The Tale of Gilgamesh Most Remarkable piece of art Babylonia is a poem about Gilgamesh. Its content is as follows. In the city of Uruk, the hero Gilgamesh ruled. Endowed with heroic powers that do not find any use for themselves, he did not give life to the inhabitants

A brave, fearless demigod named Gilgamesh became famous thanks to his own exploits, love for women and the ability to be friends with men. The rebel and ruler of the Sumerians lived to be 126 years old. True, nothing is known about the death of a brave warrior. Perhaps the fame of his deeds does not embellish reality, and the brave Gilgamesh found a way to gain immortality, which he so persistently sought.

History of creation

The biography of Gilgamesh has come down to modern world thanks to the cuneiform writing called "The Epic of Gilgamesh" (another name is "About the All-Seen"). Literary work contains scattered legends telling about the exploits of an ambiguous character. Some of the entries included in the collection date back to the 3rd millennium BC. The heroes of the ancient creation were Gilgamesh himself and his best friend- Enkidu.

The name of the hero is also found in the Tummal inscriptions - a chronicle of the reconstruction of the city of Tummal, which took place in the 2nd millennium BC. The inscriptions state that Gilgamesh rebuilt the temple of the goddess Ninlil, which had been damaged by the flood.

The mythology dedicated to the ruler of the Sumerians was reflected in the "Book of Giants", which was included in the Qumran manuscripts. The manuscripts casually mention the king of Uruk, without focusing on the exploits of a man.

Written evidence and analysis of the work of the Sumerian masters allow us to assert that the character of the ancient epic has a prototype. Scientists are sure that the image of the ancient hero is written off from the real-life ruler of the city of Uruk, who ruled his fiefdom in the 17-16th century BC.

Myths and legends

The wayward Gilgamesh is the son of the great goddess Ninsun and the high priest Lugalbanda. The biography of the Sumerian hero has been known since the Flood, which washed away most of humanity from the face of the Earth. The people who were saved thanks to Ziusudra began to build new cities.

Due to the growth in the number of settlements, the influence of Aggi - the last of the rulers of Sumer - began to decline. Therefore, when the matured Gilgamesh overthrew the governor of Aggi in the city of Uruk, the lord of Sumer sent an army to destroy the impudent rebel.

Gilgamesh had already become famous among the common people as an honest ruler of the city of Kullaba, located near Uruk. After the overthrow of the local government, Gilgamesh proclaimed himself king of Uruk and united both cities with a thick wall.

Agga attacked the enemy in a rage, but the brave hero did not retreat. The man gathered an army of young residents and began to defend the freedom of cities from the oppression of a greedy ruler. Despite a large army, Agga was defeated. Gilgamesh also received the title of ruler of the Sumerians and moved the capital of the state to Uruk.

However, Gilgamesh was distinguished not only by strength and determination. Because of the violent temper and inappropriate pride of the leader of the Sumerians, the gods sent Enkidu to Earth to pacify and defeat the man. But instead of fulfilling the mission entrusted to him, Enkidu joined Gilgamesh and became the best friend of the ruler of Uruk.

Together with Enkidu, the man went to the country of Huwawa, the giant who sowed death. Gilgamesh wanted to get the cedars that the huge monster was growing and glorify his own name among his descendants.

The road to Huwawa took a long time, but the ruler of the Sumerians reached the magical forest, cut down the cedars and destroyed the giant. The extracted raw materials went to the construction of new palaces in the capital.

Despite his proud disposition and disregard for the laws, Gilgamesh honored the gods. Therefore, when the goddess of love, Inanna, turned to the man for help, he dropped everything and rushed to the temple, glorifying the goddess.

A beautiful willow grew in this temple, which pleased Inanna. But among the roots of the tree a snake wound up. In the trunk of a willow, the demon has carved out a shelter for itself, and in the crown a bloodthirsty eagle has built a nest.

The hero cut off the snake's head with one blow. Seeing the brutal reprisal, the eagle flew away, and Lilith vanished into thin air. Grateful Inanna gave Gilgamesh a piece of wood, from which the carpenters made a magic drum. It was only necessary for the ruler of Uruk to strike at musical instrument how all the young men rushed to carry out assignments, and the girls without hesitation surrendered to the power of Gilgamesh.

The satisfied man spent a lot of time in lovemaking, until the gods, who were tired of listening to the complaints of suitors who were left without brides, took away the magic tool from Gilgamesh.

Seeing how a friend was suffering from the loss of a favorite toy, Enkidu went to the underworld, where the gods moved the magic drum. But the man did not take into account that only a person who does not break the rules can get out of the underworld. Alas, Enkidu found the drum, but could not leave the realm of the dead to return the loss.

In another legend about the death of a friend of Gilgamesh, it is told in a different way. The goddess, impressed by the appearance and courage of Gilgamesh, offered the hero to marry her. But Gilgamesh refused the beauty, because he knew that Ishtar was not distinguished by constancy.

The offended goddess complained to the god Anu, who sent a monster to Uruk. A huge heavenly bull descended to Earth to destroy his beloved city. Then Enkidu rushed to the enemy, and soon Gilgamesh arrived in time to help. Together, the men defeated a dangerous beast.

But for the massacre of the heavenly bull, the gods decided to punish Gilgamesh. After much debate, it was decided to leave the ruler of Uruk alive and take the life of Enkidu. Prayers and requests could not postpone the death of a man. After 13 days, Gilgamesh's best friend died. After mourning his comrade, the king of Uruk erected a beautiful monument in honor of Enkidu.

Saddened by the loss, the man realized that he, too, would one day die. Such a turn did not suit the wayward Gilgamesh, so the hero set off on a dangerous journey to meet with Utnapishtim. In search of immortality, the hero overcame many obstacles. Having found a wise old man, the hero found out that advice-grass that grows at the bottom of the sea gives eternal life.

The news did not dampen the ardor of Gilgamesh. Having tied stones to his feet, the man took out the magic grass. But while the hero was putting his own clothes in order, the advice-grass was dragged away by a snake. Frustrated, Gilgamesh traveled back to Uruk to live an adventurous life and inevitably die.

• The meaning of the name "Gilgamesh" is the hero's ancestor. Researchers claim that the word in the Sumerian manner sounded like "Bilga-mas". And the version that has become widespread is a late variation from Akkadia.
• The character became part of the serial anime "Gates of Babylon".
• Like the Bible, the stories of Gilgamesh raise the issue of a global flood that destroyed many people. There is a theory that the biblical catastrophe is borrowed from the Sumerians.

Quotes

“Here in Uruk I am king. I walk the streets alone, for there is no one who dares to come too close to me.

“Enkidu, my friend, whom I loved so much, with whom we shared all the labors, - he suffered the fate of a man!”

“I will chop a cedar, - mountains overgrown with it, - I will create an eternal name for myself!”

“After wandering the world, is there enough peace in the land?”

“Let the eyes be saturated with sunlight: the darkness is empty, as the light needs!”

Where the bright Euphrates of water tends to the sea,

A hill rises from the sand. The city is buried under it.

His name is Uruk. The wall turned to dust.

The tree has become rotten. Rust has eaten away the metal.

Traveler, climb the hill, look into the blue distance.

A flock of sheep wanders to the place where there was a watering place.

The song is sung by a Bedouin, no, not about a formidable king

And not about his glory. He sings about human friendship.

The ancient world knew a lot about the gods of the peoples of the Middle East. The names of Bela (Baal), Adonis, Osiris, Isis were heard by the Greeks and Romans. Gilgamesh was also known to them, and, as one might think, already in ancient times, since there are fragments in Homer's poems that indirectly testify to acquaintance with the great epic of Mesopotamia. In the works of Latin authors, one can also find the name Gilgamesh in a distorted form - Gilgamos. The Roman writer Elian, who wrote in Greek, brought to us a version of the miraculous birth of a hero who was supposed to deprive his grandfather of the kingdom (Ael., Nat., XII, 21). Imprisoned in a tower, he was freed by an eagle and brought up as a gardener, just like the king of Akkad Sargon (Sharrukin).

An excerpt from the epic of Gilgamesh was first found in the rubble of cuneiform tablets that had not yet been sorted out. british museum In 1872, the discoverer, self-taught Assyriologist George Smith read part of the line from the XI table "a man released a dove" and experienced the greatest shock, realizing that he was at the origins of the biblical myth of the flood. With this find, in fact, the titanic work began to restore the text of the epic, its interpretation and translation into modern languages. They have not yet touched all the land from the "hills of the dead", in which cuneiform tablets or their fragments with texts about Gilgamesh can be hidden. But the epic has already entered our consciousness as a masterpiece of world literature.

The Epic of Gilgamesh has been in the making for thousands of years. Gilgamesh was originally a Sumerian hero, king of the glorious Sumerian city of Uruk. The oldest pictographic, pre-cuneiform form of his name is attested in this city, as well as in another Sumerian center - Shuruppak, where the hero of the same epic Utnapishti was born. However, the oldest evidence of Gilgamesh dates back only to 2150 BC. e. - these are images of a hero on clay cylinders surrounded by animals.

Somewhat later records from another Sumerian city, Ur, tell of the exploits of Gilgamesh and his father Lugalbanda. The same texts mention Enmerkar, possibly Gilgamesh's grandfather. Much of what the Sumerians wrote about the deeds of Gilgamesh is brief messages. The interest in Gilgamesh in Ur was most likely due to the fact that the king Shulgi (2105 - 2103), who ruled in the city, declared the goddess Ninsun, the parent of Gilgamesh, his mother and, accordingly, Gilgamesh his brother.

Some of the Sumerian myths about Gilgamesh were incorporated into the Akkadian epic. These are: 1. Gilgamesh and the tree Khalib; 2. Gilgamesh and the monster Huwawa; 3. Gilgamesh and the bull of heaven; 4. Death of Gilgamesh; 5. Flood; 6. Descent of Inanna (Ishtar) into the underworld. Sumerian versions existed separately. The Akkadians, having reworked at the beginning of the II millennium BC. e. Sumerian heritage, created the epic of Gilgamesh, which became known to many peoples of the Middle East. Outside of Mesopotamia, fragments of it are found in Palestine (Megiddo) and Syria (Ugarit). There are Hurrian and Hittite translations of the epic.

Tablets with the canonical version of the myth were found in the royal library of Nineveh in many copies. They were used by the kings Sennacherib, Ashurbanipal and their courtiers. The canonical version from Nineveh used and adapted some of the Sumerian versions, but it included (primarily in the first part of the epic) other material as well.

By the richness of content, by the timeless topicality of the issues raised, yiin about Gilgamesh has no analogues in the extant ancient literature. From the poems, the city-state emerges not only in visible detail - the city wall, the temple center, the royal palace, the countryside lying behind the walls, where shepherds live with their flocks, where there is a place for hunting, but also as a social organism with its own unique features and eternal unanswerable questions. It is primarily a matter of power. The protagonist, for whom the author does not have enough words to praise in the initial part of the poem, in fact turns out to be a despot, creating unbearable living conditions for the population. However, the author of the poem finds a solution to the problem of bad power, close in direction to that in which in the 18th century. was Jean Jacques Rousseau: a return to nature, to naturalness. The uncorrupted man of nature, the child of the steppes Enkidu, is introduced into the city. Equal to Gilgamesh in strength, he, thanks to his innocence and true humanity, achieves the transformation of a brawler and tyrant into an ideal ruler and folk hero.

For the people of the ancient world, as well as for the modern, although to a lesser extent, the question arose about the attitude to higher power(gods, god). For an ordinary person, for example, a Roman, this was a problem of debt to the gods, which was solved by making sacrifices in the hope of reciprocal gifts from the gods. Gilgamesh, two-thirds god, one man, was an intellectual, a philosopher. No wonder the author, talking about his valor, recalls the seven wise men. The title role in Uruk and other cities of Mesopotamia was played by the goddess of love and fertility, Inanna. Gilgamesh uses the services of a priestess of this goddess to bring Enkidu to the city. But the advantages of friendship revealed to him thanks to his meeting with Enkidu, ?ane?uaa?o the dirt and depravity of everything that was then commonly called "love".

The fight with Ishtar, first verbal, and then with the use of weapons, ends for the great goddess in the greatest shame. She, the patroness of the phallic cult, is thrown in the face of the phallus of the bull she has chosen to punish Gilgamesh. The conflict with Ishtar makes the gods make a logical decision - to punish not Gilgamesh, but Enkidu, because he owes him not so much victories over monstrous external forces as victory over himself. Without Enkidu, Gilgamesh cannot exist in the corrupted civilized world. He goes into the wilderness, as the prophets of Israel did many centuries after him. And there, in the desert, he decides, contrary to the laws of the gods, to bring Enkidu back to life.

Death... Before it stands in fear and bewilderment each person individually and human society as a whole. In antiquity, a branched mythology of death was created, on the development of which the glory of Homer, Virgil, and Dante grew. But the author of the epic of Gilgamesh was the first in this series of geniuses, and his hero, descending into the country without return, is not guided by either a thirst for glory or political considerations. They are guided only by friendship. Of course, Homer also gave a great example of friendship - Achilles and Patroclus. But Achilles does not go to Hades, he sends a replacement there, defenseless Trojan captives.

Gilgamesh was a theomachist, the great predecessor of Prometheus. His feat, surpassing everything that a mortal could think of, does not lead to the desired result. But, even after being defeated, Gilgamesh remains unconquered and continues to make us feel proud of his humanity, loyalty and courage.

1. It is possible that the original form of the name is "Bilgamesh". In this case, the name can be understood as an old (bilga) person (mes).

2. Shuruppak, the city of Mesopotamia, with which the legend of the flood is connected, was located near the modern Iraqi town of Varga. In the neighborhood were found cuneiform tablets and their fragments, dating back to 2700 - 2600 years. BC e., and among them - the oldest texts of Sumerian literature (Bott (ro, 1987, 138 et seq.).

Table I

I want to tell the country about everything that I have experienced,

About the one who studied everything, about the one who made the secret clear,

The message conveyed from ancient antediluvian times,

About tired wanderings in distant countries,

About the one who told about them on the eternal memorial stone,

About for the first time encircling our city of Uruk with a wall,

About Eanna who gave the fence, the great shrine of Uruk.

Climb the wall of Uruk, touch its strong brick.

Was he burned? Visit Eanna's fence,

The one in which the goddess Ishtar has now settled,

Remember King Gilgamesh, his greatness and glory.

Among the rulers of the earth there was no equal to him in valor.

The seven wise men served as an example to him.

The lord of Uruk was born king Lugalbanda

His mother is Mrs. Ninsun, a steppe cow.

Is it not because he did not know himself equal in valor?

Passes of all mountain ranges were opened to him.

He could cross the ocean, open seas,

The sun to see birth in the far east.

Two-thirds god, one-man he.

He could compete with any god with his beauty.

He was like a steppe tour in battle.

And his pukku weapon was worthy of surprise.

And the combatants were his own family.

And the squad rose at this sign instantly.

For days and nights, he raged with the flesh with the good fellows.

Happiness of the father's old man without leaving,

Mother without leaving delight, the only daughter.

The husband for his wife and at night could not be calm.

Complaints about Gilgamesh, about his rampage and squad

The Almighty were not allowed to sleep, depriving Anu of rest.

And the people once turned to the goddess Arura:

Oh goddess, you created the human race.

Who will stop you from creating a likeness of Gilgamesh?

Whoever he may be, but let him not yield to him in anything.

The request reached heaven and touched the heart of the goddess.

She washed her hands in water, took out clay from the bottom

And, plucking from him, she created her husband Enkidu,

A savage warrior covered with long hair.

The hair on his head is like ripe ears of corn.

He grew up among the beasts, not knowing about man.

Fast gazelles were his native family,

He hissed the grass with them and crowded around the watering hole.

Once a hunter looking for prey saw Enkidu,

Dropping his bow in horror, he froze for a moment without moving.

Previously, he could not understand who the gazelle herd,

For which he was chasing, gave such protection.

Even returning home, the hunter was shaking with fear.

Only when he saw his father did he free himself from trembling.

I met my husband today, with a power like a god.

From the mountains he descended into the desert with a herd of gazelles.

I dropped the bow and realized who all the pits are filled with,

What I dug on the path and covered the outside with foliage.

I hate this husband. He deprives me of prey.

Hearing his son's complaint, the wise old man replied:

This husband is not for you. You are not equal to him in strength.

But he, a strong man, will be found in the world of justice.

The city is glorious Uruk. They are ruled by King Gilgamesh.

There is no stronger person on this earth between the rivers.

You turn to him, and he will be able to help you.

The words of the hunter were heard by the lord of the city of Uruk

And he promised him his help and protection.

You go to Eanna, visit Inanna's domain.

The people and animals of the steppe are submissive to her will.

Serves Inanna Shamhat best of all with a girlish body.

Its strength is beauty, before which everything yields.

Step into the steppe together, return together with victory.

Both of them moved from Uruk to the steppe expanses.

By the third day they reached the watering hole and ambushed them.

A day passes, and so does another, followed by a third.

Animals come to drink along their trodden paths.

There is no end to those animals that gladden the hearts with water.

Here he is! - the hunter's cry of the maiden broke her slumber.

Here he is - a savage man is approaching with the herd.

Open the bosom and put it out faster than beauty.

Ionou he will come and admire the spectacle.

Don't be afraid. Let your lips touch it.

Drink the breath from your mouth. Let him cover you with his body.

Give him pleasure - a common thing for women.

And he will forget about the animals with which he grew up in the desert.

So get started. And may your caresses be pleasant.

Shamhat bared her chest, opened her robes.

The savage, clinging to her, forgot everything in the world.

Oanou passed the nights, the seventh rolled to replace them.

Enkidu Shamhat is busy and does not get off her body.

Morning came, and he directed his gaze to the herd.

Horror in the eyes of gazelles who do not recognize their brother.

He wants to approach them, but in fear they fled.

Legs do not hold Enkidu, do not run him, as it used to be.

For, having lost his power, he gained the human mind.

Nae o the feet of a harlot, like a submissive lamb.

Listen, Enkidu, she says. You are like God in beauty.

What is the steppe and grass to you, dumb wild beasts?

If you want, I will take you to the incomparable Uruk

To the house of the lord of heaven Anu and to Gilgamesh?

No one in the world can compare with his power yet.

Friendship awaits you, which has not yet been known in the world.

Immediately Enkidu's face lit up, and he reached out for friendship.

Well, I'm ready," he said. - Lead to your Gilgamesh.

Neea doesn't scare him. And I will shout in the middle of Uruk:

Here I am, born in the steppe, raised in a herd by a gazelle.

My power is great. I control the fate of people.

We set out on the road at dawn. And in Uruk that very morning

The king woke up on his bed, frightened by the dream.

Ninsun, the cow of the steppe, - he turned to the goddess,

An incomprehensible and strange dream oppresses and confuses my soul.

In a host of unfamiliar husbands, among the stars I suddenly found myself

Someone attacked me from behind and I felt heavy

The body of a mighty warrior, as if from the army of Anu.

I tried to reset it, but my efforts were in vain.

My city of Uruk awakened along with the whole district.

I have never seen such a crowd before.

As for the faithful warriors, they are at the feet of the giant.

Soon he himself reached out to him with all his soul.

It's hard to believe, but he seemed more precious to me than my brother.

Your dream, oh my dear boy, - the goddess explained to the king,

Sent by the good gods, and let him not inspire fear.

The man you wrestled with is not from the army of Anu.

Not the heavens of a giant - the desert and mountains have grown,

So that you cling with your whole soul to him, as to your wife,

So that in happiness and in sorrow you are always inseparable.

Table II.

At the same time, Shamhat and Enkidu come out of the steppe,

To the smoke of the fire and to the barns, and to the shepherd's village

Seeing unusual guests, the shepherds quit their job

And surrounded by a crowd noisy Shamhat and Enkidu.

Speech was heard: - He looks like Gilgamesh himself.

No! He is a little lower, but the bone, perhaps, is stronger.

Is it not Enkidu, born of the steppe, that we accept?

How powerful he is. Like a warrior of the heavenly kingdom.

The bread was brought out to the guests and placed before Enkidu.

He was ignored, as if a stone had been thrown under his feet.

The fur was dragged with a strong drink - he did not touch it.

He was not trained in food, in which the life of a person,

And his head from hops was not yet spinning.

Eat, Enkidu, - Shamhat admonished the giant.

Drink strong drink, drink unfamiliar to the beast.

Bread tasted Enkidu, so that others did not get it.

He drained the fur with a single gulp, and the soul cleared up.

He felt his body and anointed himself with oil.

He covered his wool with a solid linen.

The shepherds lay down to sleep, he went hunting

Drive lions across the steppe and wolves that exterminate sheep.

In the morning, Shamhat and Enkidu departed for incomparable Uruk.

He stepped into the walls, almost destroying the gates.

The people left the houses and filled the streets of the city,

To see a miracle, a walking giant.

Arms and legs like logs they bring

From the distant mountains of Lebanon. And where is the harlot

Where is Shamhat, whose beauty Eanna was proud of?

Like a lamb, she trudges after Enkidu.

Like a foal in the field behind a queen mare.

So the cry is heard, familiar to all Uruk.

The call at which the husbands usually closed all the doors,

So that their wives did not come across the eyes of Gilgamesh.

The doors are wide open and the fears of the past are forgotten.

The city at the temple of Ishkhara froze in anticipation of the battle.

Someone wholeheartedly wishes the alien to win.

Maybe the time will come, which people did not look forward to,

Maybe the new ruler will be calmer than the previous one,

Leave the women alone and do something.

Meanwhile, the heroes grappled, trying to overpower each other.

Legs from tension in the ground went to the knee.

And the earth groaned from pain, which from birth did not know.

The veins on the necks were swollen and breathing became heavy.

Drops of salty sweat pour from their faces in a stream.

That we, like sheep, rested our foreheads on each other?

The ruler of Uruk spoke and first weakened his muscles.

And here they are facing each other, drying in the sun.

Not only the people of Uruk, Shamash that goes around the earth,

I have never seen such a fight since the creation of the world.

You taught me by force, - the king turned to Enkidu.

Before, I confess, in my vanity I did not think of equals.

We are equal in strength, Enkidu, in equality - friendship is the basis.

On this day, both of them appeared before the face of Ninsun

Mother, here is the friend that you, explaining the dream,

She told me recently: Enkidu, born of the desert,

Equal in everything to me and my own brother is dearer.

Here he is, not knowing the kind, born of the mountains and the steppe.

But no one can compare with my friend in the whole world.

Tears rolled down his cheeks, burning the ground at his feet.

Why are you crying? Gilgamesh asked Enkidu.

What did you find offensive in my speech?

I am not offended, said Enkidu to Gilgamesh.

Time passes. I am dissatisfied with idleness.

My strength is running out. I don't see any use for them.

You are right, said Gilgamesh. - After all, I'm thinking about the case.

Listen: I know the country, it does not look like a steppe.

The mountains of Lebanon, covered with cedar forests, rise.

This forest is guarded by the monstrous warrior Humbaba.

Invisible mountains. No one will go deep.

Collected evil in his body. Let's destroy Humbaba

And we will drive out evil from the world, and we will also cut down the cedars.

These places are familiar to me, - Enkidu immediately answered.

There, in the neighborhood, I wandered along with a herd of gazelles.

Infinite forest there. No one will penetrate deep

He is like a hurricane. The mouth of Humbaba is a flame.

He breathes death out of his mouth. Who wants to fight him?

That is what I desire,” Gilgamesh replied to Enkidu.

Neither the forest frightens me, nor the moat that surrounds it.

We will penetrate the forest with you. The weapon is combat

I have the ax, and we will order the other craftsmen.

And break, Enkidu, with you any hostile force.

You artisans of Uruk, fan the furnace with bellows.

Let the flame rise, let Humbaba see it.

Let the green stones melt - those that are brought

On ships from across the sea, let copper pour into molds

And it will turn into axes that will hit our hand.

The craftsmen bowed to the king, fire shot up over Uruk.

From a distance, the city looked like a huge burning furnace.

Having learned what the lord intended, the people left the dwelling.

The elders walked sedately, leading the procession.

In the days when ice floes crumble somewhere in its sources.

Listen, people of Uruk. Humbaba I want to see.

Whose name of the country burns and shakes all the mountains.

And among the mighty cedars I want to overcome him

And the name aicauneou Uruk - let the world hear this name.

And the cedars will bow down to me like captives, I will deliver them to you

And I will forever glorify my name among the nations.

You are still young, Vladyka, - all the elders answered at once.

Follow the call of the heart, regardless of the mind.

Mighty and terrible Humbaba, you will die in a heavy battle.

After all, for him your weapon is like cedar needles.

Glancing at Enkidu, the lord replied to the elders:

Elders, take a look at your brother and leave your worries behind.

With him, Humbaba is not terrible for me. Together we will win.

Should I be afraid of Humbaba, having such a friend.

One will not overcome the steep, but two will climb.

A double-twisted rope will not break soon.

I have found a strong friend. Ready to go with him to anyone.

Table III.

The elders blessed the brothers, saying in parting:

You, Gilgamesh, lord, do not rely on your strength.

Rely on Enkidu in everything. He knows the steppe paths,

He is accustomed to long trips and he knows the way to cedars.

You, Enkidu, take care of your friend. Get tired - turn your back to him

Cover him in battle with your chest and dig a well in the desert.

To be able to get drunk. We entrust the king to you.

If you return to Uruk, you will be with a great reward.

My friend, let's return to Egelmach,

There we will stand before Ninsun.

The path of life is known to her, the goddess will help with advice.

The brothers entered the house of the greatest goddess with timidity.

Seeing her son, Ninsun raised her eyebrows in surprise:

I see you with weapons, - she turned to Gilgamesh.

What enemy is threatening Uruk and are you seeking my help?

The enemy is not dangerous to Uruk, - Gilgamesh answered the goddess.

We threaten Humbaba, protector of the Lebanese cedars.

He absorbed all earthly evil, and we will destroy him.

Leaving the brothers alone, the goddess retired to herself

Refresh your wonderful body with a cleansing root,

Decorate the chest with a necklace and gird with a ribbon.

Having done all this, she ascends to the roof.

There, having finished the incense, she raised her voice:

Shamash, god of justice, enveloping heaven and earth,

Gilgamesh was given to me by you, explain, if you wish,

Why did you put a restless heart in my grief,

Why did he send him on the road, threatening him with death?

They say that there is a lot of evil in the world, but let others fight with it.

So take care of my son at least.

When you go into darkness, entrust it to the guards of the night.

Having prayed, she descended from the roof and extinguished the censers,

And then she called Enkidu and addressed him with a speech:

You are a mighty, great warrior, although not born by me,

I dedicate you to my son, serve my Gilgamesh.

Together with priestess maidens who faithfully serve me.

And as a sign of dedication put on his mighty neck

Talisman, from disasters and the evil eye, and also handed him

The most baked loaf...

Table IV.

Shamash's brothers set off again along the tornado road,

We keep a friendly look. At the end of the day, rest

After one night, Gilgamesh turned to Enkidu:

With a trio of mighty tours alone in the steppe I grabbed.

Dust rose in pillars from powerful hooves and from the roar.

I was smitten. But someone, I don’t know - a beast, a man

He hurried to help me, gave me a drink from a jug.

What does this vision mean and what does it portend to me?

Hear me, Gilgamesh! said Enkidu.

Your dream is beautiful and don't let it scare you.

The one who came to the rescue is not a man and he is not a beast,

Shamash, our god is merciful or perhaps

Your parent is Lugalbanda. Trust me:

The deeds that we will accomplish will not be forgotten by people.

Again they walked and again stood to rest,

They ate a slice of bread and were disturbed by dreams,

For the visions of the night are given by the gods to man.

You called me. Did you touch me? Why did the dream end?

I will tell another dream. We ended up in a gorge.

Suddenly a roar was heard. The mountain collapsed on me.

Pressing my legs. And suddenly someone appears.

The view is beautiful. He threw stones from mine

He calmed my heart and gave me a drink from the jug.

Who is this unknown friend? I want to know, Enkidu.

My friend, said Enkidu, this dream of yours is excellent.

He promises you good, although you were frightened by him.

After all, it was not the mountain that collapsed, it was Humbaba that collapsed.

The mighty guardian of cedars is no longer dangerous to us.

We will throw the body of Humbaba to the birds and pass it to be eaten.

And again they walked and again stood to rest.

They ate a slice of bread. Enkidu dug a well.

Gilgamesh came to the edge of it and threw a pinch

Taken from the house of torment, and turned to the mountain:

Listen, mountain, and the night vision came to me.

The wind blew cold. Enkidu covered Gilgamesh,

Nearby he remained to guard his friend, who fell asleep at once.

Waking up again in the middle of the night, the king said to Enkidu:

I had a third dream, the most terrible.

The sky screamed as if in pain, the earth rumbled.

Lightning flashed in the sky, the downpour was worse than death.

The mountain that hung yesterday has become flying ash.

Recognizing the meaning of the dream, Enkidu said to Gilgamesh:

This is what the dream means: Humbaba is much more dangerous

What did you and I think. He is in fiery robes,

More precisely - in seven robes, dressed one on top of the other.

He is under powerful protection, and I feel that it is more reasonable

Will return to Uruk without entering into battle with him.

My body went numb and my legs became weak.

Brother, - Gilgamesh objects. - Surely with nothing we will return,

Having traveled a great path? Shall we yield to Humbaba?

Remember the victories of the past, and your spirit, Enkidu, will grow stronger,

The numbness will drive away, again the muscles will be filled with strength.

Table V

The ditch is crossed, and they enter in surprise

In the ranks of the forest giants. Nature breathed peace

But the insidious Humbaba crept up to them imperceptibly.

His powerful body in robes was magical.

Shamash noticed the danger, and a storm struck from the sky.

Eight he released the winds, and the thunders rumbled.

Lightning crossed like giants' swords.

And blinded by the winds, and deafened by the thunders,

We surrender to you, the winner! You can take me as a slave!

Cut down the cedars as much as you like, the offspring of my forests.

I myself will deliver them to their place, I will erect a palace for you.

Remember Humbaba's cunning! came the voice of Enkidu.

He is not worthy of mercy. But we will deal with it later.

Much more dangerous than Humbaba are the rays in magical attire.

If they are redeemed, their mighty creator will be eclipsed.

No! Gilgamesh responded. - If a bird is caught,

The chicks have nowhere to go. Let's deal with Humbaba first.

As for the beams of radiance, let's leave them for last.

Thus, convincing Enkidu, Gilgamesh raises the axe,

With force directing it directly to the back of Humbaba's head.

Enkidu plunges his sword into the chest of the keeper of the cedars.

Time to take care of the chicks - said the lord. - And immediately

He began to trample the luminous robe with his feet.

Meanwhile Enkidu plucked another from the motionless body

And he threw it into a pit with water - and the water boiled in the pit,

Steam emitting hot. Enkidu cast a net

For five other lights. And they all turned out

In the same boiling pit, filling it to the brim.

Now let's get to the cedars! - said Gilgamesh and with an ax

He hit the stem. And the forest trembled from the impact.

What are you doing, my friend, said Enkidu.

You are destroying a living body. I smell blood.

It is similar to human, only a different color.

Table VI.

In the morning, awakening from sleep, Gilgamesh cleans the weapon.

Having thrown off the dirty, he puts on everything clean.

Dressed in a mantle, he tries on a tiara.

Ishtar fixed her eyes on the beauty of Gilgamesh.

She addressed him with a speech: - Become my husband, Vladyka!

As a gift from me you will receive a heavenly chariot,

The wheels shine with gold, the amber frame burns.

Immediately, fast mules will take you to heaven.

You will see my palace and pass through the doors

In the fragrance of cedars. knees in front of you

My servants will bow and bestow wealth.

I don't want to listen to you. - Gilgamesh answers the goddess.

I'd rather give you the gifts you want.

I will decorate your heavenly house, I will fill the barns with grain,

Just don't touch you. Your disgusting bosom.

You are like a brazier that does not bring heat in the cold,

You are like a leaky door that lets all the winds into the house,

You are like a well without a lid, open to a sandy whirlwind,

You are a sandal that squeezes your foot, you are a fur that allows water to pass through.

Remember who you loved and swore in love without blushing.

Where is the wonderful young man Dumuzi, and why is he suffering?

She loved the shepherd bird, and she, like the others, ruined him.

Hear - he cries: "Wings, give me back the wings!"

You fell in love with the mighty lion - seven traps are his reward.

You let the stallion on the bed, then to send it to the stable,

To put a bridle in his mouth and deprive him of the desired freedom.

And you also gave your love to the goatherd shepherd.

He baked cakes on the fire, brought suckers daily

Well, you turned him into a wolf, and he is being chased by the shepherds.

Ishallana was loved by you, he touched your bosom.

Where is this man in love now? You turned him into a spider!

Hearing this impudent speech, the goddess wasp soared into the sky

And appeared before the eyes of her parent Anu.

Tears flowed in a stream, and eyes sparkled like stars.

Oh, my father, she yelled. - Gilgamesh hurt me:

He enumerated my sins, defamed me in front of everyone.

You yourself, - the parent answered her, - offended the king of Uruk.

That is why Gilgamesh listed your sins.

No, he will be punished by me, - the goddess did not let up.

If you do not support me, I will open the underworld

And from there I will release the dead, so that they may devour the living.

Frightened by this threat, Anu turned to the goddess:

I agree. What punishment did you decide to give him?

Give me the bull, said the goddess, let it destroy him.

There will be a bull, - answers Anu. - Only he needs food,

For he is an earthly bull, not heavenly, he loves grass and chaff,

But its main strength is in the grain. So clear the human barns,

So that my bull would not be hungry and could fight with Gilgamesh.

Everything that you ask will be done, - the goddess answered her father.

People remember this night. The bull fell from the sky to the ground,

Landed on the banks of the Euphrates. In seven gulps he drained the river,

And he wandered, lowing, to Uruk, - after all, Ishtar drove him.

Until now, you can see the pits from the breath of a terrible beast.

The twin brothers heard the noise and left the city walls.

The bull, seeing the walking heroes, splashed caustic saliva into their faces.

And hit with a huge tail. Enkidu was bent over by the blow.

And he grabbed the bull's horn, lifting his mighty muzzle.

Gilgamesh struck him in the throat, and the bull fell down lifeless.

Gilgamesh carved the monster's heart as a gift to Shamash.

From the wall of Uruk, the goddess vomited in impotent anger

Fellow blasphemy and curses. And then Gilgamesh contrived

He cut a root from a bull and threw it in the face of the goddess.

The goddess called all the harlots to mourn this loss.

This bovine huge root that looked like a tree trunk.

Gilgamesh summoned craftsmen to turn the horns into silver.

They included six measures of oil to serve as a libation for them.

In honor of his father Lugalbanda.

Table VII.

That day brought them joy. Remembered before dark

How the bull was smitten and how Ishtar was mocked.

They fell into sleep. And Enkidu cried out in the middle of the night,

Waking Gilgamesh, he told a friend about the vision.

I dreamed of a heavenly palace and a meeting of the great gods.

And he says to An Ellil: - But they killed the bull

And Humbaba, guardian of the forest. And they stole the cedars.

Gilgamesh is responsible for this. The king of Uruk must die.

No, Enkidu will answer for everything! Ellil exclaimed indignantly.

Shamash intervened in their conversation: - What kind of guilt is he responsible for?

Is it not by your command, Anu, that the bull of heaven and Humbaba were killed?

It would be better for you to keep silent, my son, - Anu answered in anger.

After all, you yourself were their guide and accomplice of their crimes.

Enkidu lay down on the couch, pale. His lips fluttered.

Gilgamesh burst into tears: - Why, my dear friend,

Why was I acquitted? After all, we both killed Humbaba

And the bull of heaven was smitten. And Shamash was our adviser.

But I will save you from death. I beg the gods for forgiveness.

I will bring all the riches to the altar. I will gild all idols.

These sacrifices will not help you. You don't need to spend gold.

Anu does not change the decision, the word will not return to his mouth.

Such is the fate of man. All living things are subject to death.

I am ready to obey the gods, Enkidu replies in tears.

May everything that you predicted come true, sending this prophetic dream.

But while my mind is with me, accept my wishes.

I, like a beast, was born in the desert and would not know human suffering,

If a hunter had passed by, he would not have brought a harlot into the wilderness.

Until now, I would have grazed with gazelles and crowded at the watering hole.

Let there be punishment for both. I send them curses.

Let the hunter's hands weaken and he will not pull the bowstring!

Let the arrow not reach the target, let the animals go around the trap!

But the main troubles will fall on the villainous harlot.

Let her forget about the hearth, let her be driven out of the harem!

Let the beer not go to her, let it come out with vomiting!

Let her live alone and let her freeze in the cold!

Let a beggar visit her, let a tramp beat her! .

I lift your curse. Who, Enkidu, fed you bread?

Who introduced you to the strong drink that brings oblivion to troubles?

Who gave Gilgamesh as a comrade, who is now sitting next to you.

He will calm your heart, as it should be for a brother and friend,

He will put him on an honorary bed, he will call foreign kings

And having fulfilled his mournful rite, he will retire to the lions in the wilderness.

Table VIII.

As soon as the morning blushed, Gilgamesh bowed over Enkidu,

Putting a hand on his chest, he sang a funeral hymn to him:

The son of the desert and my best friend, the antelope gave birth to you,

With milk you fed the gazelles in the distant pastures of the mountains.

You are remembered by the animals that crowd around the watering hole,

In the cedar groves, Enkidu, the paths mourn for you,

Cry mountains wooded ledges, on which we climbed with you.

And Evlei sheds tears, and the Euphrates weeps,

Returning to its former course, he remembers the bull of heaven.

Tears are poured by the elders of the city, those who accompanied us on a campaign,

Women cry in Uruk, who fed you with bread

The one who gave you wine is crying. The harlot tears her hair,

Who brought you to the city and made you a man.

How can I not cry about you when we are like brothers.

You, Enkidu, are my powerful axe, you are my flawless dagger,

My shield, which saved me, the cloak that I wear on a holiday.

Why can't you hear me? He touched his chest, but his heart does not beat.

I will cover you with a veil, as they cover the face of a bride ...

As soon as the morning blushed, Gilgamesh called all the craftsmen,

All those who work with their hands - blacksmiths, stone cutters and others.

He instructed them to make an idol, which was not in the world.

To stand, as if alive, Enkidu at the foot of the eternal stone.

So that the body is made of gold, the face is made of light alabaster,

So that curls decorate the forehead and shine with lapis lazuli ...

As soon as the morning blushed, Gilgamesh made a figurine

He made a wooden pole, put a figurine on it.

He filled a vessel of azure with honey, a bowl of carnelian with oil

And he turned to the heavenly gods with a prayer for the soul of Enkidu.

The gods smelled the victim, Gilgamesh heard the word,

And from the dwellings of heaven they descended to earth.

Ellil opens his mouth, he speaks to Gilgamesh:

Everything that breath has must obey the law.

The plowman loosens the earth, sows, sows the crops.

The hunter kills animals, he is full even in the skin of an animal.

But death befalls anyone, darkness is replaced by light,

Light is replaced by darkness. The lot of people is the same.

What are you looking for in a world that lives according to eternal laws?

Table IX.

Heart tormented by crying, leaving his kingdom,

Gilgamesh fled into the desert. And at the sandy hills,

Resembling women's breasts, he sank to the ground.

He fell into sleep instantly. But he brought no consolation.

And without waiting for dawn, he went to the mountains.

He heard the roar of a lion, saw that the animals were frolicking,

Like puppies playing. - Why do you not know grief,

Gilgamesh turned to the lion. - Enkidu is gone

The one with whom they once crowded at the watering hole,

He took away arrows from you, covered traps with earth,

Where is Enkidu, please? From the animals without waiting for an answer,

Gilgamesh raises his ax and charges towards the pack with lightning.

He fell like an arrow between the lions, crushing the unconscious.

Immediately beyond the pass stretched extreme mountains.

Their roots go into the abyss, touch the top of the sky.

Here the beginning of sunrise and the end of sunset,

Mountains named Masha. Door closed cave

And its guards guard in the form of scorpions,

But with a human head.

Horror overcoming, Gilgamesh approaches the scorpion.

People don't have access here. - said the scorpion. - Only Shamash

Can enter a cave. We open the gate for him.

I'm looking for a dead friend, - Gilgamesh replied with a groan.

Enkidu was my younger brother, and together we slew Humbaba.

They also defeated the bull together. I want to see Utnapishti.

He alone achieved immortality. Let me enter this cave.

The doors opened silently, yielding to a powerful feeling.

Gilgamesh entered the cave and walked without counting the steps.

What for Shamash was one short night,

For Gilgamesh it was a dozen years without a dawn.

And yet the dawn broke, and yet the breath of the wind

Gilgamesh's cheek was touched. Walking towards the wind

He came out of the dark cave. A grove opened up.

Fruits hung from the trees, similar to those of the earth,

But the beauty is incomparable. He reached out to them with his hand.

And scratched his fingers, leaving drops of blood

On dead likenesses of apples, figs and grapes.

And it became clear to the hero - the trees turned to stone,

Trunks became black stone and lapis lazuli leaves,

The fruits are topaz and jasper, ruby ​​and carnelian.

And this garden was created for the dead, so that on the way to hell

Remind of the old life to which there will be no return.

Table X.

Leaving the deceitful grove, and going out to the radiance of the Sun,

The hero saw the ocean, the bottomless abyss.

Over the abyss he saw a cliff, like a black bird,

Drinking water with a beak. And the head of this bird

The house seemed low, without windows, with a flat roof.

Gilgamesh approaches him and sees that the door is closed.

But someone's breathing was not hidden from hearing behind the door.

Get out, robber, - a woman's voice was heard.

There is no way for vagrants here, here I am, the hostess of the shelter,

I accept the gods themselves, and treat them with strong drink.

And all the gods know me, for them I am the mistress of Siduri.

Kindly open the door for me. Otherwise I will break them.

I am not at all a robber and not an obscure vagabond.

I am two thirds of God and one third of man.

My name is Gilgamesh, I'm from the city of Uruk,

Which is glorified by me. With my friend Enkidu

I destroyed Humbaba, that the cedar forest guarded,

We also killed the bull that was sent to us from heaven.

I scattered the mighty lions that have no memory

And they do not know how to yearn for those who stood up for them.

Immediately the door opened to admit Gilgamesh.

Looking into the stranger's face, said the mistress of Siduri.

Tell me, who killed Humbaba - I don't feel sorry for him at all,

Tell me why you're sad. Why is the head down?

How not to droop the head, and how not to fade the face,

Gilgamesh answered the mistress, - if my friend Enkidu,

With whom we shared the labors, the grave became ashes.

That is why, like a robber, I wander the world.

The thought of my beloved brother haunts me.

Show me the way to it. How to get to Utnapishti.

I will ford the sea, just to get to it.

The mistress of the hero broadcasts: - From the century there is no crossing.

The leaden waters of death flies around Shamash like a bird,

And the old man Urshanabi sails on a boat,

that transports the dead. He knows the way to Utnapishti,

To the only mortal who escaped the law.

The hero said goodbye to Siduri, directed his steps to the forest.

He came out of the forest to the river, on the shore he saw

The shuttle and next to it is an old man with a spear or a long stick.

Why are you wandering, lagging behind the dead, - said Urshanabi to the hero.

Come in, I'll take you straight to the eternal pier.

No, I did not lag behind the dead, - answered the hero Urshanabi.

My heart beats in my chest, although there is no sparkle in my eyes,

The cheeks withered from grief, the head drooped from tears.

Here is a miracle! I hear blows,” said Urshanabi.

Indeed, the heart beats. Why did you come here

To this land of no return, to the eternal waters of death.

I came driven by sadness, - Gilgamesh Urshanabi answered.

I want to find a friend and make him immortal.

Now let me in to the boat and take me to Utnapishti.

Let's go, - said Urshanabi. - I will fulfill your request.

Others, whom I drove, did not ask me for anything.

Here's a pole for you to balance. Don't touch the water with them.

Gilgamesh unfastened his belt, undressed his clothes

He tied the pole tightly and raised the pole like a mast.

The boat Urshanabi drove, so that the moisture of lead

The most similar death, Gilgamesh did not touch with a pole.

Utnapishti walks around the island, surrounded by an eternal abyss.

Walking the unchanging path, he bypasses his possessions.

The eternal abyss is motionless. No fish will jump out of it.

There is no sound of wings above her, no sharp bird cry.

Behind the mountains, which are not visible, are Shuruppak and the waters of the Euphrates.

There is no news from there, only the boat Urshanabi comes,

For there is no delay in death. - What happened to my eyes?

Hey wife! This is the boat of Urshanabi, but a sail rises above it.

Never before has a sail been hoisted here.

Don't worry, your eyes are vigilant, Utnapishti's wife replies,

As in those years when, in the midst of the fog that covered the earth and sky,

You saw the mountain of salvation and moored to its top.

And my eyes see the sail. And the dead man holds this sail.

Look how pale his cheeks are. The sailor drowned, probably

What can not live without a sail. And he swims faster than others

To a land where there is no need to rush, for there is no return for the dead.

You are talking nonsense! - objected to his wife Utnapishti,

For many hundreds of years I have been watching how the souls of the dead are transported,

retaining their appearance. Who hasn't been here! And the king, and the plowman,

And a flutist, and a blacksmith, and a carpenter. And they bring them without a crown,

No hoe, no bugle, no flute.

Judge who asks the dead what he would like to take with him.

Gilgamesh comes ashore, leaving the boat of Urshanabi.

He walks, leaving footprints in the sand, and it's immediately clear

Whatever the dead from the boat of Urshanabi, but an alien with a living soul.

And Utnapishti comes up to him, turning to him with a question:

Why did your cheeks sag, why did your head droop?

Maybe your cheeks are singed from long wanderings?

Maybe from the wind and cold there is no more sparkle in your eyes?

I lost my younger brother. He went to the country without return,

The hero Utnapishti answers. - I can't come to terms with it.

Everything in my life became distasteful. Here I am looking for him around the world.

Utnapishti shook his head and responded with a sad speech.

Why don't you want to put up with the share assigned to the people.

For people at the meeting of the immortals, fate left no place.

Realize that goddesses and gods are full grains of wheat,

Well, everything else is chaff. Death gives no mercy to people.

The human house is short-lived, like a seal that we put on clay.

Even our hatred is momentary...

Table XI.

How did you get away from the law? - Gilgamesh asks him.

Why are you better than me and others? Not stronger, not taller.

Why are you honored with immortality. How did he manage to please the Almighty?

It turned out like this. I lived in Shuruppak, which stands on the Euphrates River.

You know this city. I am your countryman and distant ancestor.

The city is ancient, dear to the gods. They came to the meeting

Anu, Ellil, their messenger Ninurta, and Ea were with them.

Their hearts bowed to the flood. They took an oath of non-disclosure.

Didn't break that oath of Ea, to whose heart I was kind.

Having descended from heaven to earth, he turned to his house:

Listen to the wall, dare if you can:

The day will come, it will rain from the sky.

But before that, wall,

The owner will disassemble into logs,

To build a raft of logs,

To put that on a raft,

The house is big, with four corners,

The one who will be in this house,

Avoid sudden death.

This hint was clear to me. But one thing remained unclear

How will my behavior of Shuruppak be perceived by the people and neighbors.

Explain, - advised Ea, - that you decided to sail to the Ocean,

Ea rules over. I started work for a week.

He disassembled his father's house into logs and destroyed the fence at home.

Logs with boards were useful to me, the raft turned out well.

The house was placed with right angles on a huge box similar to

Divided into nine compartments. It was six decks high.

To prevent water from seeping into it, I filled the cracks with resin.

The kids brought it to me. I took a pine tree under the stern paddle.

Started gathering supplies. Introduced sheep and rams for food,

The cattle of the steppe and the beasts of the forest are housed in my dwelling.

I brought in my family with the masters who helped me in my work,

And assigned a place to each. Shamash took care of us,

Announcing the beginning of a downpour, so that we could pitch the door.

The pale morning lit up a little, as a black cloud arose,

Returning the night, and immediately the rumble obeyed Addu,

And, unable to bear his gaze, the whole earth shook like a bowl.

The south wind rushed into the mountains, crushing trees and rocks.

The gods of the flood were afraid, Anu rushed under protection.

And stretched out at his feet, like dogs, howled in horror.

And Ishtar screamed heart-rendingly, like a woman in labor:

Show me the scoundrel that the flood brought down on the earth.

Not then did I give birth to people so that they would turn into fish.

All six days from the beginning of the flood, our ship carried and rocked,

Seven nights in darkness, I felt the blows of stormy waves,

But they got weaker. The young wind subsided little by little.

The downpour no longer beat on the roof. And I decided to open the window.

Shamash illuminated the space for me, and traces gushed out of my eyes

The ocean spread around, Mankind became clay.

How many days have passed, I do not remember, but I went to the window again.

And I saw a mountain protruding from the water on the horizon.

I recognized her by shape. Nicer was the grief of this name.

I managed to direct the ship to it, and the mountain held it back.

Gradually the water subsided, and I began to count the days.

With the onset of the seventh day, I set the dove free.

But he returned back, for the soil had not yet dried out.

After that, I let go of the swift, but he also returned back.

The raven was the last to be released by me. A bird noticed the drop in water

And she hasn't returned. I heard her sharp cry.

Opening the door, he descended to the ground. He made an incense on the mountain.

Twice seven I set up incense burners, I broke cedar branches.

And they flocked like flies to this victim in a greedy crowd.

The Mother Goddess came last. Lapis lazuli necklace

Decorated the marvelous neck, the gift of the lord of heaven Anu.

And touching him with his hand and admiring his radiance

She says: - This stone, presented to me, is intended to mark

Deliverance of the earth from the flood. Satisfy, gods, with gifts,

You are worthy of them, only drive Ellil away from human gifts.

It was he who personally appointed the extermination of people.

Also Ea, my patron, addressed Ellil with reproach.

You made a flood in vain, you made it without thinking.

In vain have you placed an equal punishment on the guilty and the right.

Since there was a surplus of people, I would set lions on them predatory,

Either I would give it to the wolves for food, or Erra would call for help.

Now show Utnapishtim and his wife a place to live.

The culprit of the flood approached. I hid from fear on the ship.

But he brought me to the ground, with the words he addressed me:

You were a man, Utnapishti, and from now on you are like gods.

And from now on, your home is the mouth of the rivers. And there is no death for you.

So I ended up here in the middle of the abyss on a par with my wife.

So, for torment and obedience, he was awarded an endless life.

Suddenly Gilgamesh fell asleep, and he did not hear the speech of the end.

An unusual dream breathed on him, like a sandstorm.

Utnapishti's wife says: Wake the man to life.

Let him return to his homeland by that familiar path.

Utnapishti shook his head. - Do not rush. Let him sleep.

In the meantime, bake him bread and put loaves on the bed.

On the wall, do not forget to mark the daytime notches with a knife.

Seven days passed, from which notches remained on the wall.

And when Gilgamesh woke up, Utnapishti heard from him:

Death took possession of my flesh, for there were no dreams.

A trace of fatigue - your sleep is long, - Utnapishti reassured him.

Look what happened to the bread baked for you by your wife,

It is now unfit for food. but you are alive. Go to the stream

Wash away the remnants of the deadly dream, change your attire.

However, the shuttle appeared. Urshanabi will help you.

And when Gilgamesh departed, the wife of Utnapishtim said:

My bread is stale. What can a man give me on the road now?

Who has a restless heart, Utnapishti answers his wife,

He does not know worldly care, this man is not full of bread,

And with their insane boldness. And instead of stale bread

To a restless husband I will reveal my secret word.

Gilgamesh washed himself with spring water and changed his clothes.

His body became beautiful, but the sadness about his face did not leave.

Gilgamesh sank into the canoe, standing next to Urshanabi,

You walked, tired and worked. What will you return home with?

I will open my secret word to you at parting.

There's a flower at the bottom of the ocean, petals on a tall stem

Flaming tongues. If you, Gilgamesh restless,

You will get this flower, evil old age does not threaten you,

Death will bypass you. Here it is, the hidden word.

Gilgamesh heard this word and rushed to the well with an arrow.

He tied stones to his feet and sank to the bottom of the abyss.

The glance was attracted by the blaze of a flower on a prickly stem.

Petals of fire flamed like tongues in the darkness of the abyss.

Touching the flower with his hand, Gilgamesh pricked himself on the thorns.

And, having received his living blood, the flower flared up like a torch.

And rising with him to the surface, Gilgamesh said to Urshanabi:

Here is a flower taken from the abyss and giving hope to life,

Taking strength from death. I will return to Uruk incomparable

And I will check the flower on people. I will test it on myself.

Gilgamesh said goodbye to Urshanabi. The desert opened before him.

It has an oasis and a deep pond. I wanted to cool my body

Gilgamesh sank into the pond. When he got up,

The snake flashed before him. The snake took away the flower

On the go, changing your skin. Gilgamesh burst into tears.

For what my life I worked, I did not bring good to anyone ...

Alexander Nemirovsky

From the book "Myths of antiquity - the Middle East"

Notes

1. The creator of the epic, just like Homer and his successors, begins with a brief presentation of the merits of his hero, who not only committed

feats, but he himself immortalized them, using for this not clay, but an eternal stone. The author could have known the inscriptions of the king of Lagash Gudea praising his activities, the inscription of the king of Babylon Hammurabi.

2. Uruk (the modern city of Varka, in southern Iraq) is one of the most famous cities in Sumer. According to the legendary tradition, this is the second of the cities that achieved hegemony over the Sumerians. Meskiagasher, the son of the sun god Utu, is considered the founder of the royal dynasty. The foundation of Uruk is attributed to his son Enmerkar, who was succeeded by epic hero Lugalbanda, father of Gilgamesh. Archaeological excavations Uruk, which began in 1849, continues to this day, because in terms of area (5 sq. km) Uruk is one of the largest cities of ancient Mesopotamia.

3. Eanna, the temple of Anu, the sky god, in Sumerian "house of Anu". According to archaeological data, this is a complex of buildings, over which a tower towered - a ziggurat. One of the numerous temples of the walled sacred area was the temple of the goddess of love and fertility, Inanna (Ininn), corresponding to the Akkadian-Babylonian Ishtar. The ziggurat, called Zgiyarimin, was the building of Ur-Nammu, the founder of the royal dynasty of Ur.

4. From the walls of Uruk, considered the creation of Gilgamesh, only traces remained in the soil. Archaeologists date them to the beginning of the III millennium BC. e.

5. Seven wise men - the heroes of the etiological myth, common in Mesopotamia, Canaan and India. In the time of Homer, the plot was inherited by the ancient world and filled with new content.

6. Thus, according to formal features, Gilgamesh is a hero in the Greek understanding of this term. True, in the Hellenic myths the ratio of the divine and human principles in the hero was never determined.

7. Pukku - some kind of weapon that cannot be identified with widespread types of weapons. Perhaps this is a net known to the ancient Sumerians and later used in Roman gladiator fights.

8. Squad - a permanent contingent of soldiers, supplemented if necessary by the militia. The king and the combatants had a close relationship. They were entering the palace. In peacetime, as can be seen from the epic, the population suffered from the "exploits" of the tsar and his "fellows".

9. These and other not entirely clear details of Gilgamesh's behavior, omitted in the presentation, characterize him as a "scourge of the people", a "tyrant" in modern sense this word. The subsequent victory over him by the man of nature Enkidu humanized Gilgamesh.

10. The king sends a hunter to Eanna, where priestesses lived in the temple of Inanna-Ishtar, who supported the cult of love and fertility with sexual actions. The word "harlot" introduces a negative connotation, alien to the ideas of the ancient worshipers of Inanna-Ishtar.

11. The epithet of the poleonym Uruk is translated by some researchers as “areal”, others as “enclosed”. We conditionally take the term "perfect".

12. Ishkhara - a deity of unknown origin, revered in Western Asia, among the Semites and Hurrians (in Ur, Ugarit, Babylon), possibly belonging to the pre-Sumerian linguistic substrate, originally the goddess of fertility, later the "mistress of justice" and warrior. In the epic of Gilgamesh, she replaces Ishtar, hostile to the hero, and the hero of the epic is in a sacred marriage with her.

13. In the Sumerian-Akkadian mythology, the monster Humbaba (Sumerian Huwawa), guarding the cedar forest of Lebanon on behalf of the god Ellil, was seen as a many-legged and many-armed creature, the same as in Greek mythology Lord of the West Gerion.

14. Egalmakh - a great palace.

15. Rays of radiance - a fabulous weapon that Humbaba is endowed with.

16. Ishtar betrayed her beloved Dumuzi, giving him to her sister, the goddess of the underworld.

17. In the stories of Ishtar's lovers, she is not only the goddess of fertility, but also the goddess of hunting, war, and the patroness of culture. Hence the lion she caught, the tamed horse, the animal of war, the connection with the gardener, who later turned into a spider.

18. Enkidu's curse on the harlot characterizes the situation of "free love" in Mesopotamia. Along with priestesses and priests of love, who were in a privileged position, there were street prostitutes who huddled near the walls and waited for clients in crowded places (see: Bott(ro, 1998, 352 et seq.).

19. This verbal formula is used by an Akkadian poet to separate episodes in time.

20. The Evlei River (modern Karun) flowed east of Sumer. In the surviving parts of the epic, there is no information about the heroes visiting these places.

21. Gilgamesh's farewell to Enkidu is reminiscent of Homer's lamentation of Achilles over Patroclus (Il., XVIII, 316 et seq.). Achilles also puts his hands on the body of a friend and remembers the feats they performed together. But how much more humane is Gilgamesh than Achilles. He does not bring human sacrifices to the gods, dedicating only a figurine made of clay to them. Recognizing himself as the culprit of the death of Enkidu, he retires to the desert that gave birth to Enkidu and, not reconciling with death, tries to bring the soul of his friend out of the underworld.

22. Gilgamesh was considered the enemy of lions and was often depicted on clay figurines fighting lions. This visual image was perceived by the Greeks and embodied in the image of Hercules, who was considered the winner of a monstrous lion and was depicted in a lion's skin.

23. The mountains through which Gilgamesh passed, according to the Sumerians and Akkadians, were at the end of the world, supporting the heavenly dome. Through a hole in these mountains, the sun god descended after the end of the day into the kingdom of night, so that the next morning he would pass through the same mountains on the other side of the earth.

24. Impressions from visiting underground caves could be reflected in ideas about the garden of the underworld.

25. Urshanabi - boatman, carrier souls of the dead to the underworld, the forerunner of the Etruscan Haru and the Greek Charon.

26. The almost ubiquitous distribution of the flood myth has a common archaic source - one or more catastrophes. Variants are the result of migration from Mesopotamia. Floods are part of a kind of cosmic rhythm.

27. Erra - the god of epidemics in Sumero-Akkadian mythology.

28. Because of the break in the text, the role of the flower stolen by the snake is not clear. It is possible that it was similar in purpose to the golden branch in the myth of Aeneas in the underworld as presented by Virgil. Most likely, Gilgamesh, who arrived in the underworld by the way of the sun (alone or together with Enkidu), could return only with the "flower of the sun" as a symbol of the upper world.

The most outstanding work of Babylonian literature is the wonderful “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. The content of this poem in its individual parts dates back to deep Gdumerian antiquity. So, for example, the story of how the shadow of Enkidu, Gilgamesh's deceased friend, rose from the underworld to the earth and how Gilgamesh asked her about the fate of the dead, was preserved in the ancient Sumerian edition. Another Sumerian poem "Gilgamesh and Agga" describes the struggle of Gilgamesh with Agga, the king of Kish, who laid siege to Uruk. It is very possible that there was a whole cycle of epic tales about the exploits of Gilgamesh. The names of the main characters - Gilgamesh and Enkidu - are of Sumerian origin. Numerous artistic images of Gilgamesh, as if illustrating individual episodes of the poem, also date back to Sumerian antiquity. The name of Gilgamesh, the semi-legendary king of Uruk, is preserved in the lists of the most ancient kings of Sumer. It is possible that one of the editions of this poem was compiled during the period of the 1st Babylonian dynasty, as evidenced by the surviving fragment, which differs sharply from the later, but most complete Assyrian edition, compiled in Akkadian in Assyrian cuneiform in the 7th century BC. BC. for the Nineveh Library of King Ashurbanipal. "The Poem of Gilgamesh" is divided into four main parts: 1) The story of the cruel reign of Gilgamesh in Uruk, the appearance of the second hero - Enkidu and the friendship of these two heroes; 2) Description of the exploits of Gilgamesh and Enkidu; 3) The story of Gilgamesh's wanderings in search of personal immortality; 4) The final part, containing the conversation of Gilgamesh with the shadow of his deceased friend - Enkidu.

In the introduction to the poem, the author refers to the fact that Gilgamesh himself "inscribed his works on a stone slab", which reflects the author's claim to the historical and real authenticity of the events described in the poem. Indeed, some episodes of the poem can be interpreted as distant echoes historical events preserved in ancient legends. These are the episodes about the reign of Gilgamesh in Uruk, about the relationship of Gilgamesh to the goddess Ishtar, which indicates the struggle between the royal power and the priesthood. However, some mythological and legendary plots connected with ancient legends about the world flood and the creation of man are also inserted into the "Poem of Gilgamesh".

At the beginning of the poem, Gilgamesh, “two-thirds god and one-third man,” reigns in the ancient city of Uruk and brutally oppresses the people, forcing them to build city walls and temples to the gods. The inhabitants of Uruk complain to the gods about their plight, and the gods, heeding their complaints, create the hero Enkidu, endowed with supernatural power. Enkidu lives among wild animals, hunts with them and goes to the watering hole. One of the hunters whom Enkidu prevents from hunting wild animals asks Gilgamesh for help. 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 endowed with the same power, they cannot defeat each other. Having made friends, both heroes perform their feats together. They head to the cedar forest, where the mighty Humbaba, "guardian of the cedar grove," lives.

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

Did you not doom Tammuz, the friend of your youth,

Year after year for bitter tears?

Offended by Gilgamesh's refusal, the goddess Ishtar complains about him to her father, the supreme god of the sky, Anu, and asks him to create a heavenly bull that would destroy the obstinate hero. Anu hesitates and does not immediately grant her daughter's wish. However, yielding to her insistent requests, he, as can be assumed from fragments of the damaged text, sends a monstrous bull to Uruk, which destroys several hundred people with its destructive breath. But still, the heroes kill this terrible monster; their new feat inflames Ishtar's wrath even more. The goddess climbs the wall of Uruk and sends curses on the head of Gilgamesh. However, the wrath of the goddess does not frighten the brave hero. He summons his people and orders them to take the horns of the bull and sacrifice them to his patron god. After a solemn celebration in the royal palace, Enkidu sees a prophetic dream that portends his death. And, indeed, Enkidu falls mortally ill. He complains to his friend about his fate, which dooms him to an inglorious death on the sickbed, 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.

Tormented by the fear of death, driven by deathly sorrow, Gilgamesh sets off on a long journey. He directs his way 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 that guard the gorges of the mountains, nor the fantastic scorpion people, “whose gaze heralds 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 everyone, can stop him. joys of life. Gilgamesh sails on a ship through the "waters of death" and reaches the monastery where the immortal Ut-Napishtim lives. Striving for immortality, the brave hero tries to find out from his ancestor the secret of eternal life. He says to him: "How did you seek and where did you find eternal life?" Answering Gilgamesh's questions, Ut-Napishtim tells him about the global flood and how the god Ea taught him to build an ark and escape the waters of the flood in it, as a result of which Ut-Napishtim and his wife received immortality from the gods. This is an ancient legend about how the gods sent flood waters to earth to punish people for their sins, and how during this gigantic world catastrophe only one person was saved, taking with him into the ark "the seed of all life" (i.e. various species of animals and birds) is inserted into the text of the poem as a special episode. It is quite possible that this legend reflected the primordial struggle of the tribes of Sumer with the giant floods of rivers in southern Mesopotamia, which, flooding the lowlands, threatened great destruction, but at the same time provided abundant harvests for the most ancient farmers.

Then Ut-Napishtim reveals to Gilgamesh the "secret word" and advises him to go down to the bottom of the ocean to pluck the grass of immortality, whose name is "the old man becomes young." 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 wonderful grass of immortality. The saddened hero, having returned to his city of Uruk, asks the gods for the last favor. He wants to see at least the shadow of his dead friend Enkidu. However, only with great difficulty Gilgamesh manages to penetrate the secrets of the abode of death. Of all the gods, only Ea, the god of wisdom, gives him decisive help. Ea orders the lord of the underworld, Nergal, to release the shadow of Enkidu onto the earth. The poem ends with a final analogy between friends.

Here, for the first time, with the utmost clarity and at the same time with great artistic power and brightness, the idea of ​​the inevitability of death is expressed, to which all people are subject, even those who are ready for any feat in order to overcome inevitable death, even those in whom, according to apt expression the author of the poem, "two-thirds of God and one-third of man."

The "Poem of Gilgamesh", the main part of which dates back to ancient times, is a kind of cycle of ancient legends. The story that tells about the exploits of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, about the tragic death of Enkidu and about Gilgamesh's wanderings in search of immortality, is intertwined with a number of ancient religious myths, which are inserted into the general text of the poem in the form of separate episodes. Such is a brief fragment of the legend of the creation of man (Enkidu) from clay soaked in the saliva of the god; such is the famous myth of the global flood, which tells in detail how the ancient hero Ut-Napishtim, on the advice of the god of wisdom, Ea, built an ark, escaping in it from the waters of the flood, and thereby earned eternal life.

The Poem of Gilgamesh occupies a special place in Babylonian literature, both for its artistic merit and for the originality of the thoughts expressed in it. The thought of the ancient Babylonian poet about the eternal desire of man to know the "law of the earth", the secret of life and death, is clothed in a highly artistic form. The words of the ancient author of the poem are imbued with deep pessimism. The future life is drawn by him as the abode of suffering and sorrow. Even the famous Gilgamesh "mighty, great and wise", despite his divine origin, cannot earn the highest mercy from the gods and achieve 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, undoubtedly, go back to folk artistic creativity, but which largely reflected the later ideology of the aristocratic priesthood.

egyptian monotheism god gilgamesh