stomach for fighting makes thee consummate,

and to rest on thy back thou dost lie. O tell me, how couldst thou

stand in the presence of thy Lord to petition for life everlasting?"

Uta-Napishtim, addressing him thus, unto Gilgamesh answered:

"Gilgamesh, I unto thee will discover the whole hidden story,

and the counsel of God will I tell thee.

The city Shurippak,

O it is a city thou knowest, is set on the marge of Euphrates;

old is this city, and its people had strayed. Now God a deluge

purposed to bring on them. In His counsel He revealed it

unto His servant in a dream: 'O thou mortal,

thou of Shurippak, thou scion of Ubara-Tutu, a dwelling

pull down, and fashion a vessel therewith; abandon possessions,

life do thou seek, and thy hoard disregard, and save life; every creature

make to embark in the vessel. The vessel which thou art to fashion,

apt be its measure; its beam and its length be in due correspondence;

then on the deep do thou launch it.' And I, apprehending,

thus to my Lord did I speak: 'Lord, what Thou sayest

thus do I honour, I will do; but to city, to people, and elders

am I to explain?' Then He made answer, saying to me, His servant:

'Thou mortal, thou shalt speak to them in this wise:

My Lord has turned away from this city, so that I in your city

may no more dwell, nor turn my face unto this land. I will go forth

to my Lord, and He will shower down plenty upon you, fowl in great number,

booty of fish, and big the harvest, causing a plentiful rainfall to come down upon you.'"

Then when something of morning had dawned . . .

The children provided pitch, while the strong brought all that was needful.

Then on the fifth day after, I laid out the shape of my vessel.

Ten gar each was the height of her sides, in accord with her planning;

ten gar to match was the size of her deck, and the shape of the forepart

did I lay down, and the same did I fashion; six times I crosspinned her,

sevenfold did I divide her, divided her inwards

ninefold; hammered the caulking within her, and found me a quarit-pole;

all that was needful I added; the hull with six shar of bitumen

smeared I, and three shar of pitch did I smear on the inside; some people

bearing a vessel of grease, three shar of it brought me; and one shar

of this grease did I leave, which the tackling consumed; and the boatman

two shar of grease stowed away; beeves for the workmen I slaughtered,

each day lambs did I slay; milk, oil, and water the workmen

drank as though they were a river, and made a great feast like the New Year.

All I possessed I laded aboard her; the silver I laded,

all I possessed; gold, all I possessed I laded aboard her;

all I possessed of the seed of all living I laded aboard her.

Into the ship I embarked all my kindred and family with me,

cattle and beasts of the field and all handicraftsmen embarking.

Then God decreed the hour: ". . . shall in the night let a plentiful rainfall pour down.

Then do thou enter the vessel, and straightway shut down thy hatchway."

Came then that hour appointed; in the night the rainfall poured down.

I viewed the aspect of day; to look on the day bore a horror.

Wherefore I entered the vessel, and straightway shut down my hatchway.

So, too, to shut down the vessel to Puzur-Amurri, the boatman,

did I deliver the poop of the ship, besides its equipment.

Then, when something of dawn had appeared, from out the horizon

rose a cloud darkling; lo, the thunder was rumbling within it;

angels were leading the vanguard, and coming as heralds

over the hills and the levels; then the bollards were wrenched out;

havoc the angels let loose as they came, and with torches

they brandished and shrivelled the land with their flames; desolation by God's command

stretched to high heaven, and all that was bright was turned into darkness.

The land was like a battle; for one day the storm blew fiercely.

Nor could a brother distinguish his brother; from heaven mortals were not to be spied. Even the angels were stricken with terror at the Deluge; they stood humbled in the heights of heaven, and silent were their lips, all of them bowed in awe before their Lord.

Six days and a se'nnight the hurricane, deluge, and tempest continued sweeping the land. When the seventh day came, were quelled the warfare, tempest and deluge, which like to an army embattled were fighting. Lulled was the sea, spent was the gale, assuaged was the deluge. So did I look on the day; lo, sound was stilled, and all human beings back to their clay were returned, and fen was level with roof-tree.

Then I opened a hatchway, and down on my cheek streamed the sunlight. Bowing myself, I sat weeping, my tears o'er my cheeks overflowing. Into the distance I gazed, to the furthest bounds of the ocean. Land was upreared at twelve points, and the Ark on the Mountain of Nisir grounded; the Mountain of Nisir held fast, nor gave lease to her shifting. One day, nay two, did Nisir hold fast, nor give lease to her shifting. Three days, nay four, did Nisir hold fast, nor give lease to her shifting. Five days, nay six, did Nisir hold fast, nor give lease to her shifting.

Then, when the seventh day dawned, I put forth a dove, and released her; but to and fro went the dove, and returned, for a resting-place was not. Then I a swallow put forth and released; to and fro went the swallow; she too returned, for a resting-place was not. I put forth a raven, releasing her too; the raven went, and saw the abating of waters; and she ate as she waded and splashed, unto me not returning. Unto the four winds of heaven I freed all the beasts, and an offering I made, in thankfulness to God alone, and poured out my gratitude upon the peak of the mountain, with sweet cane, and cedar, and myrtle heaped up before Him.

God accepted the thanks of His servant, and His mercy was upon him. He said: "I shall not again destroy mankind with a flood. Let the sin be visited on the sinner, and the guilt on the guilty; but I am merciful, that the righteous be not cut off, and clement, that they perish not. Instead of a flood, let there be lion or jackal to diminish man; let there be famine, that the country be devoured; let there be plague, and the people be overwhelmed. For I revealed the secret to My servant, the abounding in wisdom, in a dream, and thus he learned it. Deliberate now on his counsel."

Then God's grace came upon the Ark; He took my hand and raised me, even me, and my wife also He raised, and made her to kneel beside me; He touched our foreheads and stood between us, blessing us: "Uta-Napishtim has hitherto only been mortal; now, indeed, Uta-Napishtim and his wife shall be granted length of days; in the distance afar at the mouth of the rivers Uta-Napishtim shall dwell." So they took me, and there in the distance caused me to dwell at the mouth of the rivers.

"But thou, as for thee, who will petition thy Lord for thee, that the life which thou seekest thou mayst discover? Come, fall not asleep for six days, aye, a se'nnight!"

(But Gilgamesh is too mortal to resist even sleep)

Then, while he sat on his haunches, a sleep like a breeze breathed upon him. Uta-Napishtim spoke to his wife: "Behold him, even the strong fellow who asks for life, how sleep like a breeze has breathed upon him!" Then his wife answered Uta-Napishtim the Distant: "Touch him, and let the man wake, that the road he has traversed he may betake himself homeward in peace, that by the portal whence he fared forth he may return to his land." Uta-Napishtim said to his wife: "How the troubles of mortals do trouble thee also! Bake then his flour and put it at his head, but the time he is sleeping on the house-wall do thou mark it." So straightway she did so; his flour baked she, and set at his head, but the time he was sleeping she noted on the house-wall. So first was collected his flour, then secondly sifted, thirdly it was moistened, and fourthly she kneaded his dough, and fifthly leaven she added, and sixthly it was baked; then the seventh, he touched him, all on a sudden, and from his slumber awoke the great fellow.

Gilgamesh said to Uta-Napishtim the Distant: "Tell me, was it thou who, when sleep was showered upon me all on a sudden, didst touch me, and straightway rouse me from slumber?" Uta-Napishtim said to Gilgamesh: "Gilgamesh, told was the tale of thy meal, and then did I wake thee: one, was collected thy flour; then two, it was sifted; and thirdly, moistened; and fourthly, she kneaded thy dough; and fifthly, the leaven added; and sixthly, it was baked; and seventh, I on a sudden touched thee and thou didst awake." To Uta-Napishtim the Distant Gilgamesh answered: "O how shall I act, or where shall I hie me, Uta-Napishtim? A robber has ravished my courage. Death in my bed-chamber broods, and death is wherever I listen."

Uta-Napishtim said to the boatman Ur-Shanabi: "It is thou, Ur-Shanabi, who hast led him; the crossing will hate thee; to all those who come to its marge, its marge sets a limit. This man for whom thou wert guide, are stains to cover his body, or shall a skin hide the grace of his limbs? Ur-Shanabi, take him, lead him to where he may bathe, that he wash off his stains in the water white as the snow; let him cast off his pelts that the sea may remove them; fair let his body appear; of his head be the fillet renewed; let him, as clothes for his nakedness, garb himself in a mantle, such that, or ever he come to his city and finish his journey, no sign of age shall the mantle betray, but preserve all its freshness."

Wherefore Ur-Shanabi took him, and where he might bathe did he lead him, washing his stains in the water like snow, his pelts too discarding, so that the sea might bear them away; and his body appeared fair; of his head he the fillet renewed, and himself in a mantle garbed, as the clothes for his nakedness, such that or ever his city reach he, or ever he finish his journey, the mantle betray not age, but preserve all its freshness.

So into their vessel embarked Gilgamesh and Ur-Shanabi, launching their craft on the billow, they themselves riding aboard her.

(The gift of the plant of restored youth)

To Uta-Napishtim the Distant spoke then his wife: "Gilgamesh came hither aweary with rowing; what wilt thou give wherewith he return to his land?" And the meanwhile Gilgamesh, lifting his pole, was pushing the boat at the seashore. Then Uta-Napishtim said to Gilgamesh: "Gilgamesh, hither didst come aweary with rowing; O tell me, what shall I give thee as gift wherewith to return to thy country? Gilgamesh, I will reveal thee a hidden matter, I will tell thee: there is a plant like a thorn, with its root deep down in the ocean; like unto those of the briar its prickles will scratch thee; yet if thy hand reach this plant, thou wilt find renewal of thy youth."

Then, when Gilgamesh heard this, he loosened his girdle about him, bound heavy stones on his feet, which dragged him down to the sea-deeps. He found the plant; as he seized on the plant, lo, its prickles did scratch him. He cut the heavy stones from his feet, that again it restore him unto its shore.

Gilgamesh said to the boatman Ur-Shanabi: "Nay, but this plant is a plant of great wonder, Ur-Shanabi, whereby a man may attain his desire. I will take it to Erech, the high-walled, and give it to eat . . . 'Greybeard-who-turns-to-man-in-his-prime' is its name, and I will eat it, I myself, that again I may come to my youthful condition."

(The Quest ends in Tragedy)

They broke their fast at the fortieth hour; at the sixtieth rested. Gilgamesh spied out a pool of cool water, and therein descending bathed in the water. But there was a serpent who snuffed the plant's fragrance; darted he up from the water, and snatched the plant, uttering malison as he drew back. Then Gilgamesh sat him down, and burst into weeping. Over his cheeks flowed his tears; to the boatman Ur-Shanabi he spoke: "I pray thee, for whom have toiled mine arms, O Ur-Shanabi, tell me? I pray thee, for whom has my heart's blood been spent? Not for mine own self have I the guerdon achieved; no, it is for an earth-lion only have I the guerdon secured; and now at the fortieth hour such an one reives it. O, I noted the sign which to me was vouchsafed as a warning; would I had turned and abandoned the boat at the marge of the ocean!"

They broke their fast at the fortieth hour; at the sixtieth rested; so in the end to the middle of Erech, the high-walled, they arrived.

(The Pride of the Architect)

Gilgamesh said to the boatman Ur-Shanabi: "Do thou, Ur-Shanabi, go up and walk on the ramparts of Erech; look on its base, and take heed of its bricks, if its bricks be not kiln-burnt, and its groundwork be not bitumen, even seven courses; one shar the city, and one shar the gardens, and one shar the . . . of Erech."