Gilgamesh Chen Translation.pdf

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Tablet IX
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Two parts of Gilgamesh moved towards the pair.
The male scorpion to Gilgamesh says:
“Who dares our death? Why come through wilderness to get our death? Why come this way of
no mortal before?”
Though body paralyzed, those parts divine made words:
“I come for divinely made immortal Utnapishtim.
I come to ask about life and about death.”
The female scorpion to Gilgamesh spoke:
“No mortal has taken Shamash‟s nightly path, 12 long walking hours to go, no mortal would
dare.”
Still his body was, but his heart could speak:
“Open the gate, I must pass, to yonder vale.”
Scorpion Sister, Scorpion Brother both then say:
“It is open. Safely pass. Your heart speaks [though] your tongue can no longer do.”
Without a friend did Gilgamesh pass.
One long walk later without a friend, without a sound, without a light, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Two long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Three long walks with no light, without sound, without friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Four longs walks with no light, no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Five long walks with no light, no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Six long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Seven long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Struggling to see, struggling to breath, struggling against loneliness, Gilgamesh did say:
“Life is short. But standing together two friends can prevail.”
Eight long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Nine long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, but something else did
Gilgamesh feel.
From the North came a wind which licked Gilgamesh like a roughened lion‟s tongue.
Ten long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Eleven long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, still did Gilgamesh pass.
Twelve long walks with no light, with no sound, with no friend, when suddenly Gilgamesh
did fall
Into morning‟s brightest light, into bird‟s passionate verses, into the rarest garden on the earth.
Column IV
In this garden did grow in colors of rainbow every hue,
Fruit and plants in every way. And through the branches and the leaves did Gilgamesh see the
sea.