THE BABYLONIAN STORY OF THE CREATION. 



37 



Proclaimed his fifty names, and they caused his career to be great 

 (beyond all). 



May they be accepted, and may the primaeval one make (them) known, 



May the wise and the understanding together well consider (them), 



May the father repeat and teach (them) to the son, 



May they open the ears of the shepherd and the leader. 



May they rejoice for the lord of the gods, Merodach, 



May his land bear in plenty, and as for him, may he have peace. 



Firm is his word, unchanging is his command — 



No god hath yet made to fail that which cometh forth from his mouth. 

 If he frown down in displeasure, he turneth not his neck ; 

 In his anger, there is no god who can withstand his wrath. 



"Wide is his iieart, vast is the kindness of his 



The sinner and evildoer before him are (ashamed ?)." 



A duplicate gives the remains of four lines which seem to 

 have differed from the corresponding portion of the principal 

 tablet here translated. These are couched in the same strain 

 as the portions of the final tablet of the series which are 

 preserved, and it may therefore be supposed that the remainder 

 of this inscription, if we possessed it, would end with a poetical 

 climax similar in form to the lines translated here. 



It is unnecessary to refer to the literary form and merit of 

 this portion of the composition (especially the obverse), that 

 being self-evident. Perhaps the writer noticed how monoton- 

 ous his long poetical narrative was, and varied it by introduc- 

 ing the Sumerian forms of the names bestowed upon Merodach, 

 with a free translation, and expansions of the idea contained in 

 them. I have said that the translation of these names of 

 Merodach into Semitic Babylonian is very free, and this will 

 easily be recognized by anyone acquainted with the two 

 languages. Thus, though Zi-ukkina might easily be translated 

 " the life of the universe," or, rather, " of the people," Zi-azaga 

 cannot by any possibility be regarded as meaning " the 

 possessor of purification," any more than Aga-azaga can mean 

 "May he make the crowns glorious." There is, therefore, 

 hardly any doubt that the names given to him mean " the pure 

 life," " the glorious crown," " the glorious incantation," " heart- 

 knowing," "the silent life," "annihilator of the enemy." 

 Perhaps, however, they are not intended as translations at all, 

 but merely as amplifications of the ideas contained in the 

 names, which are to all appearance mystic, and connected with 

 the character attributed to Merodach. As he had saved the 

 world from destruction at the hands of Tiamthu, giving it 

 thereby new life, he was " the life of the universe," and as he, 

 compared with her and her followers, was everything that was 

 pure and holy, so he was " the pure life " for all to imitate. 



