Opening the text

The Chaldean account of Genesis : $b Containing the description of the creation, the fall of man, the deluge, the tower of Babel, the times of the patriarchsSmith, George

Religion

The Chaldean account of Genesis : $b Containing the description of the creation, the fall of man, the deluge, the tower of Babel, the times of the patriarchs

Name: The Chaldean account of Genesis : $b Containing the description of the creation, the fall of man, the deluge, the tower of Babel, the times of the patriarchs
Author: Smith, George

Smith, George

Bible. Genesis -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.; Cosmogony, Babylonian; Mythology, Assyro-Babylonian

This is the bottom of the first column. The next column has lost all
the upper part: it appears to have contained the remainder of this
lament, an appeal to one of the gods on behalf of Hea-bani, and a
repetition of the lamentation, the third person being used instead of
the second. The fragments commence in the middle of this:

his wife whom he hates he strikes,

his child whom he loves he kisses;

his child whom he has hated he strikes,

the destruction of the earth takes him.

Ninazu, of darkness the mother of darkness, of darkness!

Her illustrious stature as a mantle covers him,

her feet like a deep well beget him.

Lo! Hea-bani from the earth to .....

The plague-demon did not take him, fever did not take him, the earth
took him.

The resting-place of Nergal the unconquered did not take him, the
earth took him.

The place of the battle of heroes did not strike him, the earth
took him.

Lo! .... ni son of the goddess Ninsun[32] for his servant Hea-bani
wept;

to the house of Bel alone he went.

“Father Bel, a gad-fly to the earth struck me,

a deadly wound to the earth struck me,”

COLUMN III.

Hea-bani who to rest (was not admitted),

the plague-demon did not take him, (the earth took him);

the resting-place of Nergal the unconquered did not take him, (the
earth took him).

In the place of the battle of heroes they did not (strike him, the
earth took him).

Father Bel, a judgment did not take him.

Father Sin, the gad-fly (struck him);

a deadly wound (to the earth struck him).

Hea-bani who to rest (was not admitted),

the plague-demon did not take him, (the earth took him);

the resting-place of Nergal (the unconquered did not take him).

(About 12 lines lost, containing a repetition of this passage.)

The plague-demon ....

the resting-place of Nergal the unconquered (did not take him);

the place of the battle of heroes did not (take him).

Father Hea ....

To the warrior Merodach ....

Heroic warrior (Merodach) ....

he created him the word ....

the spirit ....

To his father ....

the heroic warrior Merodach (son of Hea)

created him the word, the earth opened, and

the spirit (or ghost) of Hea-bani like dust from the earth (arose):

..... and thou explainest,

he pondered and repeated this:

COLUMN IV.

Tell, my friend, tell, my friend,

the secrets of the earth which thou hast seen, tell (me).

I cannot tell thee, my friend, I cannot tell thee,

(how) can I tell thee the secrets of the earth which I have seen?

..... I sit weeping

..... may I sit and may I weep

..... of growth and thy heart rejoiced

..... thou growest old, the worm entered

..... of youth and thy heart rejoiced

..... dust filling

..... he passed over

..... he passed over

..... I saw

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

The Chaldean account of Genesis : $b Containing the description of the creation, the fall of man, the deluge, the tower of Babel, the times of the patriarchsSmith, George

Religion

The Chaldean account of Genesis : $b Containing the description of the creation, the fall of man, the deluge, the tower of Babel, the times of the patriarchs

Smith, George

Bible. Genesis -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.; Cosmogony, Babylonian; Mythology, Assyro-Babylonian

This is the bottom of the first column. The next column has lost all
the upper part: it appears to have contained the remainder of this
lament, an appeal to one of the gods on behalf of Hea-bani, and a
repetition of the lamentation, the third person being used instead of
the second. The fragments commence in the middle of this:

his wife whom he hates he strikes,

his child whom he loves he kisses;

his child whom he has hated he strikes,

the destruction of the earth takes him.

Ninazu, of darkness the mother of darkness, of darkness!

Her illustrious stature as a mantle covers him,

her feet like a deep well beget him.

Lo! Hea-bani from the earth to .....

The plague-demon did not take him, fever did not take him, the earth
took him.

The resting-place of Nergal the unconquered did not take him, the
earth took him.

The place of the battle of heroes did not strike him, the earth
took him.

Lo! .... ni son of the goddess Ninsun[32] for his servant Hea-bani
wept;

to the house of Bel alone he went.

“Father Bel, a gad-fly to the earth struck me,

a deadly wound to the earth struck me,”

COLUMN III.

Hea-bani who to rest (was not admitted),

the plague-demon did not take him, (the earth took him);

the resting-place of Nergal the unconquered did not take him, (the
earth took him).

In the place of the battle of heroes they did not (strike him, the
earth took him).

Father Bel, a judgment did not take him.

Father Sin, the gad-fly (struck him);

a deadly wound (to the earth struck him).

Hea-bani who to rest (was not admitted),

the plague-demon did not take him, (the earth took him);

the resting-place of Nergal (the unconquered did not take him).

(About 12 lines lost, containing a repetition of this passage.)

The plague-demon ....

the resting-place of Nergal the unconquered (did not take him);

the place of the battle of heroes did not (take him).

Father Hea ....

To the warrior Merodach ....

Heroic warrior (Merodach) ....

he created him the word ....

the spirit ....

To his father ....

the heroic warrior Merodach (son of Hea)

created him the word, the earth opened, and

the spirit (or ghost) of Hea-bani like dust from the earth (arose):

..... and thou explainest,

he pondered and repeated this:

COLUMN IV.

Tell, my friend, tell, my friend,

the secrets of the earth which thou hast seen, tell (me).

I cannot tell thee, my friend, I cannot tell thee,

(how) can I tell thee the secrets of the earth which I have seen?

..... I sit weeping

..... may I sit and may I weep

..... of growth and thy heart rejoiced

..... thou growest old, the worm entered

..... of youth and thy heart rejoiced

..... dust filling

..... he passed over

..... he passed over

..... I saw

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Chaldean account of Genesis : $b Containing the description of the creation, the fall of man, the deluge, the tower of Babel, the times of the patriarchs

The Chaldean account of Genesis : $b Containing the description of the creation, the fall of man, the deluge, the tower of Babel, the times of the patriarchs

No reviews yet