And see! the glorious spirits clustering round! They welcome him with sweet melodious sound. We hear their golden instruments of praise, As they around him whirl a threading maze; In great delight he views their beckoning arms, And lustrous eyes, and perfect, moving forms. And see! he seizes one bright, charming girl, As the enchanting ring doth nearer whirl; He grasps her in his arms, and she doth yield The treasure of her lips, where sweets distilled Give him a joy without a taint of guilt. It thrills his heart-strings till his soul doth melt, A kiss of chastity, and love, and fire, A joy that few can dare to here aspire. The beauteous spirit has her joy, and flees With all her sister spirits 'neath the trees. And lo! the _gesdin_[2] shining stands, With crystal branches in the golden sands, In this immortal garden stands the tree, With trunk of gold, and beautiful to see. Beside a sacred fount the tree is placed, With emeralds and unknown gems is graced, Thus stands, the prince of emeralds,[3] Elam's tree, As once it stood, gave Immortality To man, and bearing fruit, there sacred grew, Till Heaven claimed again Fair Eridu.[4] The hero now the wondrous fountain eyes; Its beryl base to ruby stem doth rise, To emerald and sapphire bands that glow, Where the bright curvings graceful outward flow; Around the fountain to its widest part, The wondrous lazite bands now curling start And mingle with bright amethyst that glows, To a broad diamond band,--contracting grows To _uk-ni_ stone, turquoise, and clustering pearls, Inlaid with gold in many curious curls Of twining vines and tendrils bearing birds, Among the leaves and blooming flowers, that words May not reveal, such loveliness in art, With fancies spirit hands can only start From plastic elements before the eye, And mingle there the charms of empery. Beneath two diamond doves that shining glow Upon the summit, the bright waters flow, With aromatic splendors to the skies, While glistening colors of the rainbow rise. Here ends the tablet,[5] "When the hero viewed The fountain which within the garden stood." [Footnote 1: "La-Atzu," Hades, hell, the spirit-world.] [Footnote 2: "Gesdin," the Tree of Life and Immortality.] [Footnote 3: See Sayce's edition Smith's "Chald. Acc. of Gen.," p. 264.] [Footntoe 4: "Eridu," the Garden of Eden. Idem, pp. 84-86.] [Footnote 5: "Tablet of the series; when the hero Izdubar saw the fountain."--Sayce's edition Smith's "Chald. Acc. of Gen.," p. 264, l. 14.] TABLET VIII--COLUMN I THE KING'S ADVENTURE AT THE GATE OF THE GARDEN OF THE GODS WITH THE TWO MAIDENS--ONE OF THEM LEADS HIM INTO THE HAPPY HALLS--SONGS OF THE SABITU AND ZI-SI.