The Epic of Gilgamesh
Herbert Mason
Top 10 Best Quotes
“Gilgamesh was called a god and a man; Enkidu was an animal and a man. It is the story of their becoming human together.”
“He looked at the walls, Awed at the heights His people had achieved And for a moment -- just a moment -- All that lay behind him Passed from view.”
“You have known, O Gilgamesh, What interests me, To drink from the Well of Immortality. Which means to make the dead Rise from their graves And the prisoners from their cells The sinners from their sins. I think love's kiss kills our heart of flesh. It is the only way to eternal life, Which should be unbearable if lived Among the dying flowers And the shrieking farewells Of the overstretched arms of our spoiled hopes.”
“Everything had life to me,’ he heard Enkidu murmur, ‘the sky, the storm, the earth, water, wandering, the moon and its three children, salt, even my hand had life. It’s gone. It’s gone.”
“Friendship is vowing toward immortality and does not know the passing away of beauty (Though take care!) because it aims for the spirit. Many years ago through loss I learned that love is wrung from our inmost heart until only the loved one is and we are not.”
“Don't moralize at me! I have no love For images, old gods, prophetic words. I want to talk to Utnapishtim! Tell me how.”
“Even the gods Cowered like dogs at what they had done.”
“You are a human being now, not like them [the animals].”
“[Humbaba’s] sound is like a flood’s sound Slowly forming in the distance, Then enveloping all other sounds”
“They fell like wolves At each other’s throats, Like bulls bellowing, And horses gasping for breath That have run all day.”
Except where otherwise noted, all rights reserved to the author(s) of this book (mentioned above). The content of this page serves solely as promotional material for the aforementioned book. If you enjoyed these quotes, you can support the author(s) by acquiring the full book from Amazon.
Book Keywords:
humanity, gilgamesh, verse, loved-ones, enkidu, friendship, loss-of-love, unity-in-love, life-and-death, pain, loss-of-hope, warm-bodies, animal-and-man, dying, becoming-human