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ENUMA ELISH
THE EPIC OF CREATION
L.W. King Translator
(from The
Seven Tablets of Creation, London 1902)
THE FIRST
TABLET
When in the height heaven was not named,
And the earth beneath
did not yet bear a name,
And the primeval Apsu, who begat them,
And chaos,
Tiamut, the mother of them both
Their waters were mingled together,
And no
field was formed, no marsh was to be seen;
When of the gods none had been
called into being,
And none bore a name, and no destinies were ordained;
Then were created the gods in the midst of heaven,
Lahmu and Lahamu were
called into being...
Ages increased,...
Then Ansar and Kisar were created,
and over them....
Long were the days, then there came forth.....
Anu,
their son,...
Ansar and Anu...
And the god Anu...
Nudimmud, whom his
fathers, his begetters.....
Abounding in all wisdom,...'
He was exceeding
strong...
He had no rival -
Thus were established and were... the great
gods.
But Tiamat and Apsu were still in confusion...
They were troubled
and...
In disorder...
Apru was not diminished in might...
And Tiamat
roared...
She smote, and their deeds...
Their way was evil...
Then
Apsu, the begetter of the great gods,
Cried unto Mummu, his minister, and
said unto him:
"O Mummu, thou minister that rejoicest my spirit,
Come,
unto Tiamut let us go!
So they went and before Tiamat they lay down,
They
consulted on a plan with regard to the gods, their sons.
Apsu opened his
mouth and spake,
And unto Tiamut, the glistening one, he addressed the
word:
...their way...
By day I can not rest, by night I can not lie down
in peace.
But I will destroy their way, I will...
Let there be
lamentation, and let us lie down again in peace."
When Tiamat heard these
words,
She raged and cried aloud...
She... grievously...,
She uttered a
curse, and unto Apsu she spake:
"What then shall we do?
Let their way be
made difficult, and let us lie down again in peace."
Mummu answered, and gave
counsel unto Apsu,
...and hostile to the gods was the counsel Mummu
gave:
Come, their way is strong, but thou shalt destroy it;
Then by day
shalt thou have rest, by night shalt thou lie down in peace."
Apsu harkened
unto him and his countenance grew bright,
Since he (Mummu) planned evil
against the gods his sons.
... he was afraid...,
His knees became weak;
they gave way beneath him,
Because of the evil which their first-born had
planned.
... their... they altered.
... they...,
Lamentation they sat
in sorrow
..................
Then Ea, who knoweth all that is, went up and
he beheld their muttering.
[about 30 illegible lines]
... he
spake:
... thy... he hath conquered and
... he weepeth and sitteth in
tribulation.
... of fear,
... we shall not lie down in peace.
... Apsu
is laid waste,
... and Mummu, who were taken captive, in...
... thou
didst...
... let us lie down in peace.
... they will smite....
... let
us lie down in peace.
... thou shalt take vengeance for them,
... unto the
tempest shalt thou...!"
And Tiamat harkened unto the word of the bright god,
and said:
... shalt thou entrust! let us wage war!"
... the gods in the
midst of...
... for the gods did she create.
They banded themselves
together and at the side of Tiamat they advanced;
They were furious; they
devised mischief without resting night and day.
They prepared for battle,
fuming and raging;
They joined their forces and made war,
Ummu-Hubur
[Tiamat] who formed all things,
Made in addition weapons invincible; she
spawned monster-serpents,
Sharp of tooth, and merciless of fang;
With
poison, instead of blood, she filled their bodies.
Fierce monster-vipers she
clothed with terror,
With splendor she decked them, she made them of lofty
stature.
Whoever beheld them, terror overcame him,
Their bodies reared up
and none could withstand their attack.
She set up vipers and dragons, and the
monster Lahamu,
And hurricanes, and raging hounds, and scorpion-men,
And
mighty tempests, and fish-men, and rams;
They bore cruel weapons, without
fear of the fight.
Her commands were mighty, none could resist them;
After
this fashion, huge of stature, she made eleven [kinds of] monsters.
Among the
gods who were her sons, inasmuch as he had given her support,
She exalted
Kingu; in their midst she raised him to power.
To march before the forces, to
lead the host,
To give the battle-signal, to advance to the attack,
To
direct the battle, to control the fight,
Unto him she entrusted; in costly
raiment she made him sit, saying:
I have uttered thy spell, in the assembly
of the gods I have raised thee to power.
The dominion over all the gods have
I entrusted unto him.
Be thou exalted, thou my chosen spouse,
May they
magnify thy name over all of them the Anunnaki."
She gave him the Tablets of
Destiny, on his breast she laid them, saying:
Thy command shall not be
without avail, and the word of thy mouth shall be established."
Now Kingu,
thus exalted, having received the power of Anu,
Decreed the fate among the
gods his sons, saying:
"Let the opening of your mouth quench the
Fire-god;
Whoso is exalted in the battle, let him display his
might!"
THE SECOND TABLET
Tiamat made weighty her
handiwork,
Evil she wrought against the gods her children.
To avenge Apsu,
Tiamat planned evil,
But how she had collected her forces, the god unto Ea
divulged.
Ea harkened to this thing, and
He was grievously afflicted and
he sat in sorrow.
The days went by, and his anger was appeased,
And to the
place of Ansar his father he took his way.
He went and, standing before
Ansar, the father who begat him,
All that Tiamat had plotted he repeated unto
him,
Saying, "Tiamat our mother hath conceived a hatred for us,
With all
her force she rageth, full of wrath.
All the gods have turned to her,
With
those, whom ye created, thev go at her side.
They are banded together and at
the side of Tiamat they advance;
They are furious, they devise mischief
without resting night and day.
They prepare for battle, fuming and
raging;
They have joined their forces and are making war.
Ummu-Hubur, who
formed all things,
Hath made in addition weapons invincible; she hath spawned
monster-serpents,
Sharp of tooth, and merciless of fang.
With poison,
instead of blood, she hath filled their bodies.
Fierce monster-vipers she
hath clothed with terror,
With splendor she hath decked them; she hath made
them of lofty stature.
Whoever beholdeth them is overcome by terror,
Their
bodies rear up and none can withstand their attack.
She hath set up vipers,
and dragons, and the monster Lahamu,
And hurricanes and raging hounds, and
scorpion-men,
And mighty tempests, and fish-men and rams;
They bear cruel
weapons, without fear of the fight.
Her commands are mighty; none can resist
them;
After this fashion, huge of stature, hath she made eleven
monsters.
Among the gods who are her sons, inasmuch as he hath given her
support,
She hath exalted Kingu; in their midst she hath raised him to
power.
To march before the forces, to lead the host,
To give the
battle-signal, to advance to the attack.
To direct the battle, to control the
fight,
Unto him hath she entrusted; in costly raiment she hath made him sit,
saving:.
I have uttered thy spell; in the assembly of the gods I have raised
thee to power,
The dominion over all the gods have I entrusted unto
thee.
Be thou exalted, thou my chosen spouse,
May they magnify thy name
over all of them
She hath given him the Tablets of Destiny, on his breast she
laid them, saying:
'Thy command shall not be without avail, and the word of
thy mouth shall be established.'
Now Kingu, thus exalted, having received the
power of Anu,
Decreed the fate for the gods, her sons, saying:
'Let the
opening of your mouth quench the Fire-god;
Whoso is exalted in the battle,
let him display his might!'"
When Ansar heard how Tiamat was mightily in
revolt,
he bit his lips, his mind was not at peace,
..., he made a bitter
lamentation:
... battle,
... thou...
Mummu and Apsu thou hast
smitten
But Tiamat hath exalted Kingu, and where is one who can oppose
her?
... deliberation
... the ... of the gods, -Nudimmud.
[A gap of
about a dozen lines occurs here.]
Ansar unto his son addressed the
word:
"... my mighty hero,
Whose strength is great and whose onslaught can
not be withstood,
Go and stand before Tiamat,
That her spirit may be
appeased, that her heart may be merciful.
But if she will not harken unto thy
word,
Our word shalt thou speak unto her, that she may be pacified."
He
heard the word of his father Ansar
And he directed his path to her, toward
her he took the way.
Ann drew nigh, he beheld the muttering of Tiamat,
But
he could not withstand her, and he turned back.
... Ansar
... he spake
unto him:
[A gap of over twenty lines occurs here.]
an
avenger...
... valiant
... in the place of his decision
... he spake
unto him:
... thy father
" Thou art my son, who maketh merciful his
heart.
... to the battle shalt thou draw nigh,
he that shall behold thee
shall have peace."
And the lord rejoiced at the word of his father,
And
he drew nigh and stood before Ansar.
Ansar beheld him and his heart was
filled with joy,
He kissed him on the lips and his fear departed from
him.
"O my father, let not the word of thy lips be overcome,
Let me go,
that I may accomplish all that is in thy heart.
O Ansar, let not the word of
thy lips be overcome,
Let me go, that I may accomplish all that is in thy
heart."
What man is it, who hath brought thee forth to battle?
... Tiamat,
who is a woman, is armed and attacketh thee.
... rejoice and be glad;
The
neck of Tiamat shalt thou swiftly trample under foot.
... rejoice and be
glad;
The neck of Tiamat shalt thou swiftly trample under foot.
0 my son,
who knoweth all wisdom,
Pacify Tiamat with thy pure incantation.
Speedily
set out upon thy way,
For thy blood shall not be poured out; thou shalt
return again."
The lord rejoiced at the word of his father,
His heart
exulted, and unto his father he spake:
"O Lord of the gods, Destiny of the
great gods,
If I, your avenger,
Conquer Tiamat and give you
life,
Appoint an assembly, make my fate preeminent and proclaim it.
In
Upsukkinaku seat yourself joyfully together,
With my word in place of you
will I decree fate.
May whatsoever I do remain unaltered,
May the word of
my lips never be chanced nor made of no avail."
THE THIRD
TABLET
Ansar opened his mouth, and
Unto Gaga, his minister, spake the
word.
"O Gaga, thou minister that rejoicest my spirit,
Unto Lahmu and
Lahamu will I send thee.
... thou canst attain,
... thou shalt cause to be
brought before thee.
... let the gods, all of them,
Make ready for a
feast, at a banquet let them sit,
Let them eat bread, let them mix
wine,
That for Marduk, their avenger they may decree the fate.
Go, Gaga,
stand before them,
And all that I tell thee, repeat unto them, and
say:
'Ansar, vour son, hath sent me,
The purpose of his heart he hath made
known unto me.
The purpose of his heart he hath made known unto me.
He
saith that Tiamat our mother hath conceived a hatred for us,
With all her
force she rageth, full of wrath.
All the gods have turned to her,
With
those, whom ye created, they go at her side.
They are banded together, and at
the side of Tiamat they advance;
They are furious, they devise mischief
without resting night and day.
They prepare for battle, fuming and
raging;
They have joined their forces and are making war.
Ummu-Hubur, who
formed all things,
Hath made in addition weapons invincible; she hath spawned
monster-serpents,
Sharp of tooth and merciless of fang.
With poison,
instead of blood, she hath filled their bodies.
Fierce monster-vipers she
hath clothed with terror,
With splendor she hath decked them; she hath made
them of lofty stature.
Whoever beboldeth them, terror overcometh
him,
Their bodies rear up and none can withstand their attack.
She hath
set up vipers, and dragons, and the monster Lahamu,
And hurricanes, and
raging bounds, and scorpion-men,
And mighty tempests, and fish-men, and
rams;
They bear merciless weapons, without fear of the fight.
Her commands
are miahty; none can. resist them;
After this fashion, huge of stature, hath
she made eleven monsters.
Among the gods who are her sons, inasmuch as he
hath given her support,
She hath exalted Kingu; in their midst she hath
raised him to power.
To march before the forces, to lead the host,
To give
the battle-signal, to advance to the attack,
To direct the battle, to control
the fight,
Unto him hath she entrusted; in costly raiment she hath made him
sit, saying:
I have uttered thy spell; in the assembly of the gods
I have
raised thee to power,
The dominion over all the gods have I entrusted unto
thee.
Be thou exalted, thou my chosen spouse,
May they magnify thy name
over all of them ... the Anunnaki."
She hath given him the Tablets of
Destiny, on his breast she laid them, saying:
Thy command shall not be
without avail, and the word of thy mouth shall be established."
Now Kingu,
thus exalted, having received the power of Anu,
Decreed the fate for the
gods, her sons, saving:
Let the opening of your mouth quench the
Fire-god;
Whoso is exalted in the battle, let him display his might!"
I
sent Anu, but he could not withstand her;
Nudimmud was afraid and turned
back.
But Marduk hath set out, the director of the gods, your son;
To set
out against Tiamat his heart hath prompted him.
He opened his mouth and spake
unto me, saying: "If I, your avenger,
Conquer Tiamat and give you
life,
Appoint an assembly, make my fate preeminent and proclaim it.
In
Upsukkinaku seat yourself joyfully together;
With my word in place of you
will I decree fate.
May whatsoever I do remain unaltered,
May the word of
my lips never be changed nor made of no avail."'
Hasten, therefore, and
swiftly decree for him the fate which you bestow,
That he may go and fight
your strong enemy.
Gaga went, he took his way and
Humbly before Lahmu and
Lahamu, the gods, his fathers,
He made obeisance, and he kissed the ground at
their feet.
He humbled himself; then he stood up and spake unto them
saying:
"Ansar, your son, hath sent me,
The purpose of his heart he hath
made known unto me.
He saith that Tiamat our mother hath conceived a hatred
for us,
With all her force she rageth, full of wrath.
All the gods have
turned to her,
With those, whom ye created, they go at her side.
They are
banded together and at the side of Tiamat they advance;
They are furious,
they devise mischief without resting night and day.
They prepare for battle,
fuming and raging;
They have joined their forces and are making
war.
Ummu-Hubur, who formed all things,
Hath made in addition weapons
invincible; she hath spawned monster-serpents,
Sharp of tooth and merciless
of fang.
With poison, instead of blood, she hath filled their
bodies.
Fierce monster-vipers she hath clothed with terror,
With splendor
she hath decked them, she hath made them of lofty stature.
Whoever beboldeth
them, terror overcometh him,
Their bodies rear up and none can withstand
their attack.
She hath set up vipers, and dragons, and the monster
Lahamu,
And hurricanes, and raging hounds, and scorpion-men,
And mighty
tempests, and fish-men, and rams;
They bear merciless weapons, without fear
of the fight.
Her commands are mighty; none can resist them;
After this
fashion, huge of stature, hath she made eleven monsters.
Among the gods who
are her sons, inasmuch as he hath given her support,
She hath exalted Kingu;
in their midst she hath raised him to power.
To march before the forces, to
lead the host,
To give the battle-signal, to advance to the attack, To direct
the battle, to control the fight,
Unto him hath she entrusted; in costlv
raiment she hath made him sit, saving:
I have uttered thy spell; in the
assembly of the gods I have raised thee to power,
The dominion over all the
gods have I entrusted unto thee.
Be thou exalted, thou my chosen
spouse,
May they magnify thy name over all of them...the Anunnaki.
She
hath given him the Tablets of Destiny on his breast she laid them,
saving:
Thy command shall not be without avail, and the word of thy mouth
shall be established.'
Now Kingu, thus exalted, having received the power of
Anu,
Decreed the fate for the gods, her sons, saying:
'Let the opening of
your mouth quench the Fire-god;
Whoso is exalted in the battle, let him
display his might!'
I sent Anu, but he could not withstand her;
Nudimmud
was afraid and turned back.
But Marduk hath set out, the director of the
gods, your son;
To set out against Tiamat his heart hath prompted him.
He
opened his mouth and spake unto me, saying:
'If I, your avenger,
Conquer
Tiamat and give you life,
Appoint an assembly, make my fate preeminent and
proclaim it.
In Upsukkinaku seat yourselves joyfully together;
With my
word in place of you will I decree fate.
May, whatsoever I do remain
unaltered,
May the word of my lips never be changed nor made of no
avail.'
Hasten, therefore, and swiftly decree for him the fate which you
bestow,
That he may go and fight your strong enemy!
Lahmu and Lahamu heard
and cried aloud
All of the Igigi [The elder gods] wailed bitterly,
saying:
What has been altered so that they should
We do not understand the
deed of Tiamat!
Then did they collect and go,
The great gods, all of them,
who decree fate.
They entered in before Ansar, they filled...
They kissed
one another, in the assembly...;
They made ready for the feast, at the
banquet they sat;
They ate bread, they mixed sesame-wine.
The sweet drink,
the mead, confused their...
They were drunk with drinking, their bodies were
filled.
They were wholly at ease, their spirit was exalted;
Then for
Marduk, their avenger, did they decree the fate.
THE FOURTH
TABLET
They prepared for him a lordly chamber,
Before his fathers as
prince he took his place.
"Thou art chiefest among the great gods,
Thy
fate is unequaled, thy word is Anu!
0 Marduk, thou art chiefest among the
great gods,
Thy fate is unequaled, thy word is Anu!
Henceforth not without
avail shall be thy command,
In thy power shall it be to exalt and to
abase.
Established shall be the word of thy mouth, irresistible shall be thy
command,
None among the gods shall transgress thy boundary.
Abundance, the
desire of the shrines of the gods,
Shall be established in thy sanctuary,
even though they lack offerings.
O Marduk, thou art our avenger!
We give
thee sovereignty over the whole world.
Sit thou down in might; be exalted in
thy command.
Thy weapon shall never lose its power; it shall crush thy
foe.
O Lord, spare the life of him that putteth his trust in thee,
But as
for the god who began the rebellion, pour out his life."
Then set they in
their midst a garment,
And unto Marduk,- their first-born they spake:
"May
thy fate, O lord, be supreme among the gods,
To destroy and to create; speak
thou the word, and thy command shall be fulfilled.
Command now and let the
garment vanish;
And speak the word again and let the garment
reappear!
Then he spake with his mouth, and the garment vanished;
Again he
commanded it, and. the garment reappeared.
When the gods, his fathers, beheld
the fulfillment of his word,
They rejoiced, and they did homage unto him,
saying, " Marduk is king!"
They bestowed upon him the scepter, and the
throne, and the ring,
They give him an invincible weapony which overwhelmeth
the foe.
Go, and cut off the life of Tiamat,
And let the wind carry her
blood into secret places."
After the gods his fathers had decreed for the
lord his fate,
They caused him to set out on a path of prosperity and
success.
He made ready the bow, he chose his weapon,
He slung a spear upon
him and fastened it...
He raised the club, in his right hand he grasped
it,
The bow and the quiver he hung at his side.
He set the lightning in
front of him,
With burning flame he filled his body.
He made a net to
enclose the inward parts of Tiamat,
The four winds he stationed so that
nothing of her might escape;
The South wind and the North wind and the East
wind and the West wind
He brought near to the net, the gift of his father
Anu.
He created the evil wind, and the tempest, and the hurricane,
And the
fourfold wind, and the sevenfold wind, and the whirlwind, and the wind which had
no equal;
He sent forth the winds which he bad created, the seven of
them;
To disturb the inward parts of Tiamat, they followed after him.
Then
the lord raised the thunderbolt, his mighty weapon,
He mounted the chariot,
the storm unequaled for terror,
He harnessed and yoked unto it four
horses,
Destructive, ferocious, overwhelming, and swift of pace;
... were
their teeth, they were flecked with foam;
They were skilled in... , they had
been trained to trample underfoot.
... . mighty in battle,
Left and
right....
His garment was... , he was clothed with terror,
With
overpowering brightness his head was crowned.
Then he set out, he took his
way,
And toward the raging Tiamat he set his face.
On his lips he held
...,
... he grasped in his hand.
Then they beheld him, the gods beheld
him,
The gods his fathers beheld him, the gods beheld him.
And the lord
drew nigh, he gazed upon the inward parts of Tiamat,
He perceived the
muttering of Kingu, her spouse.
As Marduk gazed, Kingu was troubled in his
gait,
His will was destroyed and his motions ceased.
And the gods, his
helpers, who marched by his side,
Beheld their leader's..., and their sight
was troubled.
But Tiamat... , she turned not her neck,
With lips that
failed not she uttered rebellious words:
"... thy coming as lord of the
gods,
From their places have they gathered, in thy place are they! "
Then
the lord raised the thunderbolt, his mighty weapon,
And against Tiamat, who
was raging, thus he sent the word:
Thou art become great, thou hast exalted
thyself on high,
And thy heart hath prompted thee to call to battle.
...
their fathers...,
... their... thou hatest...
Thou hast exalted Kingu to
be thy spouse,
Thou hast... him, that, even as Anu, he should issue
deerees.
thou hast followed after evil,
And against the gods my fathers
thou hast contrived thy wicked plan.
Let then thy host be equipped, let thy
weapons be girded on!
Stand! I and thou, let us join battle!
When Tiamat
heard these words,
She was like one posessed, .she lost her reason.
Tiamat
uttered wild, piercing cries,
She trembled and shook to her very
foundations.
She recited an incantation, she pronounced her spell,
And the
gods of the battle cried out for their weapons.
Then advanced Tiamat and
Marduk, the counselor of the gods;
To the fight they came on, to the battle
they drew nigh.
The lord spread out his net and caught her,
And the evil
wind that was behind him he let loose in her face.
As Tiamat opened her mouth
to its full extent,
He drove in the evil wind, while as yet she had not shut
her lips.
The terrible winds filled her belly,
And her courage was taken
from her, and her mouth she opened wide.
He seized the spear and burst her
belly,
He severed her inward parts, he pierced her heart.
He overcame her
and cut off her life;
He cast down her body and stood upon it.
When be had
slain Tiamat, the leader,
Her might was broken, her host was
scattered.
And the gods her helpers, who marched by her side,
Trembled,
and were afraid, and turned back.
They took to flight to save their
lives;
But they were surrounded, so that they could not escape.
He took
them captive, he broke their weapons;
In the net they were caught and in the
snare they sat down.
The ... of the world they filled with cries of
grief.
They received punishment from him, they were held in bondage.
And
on the eleven creatures which she had filled with the power of striking
terror,
Upon the troop of devils, who marched at her...,
He brought
affliction, their strength he...;
Them and their opposition he trampled under
his feet.
Moreover, Kingu, who had been exalted over them,
He conquered,
and with the god Dug-ga he counted him.
He took from him the Tablets of
Destiny that were not rightly his,
He sealed them with a seal and in his own
breast he laid them.
Now after the hero Marduk had conquered and cast down
his enemies,
And had made the arrogant foe even like
And had fullv
established Ansar's triumph over the enemy
And had attained the purpose of
Nudimmud,
Over the captive gods he strengthened his durance,
And unto
Tiamat, whom be bad conquered, be returned.
And the lord stood upon Tiamat's
hinder parts,
And with his merciless club he smashed her skull.
He cut
through the channels of her blood,
And he made the North wind bear it away
into secret places.
His fathers beheld, and they rejoiced and were
glad;
Presents and gifts they brought unto him.
Then the lord rested,
gazing upon her dead body,
While he divided the flesh of the ... , and
devised a cunning plan.
He split her up like a flat fish into two
halves;
One half of her he stablished as a covering for heaven.
He fixed a
bolt, he stationed a watchman,
And bade them not to let her waters come
forth.
He passed through the heavens, he surveyed the regions thereof,
And
over against the Deep he set the dwelling of Nudimmud.
And the lord measured
the structure of the Deep,
And he founded E-sara, a mansion like unto
it.
The mansion E-sara which he created as heaven,
He caused Anu, Bel, and
Ea in their districts to inhabit.
THE FIFTH TABLET
He (Marduk)
made the stations for the great gods;
The stars, their images, as the stars
of the Zodiac, he fixed.
He ordained the year and into sections he divided
it;
For the twelve months he fixed three stars.
After he had ... the days
of the year ... images,
He founded the station of Nibir [the planet Jupiter]
to determine their bounds;
That none might err or go astray,
He set the
station of Bel and Ea along with him.
He opened great gates on both
sides,
He made strong the bolt on the left and on the right.
In the midst
thereof he fixed the zenith;
The Moon-god he caused to shine forth, the night
he entrusted to him.
He appointed him, a being of the night, to determine the
days;
Every month without ceasing with the crown he covered him,
saying:
"At the beginning of the month, when thou shinest upon the
land,
Thou commandest the horns to determine six days,
And on the seventh
day to divide the crown.
On the fourteenth day thou shalt stand opposite, the
half....
When the Sun-god on the foundation of heaven...thee,
The ... thou
shalt cause to ..., and thou shalt make his...
... unto the path of the
Sun-god shalt thou cause to draw nigh,
And on the ... day thou shalt stand
opposite, and the Sun-god shall...
... to traverse her way.
... thou shalt
cause to draw nigh, and thou shalt judge the right.
... to
destroy..."
[Nearly fifty lines are here lost.]
The gods, his
fathers, beheld the net which he had made,
They beheld the bow and how its
work was accomplished.
They praised the work which he had done...
Then Anu
raised the ... in the assembly of the gods. He kissed the bow, saving, " It
is...!"
And thus he named the names of the bow, saving,
"'Long-wood' shall
be one name, and the second name shall be ...,
And its third name shall be
the Bow-star, in heaven shall it...!"
Then he fixed a station for
it...
Now after the fate of...
He set a throne...
...in
heaven...
[The remainder of this tablet is missing.]
THE SIXTH
TABLET
When Marduk beard the word of the gods,
His heart prompted him
and he devised a cunning plan.
He opened his mouth and unto Ea he
spake
That which he had conceived in his heart he imparted unto him:
"My
blood will I take and bone will I fashion
I will make man, that man may
I
will create man who shall inhabit the earth,
That the service of the gods may
be established, and that their shrines may be built.
But I will alter the
ways of the gods, and I will change their paths;
Together shall they be
oppressed and unto evil shall they....
And Ea answered him and spake the
word:
"... the ... of the gods I have changed
... and one...
... shall
be destroyed and men will I...
... and the gods .
... and
they..."
[The rest of the text is wanting with the exception of
the
last few lines of the tablet, which read as follows.]
They
rejoiced...
In Upsukkinnaku they set their dwelling.
Of the heroic son,
their avenger, they cried:
" We, whom he succored.... !"
They seated
themselves and in the assembly they named him...,
They all cried aloud, they
exalted him...
THE SEVENTH TABLET
O Asari, [Marduk] "Bestower of
planting," "Founder of sowing"
"Creator of grain and plants," "who caused the
green herb to spring up!"
O Asaru-alim, [Mardk] "who is revered in the house
of counsel," "who aboundeth in counsel,"
The gods paid homage, fear took hold
upon them!
O Asaru-alim-nuna, [Marduk] "the mighty one," "the Light of
the father who begat him,"
"Who directeth the decrees of Anu Bel, and
Ea!"
He was their patron, be ordained their...;
He, whose provision is
abundance, goeth forth...
Tutu [Marduk] is "He who created them
anew";
Should their wants be pure, then are they satisfied;
Should he make
an incantation, then are the gods appeased;
Should they attack him in anger,
he withstandeth their onslaught!
Let him therefore be exalted, and in the
assembly of the gods let him... ;
None among the gods can rival him!
15
Tutu [Marduk] is Zi-ukkina, "the Life of the host of the gods,"
Who
established for the gods the bright heavens.
He set them on their way, and
ordained their path;
Never shall his ... deeds be forgotten among
men.
Tutu as Zi-azag thirdly they named, "the Bringer of
Purification,"
"The God of the Favoring Breeze," "the Lord of Hearing and
Mercy,"
"The Creator of Fulness and Abundance," " the Founder of
Plenteousness,"
"Who increaseth all that is small."
In sore distress we
felt his favoring breeze,"
Let them say, let them pay reverence, let them bow
in humility before him!
Tutu as Aga-azag may mankind fourthly
magnify!
"The Lord of the Pure Incantation," " the Quickener of the
Dead,"
"Who had mercy upon the captive gods,"
"Who removed the yoke from
upon the gods his enemies,"
"For their forgiveness did he create
mankind,"
"The Merciful One, with whom it is to bestow life!"
May his
deeds endure, may they never be forgotten ,
In the mouth of mankind whom his
hands have made!
Tutu as Mu-azag, fifthly, his "Pure incantation" may their
mouth proclaim,
Who through his Pure Incantation hath destroyed all the evil
ones!"
Sag-zu, [Marduk] "who knoweth the heart of the gods," " who seeth
through the innermost part!"
"The evil-doer he hath not caused to go forth
with him!"
"Founder of the assembly of the gods," who ... their
heart!"
"Subduer of the disobedient," "...!"
"Director of Righteousness,"
"...,"
" Who rebellion and...!"
Tutu as Zi-si, "the ...,"
"Who put an
end to anger," "who...!"
Tutu as Suh-kur, thirdly, "the Destroyer of the
foe,"
"Who put their plans to confusion,"
"Who destroyed all the wicked,"
"...,"
... let them... !
[There is a gap here of sixty lines. But
somewhere among the lost lines belong the following
fragments.]
who...
He named the four quarters of the world, mankind
hecreated,
And upon him understanding...
"The mighty
one...!"
Agil...
"The Creator of the earth...!"
Zulummu... .
"The
Giver of counsel and of whatsoever...!"
Mummu, " the Creator
of...!"
Mulil, the heavens...,
"Who for...!"
Giskul, let...,
"Who
brought the gods to naught....!"
...............
... " the Chief of all
lords,"
... supreme is his might!
Lugal-durmah, "the King of the band of
the gods," " the Lord of rulers."
"Who is exalted in a royal
habitation,"
"Who among the gods is gloriously supreme!
Adu-nuna, " the
Counselor of Ea," who created the gods his fathers,
Unto the path of whose
majesty
No god can ever attain!
... in Dul-azag be made it known,
...
pure is his dwelling!
... the... of those without understanding is
Lugaldul-azaga!
... supreme is his might!
... their... in the midst of
Tiamat,
... of the battle!
[Here follows the better-preserved
ending.]
... the star, which shineth in the heavens.
May he hold the
Beginning and the Future, may they pay homage unto him,
Saying, "He who
forced his way through the midst of Tiamat without resting,
Let his name be
Nibiru, 'the Seizer of the Midst'!
For the stars of heaven he upheld the
paths,
He shepherded all the gods like sheep!
He conquered Tiamat, he
troubled and ended her life,"
In the future of mankind, when the days grow
old,
May this be heard without ceasing; may it hold sway forever!
Since he
created the realm of heaven and fashioned the firm earth,
The Lord of the
World," the father Bel hath called his name.
This title, which all the
Spirits of Heaven proclaimed,
Did Ea hear, and his spirit was rejoiced, and
he said:
"He whose name his fathers have made glorious,
Shall be even as
I, his name shall be Ea!
The binding of all my decrees shall he
control,
All my commands shall he make known! "
By the name of "Fifty "
did the great gods
Proclaim his fifty names, they, made his path
preeminent.
EPILOGUE
Let them [i.e. the names of Marduk] be held
in remembrances and let the first man proclaim them;
Let the wise and the
understanding consider them together!
Let the father repeat them and teach
them to his son;
Let them be in the ears of the pastor and the
shepherd!
Let a man rejoice in Marduk, the Lord of the gods,
That be may
cause his land to be fruitful, and that he himself may have prosperity!
His
word standeth fast, his command is unaltered;
The utterance of his mouth hath
no god ever annulled.
He gazed in his anger, he turned not his neck;
When
he is wroth, no god can withstand his indignation.
Wide is his heart, broad
is his compassion;
The sinner and evil-doer in his presence...
They
received instruction, they spake before him,
... unto...
... of Marduk may
the gods...;
... May they ... his name... !
... they took
and...
...................................!
END OF THE CREATION
EPIC
THE FIGHT WITH TIAMAT
(ANOTHER VERSION)
[Note: Strictly
speaking, the text is not a creation-legend, though it gives a variant form of
the principal incident in the history of the creation according to the Enuma
Elish. Here the fight with the dragon did not precede the creation of the world,
but took place after men had been created and cities had been built.]
The
cities sighed, men ...
Men uttered lamentation, they ...
For their
lamentation there was none to help,
For their grief there was none to take
them by the hand.
· Who was the dragon... ?
Tiamat was the
dragon.....
Bel in heaven hath formed.....
Fifty kaspu [A kaspu is the
space that can be covered in two hours travel, i.e. six or seven miles] in his
length, one kaspu in his height,
Six cubits is his mouth, twelve cubits
his...,
Twelve cubits is the circuit of his ears...;
For the space of
sixty cubits he ... a bird;
In water nine cubits deep he draggeth...."
He
raiseth his tail on high...;
All the gods of heaven...
In heaven the gods
bowed themselves down before the Moon-god...;
The border of the Moon-god's
robe they hastily grasped:
"Who will go and slay the dragon,"
And deliver
the broad land from...
And become king over... ?
" Go, Tishu, slav the
dragon,
And deliver the broad land from...,
And become king
over...!"
Thou hast sent me, O Lord, to... the raging creatures of the
river,
But I know not the... of the Dragon!
[The rest of the Obverse
and the upper part of the Reverse of the tablet are
wanting.]
REVERSE
................
And opened his mouth and spake
unto the god...
" Stir up cloud, and storm and tempest!
The seal of thy
life shalt thou set before thy face,
Thou shalt grasp it, and thou shalt slay
the dragon."
He stirred up cloud, and storm and tempest,
He set the seal
of his life before his face,
He grasped it, and he slew the dragon.
For
three years and three months, one day and one night
The blood of the dragon
flowed. ...