and her woes,
      In vain to our Ishtar with prayers we entreat.

    To Ishtar bowed down doth our Bel thus reply,
      "Come, Ishtar, my queenly one, hide all thy tears,
    Our hero, Tar-u-man-i izzu Sar-ri,[25]
      In Kipur is fortified with his strong spears.
    The hope of Kardunia,[26] land of my delight,
      Shall come to thy rescue, upheld by my hands,
    Deliverer of peoples, whose heart is aright,
      Protector of temples, shall lead his brave bands."

    Awake then, brave Accad, to welcome the day!
      Behold thy bright banners yet flaming on high,
    Triumphant are streaming on land and the sea!
      Arise, then, O Accad! behold the Sami![27]
    Arranged in their glory the mighty gods come
      In purple and gold the grand Tam-u[8] doth shine
    Over Erech, mine Erech, my beautiful home,
      Above thy dear ashes, behold thy god's sign!

[Footnote 1: "O Moon-god, hear my cry!" ("Siu lici unnini!") the name of the author of the Izdubar epic upon which our poem is based.]

[Footnote 2: "Khar-sak-kur-ra," the Deluge mountain on which the ark of
Khasisadra (the Accadian Noah) rested.]

[Footnote 3: "Khar-sak-kal-ama" is a city mentioned in the Izdubar epic, and was probably situated at the base of Khar-sak-kur-ra, now called Mount Elwend. The same mountain is sometimes called the "Mountain of the World" in the inscriptions, where the gods were supposed to sometimes reside.]

[Footnote 4: "Pit-u-dal-ti," openers of the gates.]

[Footnote 5: "Masari," guards of the great gates of the city, etc.]

[Footnote 6: "Ellat-gula," the queen of Erech, the capital of Babylonia.]

[Footnote 7: "Tur-tan-u" was the army officer or general who in the absence of the sovereign took the supreme command of the army, and held the highest rank next to the queen or king.]

[Footnote 8: "Dannat" (the "Powerful Lady") was a title applied to the Queen, the mother of Izdubar (Sayce's ed. Smith's "Chal. Acc. of Gen.," p. 184). We have here identified her with Ellat-gula, the Queen of Babylon, who preceded Ham-murabi or Nammurabi, whom the inscriptions indicate was an Accadian. The latter we have identified with Nimrod, following the suggestion of Mr. George Smith.]

[Footnote 9: "Khumbaba" was the giant Elamitic king whom Izdubar overthrew. We identify him with the King of the Elamites who, allied with Rimsin or Rimagu, was overthrown by Nammurabi or Izdubar.]

[Footnote 10: "Rim-siu," above referred to, who overthrew Uruk, or Karrak, or Erech. He was King of Larsa, immediately south of Erech.]

[Footnote 11: "Nap-pa-khu," war-trumpet.]

[Footnote 12: "Bar-ru," army officer.]

[Footnote 13: "Samas," the sun-god.]

[Footnote 14: "Subartu" is derived from the Accadian "subar" ("high"), applied by the Accadians to the highlands of Aram or Syria. It is probable that all these countries, viz., Subartu, Goim, Lullubu, Kharsak-kalama, Eridu, and Duran, were at one time inhabited by the Accadians, until driven out by the Semites.]

[Footnote 15: "Sutu" is supposed to refer to the Arabians.]

[Footnote 16: "Kassi," the Kassites or Elamites. The Kassi inhabited the northern part of Elam.]

[Footnote 17: "Goim," or "Gutium," supposed by Sir Henry Rawlinson to be the Goyim of Gen. xiv, ruled by Tidal or Turgal ("the Great Son").]

[Footnote 18: "Lul-lu-bu," a country northward of Mesopotamia and Nizir.]

[Footnote 19: "Kharsak-kala-ma," the city supposed to lie at the base of Kharsak-kurra, or Mount Nizir, or Mount Elwend. The same city was afterward called Echatana.]

[Footnote 20: "Eridu," the land of Ur, or Erech.]

[Footnote 21: "Duran," Babylonia.]

[Footnote 22: "Masari," guards of the palace, etc.]

[Footnote 23: See Sayce's translation in the "Chal. Acc. of Gen.," by
Smith, p. 193.]

[Footnote 24: "Sedu," spirits of prosperity.]

[Footnote 25: "Tar-u-mani izzu Sarri," son of the faith, the fire of kings, or fire-king.]

[Footnote 26: "Kardunia," the ancient name of Babylon.]

[Footnote 27: "Sami," heavens (plural).]

[Footnote 28: "Tamu," dawn or sunrise, day.]

COLUMN III

THE RESCUE OF ERECH BY IZDUBAR

Heabani, weary, eyes his native land,
And on his harp now lays his trembling hand;
The song has ended in a joyous lay,
And yet, alas! his hands but sadly play:
Unused to hope, the strings refuse their aid
To tune in sympathy, and heartless played.
Again the minstrel bows his head in woe,
And the hot tear-drops from his eyelids flow,
And chanting now a mournful melody,
O'er Erech's fall, thus sang an elegy:

[1] "How long, O Ishtar, will thy face be turned,
      While Erech desolate doth cry to thee?
    Thy towers magnificent, oh, hast thou spurned?
      Her blood like water in Ul-bar,[2] oh, see!
    The seat of thine own oracle behold!
      The fire hath ravaged all thy cities grand,
    And like the showers of Heaven them all doth fold.
      O Ishtar! broken-hearted do I stand!
    Oh, crush our enemies as yonder reed!
      For hopeless, lifeless, kneels thy bard to thee,
    And, oh! I would exalt thee in my need,
      From thy resentment, anger, oh, us free!"

With eyes bedimmed with tears, he careful scans
The plain, "Perhaps the dust of caravans
It is! But no!! I see long lines of spears!
A warrior from the lifting cloud appears,
And chariots arrayed upon the plain!
And is the glorious omen not in vain?
What! no?" He rubs his eyes in wild surprise,
And drinks the vision while he loudly cries:
"Oh, joy! our standards flashing from afar!
He comes! he comes! our hero Izdubar!"
He grasps his harp inspired, again to wake
In song—the cry of battle now doth break.

   "Nin-a-rad,[3] servant of our great Nin,[4]
      Shall lead our hosts to victory!
    God of the chase and war, o'er him, oh, shine!
      Tar-u-ma-ni iz-zu sar-ri![5]

   "Let Elam fall! the cause of Accad's woes,
      Revenge of Erech, be the cry!
    This land our father's blessed, our king they chose,
      Tar-u-ma-ni iz-zu sar-ri!
    Our holy fathers sleep upon this plain,
      We conquer, or we here will die;
    For victory, then raise the cry, ye men!
      Tar-u-ma-ni iz-zu sar-ri!"

The minstrel ceases, lifts his hands on high,
And still we hear his joyful waning cry:
Now echoed by yon hosts along the sky,
"He comes! Tar-u-ma-ni iz-zu sar-ri!
Great Accad's hosts arrayed with spears and shields
Are coming! see them flashing o'er the fields!
And he! bright flashing as the god's attire,
Doth lead in burnished gold, our king of fire.
His armor shines through yonder wood and fen,
That tremble 'neath the tread of armèd men.
See! from his jewelled breastplate, helmet, fly
The rays like Samas from the cloudless sky!
How martially he rides his sable steed,
That proudly treads and lifts his