Days 1 and 2

Author: * Apiladey ApilSin - 7 Posts on this thread out of 2,519 Posts sitewide.
Date: Mar 30, 2003 - 13:54

The First Day

Little is available about the first day (the tablet was damaged a bit here), other than it is understood that the day was spent seeing to the preparations necessary for what was to come. It is known that the "lofty gate of Esagila" was unlocked by a priest, opening the great courtyard behind it. During the first five days, the rites within Esagila (Marduk´s temple in Babylon) took on a somber tone, with priests and priestesses attuned to "desolation, utter bereavement and grief for the uncertainties of the coming future".The people of the city also displayed misery and anxiety with ritual wailings.These however didn't seem to have been part of any temple service. Each morning, before sunrise, the high priest, after a ritual washing, entered the temple alone and prayed to Marduk and to other gods. When he was finished, the other priests commenced their daily tasks.

The Second Day

On the second day, two hours of the night (remaining?), the urigallu-priest (Sheshgallu Priest) shall arise and wash with Euphrates River water. He then entered into the presence of the god Bel (Marduk), wearing a linen garment called a gadaluand recited the urigallu's prayer.

O Bel, who has no equal when angry,
O Bel, excellent king, lord of the countries,
Who makes the great gods friendly,
O Bel, who fells the mighty with his glance,
Lord of the kings, light of mankind, who divides the portions --
O Bel, your dwelling is the city of Babylon,
your tiara is the (neighboring) city of Borsippa,
Broad heaven is the "totality of your liver."
O Bel, with your eyes you see all things,
[With] your oracles you verify the oracles,
[With] your glance you hand down the law.
[With] your ... you ... the mighty;
When you look (at them), you grant them mercy;
You show them the light, (and) they speak of your valor.
Lord of the countries, light of the Igigi deities (who) bless --
Who (does not speak) of you, does not speak of your valor?
Who does not speak of your glory, does not glorify your sovereignty?
Lord of the countries, who dwells in the temple
Eudul, who grasps the hand of the fallen,
Grant mercy to your city, Babylon!
Turn your face to the temple Esagila, your house!
Establish the "liberty" of the people of Babylon, your subordinates.

Obviously still reflecting a somber tone. With this done, he let in the erib biti priests, the incantors (the kalu), and the singers, to perform their prescribed rites before Marduk and his consort, Zarpanit. What followed that is too fragmentary to be understood, but it seems that it referred to difficult times, speaking of 'forgotten rites', 'enemies' and 'malediction of Marduk'.

The previous versionis a very literal translation and much can be learned about these ancient people's thought patterns from these writings. IshtarLight has a version which converts some of the literally translated words above into a more easily understood form and, heck......it's just more poetic:

Lord without peer in thy wrath,
Lord, gracious king, lord of the lands,
Who made salvation for the great gods,
Lord, who throwest down the strong by his glance,
Lord of kings, light of men, who dost apportion destinies,
O Lord, Babylon is thy seat, Borsippa thy crown
The wide heavens are thy body....
Within thine arms thou takest the strong....
Within thy glance thou grantest them grace,
Makest them see light so that they proclaim thy power.
Lord of the lands, light of the Igigi, who pronouncest blessings;
Who would not proclaim thy, yea, thy power?
Would not speak of thy majesty, praise thy dominion?
Lord of the lands, who livest in Eudul, who takest the fallen by the hand;
Have pity upon thy city, Babylon
Turn thy face towards Esagila, thy temple
Give freedom to them that dwell in Babylon, thy wards!