Babylonian and Assyrian Literature Part 53

COLUMN IX

1 I skilfully completed 2 and exalted as an abode of Royalty.

3,4 Tall pines, the produce of lofty mountains, 5 thick _asuhu_ wood 6,7 and _surman_ wood in choice pillars 8 for its covered porticos I arranged.

9 _ikki_ and _musritkanna_ woods 10 cedar and _surman_ woods 11 brought forth, and in heaps, 12 with a surface of silver and gold 13 and with coverings of copper, 14,15 on domes and arches, and with works of metal 16 its gates I strongly overlaid 17 and completely with _zamat_-stone 18 I finished off its top.

19,20 A strong wall in cement and brick 21 like a mountain I carried round 22,23 a wall, a brick fortress, a great fortress 24 with long blocks of stone 25,26 gatherings from great lands I made 27,28 and like hills I upraised its head.

29,30 That house for admiration I caused to build 31 and for a banner to hosts of men: 32 with carved work I fitted it; 33 the strong power of reverence for 34 the presence of Royalty 35 environs its walls; 36,37 the least thing not upright enters it not, 38 that evil may not make head.

39 The walls of the fortress of Babylon 40,41 its defence in war I raised 42 and the circuit of the city of Babylon.

43,44 I have strengthened skilfully.

45 To Merodach my Lord 46 my hand I lifted: 47 O Merodach the Lord, Chief of the G.o.ds, 48,49 a surpa.s.sing Prince thou hast made me, 50 and empire over mult.i.tudes of men, 51,52 hast intrusted to me as precious lives; 53 thy power have I extended on high, 54,55 over Babylon thy city, before all mankind.

56 No city of the land have I exalted 57,58 as was exalted the reverence of thy deity: 59 I caused it to rest: and may thy power 60,61 bring its treasures abundantly to my land.

62 I, whether as King and embellisher, 63 am the rejoicer of thy heart 64 or whether as High Priest appointed, 65 embellishing all thy fortresses,

(_Continued on Column X_.)

COLUMN X

1,2 For thy glory, O exalted Merodach 3 a house have I made.

4 May its greatness advance!

5 May its fulness increase!

6,7 in its midst abundance may it acquire!

8 May its memorials be augmented!

9 May it receive within itself 10 the abundant tribute 11,12 of the Kings of nations and of all peoples![1]

13,14 From the West to the East by the rising sun 15 may I have no foemen!

16 May they not be multiplied 17,18 within, in the midst thereof, forever, 19 Over the dark races may he rule!

[Footnote 1: Compare Dan. i. 2, "He brought the vessels into the treasure-house of his G.o.d."]

ACCADIAN POEM ON THE SEVEN EVIL SPIRITS

TRANSLATED BY REV. A.H. SAYCE, M.A.

The following poem is one of the numerous bilingual texts, written in the original Accadian with an interlinear a.s.syrian translation, which have been brought from the library of a.s.sur-bani-pal, at Kouyunjik. The seven evil spirits who are mentioned in it are elsewhere described as the seven storm-clouds or winds whose leader seems to have been the dragon Tiamat ("the deep") defeated by Bel-Merodach in the war of the G.o.ds. It was these seven storm-spirits who were supposed to attack the moon when it was eclipsed, as described in an Accadian poem translated by Mr. Fox Talbot in a previous volume of "Records of the Past." Here they are regarded as the allies of the incubus or nightmare. We may compare them with the Maruts or storm-G.o.ds of the Rig-Veda (see Max Muller, "Rig-Veda-Sanhita: the Sacred Hymns of the Brahmans translated and explained," Vol. I). The author of the present poem seems to have been a native of the Babylonian city of Eridu, and his horizon was bounded by the mountains of Susiania, over whose summits the storms raged from time to time. A fragment of another poem relating to Eridu is appended, which seems to celebrate a temple similar to that recorded by Maimonides in which the Babylonian G.o.ds gathered round the image of the sun-G.o.d to lament the death of Tammuz.

A copy of the cuneiform text will be found in the "Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western Asia," Vol. IV, pl. 15. M. Fr. Lenormant has translated a portion of it in "_La Magie chez les Chaldeens"_ pp. 26, 27.

ACCADIAN POEM ON THE SEVEN EVIL SPIRITS

OBVERSE

1 (In) the earth their borders were taken, and that G.o.d[1]

came not forth.

2 From the earth he came not forth, (and) their power was baneful.

3 The heaven like a vault they extended and that which had no exit they opened.[2]

4 Among the stars of heaven their watch they kept not, in watching (was) their office.

5 The mighty hero[3] to heaven they exalted, and his father he knew not.[4]

6 The Fire-G.o.d on high, the supreme, the first-born, the mighty, the divider of the supreme crown of Anu!

7 The Fire-G.o.d the light that exalts him with himself he exalts.

8 Baleful (are) those seven, destroyers.

9 For his ministers in his dwelling he chooses (them).

10 O Fire-G.o.d, those seven how were they born, how grew they up?

11 Those seven in the mountain of the sunset were born.

12 Those seven in the mountain of the sunrise grew up.

13 In the hollows of the earth have they their dwelling.

14 On the high-places of the earth are they proclaimed.

15 As for them in heaven and earth immense (is) their habitation.

16 Among the G.o.ds their couch they have not.

17 Their name in heaven (and) earth exists not.

18 Seven they are: in the mountain of the sunset do they rise.

19 Seven they are: in the mountain of the sunrise did they set.

20 Into the hollows of the earth do they penetrate.[5]

21 On the high places of the earth did they ascend.

22 As for them, goods they have not, in heaven and earth they are not known.[6]

23 Unto Merodach[7] draw near, and this word may he say unto thee.[8]

24 Of those baleful seven, as many as he sets before thee, their might may he give thee, 25 according to the command of his blessed mouth, (he who is) the supreme judge of Anu.

26 The Fire-G.o.d unto Merodach draws near, and this word he saith unto thee.

27 In the pavilion, the resting-place of might, this word he hears, and 28 to his father Hea[9] to his house he descends, and speaks: 29 O my father, the Fire-G.o.d unto the rising of the sun has penetrated, and these secret words has uttered.

30 Learning the story of those seven, their places grant thou to another.

31 Enlarge the ears, O son of Eridu.[10]

32 Hea his son Merodach answered: 33 My son, those seven dwell in earth; 34 those seven from the earth have issued.

[Footnote 1: That is, the G.o.d of fire.]

[Footnote 2: The a.s.syrian has, "Unto heaven that which was not seen they raised."]

[Footnote 3: The a.s.syrian adds; "the first-born supreme."]

[Footnote 4: In the Accadian text, "they knew not."]

[Footnote 5: In the Accadian, "cause the foot to dwell."]

[Footnote 6: In the a.s.syrian, "learned."]

[Footnote 7: In the Accadian text, Merodach, the mediator and protector of mankind, is called "protector of the covenant."]

[Footnote 8: That is, the fire-G.o.d.]