Babylonian and Assyrian Literature · Chapter 30Column IV
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The gods appear above to watch the fight, And Erech's masari rush in affright To Izdubar, who sits upon his throne, Before him fall in speechless terror prone. A louder roar now echoes from the skies, And Erech's Sar without the palace flies. He sees the monster light upon the plain, And calls Heabani with the choicest men Of Erech's spearsmen armed, who fall in line Without the gates, led by their Sar divine.
And now the monster rushed on Izdubar, Who meets it as the god of chase and war. With whirling sword before the monster's face, He rains his blows upon its front of brass And horns, and drives it from him o'er the plain, And now with spreading wings it comes again, With maddened fury; fierce its eyeballs glare. It rides upon the monarch's pointed spear; The scales the point have turned, and broke the haft. Then as a pouncing hawk when sailing daft, In swiftest flight o'er him drops from the skies, But from the gleaming sword it quickly flies. Three hundred warriors now nearer drew To the fierce monster, which toward them flew; Into their midst the monster furious rushed, And through their solid ranks resistless pushed To slay Heabani, onward fought and broke Two lines and through the third, which met the shock With ringing swords upon his horns and scales. At last the seer it reaches, him impales With its sharp horns: but valiant is the seer— He grasps its crest and fights without a fear. The monster from his sword now turns to fly; Heabani grasps its tail, and turns his eye Towards his king, while scudding o'er the plain. So quickly has it rushed and fled amain, That Izdubar its fury could not meet, But after it he sprang with nimble feet.
Heabani loosed his grasp and stumbling falls, And to his king approaching, thus he calls: "My friend, our strongest men are overthrown: But see! he comes! such strength was never known. With all my might I held him, but he fled! We both it can destroy! Strike at its head!" Like Rimmon now he flies upon the air, As sceptred Nebo,[1] he his horns doth bear, That flash with fire along the roaring skies, [2]Around the Sar and seer he furious flies. Heabani grasps the plunging horns, nor breaks His grasp; in vain the monster plunging shakes His head, and roaring, upward furious rears. Heabani's strength the mighty monster fears; He holds it in his iron grasp, and cries: "Quick! strike!" Beneath the blows the monster dies; And Izdubar now turned his furious face Toward the gods, and on the beast doth place His foot; he raised his gory sword on high, And sent his shout defiant to the sky: "'Tis thus, ye foes divine! the Sar proclaims His war against your power, and highest names! Hurl! hurl! your darts of fire, ye vile kal-bi![3] My challenge hear! ye cravens of the sky!"
[Footnote 1: "Nebo," the holder of the sceptre of power; also the god of prophecy.]
[Footnote 2: "Around" ("tarka"), or it may mean "between."]
[Footnote 3: "Kal-bi," dogs.]