(translation by Nikolai Gumilyov)
Gilgamesh became sad when he heard Eabani's story:
“Listen, young men, listen to me, old men,
For my Eabani, for my friend I cry!
I, like mourners, scream lamentations,
My ax and my wrists
My sword from the belt and from the curls of the decoration,
Robes of festival, signs of greatness
I lay down and cry for my Eabani,
For him, the man of the desert, I cry!”
The hunter discovered a high heart in himself,
He brought a harlot to Eabani so that he could curse her maturity:
"I will assign you a destiny, harlot,
It will not change in the country forever.
Behold, I curse you with a great curse,
Your house will be destroyed by the power of the curse,
They will drive you into a house of debauchery like a beast!
Let the road become your home,
Only under the shadow of the wall will you find rest,
Both the libertine and the drunkard will torment your body,
Because you, Eabani, deprived me of my strength,
For taking me, Eabani, away from my desert!”
Shamash heard him and opened his mouth,
Calls to him from the high sky:
“Why, Eabani, do you curse the harlot so much,
Who gave you food worthy of God,
What wines worthy of a prince gave you,
Dressed your body in lush fabrics,
Brought to Gilgamesh, your wonderful friend?
Now, Gilgamesh is your brother, your comrade,
He lays you down for the night in a luxurious bed,
In a comfortable bed he lays you down for the night;
You are sitting in an easy chair, to the left of the throne,
And the rulers kiss your feet,
The people of Uruk sing your praises.
To please you, the harlot gave you servants,
And at your request I clothed her body with shameful clothing,
I clothed him with the skin of a dog, and he ran through the desert.”
The dawn shone a little, the word of the great Shamash
flew to Eabani, and the angry heart was humbled:
“Let the one who ran away return, her path will be easy,
Let princes and rulers ask for her love,
The mighty leader will untie his belt over her,
He will give her gold and lapis lazuli.”
Thus Eabani humbled his sorrowful heart.
Night has come and he lies down alone,
And he told his friend his nightly alarm:
“Last night I had visions,
The heavens cried out and the earth answered,
And an unknown man stood before me,
The eyes were burning, and the face was dark,
The head was similar to the head of an eagle,
And eagle claws were visible on his fingers.
High, high, between the clouds he ascended
And he raised me high, high,
The flight made my head spin
Instead of hands I had the wings of a bird.
Follow me into the house of darkness, the dwelling of Negral,
To a house from which no one who enters can leave,
The path of no return
To a house where they don't see the light,
Where they feed on dust, where dirt serves as food,
Dressed as birds in a robe of wings, -
To the abode of dust where I descended,
I saw a tray with a terrible tiara,
From all the tiaras that reigned in the world.
The servants Anu and Bel are preparing a roast,
They offer boiled food and cold water.
There lives a priest and a warrior,
Prophet and oathbreakers,
Abyss-casters, great gods,
Etana lives, and Gira lives,
Ereshkigal lives there, queen of the earth;
The maiden scribe, Belit-seri bowed before her,
Everything she wrote down is read in front of her.
She raised her eyes and saw me,
And she asked the counselor not to disturb her.”
As soon as the dawn flashed, Gilgamesh opened the hidden peace,
He took out a huge table that was made of linden,
He filled a jasper vessel with honey,
Oil vessel made of lapis lazuli,
Cups of wine, and at that moment the sun appeared.
Gilgamesh opens his mouth and says to Eabani:
“Friend, Humbaba does not spare people,
No babies in the wombs of women."
Open the mouth of Eabani, he says to Gilgamesh:
“My friend, the one we are going against is mighty,
It’s Humbaba, the one we’re going after, he’s scary!”
Gilgamesh opens his mouth and says to Eabani:
“My friend, today you have spoken the truth.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru