Stars which were like them, constellations he set,
     The year he established, marked off its parts,
     Divided twelve months by three stars,
     From the day that begins the year to the day that ends it
     He established the station Nibir to mark its limits. 
     That no harm come, no one go astray,
     The stations of Bel and Ea be set by its side. 
     Great doors he made on this side and that,
     Closed them fast on left and right.

* * * * *

     The moon-god he summoned, to him committed the night.

[Here the account breaks off; there probably followed the history of the creation of the earth and of man.]

     III.  FRAGMENTS OF A DESCENT TO THE UNDERWORLD

     To the underworld I turn,
     I spread my wings like a bird,
     I descend to the house of darkness, to the dwelling of Irkalla,
     To the house from which there is no exit,
     The road on which there is no return,
     To the house whose dwellers long for light,
     Dust is their nourishment and mud their food,
     Whose chiefs are like feathered birds,
     Where light is never seen, in darkness they dwell. 
     In the house which I will enter
     There is treasured up for me a crown,
     With the crowned ones who of old ruled the earth,
     To whom Anu and Bel have given terrible names,
     Carrion is their food, their drink stagnant water. 
     There dwell the chiefs and unconquered ones,
     There dwell the bards and the mighty men,
     Monsters of the deep of the great gods. 
     It is the dwelling of Etana, the dwelling of Ner,
     Of Ninkigal, the queen of the underworld.... 
     Her I will approach and she will see me.

     ISHTAR’S DESCENT TO THE UNDERWORLD

[After a description substantially identical with the first half of the preceding poem, the story goes on:—­]

     To the gate of the underworld Ishtar came,
     To the keeper of the gate her command she addressed:—­
     Keeper of the waters, open thy gate,
     Open thy gate that I may enter. 
     If thou open not the gate and let me in,
     I will strike the door, the posts I will shatter,
     I will strike the hinges, burst open the doors,
     I will raise up the dead devourers of the living,
     Over the living the dead shall triumph. 
     The keeper opened his mouth and spake,
     To the Princess Ishtar he cried:—­
     Stay, lady, do not thus,
     Let me go and repeat thy words to Queen Ninkigal.

[He goes and gets the terrible queen’s permission for Ishtar to enter on certain conditions.]