The Epic of Gilgamesh

About this book

Prologue and paean. King Gilgamesh tyrannizes the people of Uruk, who complain to the gods. To divert his superhuman energies the gods create his counterpart, the wild man Enkidu, who is brought up by the animals of the wild. Enkidu is spotted by a trapper, who lures him away from the herd with a prostitute. The prostitute shows him her arts and proposes to take him to Uruk, where Gilgamesh has been seeing him in dreams. He who saw the Deep, the country’s foundation, [who] knew …, was wise in all matters! [Gilgamesh, who] saw the Deep, the country’s foundation, [who] knew …, was wise in all matters! [He] … everywhere … and [learnt] of everything the sum of wisdom. He saw what was secret, discovered what was hidden, he brought back a tale of before the Deluge.