, 1881-11-13
THE DELUGE.

THE AssYR1AN ACCOUNT AS TRANSLATED
From ANCIENT HlEHuGLIrII1cs,
baltimore Sun
Il is difficult III the space at my command
to give detailed account Of the successful
efforts of such enthusiastic scholars as CHAM
pollion. Grotefend, Rouge, Saycc. Brugsc'l,
and others to extend our knowledge OF the
language and history of Eastern nations
,nen of supreme Caucasian mind, who, while
bowling ut the slrilleS Of knowledge in an
cient Greece, and holding i'll reverence the
immortal names of Homer, lIerotlotus, and
Ncnophof, yet crossed the llellcspont into
Asia, to the cradle of the human race OIL the
banks OF the Eupllrates, and from thence to
the Nile, thus opening, by their inyestisa-
tions of the heroglyphs and the cuneiform
character, a bDok Of knowledge which had
been unread fer 1000 years.
Tile visitor to the British Museum in Lon
don, after passing through the Egyptian
Court. aud before he enters the hall where
the EIgin marbles are preserved, will find
himself i'll the Assyrian department, aud
among the bas-rcliefs, representing sieEes
and batt1e-scenes, will find twelve stone tab
lets carved III the cuneif0rm or narrow
headed writing Of Assyria. The tablets are
somewhat broken and lefaced, but through
tie unwearied labor Of Oriental scholars
they have been correctly translated. These
twelve tablets were found in Nineveh, and
adorned the interior Of the palace Of King
Assllrbanipa, who reigned CO Il. Z. They
record the adventures Of King lsdubar, who
reigncd in Assyria shortly after the flood.
The greatest interest centres i'll the eleventh
tablet, since it gives All account of the Heluge,
in some respects similar to that given i'll the
Book of Genesis, and also states that this ac
count was copied from similar but more
ancient tablet, which was kept in Il city OF
Assyria called Erech, probably the 1iiost all
cicnt city i'll the world, and from these facts
we are compelled 10 look tlpn. these tablets
as among tile MnSt ancient records now pre-
served, having been written 20o years beture
the birth Of Moses.
The eleventh tablet states that King lZdu-
bar meets sai!Ur naIltd Urbamsi, AMI they
sail III ship down the River Euplllates in
search vi Sisit tthe Noah of the :As>yrians).
Of whom they have heard. :" SIsi; has escalwd
the flood, anil has btcn declared immortal W
the gods" They meet Sislt, but are separat-
ed by stream. AT the re0nest uf 1GstuGar
Sisit gives him All account Of the flood, which
and which may regard as 4 rich cOlltriUu-
tim tn the literature of tile present day. The
translation below is verbatim translation uf
the conversation between 1zdubar and Slsit,
ark or ship, gives an account ~ the toud,
lasting six days. after which tlls. ark rested
upon i mountain. lie first sent out a dove,
which returned: then swallow, aNNi finally
4 raven, which did not RETURN He then
leaves the ark, and builds all altar to the gulS.
TRANSLATION
Izdubar after this manner said to Sisit afar
off:
"Sist, the account do thou tell to me, to
the midst to make war [ come uD after thee.
''Say how thou hast done it, aud III the
circle Of gods life thou hast gained"
Sisit after this manner said 10 lzdubar:
II will reveal TO thee 1zuubar, the con-
cealetl story, and the wisdom Of the gods 1
will relate to thee.
''The City Surippal, the city which thou
hast established, was ancient, anu the gods
within it. Ann, Bel, Ninip, Lord OF Il;.le$,
their will revealed in the midst, and spoke to
me thus:
'Surlppakite, son of Ubaratutu,' make
thou 4 great ship for thyseif.
will destroy the sinners and life.
cause to 90 in the seed Of life all Of it,
to preserve them.
T.. THE ship which thou shalt make, -
cubits shall be the measure OF its length, and
- cubiis the amount Of its breadth aud its
hight Into the deep launch it,
.'1nto the restless deep launched it.
-. Ills planks the wafer within it admitted.
saw breaks and holes.