Babylonian and Assyrian Literature Part 14

And to the priestess said, "Let here be sent Great coffers filled with gold! for I release These maids. Let all their weary waiting cease, The price I'll send by messengers to thee."

And all rejoicing sing a psalmody.

A ring of maidens round the image forms; With flashing eyes they sing, with waving arms, A wilderness of snowy arms and feet, To song and dance the holy measure beat; A ma.s.s of waving ringlets, sparkling eyes.

In wildest transport round each maiden flies, The measure keeps to sacred psalmody, With music ravishing,--sweet melody.

The priestess leads for them the holy hymn, Thus sing they, measure keep with body, limb:

[3]"Let length of days, long lasting years, With sword of power, extend his holy life!

With years extended full of glory, shine, Pre-eminent above all kings in strife.

Oh, clothe our king, our lord, with strength divine, Who with such gifts to G.o.ds appears!

"Let his great empire's limits be, Now vast and wide, enlarged, and may he reign (Till it shall spread before his eyes complete) Supreme above all kings! May he attain To silver hairs, old age, and nations greet Our sovereign in his royalty!

"When gifts are ended of Life's days, The feasts of the Land of the Silver Sky, With bliss, the Blest Abode Refulgent Courts, May he enjoy through all eternity, Where Light of Happy Fields with joy transports And dwell in life eternal, holy there In presence of the G.o.ds with sacred cheer, With a.s.sur's G.o.ds walk blessed ways!"

When they have ended all their joyful song, They gratefully around their monarch throng; And kneeling at his feet, they bathe his hands With tears of joy, and kiss the 'broidered bands Of his bright robes, then joyous haste away; And Erech's shame was ended on that day.

And now the Sar as his libation pours The sparkling sacred wine before the doors That lead to Ishtar's glorious inner shrine.

He bows before her golden form divine, Thus prays:

[4]"In thy fair shrine I bow to thee, O Light of Heaven! bright thy majesty As glowing flames upon the world doth dawn, Bright G.o.ddess of the earth, thy fixed abode!

Who dawned upon the earth a glorious G.o.d!

With thee prosperity hath ever gone.

To gild the towers of cities of mankind!

Thou warrior's G.o.d, who rideth on the wind!

As a hyena fierce thou sendest war, And as a lion comes thy raging car.

Each day thou rulest from thy canopy That spreads above in glory,--shines for thee; O come, exalted G.o.ddess of the Sun!"

[5]Against the tyrant King I go to war, Attend mine arms, O Queen! with radiant car Of battles! ride upon the giant King With thy bright, fiery chargers! valor bring To me at rising of the glistening car Of Samas, send attendants fierce of war!

But G.o.ddess Mam-nutu of Fate and Death; Oh, keep away from me her blasting breath; Let Samas fix the hour with favor thine, And o'er mine unknown path, Oh ride divine!

Thy servant strengthen with thy G.o.dly power That he invincible in war may tower, Against thy chosen city's greatest foe, Who brought on Erech all her deepest woe."

And from the inner shrine with curtains hung, The Oracle of Ishtar sweetly sung:

"O King of vast unnumbered countries, hear!

Thine enemy Khum-baba do not fear, My hands will waft the winds for thee.

Thus I reveal!

Khum-baba falls! thine enemy!

Nor aught conceal.

"The harvest month[6] propitious shines, Array great Accad's battle lines!

Before thy feet thy Queen descends, Before thy will thine Ishtar bends, To fight thine enemy, To war I go with thee!

My word is spoken, thou hast heard, For thee, my favor thou hast stirred.

As I am Ishtar of mine Or divine, Thine enemy shall fall! Be glory thine!

"Before mine Izdubar I go, And at thy side direct thy blow.

I go with thee, fear not, my King, For every doubt and fear, I bring Relief, to thy heart rest!

Of Sars, I love thee best!"

[Footnote 1: The account given by Herodotus of the worship of Beltis or Ishtar, if true (see Herodotus, i. 199), was one of the darkest features of Babylonian religion. It is probable that the first intention was only to represent love as heaven-born, and that it afterward became sensual in the time of Herodotus. (See Sayce's edition Smith's "C.A. of Gen.," p.

50.) The presence of the women may have been intended at first to present an innocent attraction. See also Rawlinson's "Ancient Monarchies," vol.

iii. p. 21.]

[Footnote 2: See Herodotus, vol. i. p. 199. Ishtar was called Mylitta or Beltis in the time of Herodotus. We have taken the above description from Herodotus, whose work is mostly confirmed by the cuneiform inscriptions.]

[Footnote 3: The above psalm is found in vol. iii. of Rawlinson's "British Museum Inscriptions," pl. 66, and was translated by H.F. Talbot, F.R.S., in vol. i. of the "Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archaeology," p.

108, and also by M. Lenormant in his "Premieres Civilisations," p. 177. We have used Mr. Talbot's transcription.]

[Footnote 4: See terra-cotta tablet numbered "S. 954" in the British Museum; also translation by Rev. A.H. Sayce, M.A., in the "Records of the Past," vol. v. p. 157.]

[Footnote 5: See fragment in Sayce's edition Smith's "Chald. Acc. of Gen.," p. 220, col. iii.]

[Footnote 6: The harvest month was the month of Sivan, which is mentioned by the Oracle of Ishtar of Arbela. See "Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia," vol. iv. pl. 68; also "Records of the Past," vol. xi. pp. 61-62.]

COLUMN IV

THE KING GOES FROM ISHTAR'S TEMPLE TO THE TEMPLE OF SAMAS

He rose and raised the pendant mystic charms And kissed them, and the jewels of her arms And ornaments upon her breast divine, And then her crown with jewels iridine He placed upon his brow, and it returned; And from the shrine in reverence he turned; To Samas' temple all the chiefs of war And seers, _pa-te-si,_ go with Izdubar.

Before the fire he stands where holy burns The flames of Samas. In a vase he turns The crimson wine, to Samas, G.o.d, he pours Libation, and his favor thus implores:

"O Samas, why hast thou established, raised Me in thy heart?--protected? Men have praised Thee, Holy One! my expedition bless In thine own will, O G.o.d, I acquiesce.

I go, O Samas, on a path afar, Against Khumbaba I declare this war; The battle's issue thou alone dost know, Or if success attends me where I go.

The way is long, O may thy son return From the vast pine-tree forest, I would earn For Erech glory and renown! Destroy Khumbaba and his towers! he doth annoy All nations, and is evil to thy sight.

To-morrow I will go, O send thy Light Upon my standards, and dark Nina-zu Keep thou away, that I may wary view Mine enemies, and fix for me the hour When I shall strike and crush Khumbaba's power.

To all the G.o.ds I humbly pray To Izdubar propitious be!

[1]_a.s.sur Samas u Marduk-u, Ana Sar bel-ni-ya lik-ru-bu!"_

And thus the Oracle with sweetest voice To him replied, and made his heart rejoice:

"Fear not, O Izdubar, For I am Bel, thy strength in war.[2]

A heart of strength give I to thee!

To trust, we can but faithful be!

As thou hast shown to me.

The sixty G.o.ds, our strongest ones, Will guide thy path where'er it runs; The moon-G.o.d on thy right shall ride, And Samas on thy left shall guide.

The sixty G.o.ds thy will commands To crush Khumbaba's bands.

In man alone, do not confide, Thine eyes turn to the G.o.ds, Who rule from their abodes, And trust in Heaven where powers abide!"

With joyous heart the Sar comes from the shrine To bathe his brow in Samas' rays divine; Upon the pyramid he stands and views The scene below with its bright varied hues.

A peerless pile the temple grandly shone With marble, gold, and silver in the sun; In seven stages rose above the walls, With archways vast and polished pillared halls.

A marble portico surrounds the ma.s.s With sculptured columns, banisters of bra.s.s, And winding stairways round the stages' side, Grand temples piled on temples upward glide, A ma.s.s of colors like the rainbow hues, Thus proudly rise from breezy avenues.

The brazen gates lead to the temple's side, The stairs ascend and up the stages glide.

The bas.e.m.e.nt painted of the darkest blue Is pa.s.sed by steps ascending till we view From them the second stage of orange hue And crimson third! from thence a glorious view-- A thousand turrets far beneath, is spread O'er lofty walls, and fields, and gra.s.sy mead; The golden harvests sweep away in sight And orchards, vineyards, on the left and right; Euphrates' stream as a broad silver band Sweeps grandly through the glowing golden land, Till like a thread of silver still in sight It meets the Tigris gleaming in the light That spreads along the glorious bending skies, The brightest vault of all the emperies.

Now rested from the cushioned seats we rise And to the stairway turn again our eyes; The fourth stage plated o'er with beaten gold We pa.s.s, and topaz fifth till we behold The sixth of azure blue; to seventh glide, That glows with silvery summit where reside The G.o.ds, within a shrine of silvery sheen Which brightly glows, and from afar is seen.

Without the temple, burnished silver shines; Within, pure gold and gems in rare designs.