Let the hyaena come and reduce mankind. Instead of bringing on a flood, Let famine be sent and the land (reduced). Instead of bringing on a flood, Let the Pest-god come and destroy the land. As for me, I have not revealed the secret of the gods. I caused Atrahasis to see a vision and thus he learned the secret of the gods." Thereupon his counsel was taken And Bel ascended within the ship. Seized me by the hands and brought me up (to a point still higher). He brought up and made to bow beside me my wife, Turned us face to face, stood between us and blessed us: "In former times Pir-napishtim was human But henceforth Pir-napishtim and his wife shall be like us gods And Pir-napishtim shall dwell afar off at the mouth of the rivers." Then they took me and afar off at the mouth of the rivers they caused me to dwell. FOOTNOTES: [1] The house for its inhabitants. Compare Isaiah 1, 2: Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth. [2] The meaning here and in the next four lines is not clear. [3] This is evidence that the deluge, as in the Old Testament, was a punishment for sin, which some writers (not Assyriologists) have denied in the interest of an outgrown view of the Bible. THE DESCENT OF ISHTAR TO HADES. Ishtar was the Babylonian Venus or goddess of love. The story of her descent to Hades and return to the world of the living is found on a tablet now in the British Museum, and is perhaps the most poetical legend of the recovered Assyrian literature. It has been suggested that the story is the text of a religious drama, resembling the miracle-plays of mediaeval Europe. The legend shows no reason for Ishtar's desire to enter Hades, but it is easy to suppose that she went thither to rescue some beloved person. This supplies a connection with the familiar story of Venus and Adonis (or Tammuz), which the Greek writers declare to be of Syrian origin. The drama, if such it were, was probably part of the annual celebration of the return of Spring. Ninkigal, the Queen of Hades, corresponds to the Greek Persephone, and Latin Proserpina, the wife of Pluto. In like manner, Ea, the king of the gods, corresponds to Zeus or Jupiter, and the divine messenger to Hermes or Mercury. A BABYLONIAN EPIC--ISHTAR'S DESCENT TO HADES. (Translation by Professor Craig.) On the land without regress, the land (that thou knowest), Ishtar, Sin's daughter, did fix her attention, The daughter of Sin did fix her attention, On the dwelling of darkness, the abode of Irkalla, On the dwelling whose inhabitant comes no more out, On the road whose advancing knows no returning, On the house whose inhabitants removed from the light, Where they're nourished with dust and clay is their food, Where they see not the light, but in darkness are dwelling, And are clad like the birds with a covering of wings; On door and on bars lies the dust thickly gathered.