Babylonian and Assyrian Literature Part 19

Oh, children, children! Love hath fled away, Alas! that life I gave should see this day!

Your queen lies dying in her awful woe, Oh, why should she from us to Hades go?"

Wide Nature felt her woe, and ceased to spring, And withered buds their vigor lost, and fling No more their fragrance to the lifeless air; The fruit-trees died, or barren ceased to bear; The male plants kiss their female plants no more; And pollen on the winds no longer soar To carry their caresses to the seed Of waiting hearts that unavailing bleed, Until they fold their petals in despair, And dying, drop to earth, and wither there.

The growing grain no longer fills its head, The fairest fields of corn lie blasted, dead.

All Nature mourning dons her sad attire, And plants and trees with falling leaves expire.

And Samas' light and moon-G.o.d's soothing rays Earth's love no more attracts; recurring days Are shortened by a blackness deep profound That rises higher as the days come round.

At last their light flees from the darkened skies, The last faint gleam now pa.s.ses, slowly dies.

Upon a blasted world, dread darkness falls, O'er dying nature, crumbling cities' walls.

Volcanoes' fires are now the only light, Where pale-faced men collect around in fright; With fearful cries the lurid air they rend, To all the G.o.ds their wild pet.i.tions send.

[Footnote 1: "Mam-nu-tu," G.o.ddess of fate.]

[Footnote 2: "Ur-ru," the moon-G.o.d.]

COLUMN III

PAPSUKUL, THE G.o.d OF HOPE, AND HERALD OF THE G.o.dS, FLIES FROM THE EARTH AND INTERCEDES FOR THE RELEASE OF ISHTAR, AND HEA GRANTS HIS PRAYER

O Hope! thou fleeting pleasure of the mind, Forever with us stay, our hearts to bind!

We cling to thee till life has fled away; Our dearest phantom, ever with us stay!

Without thee, we have naught but dread despair, The worst of all our torments with us here; Oh, come with thy soft pinions, o'er us shine!

And we will worship thee, a G.o.d divine: The _ignis fatuus_ of all our skies That grandly leads us, vanishes and dies, And we are left to grope in darkness here, Without a ray of light our lives to cheer.

Oh, stay! sweet Love's companion, ever stay!

And let us hope with love upon our way!

We reck not if a phantom thou hast been, And we repent that we have ever seen Thy light on earth to lead us far astray; Forever stay! or ever keep away!

When Papsukul beheld in man's abodes The change that spread o'er blasted, lifeless clods, And heard earth's wailing through the waning light, With vegetation pa.s.sing out of sight, From the doomed world to Heaven he quickly flies, While from the earth are rising fearful cries.

To Samas' throne he speeds with flowing tears, And of the future dark he pours his fears.

To Sin, the moon-G.o.d, Pap-su-kul now cries O'er Ishtar's fate, who in black Hades lies; O'er Earth's dire end, which with Queen Ishtar dies; To Hea he appeals with mournful cries:

"O Hea, our Creator, G.o.d and King!

Queen Ishtar now is lying p.r.o.ne.

To Earth, our G.o.dly queen again, oh, bring!

I trust thy love, O Holy One!

To all the G.o.ds who reign o'er us on high I pray! thus Hope thine aid implores, Release our queen! To Hades quickly fly!

Thy Pap-su-kul with faith adores.

"The bull hath left the lowing kine bereaved, And sulking dies in solitude; The a.s.s hath fled away, his mates hath grieved, And women are no more imbued With love, and drive their husbands far away, And wives enjoy not their caress; All peace and love have gone from earth this day, And love on earth knows not its bliss.

"The females die through all the living world, Among all beasts, and men, and plants; All love from them on earth have madly hurled, For blissful love no more each pants; And Samas' light is turned away from Earth, And left alone volcanoes' fire; The land is filled with pestilence and dearth, All life on earth will soon expire."

When Hea heard the solemn chant of Hope, From his high throne he let his sceptre drop, And cried: "And thus, I rule o'er all mankind!

For this, I gave them life, immortal mind; To earth's relief, my herald shall quick go, I hear thy prayer, and song of Ishtar's woe."

"Go! At-su-su-namir, with thy bright head!

With all thy light spring forth! and quickly speed; Towards the gates of Hades, turn thy face!

And quickly fly for me through yonder s.p.a.ce.

Before thy presence may the seven gates Of Hades open with their gloomy grates; May Allat's face rejoice before thy sight, Her rage be soothed, her heart filled with delight; But conjure her by all the G.o.dly names, And fearless be,--towards the roaring streams Incline thine ear, and seek the path there spread.

Release Queen Ishtar! raise her G.o.dly head!

And sprinkle her with water from the stream; Her purify! a cup filled to the brim Place to her lips that she may drink it all.

The herald as a meteor doth fall, With blazing fire disparts the hanging gloom Around the gates of that dark world of doom."

COLUMN IV

RELEASE OF ISHTAR--HER ATTEMPTS TO BRING TO LIFE TAMMUZ, HER FIRST LOVER

When Allat saw the flaming herald come, And his bright light dispelling all her gloom, She beat her breast; and at him furious foams In rage, and stamping shakes all Hades' domes, Thus cursed the herald, At-su-su-namir: "Away! thou herald! or I'll chain thee here In my dark vaults, and throw thee for thy food The city's garbage, which has stagnant stood, With impure waters for thy daily drink, And lodge thee in my prison till you sink From life impaled in yonder dismal room Of torture; to thy fate so thou hast come?

Thine offspring with starvation I will strike!"

At last obedient doth Allat speak: "Go, Namtar! and the iron palace strike!

O'er Asherim[1] adorned let the dawn break!

And seat the spirits on their thrones of gold!

Let Ishtar Life's bright waters then behold, And drink her fill, and bring her then to me; From her imprisonment, I send her free."

And Namtar then goes through the palace walls, And flings the light through all the darkened halls, And places all the spirits on their thrones, Leads Ishtar to the waters near the cones.

She drinks the sparkling water now with joy, Which all her form doth cleanse and purify.

And he at the first gate her robe returns, And leads her through the second; where he turns, And gives her bracelets back;--thus at each door Returns to her her girdle, gems; then o'er Her queenly brow he placed her shining crown.

With all her ornaments that were her own, She stands with pride before the seventh gate, And Namtar bows to her in solemn state:

"Thou hast no ransom to our queen here paid For thy deliverance, yet thou hast said Thy Tammuz thou didst seek within our walls, Turn back! and thou wilt find him in these halls.

To bring him back to life the waters pour Upon him; they thy Tammuz will restore; With robes thou mayst adorn him and a crown Of jewels, and thy maid with thee alone Shall give thee comfort and appease thy grief.

Kharimtu, Samkha come to thy relief!"

Now Ishtar lifts her eyes within a room Prepared for her, and sees her maidens come, Before a weird procession wrapped in palls, That soundless glide within and fills the halls.

Before her now they place a sable bier Beside the fount; and Ishtar, drawing near, Raised the white pall from Tammuz's perfect form.

The clay unconscious, had that mystic charm Of Beauty sleeping sweetly on his face,-- Of agony or sorrow left no trace: But, oh! that awful wound of death was there With its deep mark;--the wound, and not the scar.

When Ishtar's eyes beheld it, all her grief Broke forth afresh, refusing all relief; She smote her breast in woe, and moaning cried, Nor the bright waters to his wound applied: "O Tammuz! Tammuz! turn thine eyes on me!

Thy queen thou didst adorn, before thee see!

Behold the emeralds and diamond crown Thou gavest me when I became thine own!

Alas! he answers not: and must I mourn Forever o'er my love within this bourne?

But, oh! the waters from this glowing stream!

Perhaps those eyes on me with love will beam, And I shall hear again his song of love.

Oh, quickly let these waters to me prove Their claim to banish death with magic power!"

Then with her maids, she o'er his form doth pour The sparkling drops of life-- "He moves! he lives!

What happiness is this my heart receives?

O come, my Tammuz! to my loving arms!"

And on breast his breathing form she warms; With wondering eyes he stares upon his queen, And nestling closed his eyes in bliss again.

[Footnote 1: "Asherim," literally "stone stakes" or "cones," the symbols of the G.o.ddess Asherah or Ishtar (Sayce), but Calmet says that the G.o.d Ashima is a deity of very uncertain origin, and that the name "Ashima" may be very well compared with the Persian "asuman" ("heaven"); in "Zend,"

"acmano," so Gesenius in his Man. Lex., 1832. This also, according to the magi, is the name of the angel of death, who separates the souls of men from their bodies, Cal. Dic., p. 106. Cones are to be seen in the British Museum which are probably of the character which represented Elah-Gabalah, the sun-G.o.d, adored in Rome during the reign of Heliogabalus. The symbol and worship came from Hamath in Syria.]