February 26, 2023

65. The Epic of Gilgamesh.

Listen Later

53 minutes

‘My friend, whom I loved so dear,

who with me went through every danger,

my friend Enkidu, whom I loved so dear,

who with me went through every danger:

‘the doom of mortals overtook him.

Six days I wept for him and seven nights.

I did not surrender his body for burial,

until a maggot dropped from his nostril.

‘Then I was afraid that I too would die,

I grew fearful of death, and so wander the wild.

‘What became of my friend was too much to bear,

so on a far road I wander the wild;

what became of my friend Enkidu was too much to bear,

so on a far path I wander the wild.

‘How can I keep silent? How can I stay quiet?

My friend, whom I loved, has turned to clay,

my friend Enkidu, whom I loved, has turned to clay.

Shall I not be like him and also lie down,

never to rise again, through all eternity?’

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a very old poem. The Standard Babylonian version

of it was redacted over three thousand years ago by an editor and poet named

Sîn-lēqi-unninni, but much of the material he compiled was even older than

that. The poem describes Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, two-thirds divine and

one-third human, who is so superior to everyone else that the gods must create

a companion for him. That companion is Enkidu, a bestial man who must be

carefully brought into civilization. Their relationship — and the questions

that arise after the gods condemn Enkidu to an early death — are still

compelling several thousand years later. Chris and Suzanne explore this

fragmentary monument of ancient literature, and think about what choices a

translator (and a reader!) have to make when engaging with it.

Show Notes.

The Epic of Gilgamesh, as translated by Andrew

George, N.K. Sandars,

Sophus Helle, and David

Ferry. [Many others are available!]

Our episode on The Iliad.

On cuneiform writing.

In a very different context, Chris has talked about Gilgamesh on a podcast

before.

Michael Schmidt: Gilgamesh: The Life of a Poem, an

accessible book-length overview of the poem.

Next: Sophocles: Antigone.

[Bookshop.]

And our 2023 reading list, if you want to read ahead! (Some books may change. We

are fickle.)

Support The Spouter-Inn on Patreon. Thanks!

...more

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By Suzanne Conklin Akbari and Chris Piuma

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February 26, 2023

65. The Epic of Gilgamesh.

Listen Later

53 minutes

‘My friend, whom I loved so dear,

who with me went through every danger,

my friend Enkidu, whom I loved so dear,

who with me went through every danger:

‘the doom of mortals overtook him.

Six days I wept for him and seven nights.

I did not surrender his body for burial,

until a maggot dropped from his nostril.

‘Then I was afraid that I too would die,

I grew fearful of death, and so wander the wild.

‘What became of my friend was too much to bear,

so on a far road I wander the wild;

what became of my friend Enkidu was too much to bear,

so on a far path I wander the wild.

‘How can I keep silent? How can I stay quiet?

My friend, whom I loved, has turned to clay,

my friend Enkidu, whom I loved, has turned to clay.

Shall I not be like him and also lie down,

never to rise again, through all eternity?’

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a very old poem. The Standard Babylonian version

of it was redacted over three thousand years ago by an editor and poet named

Sîn-lēqi-unninni, but much of the material he compiled was even older than

that. The poem describes Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, two-thirds divine and

one-third human, who is so superior to everyone else that the gods must create

a companion for him. That companion is Enkidu, a bestial man who must be

carefully brought into civilization. Their relationship — and the questions

that arise after the gods condemn Enkidu to an early death — are still

compelling several thousand years later. Chris and Suzanne explore this

fragmentary monument of ancient literature, and think about what choices a

translator (and a reader!) have to make when engaging with it.

Show Notes.

The Epic of Gilgamesh, as translated by Andrew

George, N.K. Sandars,

Sophus Helle, and David

Ferry. [Many others are available!]

Our episode on The Iliad.

On cuneiform writing.

In a very different context, Chris has talked about Gilgamesh on a podcast

before.

Michael Schmidt: Gilgamesh: The Life of a Poem, an

accessible book-length overview of the poem.

Next: Sophocles: Antigone.

[Bookshop.]

And our 2023 reading list, if you want to read ahead! (Some books may change. We

are fickle.)

Support The Spouter-Inn on Patreon. Thanks!

...more