Sacred Heart #11

The destiny was fulfilled which the father of the gods, |
Enlil of the mountain, had decreed for Gilgamesh: …

You were given the kingship, such was your destiny,
everlasting life was not your destiny.
Because of this do not be sad at heart, do not be grieved or oppressed;

he has given you power to bind and to loose,
to be the darkness and the light of mankind.
He has given unexample supremacy over the people,
victory in battle from which no fugitive returns,
in forays and assaults from which there is no going back.
But do not abuse this power,
deal justly with your servants in the palace,
deal justly before the face of the Sun.’

The king has laid himself down and will not rise again,
The Lord of Kullab will not rise again;
He overcame evil, he will not come again;
Though he was strong of arm he will not rise again;
He had wisdom and a comely face, he will not come again;
He is gone into the mountain, he will not come again;
On the bed of fate he lies, he will not rise again,
From the couch of many color he will not come again.…

Gilgamesh, the son of Ninsun, lies in the tomb. …
O Gilgamesh, lord of Kullab, great is thy praise.

Gilgamesh was a mythic hero of ancient Mesopotamia who was an adventurous but tragic figure and symbolized man’s drive for fame, glory and immortality. He is the protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest epic poem of world literature written around 2000 BC and predating Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey by 1500 years.   If you haven’t read Gilgamesh as yet, I encourage you to do so.

I decided to include this passage from Gilgamesh not so much because it is a spiritual poem but because the story of Gilgamesh explores one of mankind’s most important questions – why do we have to die. If the gods are immortal, why aren’t we? Is there a way to achieve immortality? Gilgamesh’s desire, suffering, courage and finally, maturity, is as relevant today as it was four thousand years ago. 

this passage closes out the epic poem and summarizes the outcome of his journey. Gilgamesh was given many gifts by the gods and encouraged to live his life to the fullest but to accept his lot as a mortal creature. Immortality is for gods not man. His accomplishments are counterbalanced by the finality of death and underscored by the repetitions, “he will not come again, he will not rise again.” No matter his greatness, Gilgamesh is no more. But… he will be remembered and praised – the most any man may taste of immortality.