[Illustration: Portion of a tablet inscribed in Babylonian with a text
of the Fourth Tablet of the Creation Series. [No. 93,016.]]
43. The South wind, the North wind, the East wind, the West wind.
44. He held the net close to his side, the gift of his father Anu,
45. He created the "foul" wind, the storm, the parching blast,
46. The wind of "four," the wind of "seven," the typhoon, the wind
incomparable
[Illustration: Portion of a tablet inscribed in Assyrian with a text
of the Fourth Tablet of the Creation Series. [K. 3437.]]
47. He despatched the seven winds which he had made,
48. To make turbid the inward parts of Tiamat; they followed in his
train.
49. The Lord raised up the wind storm, his mighty weapon.
50. He went up into his chariot, the unequalled and terrible
tempest.[1]
[Footnote 1: Compare Psalms xviii, 7-15; civ, i ff.]
51. He equipped it, he yoked thereto a team of four horses,
52. Pawing the ground, champing, foaming [eager to] fly,
53. ... [the odour] of their teeth bore foetidness,
54. They were skilled [in biting], they were trained to trample under
foot.
[Lines 55-57 too fragmentary to translate; they continue the
description of Marduk's equipment.]
58. His brightness streamed forth, his head was crowned [thereby].
59. He took a direct path, he hastened on his journey.
60. He set his face towards the place of Tiamat, who was ...
61. On his lips ... he restrained
62. ... his hand grasped.
63. At that moment the gods were gazing upon him with fixed intensity,
64. The gods, his fathers, gazed upon him, they gazed upon him.
65. The Lord approached, he looked upon the middle of Tiamat,
66. He searched out the plan of Kingu, her husband.
67. Marduk looked, Kingu staggered in his gait,
68. His will was destroyed, his motion was paralysed.
69. And the gods his helpers who were marching by his side
70. Saw the [collapse of] their chief and their sight was troubled.
71. Tiamat [shrieked but] did not turn her head.
72. With lips full of [rebellious words] she maintained her
stubbornness
73. [Saying], "... that thou hast come as the Lord of the gods,
[forsooth],
74. "They have appointed thee in the place which should be theirs."
75. The Lord raised up the wind-storm, his mighty weapon,
76. [Against] Tiamat, who was furious (?), he sent it, [saying]:
77. "[Thou hast made thyself] mighty, thou art puffed upon high,
78. "Thy heart [hath stirred thee up] to invoke battle
79. "... their fathers ...
80. "...
81. "[Thou hast exalted Kingu to be [thy] husband,
82. "[Thou hast made him to usurp] the attributes of Anu
83. "... thou hast planned evil.
84. "[Against] the gods, my fathers, thou hast wrought evil.
85. "Let now thy troops gird themselves up, let them bind on their
weapons.
86. "Stand up! Thou and I, let us to the fight!"
87. On hearing these words Tiamat
88. Became like a mad thing, her senses became distraught,
89. Tiamat uttered shrill cries again and again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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