Maqlu

Tablet I

Incantation. I have called upon you, gods of night,
With you I have called upon night, the veiled bride,
I have called on twilight, midnight, and dawn,
Because a sorceress has bewitched me,
5. A cunning woman has accused me,
Caused my god and my goddess to be estranged from me;
I have become pathetic to those who see me,
I am unable to rest day or night,
And a gag continually filling my mouth,
10. Has kept food far from my mouth,
Has lessened the water passing through my throat;
My praise has become lament, my rejoicing mourning:
Stand by me great gods, give heed to my suit,
Judge my case, grant me a decision.
15. I have formed a figure of my sorcerer and my sorceress,
Of my enchanter and my enchantress;
Have laid them in the fire for you to bring me a judgement;
Because she did evil against me, false charges she conjured up against me:
May she die, but I live!
20. Her bewitchments, her magic, her spells must be undone!
The tamarisk, tall at the crown, purifies me!
The date-palm, which catches all the wind, frees me!
The maštakal-plant, which fills the Earth, cleanses me!
The pine-cone, which is full of seeds, frees me!
25. In front of you I became light, as light as grass;
I am clean and pure, like nard.
The spell of the sorceress is hateful;
Let her word come back in her mouth, let her tongue be tied!
Let the gods of the night overcome her spell!
30. Let the three night-watches dissolve her evil spell!
Let her mouth be tallow, let her tongue be salt,
Which spoke the baneful magic formula, let it disintegrate like tallow!
The magic she has done, let it dissolve like salt!
Her knots are undone, her machinations are destroyed,
35. All her words fill the steppe,
Upon this command that the gods of the night have given! Incantation formula.
Incantation. O Netherworld, Netherworld, yes Netherworld!
Gilgameš is the master of your curses!
What sorcery you have performed, I know it;
40. What sorcery I have performed, you do not know it.
What sorcery my sorceresses practiced is confused, and nobody can undo it, it has no
unbinder! Incantation formula.
Incantation. My city Zabban! My city Zabban!
My city Zabban has two gates:
One to its east, the second to its west.
45. One to its sunrise, one to its sunset.
I am lifting toward you the bloom of maštakal-plant;
To the gods of the sky I bring water.
As I do cleanse you,
So cleanse me! Incantation formula.
50. Incantation. I have barred the river-crossing, I have barred the harbour,
I held back the magic spells of all countries;
Anu and Antu have sent me.
Whom should I send to Belit-seri?
In the mouth of my warlock and my witch stuff a gag!
55. Through the incantation of the sage of the gods, Marduk!
They should call you, but do not answer them;
They should address you, but do not listen to them.
Should I call you, answer me;
Should I address you, listen to me,
60. To the order that Anu, Antu and Belet-seri have given! Incantation formula.
Incantation. I am sent, I go; I am ordered, I speak;
Against my warlock and witch Asarluhi, the master of the art of incantations, has sent me.
Be aware of what is in the sky! Take notice what is on the Earth!
Be aware of what is in the river! Take notice of the word of what is on the land!
65. Wind that is the carrier of the stick and hammer, strike it!
The image of the stick is broken, strike it!
Let them stand on the way of the daughter of the great gods,
Until I speak the word of my warlock and my witch.
The lamb will free! The sheep will free!
70. Their word may be loosed, but my word will not be loosed.
The word that I speak, their word cannot impede it!
Upon the order of Asarluhi, the master of the art of incantations! Incantation formula.
Incantation. O Nusku, these images of my sorcerer,
These images of my sorceress;
75. These images of my warlock and my witch,
These images of my enchanter and my enchantress,
These images of my stupefier and my stupefyress,
These images of my bewitcher and my bewitchress,
These images of my lord opponent and my lady opponent,
80. These images of my lord enemy and my lady enemy,
These images of my lord persecutor and my lady persecutor,
These images of my lord accuser and my lady accuser,
These images of my lord slanderer and my lady slanderer,
These images of my lord detractor and my lady detractor,
85. These images of my lord nemesis and my lady nemesis,
These images of my lord evil-doer and my lady evil-doer,
Judge Nusku, you know them, I do not know them,
Their trick, magic, spell, evil plotting,
Sorcery, pressure, evil word, love, hate,
90. Fact-twisting, murder, paralysis of the mouth,
Change of heart, glowing of face, folly,
Everything that exists, everything they have drawn to them,
These are they; these are their images,
Because they cannot stand for themselves, I lift them toward you.
95. You, Nusku, judge, who catches the bad and the enemies, catch them before I am destroyed!
Those that made my images, have imitated my shape,
They attack my face, they tied my neck,
They hit my breast, they bent my back,v They made my arms weak, they robbed my virility,
100. They made the heart of god angry with me, they weakened my strength,
They shook the strength away from my arms, they bound my knees with paralysis,
They filled me with fainting,
They let me eat cursed food,
They let me drink cursed water,
105. They washed me with dirty water,
They smeared me with the juice of bad weeds,
They mocked me like a dead person,
They put my life-essence in the grave,
They made god, king, master and prince angry with me;
110. You, O Girra who burns the warlock and witch,
Who kills the bad offspring of warlock and witch,
Who destroys the bad people; that is you!
I have called on you, like Šamaš the judge,
Right me, make my decision!
115. Burn the warlock and witch,
Eat my enemies, consume the ones who wish me evil!
May they catch your tempest!
May they find their end like sewer water!
May their fingers like those of stonemasons be cut off!
120. Upon your majestic command, which does not change,
And your promise, which does not waver! Incantation formula.
Incantation. Mighty Nusku, offspring of Anu,
True image of your father, first born of Enlil,
Offspring of the Apsu, product of the lord of Heaven and Earth,
125. I picked up the torch, I have illuminated you,
The warlock who has cursed me; now curse him with the spell that he used on me!
The witch who has cursed me; now curse her with the spell that she used on me!
The sorcerer who has used sorcery on me; now use sorcery on him with the spell that he used on me!
The sorceress who has used sorcery on me; now use sorcery on her with the spell that she used on me!
130. The enchantress who has enchanted me; now enchant her with the spell that she used on me!
Who made these images in my image; who reproduced my shape;
They took my saliva, they ripped my hair,
They cut off the hem of my robe, and took the earth from where my feet fell.
O Girra, the hero, undo their incantation! Incantation formula.
135. Incantation. I raise up the torch and burn the figures,
Of the Utukku, the Šedu, the Rabisu, the Etemmu,
The Lamaštu, the Labasu, the Ahhazu,
The Lilu, the Lilitu, the Ardat Lili,
And any evil that seizes humanity;
140. Dissolve, melt, drip ever away!
May your smoke rise ever skyward,
May the sun extinguish your embers!
May the son of Ea, the magus, extinguish your emanations! Incantation formula.
Incantation. Mighty Nusku, counsellor of the great gods!
145. Tablet I of Maqlu.