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ENG 203: World Literature Writing Assignment 4: Epic style in The Epic of Gilgamesh

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Writing Assignment 4: Epic style in The Epic of Gilgamesh INSTRUCTIONS: SUMMARY Writing Assignment 4 asks you to identify and comment on three stylistic elements of The Epic of Gilgamesh (ca. 1900–250 B.C.E.), both as a foundational example of the genre called epic poetry and as an idiosyncratic work in a fragmented form. You’ll look for examples of those three stylistic elements in an excerpt of our edition of The Epic of Gilgamesh, translated by Benjamin Foster. You’ll complete this assignment in handwriting; you’ll submit it on Canvas as image files. Make sure to write legibly, submit full uncropped images, and (if you like) include additional images of drafts and notes. INSTRUCTIONS: STEP BY STEP Step 1: Read this prompt in full, then reread Tablet VIII To start off Writing Assignment 4, I’d like you to do some reading and some rereading. First, read the prompt of this assignment in full. That way, you’ll know what stylistic elements to look for when you reread six pages of The Epic of Gilgamesh, which you can find in one of three places:

– the PDF version of the Writing Assignment 4 prompt: pages 4 through 9 – the shorter PDF of Reading 4: pages 70 through 75 (corresponding to pages 63 through 68 of

the scanned book) – the longer PDF of Reading 4: pages 86 through 91 (again, this corresponds to pages 63 through

68 of the scanned book) Those pages are the entirety of one of the shortest surviving tablets of The Epic of Gilgamesh, and perhaps the most moving: Tablet VIII, in which our hero Gilgamesh mourns his friend Enkidu, arranges a memorial, and offers gifts to the deities of the netherworld so they may receive Enkidu’s ghost favorably. Get out a clean piece of paper or a notebook page (or whatever you’re completing this assignment on). Write your name and “Writing Assignment 4” at the top.

[Steps 2 through 4 on next page]

ENG 203: World Literature Writing Assignment 4: Epic style in The Epic of Gilgamesh

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Step 2: Look and listen for repetition (worth 1 point) Tablet VIII begins with Gilgamesh’s lament for his dearest friend Enkidu (lines 1 to 64). It’s an unforgettable speech, in part because it makes intricate use of repetitions: words and phrases repeated exactly, lines and sentences that follow the same formula, and several overlapping lists (or, as they’re often called in the epic genre, catalogues). Label this section of your handwritten assignment “Step 2.” Choose at least two lines from Gilgamesh’s lament where you’re finding some interesting or curious repetitions. On your assignment, write out the lines you’ve chosen for this step, and provide the numbers of those lines in parentheses. (Our edition provides the number of every fifth line along the right margin of each page; for Tablet VIII, those numbers go from 5 to 150.) What, for you, is the effect of seeing and hearing the same words or ideas repeated—two times, three times, or even more often than that? Can you identify a favorite moment in your chosen lines, where the repeated language strikes you as most powerful or memorable? Write at least 50 words about your chosen lines and repetitions. Step 3: Pick a favorite epithet (worth 1 point) In this Unit we learned about an element of epic style called the epithet: a formulaic adjective or phrase that serves as an easily repeated description. You might think of epithets as titles or nicknames: to Gilgamesh, Enkidu is rarely just Enkidu, he’s “my friend Enkidu.” Tablet VIII features many more elaborate and fanciful epithets than that, both in Gilgamesh’s lament and in his offerings to the deities of the netherworld (lines 81 to 150). Label this section of your handwritten assignment “Step 3.” Pick a favorite epithet, and write out all the lines where it appears; provide the numbers of the lines in parentheses. (If you’re having trouble finding an epithet, look in the vicinity of anyone with a name, like a person or a god. Do you see any title or nickname for them, potentially appearing twice in a row?) Write at least 50 words about the epithet and why it sticks with you. An epithet condenses a character to an essential quality or two: what does your chosen epithet say about the character it describes, and what does it leave unsaid? Step 4: Mind the gap (worth 1 point) Finally, let’s consider one accidental element of The Epic of Gilgamesh: its gaps, where words, lines, even entire sections have yet to be recovered and may be lost forever. The translator of our version of Gilgamesh, Benjamin Foster, indicates a gap with an ellipsis inside square brackets: [ . . . ]. (When Foster puts words inside of square brackets, those are his educated guesses of what the missing text could be, usually based on text elsewhere in the poem. He adds a question mark— ? —when he’s not sure.) Label this section of your handwritten assignment “Step 4.” Pick a gap in the text that you find especially mysterious or intriguing. Write out the lines before and after the gap; provide the numbers of those lines in parentheses. Then write at least 50 words: you can either write as a critic, speculating about what could appear in the gap, or write creatively, filling in the gap with your own words.

[The Fine Print on the next page]

ENG 203: World Literature Writing Assignment 4: Epic style in The Epic of Gilgamesh

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THE FINE PRINT For this Written Assignment, you should complete all four steps and end up with a final submission of three quotations from Tablet VIII (each one with page numbers in parentheses) and at least 150 handwritten words in response to Step 2, Step 3, and Step 4. To receive full credit, you should complete all four steps fully and in good faith. As always in our course, the use of Artificial Intelligence is prohibited and may result in a 0 on this assignment. Take one or more pictures of your handwritten assignment with a phone, tablet, computer, camera, or scanner. Upload your assignment to Canvas as one or more image files. Canvas will accept the following filetypes: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tiff, .gif, .webp, and .pdf. If you have any questions about this Writing Assignment, email Dr. Christopher Spaide at [email protected]. To receive full credit, expect to spend at least 45 minutes on Writing Assignment 4.

Tablet VIII

[Gilgamesh mourns Enkidu. Line 18 refers to an episode that does not appear in the extant portions of the epic]

At the first glimmer of dawn, Gilgamesh [lamented] his friend:

Enkidu, my friend, your mother the gazelle, Your father the wild ass brought you into the world, Onagers raised you on their mi lk , 5 And the wild beasts taught you all the grazing places. The pathways, 0 Enkidu, of the forest of cedars, May they weep for you, without falling silent, night and day. May the elders of the teeming city, ramparted Uruk,

weep for you, May the crowds who were blessing our departure

[weep for you], 10 May the heights of highland and mountain [weep for you], [ . . . ]pure[ . . . ] May the lowlands wail like your mother, May [the forest] of cypress and cedar weep for you, Through which in our fury we forced our way. 15 May bear, hyena, panther, tiger, deer, jackal, Lion, wild bull, gazelle, ibex, the beasts and creatures

of the steppe, weep for you. May the sacred Ulaya River weep for you, along whose

banks we once strode proud, May the holy Euphrates weep for you, Whose water we libated from waterskins. 20 May the young men of ramparted Uruk weep for you, Who watched us slay the Bull of Heaven in combat. May the plowman weep for you [at his plow], Who extolled your name in the sweet song of harvest home.‘

1. Mesopotamian literature referred to work songs sung when the crops were brought in from the harvest as symbols of happiness and prosperity. A Sumerian composition in the style of such a song is in honor of Enkimdu, god of plowmen, so a play on the two names may be intended.

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64 THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH

May he weep for you, the [orchardist] of the vast city of Uruk, 25

Who, a t first [fruit], extolled your name. May the shepherd and herdsman weep for you, Who used to hold milk and buttermilk to your mouth, May [the herd boy] weep for you, Who used to hold butter to your lips. 30 May the brewer weep for you, Who used to hold ale to your mouth. May the harlot weep for you, Who massaged you with sweet-smelling oil. May [the groom] at the wedding weep for you, 35 Who[ . . . ] awi fe [ . . . ] r i ng .2 May [foundlings and orphans] weep for you, Like brothers may they weep for you, Like sisters may they loosen their hair for your sake. May they weep for Enkidu, your mother, your father [who

adopted you],3 40 All the while I too shall be weeping for you! Hear me, O young men, listen to me, Hear me, O elders of [Uruk], listen to me! I weep for my friend, Enkidu, I wail as bitterly as a professional keener. 45 Oh for the axe at my side, oh for the one I trusted beside me! Oh for the sword at my belt, oh for the shield before me, Oh for my best garment, oh for the raiment that pleased

me most! An ill wind rose against me and snatched him from me! O my friend, wild-running donkey, mountain onager,

panther of the steppe, 50 O my friend Enkidu, wild-running donkey, mountain

onager, panther of the steppe! You who stood by me when we climbed the [highlands], Seized [and slew] the Bull of Heaven, Felled Humbaba who [dwelt] in the forest of [cedars], What now is this sleep that has seized you? 55 You have faded from me and you cannot hear me!

But, as for him, he did not raise [his head]. He touched his heart but it beat no more.

2. This may mean that grooms are forever grateful to Enkidu for interfering with Gil- gamesh's custom of taking brides on their wedding nights (Tablet II, lines 62—69).

3. This difficult passage may refer to Ninsun’s adoption of Enkidu (Tablet III, line 112). Found l ings and o rphans , l ike Enk idu , sha l l forever mourn h im a s one of t hem.

TABLET VIII

Then he covered his friend’s face, like a bride’s. He hovered round him like an eagle, Like a lioness robbed of her cubs, He paced to and fro, back and forth, Tearing out and letting fall in a heap the locks of [his hair], Ripping off and hurling away his fine clothes like

something foul.

[Gilgamesh commissions a memorial statue for Enkidu]

At the first glimmer of dawn, Gilgamesh sent out a proclamation in the land:

Hear ye, blacksmith, lapidary, metalworker, goldsmith, jeweler!

Make my friend [in metals and gemstones], [Such as no one ever] made of his friend! The limbs of my friend [ . . . ] [ . . . ] your eyes of lapis, your chest of gold, Your skin o f [ . . . ]

[gap]

I will lay you out in a noble resting place, In a perfect resting place I will lay you out! I will settle you in peaceful rest in that dwelling sinister, Potentates of the netherworld will do you homage. I will have the people of [Uruk shed bitter tears for you], I will burden the [pleasure-loving] people with a task

for you, And, a s for me, after your death, I will let my hair grow

matted, I will put on a lion skin and roam the steppe!

[gap]

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65

75

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[From his treasury, Gilgamesh takes out and displays grave goodsfor Enkidu]

At the first glimmer of dawn, Gilgamesh arose, [He went to the storehouse], He broke its seal, he surveyed the treasure, [Obsidian], carnelian,4 [ . . . ], alabaster, [ - ] He set out [ . . . ] for his friend,

4. A reddish stone, prized in Mesopotamia for making beads and seals.

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He set out [ . . . ] for his friend, He set out [ . . . made of] ten pounds of gold for his friend, He set out [ . . . made of ten] pounds of gold for his friend, He set out [ . . . made of ten] pounds of gold for his friend, [ . . . ] [ . . . ] between them, mounted in thirty pounds of gold.

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[In the fragmentary lines that follow, there is mention of splendid weapons, perhaps a sword, how, and quiver, together with fittings and ornaments of gold, ivory, and iron. Next Gilgamesh displays gifts for various netherworld deities to render them inclined to receive Enkidu’s ghost with favor.]

He slaughtered many fatted [cattle] and sheep, heaped them high for his friend, (saying):

“[ . . . in the] open for my friend.” They carried off all the meat for the potentates of the

netherworld. [ . . . ] Ishtar, the great queen, [A throw stick made of . . . ], the sacred tree, [He displayed in the open for] Ishtar, the great queen, (Saying): “May Ishtar, the great queen, accept this, May she welcome my friend [and walk at his side].” [ . . . ] He displayed in the open for Namrasit [ . . . ], (Saying): “May Namrasit [ . . . ] accept this, May he welcome my friend and walk at his side.” Aja ro f l ap i s [ . . . ] He displayed in the open for Ereshkigal, [queen of the

netherworld], (Saying): “May Ereshkigal, [queen of the crowded nether-

world], accept this, May she welcome my friend and walk at his side." A flute of carnelian [ . . . ], He displayed in the open for Tammuz, the shepherd, beloved

of [Ishtar], Saying: “May Tammuz, the shepherd, beloved of [Ishtar],

accept this, May he welcome my friend and walk at his side.” A chair of lapis [ . . . ] A staff of lapis [ . . . ] He displayed in the open for Namtar, [courier of the

netherworld], Saying: “May Namtar, [courier of the crowded netherworld],

accept this, May he welcome my friend and walk at his side.”

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100

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TABLET VIII 67

7. He filled a lapis bowl with butter. Lapis bowl and Whetstone from a grave at Ur.

[gap] He displayed in the open for [Hushbishag, housekeeper of the

netherworld], [Sayingz “May Hushbishag, housekeeper of the crowded neth-

erworld, accept this], [May she welcome my friend and walk at his side] Hehad[ . . . ]make [ . . . ] A bracelet(?) of silver, armlets(?) of copper, [He displayed in the open] for Qassa-tabat, [sweeper for

Ereshkigal], Saying: “May Qassa-tabat, sweeper for [Ereshkigal], accept

this, May he welcome my friend and [walk at his side]. 125 May my friend not be afraid, may he not become sick a t

heart.” [A box?] of alabaster, the inside inlaid with lapis and

carnelian, [Filled with incense from?] the forest of cedars,

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68 THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH

[And a . . . ] inlaid with carnelian, He displayed for Ninshuluhhatumma, who keeps the house

in order, 130 Saying: “May Ninshuluhhatumma, who keeps the house in

order, accept this, May she welcome my friend and walk at his side, May she [intercede on behalf of?] my friend, May my friend not be afraid, may he not become sick at heart.”

A double-edged dagger, its hilt of lapis, 135 With a likeness of the holy Euphrates, He displayed in the open for Bibbu, meat carver of the

netherworld, Saying: “May Bibbu, meat carver of the crowded netherworld,

[accept this], [May he] welcome [my friend] and walk at his side." [ . . . and] flask of alabaster, 140 He displayed in the open [for Tammuz-apsu], scapegoat of the

netherworld, Saying: “[May Tammuz]-apsu, scapegoat of the crowded nether-

world, [accept this], May he welcome my friend and walk a t his side.”

[Fragmentary lines, with more offerings. Someone speaks to Gilgamesh, then he decides to dam the Euphrates(?), in order to build Enkidu’s tomb in the riverbed. Once the dam is breached, the tomb will be forever safe underwater, as described in the Sumerian poem “The Death of Gil- gamesh” (below, pp. 155—56)]

When Gilgamesh heard this, He conceived [in his heart] the damming of the river. 145

At the first glimmer of dawn, Gilgamesh opened the [ . . . ], He brought out a great table of precious wood. He filled a carnelian bowl with honey, He filled a lapis bowl with butter, He adorned [the table] and displayed it in the open 150

[gar]