Books : Gilgamesh : Excerpts

BOOK V

They stood at the edge of the Cedar Forest,
marveling at the great height of the trees.
They could see, before them, a well-marked trail
beaten by Humbaba as he came and went.
From far off they saw the Cedar Mountain,
sacred to Ishtar, where the gods dwell,
the slopes of it steep, and rich in cedars
with their sharp fragrance and pleasant shade.
Gripping their axes, their knives unsheathed,
they entered the Forest and made their way through
the tangle of thorn bushes underfoot.

Suddenly Enkidu was seized by terror,
his face turned pale like a severed head.
He said to Gilgamesh, "Dear friend, I cannot
continue, I am frightened, I cannot go on.
You go into the dreadful forest,
you kill Humbaba and win the fame.
I will return now to great-walled Uruk,
and all men will know what a coward I have been."

Gilgamesh answered, "Dear friend, dear brother,
I cannot kill Humbaba alone.
Please stay here with me. Stand at my side.
'Two boats lashed together will never sink.
A three-ply rope is not easily broken.'
If we help each other and fight side by side,
what harm can come to us? Let us go on
and attack the monster. We have come so far.
Whatever you are feeling, let us go on."

Enkidu said, "You have never met him,
so you don't know the horror that lurks ahead.
But when I saw him, my blood ran cold.
His teeth are knife-sharp, they stick out like tusks,
his face, blood-smeared, is a lion's face,
he charges ahead like a raging torrent,
his forehead ablaze. Who can withstand him?
I am terrified. I cannot go on."

Gilgamesh said, "Courage, dear brother,
this is no time to give in to fear.
We have come so far, across so many mountains,
and our journey is about to reach its goal.
You were raised in the wild, with your own hands
you have killed marauding lions and wolves,
you are brave, your heart has been tested in combat.
Though your arms feel weak now and your legs tremble,
you are a warrior, you know what to do.
Shout out your battle-cry, let your voice pound
like a kettle drum. Let your heart inspire you
to be joyous in battle, to forget about death.
If we help each other and fight side by side,
we will make a lasting name for ourselves,
we will stamp our fame on men's minds forever."

They walked deep into the Cedar Forest,
gripping their axes, their knives unsheathed,
following the trail that Humbaba had made.

They came within sight of the monster's den.
He was waiting inside it. Their blood ran cold.
He saw the two friends, he grimaced, he bared
his teeth, he let out a deafening roar.
He glared at Gilgamesh. "Young man," he said,
"you will never go home. Prepare to die."
Dread surged through Gilgamesh, terror flooded
his muscles, his heart froze, his mouth went dry,
his legs shook, his feet were rooted to the ground.

Enkidu saw his dismay and said,
"Dear friend, great warrior, noble hero,
don't lose courage, remember this:
'Two boats lashed together will never sink.
A three-ply rope is not easily broken.'
If we help each other and fight side by side,
what harm can come to us? Let us go on."

They advanced to the monster's den. Humbaba
charged out roaring at them and said,
"I know you, Gilgamesh. Don't be a fool.
Go away. Leave the Cedar Forest.
Have madmen told you to confront me here?
I will tear you limb from limb, I will crush you
and leave you bloody and mangled on the ground.
And you, Enkidu, you son of a fish
or a turtle, you gutless, fatherless spawn
who never suckled on mother's milk,
I saw you in the pastures when you were young,
I saw you graze with the wandering herds
but I didn't kill you, you were too scrawny,
you wouldn't have made a decent meal.
And now you dare to lead Gilgamesh here,
you both stand before me looking like a pair
of frightened girls. I will slit your throats,
I will cut off your heads, I will feed your stinking
guts to the shrieking vultures and crows."

Gilgamesh backed away. He said,
"How dreadful Humbaba's face has become!
It is changing into a thousand nightmare
faces, more horrible than I can bear.
I feel haunted. I am too afraid to go on."

Enkidu answered, "Why, dear friend,
do you speak like a coward? What you just said
is unworthy of you. It grieves my heart.
We must not hesitate or retreat.
Two intimate friends cannot be defeated.
Be courageous. Remember how strong you are.
I will stand by you. Now let us attack."

Gilgamesh felt his courage return.
They charged at Humbaba like two wild bulls.
The monster let out a deafening cry,
his roar boomed forth like a blast of thunder,
he stamped and the ground burst open, his steps
split the mountains of Lebanon,
the clouds turned black, a sulfurous fog
descended on them and made their eyes ache.
Then Shamash threw strong winds at Humbaba,
the south wind, the north wind, the east and the west,
storm wind, gale wind, hurricane, tornado,
to pin him down and paralyze his steps.
He could not move forward, could not retreat.
Gilgamesh saw it, he leaped upon him,
he held a knife to Humbaba's throat.

Humbaba said, "Gilgamesh, have mercy.
Let me live here in the Cedar Forest.
If you spare my life, I will be your slave,
I will give you as many cedars as you wish.
You are king of Uruk by the grace of Shamash,
honor him with a cedar temple
and a glorious cedar palace for yourself.
All this is yours, if only you spare me."

Enkidu said, "Dear friend, don't listen
to anything that the monster says.
Kill him before you become confused."

Humbaba said, "If any mortal,
Enkidu, knows the rules of my forest,
it is you. You know that this is my place
and that I am the forest's guardian. Enlil
put me here to terrify men,
and I guard the forest as Enlil ordains.
If you kill me, you will call down the gods'
wrath, and their judgment will be severe.
I could have killed you at the forest's edge,
I could have hung you from a cedar and fed
your guts to the shrieking vultures and crows.
Now it is your turn to show me mercy.
Speak to him, beg him to spare my life."

Enkidu said, "Dear friend, quickly,
before another moment goes by,
kill Humbaba, don't listen to his words,
don't hesitate, slaughter him, slit his throat,
before the great god Enlil can stop us,
before the great gods can get enraged,
Enlil in Nippur, Shamash in Larsa.
Establish your fame, so that forever
men will speak of brave Gilgamesh,
who killed Humbaba in the Cedar Forest."

Knowing he was doomed, Humbaba cried out,
"I curse you both. Because you have done this,
may Enkidu die, may he die in great pain,
may Gilgamesh be inconsolable,
may his merciless heart be crushed with grief."

Gilgamesh dropped his axe, appalled.
Enkidu said, "Courage, dear friend.
Close your ears to Humbaba's curses.
Don't listen to a word. Slaughter him! Now!"

Gilgamesh, hearing his beloved friend,
came to himself. He yelled, he lifted
his massive axe, he swung it, it tore
into Humbaba's neck, the blood
shot out, again the axe bit flesh
and bone, the monster staggered, his eyes
rolled, and at the axe's third stroke
he toppled like a cedar and crashed to the ground.
At his death-roar the mountains of Lebanon shook,
the valleys ran with his blood, for ten miles
the forest resounded. Then the two friends
sliced him open, pulled out his intestines,
cut off his head with its knife-sharp teeth
and horrible bloodshot staring eyes.
A gentle rain fell onto the mountains.
A gentle rain fell onto the mountains.

They took their axes and penetrated
deeper into the forest, they went
chopping down cedars, the woods chips flew,
Gilgamesh chopped down the mighty trees,
Enkidu hewed the trunks into timbers.
Enkidu said, "By your great strength
you have killed Humbaba, the forest's watchman.
What could bring you dishonor now?
We have chopped down the trees of the Cedar Forest,
we have brought to earth the highest of the trees,
the cedar whose top once pierced the sky.
We will make it into a gigantic door,
a hundred feet high and thirty feet wide,
we will float it down the Euphrates to Enlil's
temple in Nippur. No men shall go through it,
but only the gods. May Enlil delight in it,
may it be a joy to the people of Nippur."

They bound logs together and built a raft.
Enkidu steered it down the great river.
Gilgamesh carried Humbaba's head.