he battle; thou didst devote him
to death by the goad and whip: thou didst compel him to galop for ten
leagues, thou didst devote him to exhaustion and thirst, thou didst
devote to tears his mother Silili.

* Ishtar's declaration to Gilgames and the hero's reply have
been frequently translated and summarized since the
discovery of the poem. Smith thought to connect this episode
with the "Descent of Ishtar to Hades," which we shall meet
with further on in this History, but his opinion is no
longer accepted. The "Descent of Ishtar" in its present
condition is the beginning of a magical formula: it has
nothing to do with the acts of Gilgames.

** Tammuz-Adonis is the only one known to us among this long
list of the lovers of the goddess. The others must have been
fairly celebrated among the Chaldaeans, since the few words
devoted to each is sufficient to recall them to the memory
of the reader, but we have not as yet found anything
bearing upon their adventures in the table of the ancient
Chaldaeo-Assyrian classics, which had been copied out by a
Ninevite scribe for the use of Assur-bani-pal, the title of
the poems is wanting.

*** The text gives _kappi_, and the legend evidently refers
to a bird whose cry resembles the word meaning "my
wings." The spotted sparrow-hawk utters a cry which may be
strictly understood and interpreted in this way.

**** This is evidently the origin of our fable of the
"Amorous Lion."

Thou didst also love the shepherd Tabulu, who lavished incessantly upon
thee the smoke of sacrifices, and daily slaughtered goats to thee; thou
didst strike him and turn him into a leopard; his own servants went in
pursuit of him, and his dogs followed his trail.* Thou didst love
Ishullanu, thy father's gardener, who ceaselessly brought thee presents
of fruit, and decorated every day thy table. Thou raisedst thine eyes to
him, thou seizedst him: 'My Ishullanu, we shall eat melons, then shalt
thou stretch forth thy hand and remove that which separates us.'
Ishullanu said to thee: 'I, what dost thou require from me? O my mother,
prepare no food for me, I myself will not eat: anything I should eat
would be for me a misfortune and a curse, and my body would be stricken
by a mortal coldness.' Then thou didst hear him and didst become angry,
thou didst strike him, thou didst transform him into a dwar