Venice masks

Sunday 23 January 2022

An Address to the River of Creation - Anonymous

O thou River, who didst create all things, 
When the great gods dug thee out, 
They set prosperity upon thy banks, 
Within thee Ea, the King of the Deep, created his dwelling, 
The deluge they sent not before thou wert! 
Fire, and wrath, and splendour, and terror 
Have Ea and Marduk presented unto thee! 
Thou judgest the cause of mankind! 
O River, thou art might! 
O River, thou art supreme! 
O River, thou art righteous! 

Anonymous (1894–1595 BC*) Ancient Babylonia (modern Iraq)
Translated by Leonard William King
Source: The Seven Tablets of Creation, Leonard William King, Luzac and Co., 1902
* Note: The tablets from which this text is derived (The Enūma Eliš) date from about the 7th century BC, but the composition was much earlier, possibly dating from the First Babylonian dynasty (1894–1595 BC)

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