Gilgamesh: A Verse NarrativeNational Book Award Finalist: The most widely read and enduring interpretation of this ancient Babylonian epic. One of the oldest and most universal stories known in literature, the epic of Gilgamesh presents the grand, timeless themes of love and death, loss and reparations, within the stirring tale of a hero-king and his doomed friend. A National Book Award finalist, Herbert Mason’s retelling is at once a triumph of scholarship, a masterpiece of style, and a labor of love that grew out of the poet’s long affinity with the original. “Mr. Mason’s version is the one I would recommend to the first-time reader.” —Victor Howes, The Christian Science Monitor “Like the Tolkien cycle, this poem will be read with profit and joy for generations to come.” —William Alfred, Harvard University |
Contents
Names and Places Appearing in the Narrative | |
About the Gilgamesh | |
An Autobiographical Postscript | |
An Afterword by John H Marks | |
Afterword to the Mariner Edition | |
Back Matter | |
Back Cover | |
Spine | |
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Common terms and phrases
afraid Albert Lord ancient Near East Ancient Near Eastern animals Babylonian Biblical Bull of Heaven called cedar Chicago creatures cried darkness dead dream E. A. Speiser's Enlil Epic of Gilgamesh eyes face fear felt flood forest gamesh gate Gilga Gilgamesh and Enkidu Gilgamesh Epic Gilgamesh looked Gilgamesh sat Gilgamesh story goddess gods grief hand heard HERBERT MASON human Hurrian Ishtar journey killed Humbaba King List knew known Kramer learned listened lived loneliness loss lost Louis Massignon Mesopotamia mountain never night Nineveh Ninsun ofGilgamesh old story pain power of myth prostitute retelling return to Uruk revolt against death scholars Scorpion sea of death seemed Shamash shore Siduri sleep solitude sound spirit spoke Steppe stood Sumerian tablets Tell texts things third millennium thou thought touch translation trees tried understand Urshanabi Utnapishtim VERSE NARRATIVE voice wife wisdom wound yearn