Gilg. OB Schoyen 2

obv.

1       Gilgameš had lain down at rest; the night brought him a dream.

2       In the middle watch of the night his sleep startled him,

3       he arose, talked to his friend:

4       “My friend, a have seen a dream. Why did you not rouse me? It was very frightning!

5       With my shoulder I propped up a mountain;

6       the mountain collapsed on me and girt me around.      

7       Feebleness surrounded my knees,

8       (but) a radiant brightness gave strength to my arms.

9       There was a man, clad in a royal [mantle,]

10     he was shining brigthest in the land and was most [comely] in beauty.

11     He took hold of my upper arm,

12     from under the mountain itself he pulled me forth.”

13     Enkidu explained the dream, said to Gilgameš:

14     “Now, my friend, the one to whom we go,

15     is he not the mountain, is he not very strange?

16     Now, Ḫuwawa to whom we go, is he not the mountain, is he not very strange?

17     You and he will come face to face and you will do something unique.

18     The one of death came forth ...

19     His fury will be enraged against you,

20     terror of him will encircle your legs.

21     And the one you saw was king Šamaš,

22     in times of peril he will take your hand.”

23     It being favourable, Gilgameš was happy with his dream,

24     his heart became merry and his face shone bright.

25     A journey of one whole day, two, then three,

26     they drew near to the land of Ebla.

27     Gilgameš climbed up to the top of a hill,

28     he looked around at all the mountains.

29     He rested his chin on his knees,

30     the sleep that spills over people fell on him.

31     In the middle watch of the night his sleep startled him,

32     he arose, talked to his friend:

33     “My friend, I have seen a second (dream). It was more frightening than the previous dream I saw.

34     Adad cried aloud, while the land was rumbling,

35     the day shrouded itself, darkness went forth.

36     Lightning flashed down, fire broke out,

37     flames flared up, while death was raining down.

38     From the voice of Adad (i. e., thunder) I grew ever weaker,

39     the day went dark, I did not know where to go.

40     At long last the fire that flared so high died down,

41     the flames diminished little by little, they turned to embers.

42     The gloom brightened, the sun shone forth,

43     ... he led here and ...”

44     [Enkidu] explained the [dream,] said to Gilgameš:

45     “[...] ... Adad ...”

lower edge

46–48 ...

rev.

49     “The bright fire [that] broke out for you everywhere,

50     ... flames and his weapons,

51     ... he will go outside.

52     Your dreams are favourable, a god is your arm (i. e., strength),

53     you will quickly achieve your plans.”       

54     On they sped day and night,

55     ... head ...

56     ...,

57     daily they heard the voice of Ḫuwawa.

58     He knew him, the guardian of the cedar,

59     him who turns back chests, all of them (i.e., repels every advance).

60     [Ḫuwawa, the] guardian of the cedar, him who turns back chests, all of them.

61     [...] ... cedar,

62     [...] ... cypresses.

63     [His] face turned pale, like a hewn (branch),

64     terror entered his heart.

65     Gilgameš took pity on him, said to Enkidu:

66     “Why, my friend, did your face turn pale,

67     and terror enter your heart?”

68     Enkidu opened his mouth and said to Gilgameš:

69     “I lifted, my friend, ...,

70     I lifted ...

71     Who can withstand that god,

72     whose weapon is mighty in his hand?

73     Shall we withstand that Ḫuwawa,

74     whose mighty weapon is in his [hand?]

75     And so, my friend, my face turned pale,

76     terror entered my heart.”

77     Gilgameš opened his mouth and said to Enkidu:

78     “Not ...,

79     ... he spoke ...

80     Do not fear, O Enkidu, ... me!

81     I have undertaken ... a battle that you do not know.”

82     They pitched camp for the night, they lay down;

83     Gilgameš arose and revealed his dream to him:

84     “My friend, I have seen a third (dream)!”

General: Unless noted, the transliteration and translation follow George 2003. Some different interpretations and translations of the relatively frequent present tense iPaRRaS with past time reference (cf. Streck 1995 and Streck 2007, 406) are not always commented on. The same is true for some other minor differences in translation.

5: See George 2004 for the translation “propped up”.

7: George’s emendation to <pu>-lu-<uḫ>-tum seems unnecessary; see Streck in press.

9: Cf. Wasserman in press for a parallel in an inscription of Iddin-Sîn of Simurrum.

15–16: Cf. Streck 2007, 408 for mimma as adverb reinforcing the negation.

39: See Streck in press for the present tense designating posteriority in the past. – Cf. Charpin 2006, 191 for further examples of e-mi for ēma (C. W. Hess).

54: See commentary on OB III 262 and Streck 2007, 408: mušītum is not nomen unitatis.

57: Cf. Streck 2007, 408 for the present tense designating a plural situation in the past.

63: Certainly a variant of the well-known image of the cut tamarisk tree, for which see Streck 1999, 70–71 and George 2003, 240 (who nevertheless translates on p. 237 “like a severed (head))”.