Epic of Gilgamish

Chapter - 12

1	The earth was not as it had been when Ishtar went upon it.
2	No longer did the cow low for the bull; no longer did the bull bellow so that the cows might hear of his might.
3	The ewe did not run to ram; the mare was not drawn to the stallion; the he-goat, chief of a flock, browsed with the flock as though there were no longer male and female; the birds did not call to each other.
4	The hero did not take the maid in his arms; the warrior returning did not embrace his wife; his wife uttered no words of love to the warrior.
5	None sought the women in the temple of Ishtar.
6	The women in the temple did not call to the men who went by.
7	Shamash, the Sun God, beheld all this; he knew of the calamity that had befallen men and birds and beasts and all things upon the earth.
8	The generation of creatures would die; no life would be left after them, and the creation of the Gods would perish.
9	So Shamash said in his heart, and in haste he came before Ea, the great God.
10	And when he had heard what Shamash related--that life was not being renewed upon the earth—and when it had been made known to him that this was because Ishtar was being held in the World Below, Ea, the great God, formed a being, Ud-dushu-namir, and bade him go down into the World Below, and into the presence of Irkalla, and conjure her by the power of the great Gods to give him the Water of Life with which to sprinkle Ishtar, the Lady of the Gods.
11	So the being whom Ea had formed went into the presence of Irkalla, and over Ud-dushu-namir Irkalla had no power.
12	He conjured her by the power of the great Gods to grant him the Water of Life with which to sprinkle Ishtar, the Lady of the Gods.
13	Irkalla was enraged when she heard his saying; she opened her lion's mouth; her woman's body shook with rage as she cursed Ishtar and cursed the being that was before her.
14	But the being that Ea had formed stood there, not trembling at all at her curses.
15	The Water of Life she had to bring to him.
16	She put the vessel that held it into his hands; she bade Namar bring forth the Lady of the Gods.
17	Ishtar came from out the dust and the mud; the Water of Life was sprinkled upon her.
18	She stood before Irkalla's seat living, but pale, powerless, naked, and trembling.
19	Nadu the Watchman put his hand upon the bolt on which the dust lay; he opened the gate on which the dust was scattered. Ishtar passed through the gate.
20	He gave her her garment; she put the garment upon her and her nakedness was covered. She went upon her way.
21	He opened the second gate. He gave her back her outer robe.
22	He gave her back her veil; he gave her back the shoes for her feet; he gave her back her bracelets of gold and lapis-lazuli; he gave her back the eight-rayed star that had been at her neck.
23	At last he opened the outer gate of the realm of Irkalla.
24	He took the great crown and he set it upon her head. Then Ishtar went from the realm of Irkalla.
25	But she did not go in splendour, she did not go in radiance; she went with her head bowed.
26	She went into the world where light was. No blossoms were there, and no birds called.
27	But no sooner had she come upon the earth than her splendour and power came back to Ishtar; she walked as a Goddess--yea, as the Lady of the Gods.
28	The creatures of the earth heard her voice.
29	Then the bull bellowed; the cow heard and lowed back to him; the stallion neighed and the mare was drawn to him; the warrior returning embraced his wife; his wife said, "Thou shalt be my man, I shall be thy woman"; the hero took the maid in his arms.
30	All creation rejoiced; all creation praised the works of Ishtar.
31	And the Gods rejoiced, knowing that what they had created would not pass away.

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