ters bids farewell
to the light--the place where dust is nourishment and clay is food; the
light is not seen, darkness is the dwelling, where the garments are the
wings of birds--where dust accumulates on door and bolt." Ishtar
arrives at the porch, she knocks at it, she addresses the guardian in an
imperious voice: "'Guardian of the waters, open thy gate--open thy
gate that I may enter, even I.--If thou openest not the door that I may
enter, even I,--I will burst open the door, I will break the bars, I
will break the threshold, I will burst in the panels, I will excite the
dead that they may eat the living,--and the dead shall be more numerous
than the living.'--The guardian opened his mouth and spake, he announced
to the mighty Ishtar: 'Stop, O lady, and do not overturn the door until
I go and apprise the Queen Allat of thy name.' Allat hesitates, and then
gives him permission to receive the goddess: 'Go, guardian, open the
gate to her--but treat her according to the ancient laws. Mortals
enter naked into the world, and naked must they leave it: and since
Ishtar has decided to accept their lot, she too must be prepared to
divest herself of her garments.'" The guardian went, he opened his mouth:
'Enter, my lady, and may Kutha rejoice--may the palace and the land
without return exult in thy presence! 'He causes her to pass through the
first gate, divests her, removes the great crown from her head:--'Why,
guardian, dost thou remove the great crown from my head?'--'Enter, my
lady, such is the law of Allat.' The second gate, he causes her to pass
through it, he divests her--removes the rings from her ears:--'Why,
guardian, dost thou remove the rings from my ears?'--'Enter, my lady,
such is the law of Allat.'" And from gate to gate he removes some
ornament from the distressed lady--now her necklace with its attached
amulets, now the tunic which covers her bosom, now her enamelled girdle,
her bracelets, and the rings on her ankles: and at length, at the
seventh gate, takes from her her last covering. When she at length
arrives in the presence of Allat, she throws herself upon her in order
to wrest from her in a terrible struggle the life of Dumuzi; but Allat
sends for Namtar, her messenger of misfortune, to punish, the rebellious
Ishtar. "Strike her eyes with the affliction of the eyes--strike
her loins with the affliction of the loins--strike her feet with the
affliction of the feet--strike her heart with the affliction of th