SEETE3IBEE 11, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



337 



stories. I saw the fissures, and added that 

 which was lacking. Three sars of bitumen 

 I poured upon the outside, three sars of 

 bitumen I poured upon the inside. (Thir- 

 teen lines of description illegible.) The 

 vessel was finished. All that I had I 

 brought together, all that I had in silver I 

 brought together. All that I had of gold 

 I brought together. All that I had in liv- 

 ing seed I brought together. And I brought 

 all this up into the ship, all my manservants 

 and my maidservants, the cattle of the field, 

 the wild beast of the plain, and all my kin- 

 dred, I bade embark. 



"As now the sun had brought on the 

 appointed time, a voice spake : ' In the 

 evening the heavens will rain destruction. 

 Enter into the interior of the ship and shut 

 the door. The appointed time is come.' 

 The voice said, ' in the evening the heavens 

 will rain destruction. ' With dread I looked 

 forward to the going down of the sun. On 

 the day appointed for embarking I feared 

 (greatly) . Yet I entered into the interior 

 of the ship and shut to my door behind me to 

 close the ship. To Buzurbil, the steersman, 

 I gave over the great structure with its load. 

 Then arose Museri-ina-namari from the 

 foundations of the heavens ; a black cloud, 

 in whose middle Ramman (the weather-god) 

 let his thunder roar, while IsTeba and Sarru 

 rush at each other in warfare. 



" The Throne-bearers stalk over mountain and land, 



The mighty god of pestilence let loose the whirl- 

 winds (?) 



Adar lets the canals overflow unceasingly. 



The Anunnaki raise their torches, 



They make the earth glow with their radiant gleams. 



Eamman's inundating wave rises up to heaven, 



All light sinks in darkness. 



In a day they lay waste the earth like a plague, the 

 winds raging blow. 



Mountain high they bring the waters to fight against 

 mankind. 



The brother sees the brother no more, 



Men care no more for one another. 



In heaven the gods fear the deluge and seek refuge. 



They mount up to the heavens of the god Anu. 



Like a dog in its lair the gods crouch at the windows 



of heaven. 

 Istar (the mother of mankind) cries like a woman in 



childbirth, 

 The sweet-voiced queen of the gods cries vrith loud 



voice : 

 * The dwelling place of mankind is reduced to slime. 

 That has come which I announced before the gods as 



an approaching evil. 

 I have announced the evil before the gods, 

 The war of destruction against my children have I 



announced. 

 That which I brought forth, where is it. It fills the 



sea like fish-spawn. ' 

 Then the Gods wept with her over the doings of the 



Anunnaki. 

 They pressed their lips together, 



'^ Six days and six nights the wind and 

 the deluge and the storm prevailed. At 

 the opening of the seventh day, however,, 

 the storm lessened, the hurricane, which 

 had waged a warfare like a mighty army, 

 was appeased, and storm and deluge ceased. 

 I sailed the sea mourning that the dwelling- 

 places of mankind were changed to slime. 

 Like logs the bodies floated around, I had 

 opened a window, and as the light of day 

 fell upon my face I shuddered and sat down 

 weeping. My tears flowed over my face. 

 Wherever I looked was a fearful sea. In 

 all directions there was no land. Helpless 

 the ship drifted into the region of Nizir. 

 There a mountain in the land Nizir held 

 the ship stranded, and did not allow it to 

 advance farther toward the heights. On the 

 first and second day the mountain of Nizir 

 held the ship. Also on the third and the 

 fourth day the mountain of Nizir held the 

 ship. Even so on the fifth and the sixth 

 day the mountain of Mzir held the ship. 

 At the approach of the seventh day I 

 loosened a dove and caused it to go forth. 

 The dove went, it turned, and it found not 

 a place where to rest, and it returned. I 

 loosened and I caused to go forth a swallow. 

 It went, it turned, and it found not a place 

 where to rest, and it returned. I loosened 

 and I caused to go forth a raven. The 



