Epic of Gilgamish

iconChapter - 2

1Into the Temple where his mother dwelt Gilgamish went, and when she saw by the look upon his face that he was bent upon going on some strange journey or upon doing some terrifying deed, his mother cried out to Shamash, the Sun God, asking him why he had given her son a heart that could never keep still.
2And Gilgamish, hearing her cry, said to her, "Peace, O woman! I am Gilgamish, and it must be that I shall see everything, learn everything, understand everything."
3Then his mother said to him, "These longings are yours, O Gilgamish, because not all of you is mortal.
4Two-thirds of your flesh is as the flesh of the Gods and only one-third is as the flesh of men.
5And because of the God's flesh that is on you, you must be always daring, always rest. less.
6But yet, O my son, you have not immortal life.
7You must die because a part of you is man.
8Yea, Gilgamish, even you must die, and go down into the House of Dust."
9And Gilgamish, hearing his mother say this, groaned loudly, terribly; the tears flowed down his cheeks; no word that was said to him might content him.
10He groaned, he wept, even although in the courts of the Temple he heard the women sing: Who is splendid among men, Who is glorious among heroes?
11And answer back, one to the other: Gilgamish is splendid among men, Gilgamish is glorious among heroes.
12In a while he rose up and he said, "O Ninsunna, O my mother, what is it to die?"
13Then Ninsunna, his mother, made answer, and said, "It is to go into the abode out of which none ever returns: it is to go into the dark abyss of the dread Goddess, Irkalla.
14They who dwell there are without light; the beings that are there eat of the dust and feed on the mud."
15So his mother said, and Gilgamish, the great king, groaned aloud, and the tears flowed down his face.
16Gilgamish dwelt in Erech, and was king over the people there.
17The works that he did in Erech were mighty, surpassing the works of men.
18He built walls round the city that were an hundred cubits in thickness and in height over a hundred cubits.
19He built towers that were higher than any that men had builded before.
20He built great ships that went upon the great sea.
21All these things he did because Gilgamish had a restless heart.
22But the people of Erech groaned because of the labours he laid upon them; they groaned and sent up prayers to the Gods.