| 1 | In the foothills of the mountains he was attacked by lions; he killed many of the lions, but others followed him almost till he had reached the top of the mountain. |
| 2 | And when he came nigh to the top of the mountain he saw the dread guardians of the place where the sun rises and sets. |
| 3 | They were the Scorpion Men, and they were fearful even to look upon. |
| 4 | And Gil. garnish said when he saw them, "Would that Enkidu, my friend, were with me now, for only with his help might I overcome the guardians here, the glance of whose eyes makes me tremble." |
| 5 | He went on; he came before the dread guardians of the mountain-top, and he, even Gilgamish, bowed himself humbly before them. |
| 6 | The Scorpion Men said, one to the other, "The bodies of those who come this way we devour, but behold! the man who comes towards us has flesh that is two-thirds flesh of the Gods. We may not devour his body." |
| 7 | With voices that made shake the rocks of the mountain-top they bade Gilgamish pass by. |
| 8 | And they cried out to him that he was entering into a region of darkness, and that no one who had gone that way had ever come out of that darkness. |
| 9 | And, lo! Even as they spoke Gilgamish went into the darkness. |
| 10 | The sight of the sky and the mountain was cut off from him. |
| 11 | The darkness became thicker and heavier as he went on; no mortal had ever gone through darkness such as this darkness. |
| 12 | For a space that was equal to a day and a night, Gilgamish went on, went through a deep and deeper darkness. |
| 13 | He thought that the light would never come into his eyes again. |
| 14 | And then he came into a place where there was light. |
| 15 | He saw bright daylight all round him. |
| 16 | He saw before him a garden that was filled with bright flowers and glowing fruits. |
| 17 | This was the place and this was the garden of the Goddess Siduri-Sabitu. In the garden was the Tree of the Gods: Siduri-Sabitu guarded it. |
| 18 | Gilgamish saw the Goddess. Siduri-Sabitu sat upon a throne beside the sea. |
| 19 | She said to him:"Who are you who come to this Place with wasted cheeks, and with face bowed down? |
| 20 | "Your heart is sad; your form is dejected, and lamentation is in your heart! None such as you come here, to the garden in which is the Tree of the Gods." |
| 21 | She ordered her servants to close the gate of the garden against him. Gilgamish laid hands upon the gate and he shook it so that its foundations rocked. |
| 22 | He said to the Goddess, "I go to where Uta-Napishtim the Remote is, to Uta-Napishtim, my ancestor." |
| 23 | She spoke to him from her throne while his hands were still upon the gate, making its foundations rock. |
| 24 | And he said to her, "I am Gilgamish, and Enkidu, who was my friend, has become like the dust. |
| 25 | The fate of my friend lies heavily upon me, and therefore do I travel this way so that I may speak with my ancestor, Uta-Napishtim, and be rid of my fear of death. |
| 26 | O Sabitu, thou who sittest by the sea, and hast charge of the gate, speak to me, and tell me the way to the land where Uta-Napishtim abides. |
| 27 | Give to me a description of the way. If it be possible, I will cross the sea to come to his country. |
| 28 | If it be impossible to cross the sea, I will cross over the land, even if it be a land that darkness rests upon." |
| 29 | Then the Goddess Siduri-Sabitu, the guardian of the gate, knowing that two-thirds of his flesh was as the flesh of the Gods, made answer to Gilgamish. |
| 30 | She said to him, "The sea that I sit beside and that thou dost look upon is the Waters of Death. |
| 31 | None have crossed these waters heretofore save Shamash, the Sun God." |
| 32 | "I would cross these waters," Gilgamish said. |
| 33 | Said Siduri-Sabitu, sitting on her throne beside the sea, "There is a Ferryman, Ur-Shanabi, who crosses this water. |
| 34 | Find him, and may. hap he will ferry thee across to where Uta-Napishtim is." |
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Chapter - 9