hy chariot on the plain.
Vast spoils, thy beasts of burden far shall bear,
Unrivaled then shall be my king of war;
And victory o'er all, thine eyes shall view,
And loud acclaims shall rend the bright Samu."

[Footnote 1: "Kip-rat arba," the four races or regions.]

[Footnote 2: "Bar-ili," from "bar," gate, and "ili," of the gods--Babel,
Bab--originates from the Accadian word "bar," Semitic "bab;" thus Babel
was originally called "bar-ili." See Taylor and Furst. The latter renders
it "Bar-(Bir-)Bel," "town of Belus."]

[Footnote 3: "Izzu-bar-ili" we believe to be the original name of Izdubar,
afterward shortened to Izdubar, and means literally the fire-king of
"bar-ili," or the "fire-king of the gate of the gods." This identifies him
with Nimrod, the founder of Bar-bet or Babylon.]

[Footnote 4: Ka-ding-ir-a (Acc.), "gate of God"--Pinches.]

[Footnote 5: "Ner-kalli," or "Ner-ekalli," chief of the palace.]

[Footnote 6: "I-gi-gi," pronounced "e-gee-gee," spirits of heaven.]

[Footnote 7: "Zi-mu-ri," spirits of the light.]

COLUMN II

THE KING'S ANSWER AND ISHTAR'S RAGE

Amazed the sovereign sat upon his throne;
And while she wooed, his heart was turned to stone;
In scorn replied:

"Rise Ishtar, Heaven's high queen,
Though all thy wealth, possessions I had seen
Now piled before me, all in gems and gold,
Of all the wealth of Heaven there heaped of old,
I nakedness and famine would prefer
To all the wealth divine thou canst confer.
What carest thou for earthly royalty?
The cup of poison shall thy lovers see.
Thou sawest me within a haunt away
From men. I lingered on that direful day,
And took thee for a beauteous _zi-re-mu_[1]
Or _zi-ar-i-a_ or a _zi-lit-tu_[2]
And thou didst cause to enter love divine.
As _zi-cur-un-i,_ spirit of the wine,
Thou didst deceive me with thine arts refined,
And love escaped upon the passing wind.
Then to my palace come, and me there seek;
Didst place thy mouth upon my lips, and wake
Within my breast a dream of love and fire,
Till I awoke and checked thy wild desire;
Thou camest with the form of spirits fair,
Didst hover o'er me in my chamber there.
Thy godly fragrance from the skies above,
A sign did carry of the Queen of Love:
I woke, and thou didst vanish, then didst stand
As mine own servant in my palace grand.
Then as a skulking foe, a mystic spell
Didst weave, and scorch me with the fires of hell
While I was wrapped in sleep. Again I woke,
I saw a