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The story of Gilgamesh, an ancient epic poem written on clay tablets in a cuneiform alphabet, is as fascinating and moving as it is crucial to our ability to fathom the time and the place in which it was written. Gardner's version restores the poetry of the text and the lyricism that is lost in the earlier, almost scientific renderings. The principal theme of the poem is a familiar one: man's persistent and hopeless quest for immortality. It tells of the heroic exploits of an ancient ruler of the walled city of Uruk named Gilgamesh. Included in its story is an account of the Flood that predates the Biblical version by centuries. Gilgamesh and his companion, a wild man of the woods named Enkidu, fight monsters and demonic powers in search of honor and lasting fame. When Enkidu is put to death by the vengeful goddess Ishtar, Gilgamesh travels to the underworld to find an answer to his grief and confront the question of mortality.… (more)
This is a story that I have always wanted to read, but for some reason waited this long to do it. Most of the book was about interpreting the story and trying to make sense of the missing parts. Its a story about a journey, simple as that. What awed me was the fact that such poetry was around when this was first put into words. Commonly known as the first written story, it is one that we can relate to and understand even thousands of years later. I'm happy to have a copy in my collection. ( )
The original story of martial love between men. Yes, it's about dealing with death too and it's a fun story, but the Odyssey is much more varied and contains many tropes that are still used today. Nevertheless, because of it predates the Odyssey and it's short, reading Gilgamesh is a high value. In addition, this edition provides solid background material on the history of the development of the epic and like most ancient writings, different parts of it were written and different times and some parts lost--thus, the modern story is at-best a piecing together of these historical documents and making some educated guesses (not to mention the difficulties of translation) as well as couching them in our modern trappings. ( )
This Penguin Classic, contains the Epic ( or as much as was known in 1999), and the expected explanatory notes and appendices, but also contains differing versions that have been discovered that come from the Sumerian, Babylonian and Akkadian eras. While not a page turner as such, especially with many missing passages, it is impressive as the first known piece of literature and the depth of story covered. Gilgamesh not only performs heroic deeds, supporting his elevation to a minor deity on his death but also covers the requirements of a good ruler and the meaning to life and death. Additionally, the pic gives some insight into these ancient civilisations which had such an influence on others, even leading to our own, and makes this a worthwhile read. It is even interesting to see echoes of this epic in Greek mythology as well as the Old Testament. The Penguin classic with its explanatory notes is recommended, as a reader may overlook some important aspects without them, especially due to the fragmentary nature of the epic. ( )
I can't comment on the translation, this being the only version I've read. It's interesting to read this after having recently read The Odyssey - there are some common elements that stand out, especially the visit to the Underworld and meeting with the spirits of the dead. I would like to do more reading about the links between this, Homer, and the Bible. Gilgamesh meets a man who is the Sumerian Noah - which shows that the Great Flood of Genesis is also present in other traditions. ( )
I will proclaim to the world the deeds of Gilgamesh. ...
trans. N.K. Sandars (1960)
It is an old story But one that can still be told About a man who loved And lost a friend to death And learned he lacked the power To bring him back to life.
trans. Mason (1972)
The Story of him who knew the most of all men know; who made the journey; heartbroken; reconciled;
who knew the way things were before the Flood, the secret things, the mystery; who went
to the end of the earth, and over; who returned, and wrote the story on a tablet of stone.
trans. Ferry (1992)
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.
trans. George (1999)
He had seen everything, had experienced all emotions, from exaltation to despair, had been granted a vision into the great mystery, the secret places, the primeval days before the Flood. ...
trans. Mitchell (2004)
Quotations
To be sure, the lonely frustrations of the survivors is the same after every death, immorally or otherwise caused. And everyone is wise in saying, There is nothing you can do; but such wisdom does not reconcile any of us really to loss, for we knew the other as a person in himself not as an abstraction we could do without. We lost the one who we didn't realize enabled us to live in other people's worlds; now we have only our own private world and the almost herculean task of constructing a human reentry. [...]
Two friends in Paris helped me to understand two essential ingredients of Wisdom, the third ingredient being acceptance, referred to before, which one can only come by within oneself on one's return.
(Herbert Mason's Afterword to the Mariner edition, pp. 110-111)
(Utnapishtim speaking to Gilgamesh) [...]I would grieve At all that may befall you still If I did not know you must return And bury your own loss and build Your world anew with your own hands.
'O Ur-shanabi, climb Uruk's wall and walk back and forth! Survey its foundations, examine the brickwork! Were its bricks not fired in an oven? Did the Seven Sages not lay its foundations?
'A square mile is city, a square mile date-grove, a square mile is clay-pit, half a square mile the temple of Ishtar: three square miles and a half is Uruk's expanse.'
When at last they arrived, Gilgamesh said to Urshanabi, 'This is the wall of Uruk, which no city on earth can equal. See how its ramparts gleam like copper in the sun. Climb the stone staircase, more ancient than the mind can imagine, approach the Eanna Temple, sacred to Ishtar, a temple no king has equalled in size and beauty, walk on the wall of Uruk, follow its course around the city, inspect its mighty foundations, examine its brickwork, how masterfully it is built, observe the land it encloses: the palm trees, the gardens, the orchards, the glorious palaces and temples, the shops and marketplaces, the houses, the public squares'.
This work is any complete, unabridged translation of the Standard Version of The Epic of Gilgamesh. To quote the FAQ on combining - "A work brings together all different copies of a book, regardless of edition, title variation, or language." Translations of the Old Babylonian Versions should remain separate, as should translations of the early Sumerian Gilgamesh stories and poems from which the epic came to be. Based on currently accepted LibraryThing convention, the Norton Critical Edition is treated as a separate work, ostensibly due to the extensive additional, original material included.
The story of Gilgamesh, an ancient epic poem written on clay tablets in a cuneiform alphabet, is as fascinating and moving as it is crucial to our ability to fathom the time and the place in which it was written. Gardner's version restores the poetry of the text and the lyricism that is lost in the earlier, almost scientific renderings. The principal theme of the poem is a familiar one: man's persistent and hopeless quest for immortality. It tells of the heroic exploits of an ancient ruler of the walled city of Uruk named Gilgamesh. Included in its story is an account of the Flood that predates the Biblical version by centuries. Gilgamesh and his companion, a wild man of the woods named Enkidu, fight monsters and demonic powers in search of honor and lasting fame. When Enkidu is put to death by the vengeful goddess Ishtar, Gilgamesh travels to the underworld to find an answer to his grief and confront the question of mortality.
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Book description
N. K. Sandars's landmark translation of one of the first and greatest works of Western literature
Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, and his companion Enkidu are the only heroes to have survived from the ancient literature of Babylon, immortalized in this epic poem that dates back to the third millennium BC. Together they journey to the Spring of Youth, defeat the Bull of Heaven and slay the monster Humbaba. When Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh’s grief and fear of death are such that they lead him to undertake a quest for eternal life. A timeless tale of morality, tragedy and pure adventure, The Epic of Gilgamesh is a landmark literary exploration of man’s search for immortality. N. K. Sandars’s lucid, accessible translation is prefaced by a detailed introduction that examines the narrative and historical context of the work. In addition, there is a glossary of names and a map of the Ancient Orient.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Most of the book was about interpreting the story and trying to make sense of the missing parts.
Its a story about a journey, simple as that. What awed me was the fact that such poetry was around when this was first put into words. Commonly known as the first written story, it is one that we can relate to and understand even thousands of years later.
I'm happy to have a copy in my collection. ( )