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May he hold the Beginning and the Future, may they pay homage unto him, Saying, "He who forced his way through the midst of Tiamat without resting, Let his name be Nibiru, 'the Seizer of the Midst'! For the stars of heaven he upheld the paths, He shepherded all the gods like sheep! He conquered Tiamat, he troubled and ended her life," In the future of mankind, when the days grow old, May this be heard without ceasing; may it hold sway forever! Since he created the realm of heaven and fashioned the firm earth, The Lord of the World," the father Bel hath called his name. This title, which all the Spirits of Heaven proclaimed, Did Ea hear, and his spirit was rejoiced, and he said: "He whose name his fathers have made glorious, Shall be even as I, his name shall be Ea! The binding of all my decrees shall he control, All my commands shall he make known! " By the name of "Fifty " did the great gods Proclaim his fifty names, they, made his path preeminent. EPILOGUE Let them [i.e. the names of Marduk] be held in remembrances and let the first man proclaim them; Let the wise and the understanding consider them together! Let the father repeat them and teach them to his son; Let them be in the ears of the pastor and the shepherd! Let a man rejoice in Marduk, the Lord of the gods, That be may cause his land to be fruitful, and that he himself may have prosperity! His word standeth fast, his command is unaltered; The utterance of his mouth hath no god ever annulled. He gazed in his anger, he turned not his neck; When he is wroth, no god can withstand his indignation. Wide is his heart, broad is his compassion; The sinner and evil-doer in his presence... They received instruction, they spake before him, ... unto... ... of Marduk may the gods...; ... May they ... his name... ! ... they took and... ...................................! END OF THE CREATION EPIC THE FIGHT WITH TIAMAT (ANOTHER VERSION) [Note: Strictly speaking, the text is not a creation-legend, though it gives a variant form of the principal incident in the history of the creation according to the Enuma Elish. Here the fight with the dragon did not precede the creation of the world, but took place after men had been created and cities had been built.] The cities sighed, men ... Men uttered lamentation, they ... For their lamentation there was none to help, For their grief there was none to take them by the hand. · Who was the dragon... ? Tiamat was the dragon..... Bel in heaven hath formed..... Fifty kaspu [A kaspu is the space that can be covered in two hours travel, i.e. six or seven miles] in his length, one kaspu in his height, Six cubits is his mouth, twelve cubits his..., Twelve cubits is the circuit of his ears...; For the space of sixty cubits he ... a bird; In water nine cubits deep he draggeth...." He raiseth his tail on high...; All the gods of heaven... In heaven the gods bowed themselves down before the Moon-god...; The border of the Moon-god's robe they hastily grasped: "Who will go and slay the dragon," And deliver the broad land from... And become king over... ? " Go, Tishu, slav the dragon, And deliver the broad land from..., And become king over...!" Thou hast sent me, O Lord, to... the raging creatures of the river, But I know not the... of the Dragon!