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Chapter 1  
     
1.
 When the gods instead of man
  
2.
 Did the work, bore the loads,
  
3.
 The gods' load was too great,
  
4.
 The work too hard, the punishment too much,
  
5.
 The great Anunnaki made the Igigi (“evil minded ones ”)
  
6.
 Carry the workload sevenfold.
  
7.
 Anu their father was king,
  
8.
 Their counselor warrior Ellil,
  
9.
 Their Chamberlain was Ninurta,
  
10.
 Their canal-controller Ennugi.
  
11.
 They took the box of lots
  
12.
 Cast the lots; the gods made the division.
  
13.
 Anu went up to the sky,
  
14.
 And Ellil took the earth for his people.
  
15.
 The bolt which bars the sea
  
16.
 Was assigned to far-sighted Enki.
  
17.
 When Anu had gone up to the sky,
  
18.
 And the gods of the Apsu had gone below,
  
19.
 The Annunaki of the sky
  
20.
 Made the Igigi ("evil minded ones " ) bear the workload.
  
21.
 The gods had to dig out canals,
  
22.
 Had to clear channels, the lifelines of the land.
  
23.
 The gods dug out the Tigris river
  
24.
 And then dug out the Euphrates.
  
25.
 ...in the deep  
26.
 they set up
  
27.
 ...the Apsu  
28.
 ...of the land  
29.
 ...inside it  
30.
 ...raised its top  
31.
 ...of all the mountains  
32.
 They were counting the years of loads
  
33.
 ...the great marsh,  
34.
 They were counting the years of loads.
  
35.
 For 3,600 years they bore the excess,
  
36.
 Hard work, night and day.
  
37.
 They groaned and blamed each other,  
38.
 Grumbled over the masses of excavated soil:
 
39.
 Let us confront our Warden
 
40.
 And get him to relieve us of our hard work!
  
41.
 Come, let us carry the Lord  
42.
 The guard of the [prisoner] gods, the warrior from his dwelling.
  

 
 
 

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