- Gilgamesh said to him, to
Utnapishtim, the far-away:
- "I look upon thee, O
Utnapishtim,
- Thy appearance is unchanged;
thou are like me;
- Thou are not at all different,
thou art like me;
- Thy courage is unbroken, to
make combat,
- On thy side thou liest down 00
on thy back.
- [Tell me] how didst thou thou
advance and in the assembly of the gods find
life?"
- Utnapishtim spoke to him, to
Gilgamesh:
- I will reveal to thee, O
Gilgamesh, the secret story,
- And the decision of the gods
to thee will I relate.
- Shurippak, a city which thou
knowest,
- Is situated on the bank of the
Euphrates.
- That city was old and the gods
in it--
- Their hearts prompted
them--the great gods--to make a deluge.
- [There are near] their father
An,
- Their counsillor, the warrior
Ellil,
- Their herald, Enmashtu,
- Their hero, Ennugi.
- The lord of wisdom, Ea,
counseled with them;
- Their words he repeated to the
reed-hut:
- "O reed-hut, reed-hut, O wall,
wall,
- O reed-hut, hearken; O wall,
give heed!
- O man of Shurippak, son of
Ubarattutu,
- Pull down thy house, build a
ship,
- Leave thy possessions, take
thought for thy life,
- Leave thy gods, thy life
save!
- Embark seed of life and all
kinds on a ship!
- The ship which thou shalt
build,
- Measure well its
dimensions,
- Make to correspond its breath
and its length;
- Upon the ocean thou shalt
launch it."
- I understood and spoke to Ea,
my lord:
- "[I understand], my lord; what
thou hast thus commanded
- I will honor and will
do.
- [But] what shall I say to the
city, the people, and the elders?"
- Ea opened his mouth and
spake,
- He said unto me, his
servant;
- "Thus shalt thou say unto
them:
- Know that me -- Ellil hates
me.
- I may not dwell in your
city,
- On Ellil's soil I may not lift
my face,
- I must go down to the ocean
with Ea, my lord, to dwell.
- Upon you will he (Ellil) then
rain abundance--
- [A catch] of birds, a catch of
fishes,
- ..........a rich (?)
harvest.
- [A time Shamash (the sun)
appointed, at evening] the senders of rain
- [Shall rain upon] you a mighty
rainstorm.
- When the grey of dawn
brightens,
- ------broken line
- .....broken line
- .....broken line
- ....broken line
- .......broken line
- ........broken line
- ........broken line
- --------broken line
- The strong....brought what was
needed.
- On the fifth day I raised its
frame.
- According to its plan (?) its
walls were 120 cubits high;
- 120 cubits correspondingly was
the extent of its roof.
- I laid down its hull; I
enclosed it.
- I constructed it in storys, up
to six;
- I divided it [without (?)]
into seven parts.
- Its interior I divided into
nine parts.
- .....I fastened in its
midst.
- I looked out a rudder, and
prepared what was necessary.
- 6 sars of bitumen I poured
over its outside (?);
- 3 sars of bitumen I poured
over its interior.
- 3 sars of oil the people who
carry jars brought.
- Besides a sar of oil which was
used as a libation,
- 2 sars of oil the ship's
captain stowed away.
- For the people I slaughtered
bullocks.
- I slaughtered lambs
daily.
- Must, beer,
oil, and wine,
- I gave the people
to drink like
river-water.
- I made a feast, like a new
year's festival.
- I opened (?) [a box of
ointment]; I put ointment in my hand.
- [By the setting] of great
Shamash, the ship was finished.
- [To move it from the stocks]
was difficult
- The men cleared the ship's
ways above and below.
- ...........two thirds of
it.
- With all that I had I laded it
(the ship).
- With all the silver I had I
laded it.
- With all the gold I had I
laded it.
- With all the living things I
had I laded it.
- I embarked on the ship all my
family and kindred.
- Cattle of the fields, beasts
of the field, craftsmen, all, I embarked.
- A fixed time Shamash had
appointed, [saying]:
- "When the senders of rain
shall rain upon you a mighty rainstorm at
evening,
- Embark upon the ship and close
the door."
- The appointed time
approached,
- The senders of rain sent at
evening a heavy rainstorm.
- I observed the appearance of
the day,
- The day was terrible to look
upon.
- I embarked upon the ship, I
closed my door.
- To the master of the ship, to
Puzur-Amurru, the sailor,
- I entrusted the structure
together with its contents.
- When dew-dawn began to
brighten,
- There arose from the horizon a
black cloud;
- The god Adad thundered in its
midst,
- While Nebo and Sharru marched
before;
- They went as heralds over the
mountain and country.
- Nergal tore away the
anchor,
- Enmashtu advanced, the floods
he poured down;
- The Anunnaki raised their
torches,
- At their brightness the land
trembled.
- The raging of Adad reached to
heaven;
- All light was turned to
darkness
- ......the land like....
- One day [raged the storm
)?)]
- Swiftly it raged [and the
waters covered[ the mountains,
- Like a battle array over the
people it swept.
- No one could see his
fellow/
- No more were people recognized
in heaven;
- The gods were frightened at
the deluge,
- They fled, they climbed to the
highest heaven;
- The gods crouched like dogs, they lay down by the walls.
- Ishtar cried like a woman in
travail,
- Wailed the queen of the gods with her
beautiful voice:
- "Those creatures are turned to
clay,
- Since I commanded evil in the
assembly of the gods;
- Because I commanded evil in
the assembly of the gods,
- For the destruction of my
people I commanded battle.
- I alone bore my
people;
- like spawn of flies
they fill the sea."
- The gods along with the
Annunaki wept with her,
- The gods bowed, sat as they
wept;
- Closed were their
lips; [silent their] assembly.
- Six days and seven
nights
- Blew the wind, the deluge the
flood overpowered.
- When the seventh day
approached, the deluge was prolonging the
battle
- Which, like an army, it had
waged.
- The sea calmed, the
destruction abated, the flood ceased.
- I looked upon the sea, the
roaring was stilled
- And all mankind was turned to
clay;
- Like logs all were floating
about.
- I opened the window, the light
fell on my cheek;
- I was overcome, I sat down, I
wept;
- Over my cheek streamed the
tears.
- I looked in all directions--a
fearful sea!
- After twelve days an island
appeared;
- Toward mount Nizir the ship
stood off;
- Mount Nizir held it fast, that
it moved not.
- One day, two days, Mount
Nizier held it that it moved not,
- Three days, four days, mount
Nizir held it that it moved not,
- Five days, six days, mount
Nizir held it that it moved not,
- When the seventh day
approached,
- I brought out a dove and let
her go;
- The dove went out and
returned;
- There was no resting-place and
she came back.
- I brought out a swallow and
let it go;
- The swallow went out and
returned.
- There was o resting place and
it came back.
- I brought out a raven and let
it go;
- The raven went out, the
diminution of the waters it saw;
- It alighted, it waded about,
it croaked, it did not come back.
- I disembarked [all]; to the
four winds I poured a libation.
- I appointed a sacrifice on top
of the mountain peak'
- Seven by seven I arranged the
sacrificial vessels;
- Beneath them I piled reeds,
cedar wood, and myrtle.
- The gods smelled the
savor,
- The gods smelled the sweet
savor.
- The gods
above the sacrificer collected like flies.
- When at length the queen of
the gods drew near,
- She raised the great bows which An at her wish had made.
- "O ye gods, as I shall not
forget the jewel of my neck
- These days I shall not
forget--to eternity I shall remember!
- Let the gods come to the
sacrifice,
- But let Ellil not come to the
sacrifice,
- For he was not wise; he sent
the deluge,
- And numbered my people for
destruction."
- When at last Ellil drew
near,
- He saw the ship, Ellil was
angry,
- His heart was filled against
the gods and the Igigi (spirits of heaven)
- "Who then has come out
alive?
- No man must escape from
destruction."
- Then Enmashtu opened his mouth
and spake,
- He said to the warrior
Ellil;
- "Who but Ea accomplished the
thing?
- Even Ea knows every
undertaking."
- Ea opened his mouth and
spake,
- He said to the warrior
Ellil:
- "O thou, aleader of the gods,
warrior,
- How, how couldst thou without
thought send a deluge?
- On the sinner let his sin
rest,
- On the wrongdoer rest his
misdeed.
- Forbear, let it not be done,
have mercy, [That men perish not].
- Instead of thy sending a
deluge
- Had the lion come and
diminished the people!
- Instead of thy sending a
deluge
- Had a wolf come and diminished
the people!
- Instead of sending a
deluge
- Had a famine come and the land
[depopulated!]
- Instead of sending a
deluge
- Had a pestilence come and the
land [depopulated!}
- I have not divulged the
decisions of the great gods.
- I caused Adrakhasis to see a
dream and the decisions of the gods be heard.
- Now take counsel concerning
him."
- Then went Ea on board the
ship,
- He took my hand and brought me
forth,
- He brought forth my wife and
made her kneel at my side;
- He turned us toward each other
and stood between us; he blessed us:
- "In former times Utnapishtim
was a man;
- Now let Utnapishtim and his
wife be like
gods-- even like
us;
- Let Utnapishtim dwell afar off
at the mouth of the rivers!"
- He took me and caused me to
dwell afar off at the mouth of the rivers.
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