“’They broke . . . of the surface of the earth like . . . ;—­[they destroyed] the living beings of the surface of the earth.—­The terrible [Deluge] on men swelled up to [heaven].The brother no longer saw his brother; men no longer knew each other.  In heaven—­the gods became afraid of the water-spout, and—­sought a refuge; they mounted up to the heaven of Anu.—­The gods were stretched out motionless, pressing one against another like dogs.—­Ishtar wailed like a child, the great goddess pronounced her discourse:—­“Here is humanity returned into mud, and—­this is the misfortune that I have announced in the presence of the gods.—­So I announced the misfortune in the presence of the gods,—­for the evil I announced the terrible [chastisement] of men who are mine.—­I am the mother who gave birth to men, and—­like to the race of fishes, there they are filling the sea;—­and the gods, by reason of that—­which the archangels of the abyss are doing, weep with me.”—­The gods on their seats were seated in tears,—­and they held their lips closed, [revolving] future things.

“’Six days and as many nights passed; the wind, the water-spout, and the diluvian rain were in all their strength.  At the approach of the seventh day the diluvian rain grew weaker, the terrible water-spout-which had assailed after the fashion of an earthquake—­grew calm, the sea inclined to dry up, and the wind and the water-spout came to an end.  I looked at the sea, attentively observing—­and the whole of humanity had returned to mud; like unto sea-weeds the corpses floated.  I opened the window, and the light smote on my face.  I was seized with sadness; I sat down and I wept;-and my tears came over my face.

“’I looked at the regions bounding the sea:  toward the twelve points of the horizon; not any continent.—­The vessel was borne above the land of Nizir,—­the mountain of Nizir arrested the vessel, and did not permit it to pass over.—­A day and a second day the mountain of Nizir arrested the vessel, and did not permit it to pass over;—­the third and fourth day the mountain of Nizir arrested the vessel, and did not permit it to pass over;—­the fifth and sixth day the mountain of Nizir arrested the vessel, and did not permit it to pass over.  At the approach of the seventh day, I sent out and loosed a dove.  The dove went, turned, and—­found no place to light on, and it came back.  I sent out and loosed a swallow; the swallow went, turned, and—­found no place to light on, and it came back.  I sent out and loosed a raven; the raven went and saw the corpses on the waters; it ate, rested, turned, and came not back.

“’I then sent out (what was in the vessel) toward the four winds, and I offered a sacrifice.  I raised the pile of my burnt-offering on the peak of the mountain; seven by seven I disposed the measured vases,—­and beneath I spread rushes, cedar, and juniper-wood.  The gods were seized with the desire of it—­the gods were seized with a benevolent desire of it;—­and the gods assembled