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Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative
Herbert Mason
Top 10 Best Quotes
“What we finally do, out of desperation ... is go on an impossible, or even forbidden, journey or pilgrimage, which from a rational point of view is futile: to find the one wise man, whomever or wherever he may be; and to find from him the secret of eternal life or the secret of adjusting to this life as best we can.”
“It could go on for years and years, And has, for centuries, For being human holds a special grief Of privacy within the universe That yearns and waits to be retouched By someone who can take away The memory of death.”
“Gilgamesh was king of Uruk, A city set between the Tigris And Euphrates rivers In ancient Babylonia. Enkidu was born on the Steppe Where he grew up among the animals. Gilgamesh was called a god and man; Enkidu was an animal and man. It is the story Of their becoming human together.”
“All that is left to one who grieves Is convalescence. No change of heart or spiritual Conversion, for the heart has changed And the soul has been converted To a thing that sees How much it costs to lose a friend it loved.”
“The only nourishment He knew was grief, endless in its hidden source Yet never ending hunger.”
“She spoke as to a child who could not understand All the futility that lay ahead Yet who she knew would go on to repeat Repeat repeat the things men had to learn. The gods gave death to man and kept life for Themselves. That is the only way it is. Cherish your rests; the children you might have; You are a thing that carries so much tiredness.”
“It is that inner atmosphere that has An unfamiliar gravity or none at all Where words are flung out in the air but stay Motionless without an answer, Hovering about one’s lips Or arguing back to haunt The memory with what one failed to say, Until one learns acceptance of the silence Amidst the new debris Or turns again to grief As the only source of privacy, Alone with someone loved.”
“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. It is the story of Gilgamesh And his friend Enkidu.”
“I think love's kiss kills our heart of flesh. It is the only way to eternal life, Which should be unbearable if lived Among the dying flowers And the shrieking farewells Of the overstretched arms of our spoiled hopes. -Book III”
“How will you find eternal life To bring back to your friend? He pondered busily, as if It were just a matter of getting down to work Or making plans for an excursion. Then he relaxed, as if there were no use In this reflection. 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. I envy you your freedom.”
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Book Keywords:
human, sumerian, gilgamesh, babylon, humanity, grief-and-loss, epic, sumerian-tablets