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Last Updated: Monday February 18, 2002
Tablet IX
Gilgamesh Seeks Immortality and Meets a Scorpion.
Column I
In wild animal skins, through the wilderness did Gilgamesh wander.
Hearing Gilgamesh weeping say:
"It is for my friend Enkidu that I weep.
He has died. Must I die too?
I feel my fear of death now growing.
I feel my guts twisting tight.
I will seek out Utnapishtim, son of Ubartutu, who is immortal now.
I will seek out Utnapishtim to tell me how to avoid my death.
I will seek out Untapishtim no matter what my happen in between."
Column II
That night Gilgamesh into mountain pass with fearful walk did go
praying to Sin:
"Save me in this pass from wild predator, from wild lions."
That night Gilgamesh did dream of fearful noises and of fearful stabbing things.
That night in his sleep Gilgamesh did struggle to best something with no name.
Column III
To the mountain Mt. Mashu Gilgamesh came.
Mt. Mashu with two heads
One greets Shamash arriving in the east
One watches Shamash departing in the west.
Mt. Mashu most large.
It's heads into heaven do they sit,
While it's breasts into earth do they hang.
To enter Mt. Mashu must Gilgamesh pass
Two scorpions whose look is death.
Two scorpions who guard the pass deathly bright do they sit.
The male scorpion to his sister says
"Only a god would dare approach us."
The female scorpion to her brother says
"One part mortal, two parts divine."
One part of Gilgamesh stood paralyzed.
Two parts of Gilgamesh moved towards the pair.
The male scorpion to Gilgamesh says:
"Who dares our death? Why come through wilderness to get our death? Why come this way of no mortal before?"
Though body paralyzed those parts divine made words:
"I come for divinely made immortal Utnapishtim.
I come to ask about life and about death."
The female scorpion to Gilgamesh spoke
"No mortal has taken Shamash's nightly path, 12 long walking hours to go, no mortal would dare."
Still his body was, but his heart could speak:
"Open the gate, I must pass, to yonder vale."
Scorpion Sister, Scorpion Brother both then say:
"It is open. Safely pass. You heart speaks while you tongue can no longer do."
Without a friend did Gilgamesh pass.
One long walk later without a friend, without a sound, without a light, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Two long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Three long walks with no light, without sound, without friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Four longs walks with no light, no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Five long walks with no light, no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Six long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Seven long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Struggling to see, struggling to breath, struggling against loneliness, Gilgamesh did say:
"Life is short. But standing together two friends can prevail..."
Eight long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Nine long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, but something else did Gilgamesh feel.
From the North came a wind which licked Gilgamesh like a roughened lion's tongue.
Ten long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Eleven long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Twelve long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, when suddenly Gilgamesh did fall
Into morning's brightest light, into bird's passionate verses, into the rarest garden on the earth.
Column IV
In this garden did grow in colors of rainbow, every hue,
Fruit and Plants in every way.
And through the branches and the leaves did Gilgamesh see the sea.
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