Babylonian and Assyrian Literature | Page 8

screams, and wildly
view the wall
Of dying warriors piling o'er their heads,
And wonder
why each man some fury leads;
And others break across the gory
plain
In mad career till they the mountain gain;
And snorting on the
hills in wild dismay,
One moment glance below, then fly away;

Away from sounds that prove their masters, fiends,
Away to freedom
snuffing purer winds,

Within some cool retreat by mountain streams,

Where peacefully for them, the sun-light gleams.
At last the foe is
scattered o'er the plain,
And Accad fiercely slays the flying men;

When Izdubar beholds the victory won
By Accad's grand battalions
of the sun,
His bugle-call the awful carnage stays,
Then loud the cry

of victory they raise.
[Footnote 1: The above elegy is an Assyrian fragment remarkably
similar to one of the psalms of the Jewish bible, and I believe it belongs
to the Irdubar epic (W.A. I. IV. 19, No. 3; also see "Records of the
Past," vol. xi. p. 160).]
[Footnote 2: "Ul-bar," Bel's temple.]
[Footnote 3: "Nin-a-rad," literally "servant of Nin," or "Nin-mar-ad,"
"Lord of the city of Marad."]
[Footnote 4: "Nin," the god of the chase and war, or lord.]
[Footnote 5: "Tar-u-ma-ni izzu sar-ri," "son of the faith, the fire-king."]
[Footnote 6: "Nuk-khu," darkness (god of darkness).]
[Footnote 7: "Nin-a-zu," god of fate and death.]
[Footnote 8: "Mam-mit," or "Mam-mi-tu," goddess of fate.]
[Footnote 9: "Dragons," gods of chaos and death.]
COLUMN IV
CORONATION OF IZDUBAR
A crowd of maidens led a glorious van;
With roses laden the fair
heralds ran,
With silver-throated music chant the throng,
And
sweetly sang the coronation song:
And now we see the gorgeous
cavalcade,
Within the walls in Accad's grand parade
They pass, led
by the maidens crowned with flowers,
Who strew the path with
fragrance;--to the towers
And walls and pillars of each door bright
cling
The garlands. Hear the maidens joyful sing!
"Oh, shout the cry! Accadians, joyful sing
For our Deliverer! Oh,
crown him King!
Then strew his path with garlands, tulips, rose,


And wave his banners as he onward goes;
Our mighty Nin-rad comes,
oh, raise the cry!
We crown Tar-u-ma-ni iz-zu sar-ri!
Away to Samas' temple grand, away!
For Accad crowns him, crowns
him there!
He is our chosen Sar[1] this glorious day,
Oh, send the
Khanga[2] through the air!
Then chant the chorus, all ye hosts above!
O daughters, mothers, sing
for him we love!
His glory who can sing, who brings us joy?
For
hope and gladness all our hearts employ.
He comes, our hope and
strength in every war:
We crown him as our king, our Izdubar!
Away to Samas' temple grand, away!
For Accad crowns him, crowns
him there!
He is our chosen Sar this glorious day,
Oh, send the
Khanga through the air!"
Toward the temple filed the long parade,
The nobles led while
Accad's music played;
The harps and timbrels, barsoms, drums and
flutes
Unite with trumpets and the silver lutes.
Surrounded by his
chieftains rides the Sar
In purple robes upon his brazen car.

Bedecked with garlands, steeds of whitest snow
The chariot draw in
state with movement slow,
Each steed led by a kisib, nobleman,
A
score of beauteous horses linked in span.
The army follows with their
nodding plumes,
And burnished armor, trumpets, rolling drums,

And glistening spears enwreathed with fragrant flowers,
While scarfs
are waving from the crowded towers,
And shouts of joy their
welcome loud proclaim,
And from each lip resounds their monarch's
name.
And now before the holy temple stands
The chariot, in silence cease
the bands.
Around an altar stand the waiting priests,
And held by
them, the sacrificial beasts.
The hero from his chair descends,
And
bowing to the priests, he lowly bends
Before the sacred altar of the
Sun,
And prays to Samas, Accad's Holy One.

[3] "O Samas, I invoke thee, throned on high!
Within the cedars' shadow bright thou art,
Thy footing rests upon
immensity;
All nations eagerly would seek thy heart.
Their eyes
have turned toward thee; O our Friend!
Whose brilliant light
illuminates all lands,
Before thy coming all the nations bend,
Oh,
gather every people with thy hands!
For thou, O Samas, knowest
boundaries
Of every kingdom, falsehood dost destroy,
And every
evil thought from sorceries
Of wonders, omens, dreams that do annoy,

And evil apparitions, thou dost turn
To happy issue; malice, dark
designs;
And men and countries in thy might o'erturn,
And sorcery
that every soul maligns.
Oh, in thy presence refuge let me find!

From those who spells invoke against thy King,
Protect one! and my
heart within thine, oh, bind!
[4]Thy breath within mine inmost soul,
oh, bring!
That I with thee, O Samas, may rejoice.
And may the
gods who me created, take
Thy hands and lead me, make thy will my
choice,
[5]Direct my breath, my hands, and of me make
They
servant, Lord of light of legions vast,
O Judge, thy glory hath all
things surpassed!"
The King then rises, takes the sacred glass,[6]
And holds it in the sun
before the mass
Of waiting fuel on the altar piled.
The centring
rays--the fuel glowing gild
With a round spot of fire and quickly,
spring
Above the altar curling, while they sing!
[7] "Oh, to the desert places may it fly,
This incantation holy!
O spirit of