The Epic of Gilgamesh
Translated by Maureen Gallery
Kovacs
Electronic Edition by Wolf Carnahan,
I998
Tablet VIII
Just as day began to dawn
Gilgamesh addressed his friend,
saying:
"Enkidu, your mother, the
gazelle,
and your father, the wild
donkey, engendered you,
four wild asses raised you on
their milk,
and the herds taught you all the
grazing lands.
May the Roads of Enkidu to the
Cedar Forest
mourn you
and not fall silent night or
day.
May the Elders of the broad city
of Uruk-Haven
mourn you.
May the peoples who gave their
blessing after us
mourn you.
May the men of the mountains and
hills
mourn you.
May the...
May the pasture lands shriek in
mourning as if it were your
mother.
May the ..., the cypress, and
the cedar which we destroyed (?)
in our anger
mourn you.
May the bear, hyena, panther,
tiger, water buffalo(?), jackal,
lion, wild bull, stag, ibex, all
the creatures of the plains
mourn you.
May the holy River Ulaja, along
whose banks we grandly used to
stroll,
mourn you.
May the pure Euphrates, to which
we would libate water from our
waterskins,
mourn you.
May the men of Uruk-Haven, whom
we saw in our battle when
we killed the Bull of Heaven,
mourn you.
May the farmer ...,who extols
your name in his sweet work
song,
mourn you.
May the ... of the broad city,
who ... exalted your name,
mourn you.
May the herder ..., who prepared
butter and light beer for your
mouth,
mourn you.
May ..., who put ointments on
your back,
mourn you.
May ..., who prepared fine beer
for your mouth,
mourn you.
May the harlot, ... you rubbed
yourself with oil and felt good,
mourn you.
May ...,... of the wife
placed(!) a ring on you ...,
mourn you
May the brothers go into
mourning over you like sisters;
... the lamentation priests, may
their hair be shorn off on
your behalf.
Enkidu, your mother and your
father are in the wastelands,
I mourn you ..."
"Hear me, O Elders of Uruk, hear
me, O men!
I mourn for Enkidu, my friend,
I shriek in anguish like a
mourner.
You, axe at my side, so trusty
at my hand--
you, sword at my waist, shield
in front of me,
you, my festal garment, a sash
over my loins--
an evil demon!) appeared and
took him away from me!
My friend, the swift mule, fleet
wild ass of the mountain,
panther of the wilderness,
Enkidu, my friend, the swift
mule, fleet wild ass of the
mountain,
panther of the wilderness,
after we joined together and
went up into the mountain,
fought the Bull of Heaven and
killed it,
and overwhelmed Humbaba, who
lived in the Cedar Forest,
now what is this sleep which has
seized you?
You have turned dark and do not
hear me!"
But his (Enkidu's) eyes do not
move,
he touched his heart, but it
beat no longer.
He covered his friend's face
like a bride,
swooping down over him like an
eagle,
and like a lioness deprived of
her cubs
he keeps pacing to and fro.
He shears off his curls and
heaps them onto the ground,
ripping off his finery and
casting it away as an
abomination.
Just as day began to dawn,
Gilgamesh ...
and issued a call to the land:
"You, blacksmith! You, lapidary!
You, coppersmith!
You, goldsmith! You, jeweler!
Create 'My Friend,' fashion a
statue of him.
... he fashioned a statue of his
friend.
His features ...
...,your chest will be of lapis
lazuli, your skin will be of
gold."
[10 lines are missing here.']
"I had you recline on the great
couch,
indeed, on the couch of honor I
let you recline,
1 had you sit in the position of
ease, the seat at the left, so
the
princes of the world kissed your
feet.
I had the people of Uruk mourn
and moan for you,
I filled happy people with woe
over you,
and after you (died) I let a
filthy mat of hair grow over my
body,
and donned the skin of a lion
and roamed the wilderness."
Just as day began to dawn,
he undid his straps ...
I... carnelian,
[85 lines are missing here.']
...to my friend.
... your dagger
to Bibbi ..."
[40 lines are missing here.]
" ... the judge of the
Anunnaki."
When Gilgamesh heard this
the zikru of the river(!) he
created'...
Just as day began to dawn
Gilgamesh opened(!) ...
and brought out a big table of
sissoo wood.
A carnelian bowl he filled with
honey,
a lapis lazuli bowl he filled
with butter.
He provided ... and displayed it
before Shamash.
[All of the last column, some
40-50 lines, is missing.]