“When Istar had reached the gate of the land of no return, She spake to the keeper of the gate: ‘Keeper of the waters, open thy gate, Open thy gate,--I wish to enter! 15. If thou openest not, if I cannot enter, I shall demolish the gate, I shall break the bolt, I shall smash the threshold, I shall break the doors; I shall lead out the dead, shall make them eat and live, And unto the crowds of the living the dead shall I join.’ 20. “The keeper opened his mouth and spake In reply to the sublime Istar: ‘Stay, my lady, do not upset [the door]! I will announce thy name to Queen Allatu.’ “The keeper entered and spake to Queen Allatu: 25. ‘The water has been crossed by thy sister Istar....” [The goddess Allatu is greatly agitated about Istar’s appearance in Sheol. The poem continues:] “When Goddess Allatu [heard] this.... Like unto a tree cut down.... Like unto reeds mowed down [she drooped and spake]: 30. ‘What has driven her heart, what.... These waters have I [made encompass Sheol] ... Like the inundation of the deluge, like the swelling (?) waters of a great flood, I will weep over the men who left their wives. I will weep over the wives who were taken from their consorts, 35. Over the little children I will weep, who prematurely [were taken away].[21] Go, keeper, open the gate, And strip her according to the primordial decree.’ The keeper went, he opened the door to her: ‘Enter, my lady, let the underworld [Kûtu] rejoice; 40. Let the palace of the land of no return rejoice at thy arrival!’ “Through the first door he bade her enter and, stripping her, Took off from her head the golden crown. ‘Why, O keeper, takest thou from my head the golden crown?’ ‘Step in, my lady, for such are the commands of the mistress of the earth.’[22] Through the second door he bade her enter and, stripping her, 45. Took off the ornaments from her ears. ‘Why, O keeper, takest thou the ornaments from my ears?’ ‘Step in, my lady, for such are the commands of the mistress of the earth.’ Through the third door he bade her enter and, stripping her, Took off the chains from her neck. ‘Why, O keeper, takest thou the chains from my neck?’