Gilgamesh spake to him, even to Pernapishtim the remote;
"I look up to thee with amazement, Pernapishtim;
They appearance has not changed, like unto me art thou.
And thou thyself art not changed, like unto me art thou,
Although thou didst depart from this life. But my heart has still to struggle against all that no longer lies upon thee.
Tell me how thou didst come to dwell here and obtain life in the assembly of gods."
Pernapishtim, then, spake to him, even to Gilgamesh:
"I will disclose unto thee, Gilgamesh, the hidden story,
and the oracle of the gods I will tell thee.
The city of Shurippak, a city which as thou knowest, is situated on the bank of the river Euphrates.
This city was ancient already, when the gods within set their hearts to bring a deluge, a cyclone, even the great gods, as many as there were: Their father Anu, their counsel, the war like Bel, their leader Adar, their champion the god En-nu-gi.
But god Ea, the lord of unfathomable wisdom, argued with them,
their plan he announced to the forest, calling "Forrest, forest, town, town,
Forest hear and town pay attention;
O man of Shurippak, a son of Ubara-Tutu
Build a house, construct a vessel; leave thy possessions, save thy life.
Leave the property but save thy life;
Bid the seed of life of every kind to mount into the ship.
The ship, that thou shalt build, let he proportions be measured by specific design
Her width and her length be equal. Into the sea then launch her"
These words Atrachasis heard in a dream-oracle.
When I perceived them, I said to Ea, my lord:
"I will build, my lord, as thou didst command.
I will observe it, I will perform it.
But what shall I answer to the questions of the people and the inquiries of the elders?"
Ea, opening his mouth, spake saying to his servant, to me:
"As an answer say thus unto them: I know the god Bel is hostile to me;
Not can I longer live in the city. On Bel's earth I dare not live securely .
I will go down to the sea, with Ea, my lord, I will live.
Upon you he (Bel) will for a time pour down rich blessing.
Will grant you fowl in plenty and abundance of fish.
A multitude of cattle and abundance of harvest.
But when he who lights up the darkness sends an appointed sign,
he will pour down upon you a destructive rain.
On the following morning at day break I ....
The light I feared;
The earth I desired to leave, all that was needed I collected.
On the fifth day I drew its vessel's design.
In its circuit 120 cubits were high its sides;
120 cubits measured the length of its beam.
I added a front roof and closed it in.
I built in it six divisions, thus making seven stories.
Its interior I divided again in 9 partitions
(thus making in all 63 divisions, 9 on each of the seven stories.
Beaks for water within I cut off;
I selected a mast and added what was wanting.
Three sars of pitch I poured out on the outside;
Three sars of naphta I distributed in its interior; (so as to make it water sealed.)
Three sars ?? of men, carriers of baskets, carried the oil (food)
One sar of oil I reserved which people might eat
While the other two sars the boatman stowed away.
In the temples ? I slaughtered oxen.
Killed lambs day by day.
Jugs of cider and oil and sweet wine
Large bowls, filled with drink like river water.
A feast to the gods I made such as is held on great religious festivals. To god Shamash my hand put down the food (the sacrifice to the gods) On the seventh day the ship was finished.
...... ..... broken fragment.......heavy it was and.... ... ...
The tackling above and below I added; and after everything was completed
The ship settled into the water two thirds of its height (80 cubits sank)
With all that I had, I laded it; with all that I had of silver, I laded it; With all that I had of gold I laded it; I embarked all my family and servants;
The cattle, the beasts of the field, and the workmen who assisted me, them all I embarked.
A sign Shamash had agreed upon
"When he who usually lights up the darkness will send in the evening a destructive rain,
Then enter into the ship and close thy ship."
This very sign came to pass;
He who lights up the darkness, sent a destructive rain in the evening.
Of the day I feared its dawn;
The day to behold I was afraid;
I entered into the ship, and closed the door.
The guidance of the ship I gave unto Buzur-shadu-rabu, the boatman,
The great house ship together with it's contents.
As soon as dawn appeared,
There rose from the north a dark cloud.
The weather god Ramman thundered in the midst.
God Nebo and god, the king, went in front of him.
There came they that oppress mountain and country.
God Uragal tore loose the anchor.
There came also Adar, storm he poured down.
The gods the Anunnaki lifted on high their torches,
With those light they illuminate the land.
The storm, excited by Ramman, reached up to heaven.
ALl lighted was turned to dark
He overflooded the land...... ..... ... he devastated
With violence he blew and in one ...>.. day the storm rose above the mountains.
Like as an onslaught in battle it came against the people.
Not could brother see his brother, not did recognize one another the people;
Even in heaven the gods were afraid of the deluge;
They (the gods) retired, went up to the heaven of god Anu (i.e., the sky).
There the gods crouched down like as dogs, on the surrounding walls they sat down.
Then cried out Ishtar full of wrath as a woman in travail
There called out the goddess, the loftym, she whose cry is powerful:
This people .. .. has been turned into clay, and
the evil that I have predicted before in the assembly of the gods
As I have predicted the evil in the assembly
It has come about namely:
To destroy my people completely, I predicted the storm.
But I will bear my people again and bring them to life again
though now, like young fishs, they fill the sea.
The gods wailed with her over the Anunnaki;
The gods sat there bowed down in weeping;
Their lips were pressed together in fear and in terror
Six days and seven nights continued the storm.
Raged cyclone and tempest.
When the seventh day arrived that fearful cyclone ceased, the battle
Which they had fough like as a battle-army rested;
The waters of the deep narrowed down (sank) the terrible storm, the deluge, was at an end.
I looked up over the sea and raised my voice.
But the whole race had returned to clay.
Like as the surrounding field had become the bed of the rivers
I opened an air hole and light fell upon my cheeks;
Dazzled I sank backward, sitting down weeping,
down my cheeks flowed my tears.
I looked up: "The world was a wide ocean! (I cried).
On the twelfth day there arouse out of the water a strip of land.
On Mount Nicir the ship settled.
The mountain of the land Nicir took hold of the ship and did not let it move again.
One day, two days, Mount Nicir took hold of the ship and did not let it move again.
The third and fourth day Mount Nicir, the same.
The same on the fifth and sixth day.
On the seventh day, in the morning I set a dove free,
she flew hither and thither but there was no place to land for her so she returned.
I then sent out a swallow. The bird flew hither and thither and returned again as there was no place to rest.
At last I sent out a raven, it left;
The raven went and saw the decrease of the waters.
It settled down to feed either on the carcasses still floating about or on the slimy mud and went off but no more returned.
Then I disembarked and to the four winds I offered a sacrifice.
A peace offering I made upon the height of the mountain.
Each time I placed seven censers.
Poured into them calmus, cedar wood and sweet smelling lollium.
The gods inhaled the savor, yea the gods inhaled the sweet savor;
The gods gathered like flies around the sacrificer.
But when now the lofty goddess arrived,
she took the great lightnings of Anu and did according to her desire. "These gods! (she said,) not by my necklace, will I forget;
The gods may come to the sacrifice,
But Bel shall not come to the sacrifice,
because rashly did he cause the deluge delivering my people to destruction."
But when god Bel arrived,
He saw the vessel and grew angry, wrath filled his heart against the gods, Igigi and he said:
"What soul has escaped here? No man must survive the universal destruction!"
God Adar opened his mouth and spake, saying unto Bel the warlike:
"Who besides Ea could have thought this out?
But Ea who knows everything."
Ea opened his mouth and spake, saying unto Bel, the warlike:
"Thou, mighty among the gods warrior,
Thus, thus rashly has thou caused the deluge.
May the sinner bear his sin's reward, and the wiked his wickedness.
Be lenient, let not all be crushed; be merciful, let not everything be destroyed.
Instead of causing a flood, lions might have come, and diminished mankind;
Instead of causing a flood, hyenas might have come and diminished mankind;
Instead of causing a flood, pestilence might be brought about to have killed the people
I did not reveal the decision of the gods.
Atrachasis I let see it in a dream, the decision of the gods he heard"
Then came Bel to his senses, Bel mounted to the ship,
took me by the hand and raised me up.
He raised up and placed my wife at my side.
Then he turned toward us, sat down between us and blessed us, saying: "Ere this Pernapishtim was a man;
Now Pernapishtim and his wife shall be like unto the gods and lifted up on high;
Let Pernapishtim live afar off at the mouth of the two rivers."
And he took us and made us to dwell afar off at the mouth of the two rivers.
