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© 1995-2001 Untangle Incorporated
Last Updated: Friday, March 29, 2002
Tablet I
Gilgamesh, the King
When a man is stalked by terror; when the man turns and stalks the terror
When that man lives to tell the tale over and over
That man becomes a hero.
Gilgamesh,he the hero who saw all [Sha nagba imuru ]
Gilgamesh who carved his story in stone for all
Gilgamesh, the one who knew all.
~
He saw the great Mystery, he knew the Hidden:
He recovered the knowledge of all the times before the Flood.
He journeyed beyond the merely distant; he struggled beyond mere exhaustion,
And then he carved his story on stone.
He walked on the sacred ground of Eanna,
He walked on the sacred walls of Eanna,
Holy Eanna's sacred city of Uruk.
Touch the wall as crying women touch them
They touch the walls as they once touched their soldiers now all dead, every one
No one has ever built walls like these.
Stand on these walls and feel the wind in the darkest night
Feel the wind leap away to the heavens above from the walls below.
Feel the straining muscles, paining tendons, and aching joints of those who built this wall.
In this wall is hidden a story of Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh who ordered these walls raised by labouring hands
Gilgamesh who walked these walls
Gilgamesh who touched these walls
Gilgamesh who stood on these walls as the cold night wind shied from it
In this story learn what fear taught him,
what sorrow taught him,
what friendship taught him
Learn how fame came to him, he who wanted no fame
Learn how wisdom came to him, he who never sought it
Learn how he reached divinity, him humbly born
Child of Lugalbanda's wife and a divine force
Gilgamesh is a living force of nature
Child of Ninsun, Lady Wild Cow, she who no man touched,
She so pure, so divine, so without sin.
Child who grew to lead the army and protect it's stragglers.
Child who knew the land all about, from the deepest well to the highest eagle crusted mountain
Child who knew how a smithy worked and how irrigation worked from the daughters of the Great Abyss, Abzu
Child who sailed the seas to the land of the dead near Utnapishtim
Child who came from the dead bringing life to the flooded earth.
Is there anywhere a greater king who can say, as Gilgamesh may?
"I am the greatest king in this world!?"
Column II
Most of him was forged above, the rest was forged below.
She-who-must-be-obeyed fashioned his body.
She endowed him with wit and wisdom.
Like a shepherd Gilgamesh watches the flocks of Uruk himself
Like a bull of heaven, snorting nose, pawing ground,
No one else yelled his challenges, fought his battles.
Howling dreams rouses his clan.
But in his passion he goes howling through sacred temples.
But in his passion he has ravished others?
The people of Uruk did lament:
"Is this shepherd of Uruk's flocks protecting the women of other men by himself laying with them?"
This lament did go on high to pass into Aruru's ear, great goddess of creation that she is:
"I created humans.
I shall create again the image of Gilgamesh
This creation now shall be as quick in heart and as strong in arm
This creation will speak word to word, blow to blow, so Uruk's children will live in peace."
With this thought She did bend and scoop and spit and fling, with flick of wrist, mud
Mud that fell deep into the woods below.
Thus did Enkidu come about.
Thus did Enkidu, wild man, hairy man, forest man, come about.
Thus did Enkidu with golden sun dazzled locks of hair growing like the goddess-of-grain, come about.
Thus did Enkidu, with body clothed like Sumuqu with only his own hide, come about.
Thus Enkidu, man in no family, man in no village, came about
eating the food of grass,
drinking from the water hole
Thus Enkidu, who ran like the wind, like running water, came about
and racing swift as wind or silent water.
Thus Enkidu, who ran with herds of gazelle, who ate grass, came about
Thus Enkidu, who ate grass with the herd, came about
Thus Enkidu, wild man, pure man, met the hunter.
Thus did the hunter tremble in fear
Thus did the hunter show everlasting fear
Column III
To his father the hunter wailed:
"Father-mine, a man-beast has come to my hunting lands
He is big and powerful.
He is implacable like a heavenly star
He roams and roams without tiring.
He is a beast.
He comes and goes at his will
He eats fruit, and nuts and drinks from my water hole.
He destroys my snares, destroys my pits, frees my game."
The father told the hunter his reply with anger:
"First son mine, go to Uruk
There strides a man of endless strength named Gilgamesh.
He is big and powerful.
His is implacable like a heavenly star.
He runs and runs without tiring.
Go to his palace and tell your tale to Gilgamesh.
In tell you what to do
The hunter heard his father.
To Uruk that night did the hunter run and this to Gilgamesh:
"There is someone in my hunting lands who is untamed, unlearned in civilized ways.
He is big and powerful.
He is implacable like a heavenly star
He roams and roams without tiring.
He is a beast.
He comes and goes at his will
He eats fruit, and nuts and drinks from my water hole.
He destroys my snares, destroys my pits, frees my game."
Gilgamesh leaped up and in his great voice cried:
"Set this trap.
Take back with you the sacred temple girl, Shamhat.
Shamhat has civilizing charm.
Shamhat has civilizing skills.
When this man-beast comes to your water hole,
Shamhat will show him civilizing charm, her civilizing skills.
Shamhat will use all her grace, all her power.
When he in lust like any beast leaves the herd to come to her,
Then his wildness will leave him.
Then his beasts on high will leave him then behind."
The hunter returned to his hunting lands,
The hunter swiftly came with the sacred temple girl Shamhat,
In three days they set their trap for Enkidu at the hunter's water hole.
For two days they lay mute waiting.
Then slowly the herd came in to drink
Column IV
Beasts stirred then, stretching and shaking their heads.
The man-beast stirred then, stretching and shaking his head.
Shamhat looked at him and smiled.
Shamhat smiled as a smithy smiles at the finest tools
Shamhat, sacred temple girl, smiled at the raw material for her civilizing art.
Shamhat spoke in a passionate whisper:
"Here is he, wild in form, a form needing my fire to make it a civilized form.
I shall show him my body.
I shall let him smell my exciting musk.
I shall cover his body with my body.
I will heat his hammer with my burning bush.
I will rise his trembling hammer.
I will let it beat my anvil-womb and show him my civilizing force.
I will change his scent from wild to tame, and his herd will flee."
Shamhat threw her cloak aside and he saw her body.
Shamhat walk close up to him and he smelled her charming scent.
Shamat leaped on Enkidu and wrapped her legs about his groin.
Shamhat pressed her mouth on Enkidu's mouth, her tongue parting his lips
Shamhat heating mound expanded his trembling cock
Shamhat beat her cunt on his stiffened cock until breathless they collapsed.
Shamhat showed him her civilizing force for seven nights.
Shamhat changed his scent so the herds stampeded from him in terror.
Enkidu now could no longer run and run.
Enkidu now was no longer wild.
Enkidu now was no longer virgin.
Enkidu now returned to Shamhat to learn more of civilizing ways.
And Shamhat said:
"Now that you have learned one civilizing way, I will teach you others."
Shamhat taught Enkidu how to dress.
Shamhat taught Enkidu how to eat.
Shamhat taught Enkidu how to speak fine and clear.
Shamhat taught Enkidu how to listen when someone speaks.
Enkidu during the day did learn these civilizing ways.
Enkidu during the night did continue to practice the civilizing ways.
And while Enkidu nestled in civilizing Shamhat's warming lap,
Shamhat said this to Enkidu:
"Now you need a man-friend to teach you manly grace.
Please come with me to fair Eanna's Holy Ground, Uruk, and meet Gilgamesh, powerful king who runs before his herd of people in Uruk."
And Enkidu said "Yes", and then he proclaimed:
Column V
"Uruk will hear me say, 'Wild I was, and my lover Shamhat did me tame.
Even now I know much about the forests and hills.
Forester that I am, a mountainous power is mine.
But lovely Shamhat has showed me her civilizing ways, so
Before you now I give my power to further Uruk's ends."
Shamshat smiled and took his hand and the went to Uruk, Holy Eanna's ground.
For three days they walked, and then through human made gates they walked.
They walked passed gaudy crowds, gaudy girls, gaudy musicians.
Each night these party fiends do their best to enjoy the time.
Enkidu you will see Great Gilgamesh.
Watch his face, note his strength, hear his civilized words, feel the Holy Eanna in his ways.
Before you left the herds he dreamed of you.
And Lady Wild Cow, Virgin Ninsun, she calmed him with her words."
First Enkidu heard these words, then he charmed the sacred temple girl that night.
And then they slept smiling.
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