The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1903-03-05
ANCIENT FOLK SONGS.
BABYLONIAN FOLK SONGS ARE
TRANSLATED FROM TABLETS
cient People-Quaint Beliefs
and Strange Customs.

and ballads current among the people,
says writer in the London Globe
From these folksongs we gain many
valuable glimpses OF the innermost life
Of the people, of quaint beliefs aud
strange customs. The popular songs
are especially valuable for the study OF
the Latin literature, for they form the
older substratum upon which the ma
tional epics were based. How valuable
would be some fragments of the pre-
Homeric ballads if perchance they
should be recovered! Such are as yet
undiscovered; but the British museum
has just acquired some clay tablets,
broken and worn, which contain what
must be undoubtedly regarded as por-
tons of the Oldest poems in the world.
The great literary age Chaldea was dur
ing the period Of the Arabian dynasty,
in the latter part Of the third millen-
the most wonderful ages the monu-
ments have restored to us, especially
during the reign of Khammurabi, the
great founder of the Babylonian empire.
This mighty monarch, almost unknown
to us few years ago, now stands out
as almost the greatest Oriental mon
ton in Paris an inscription of more
than 1000 lines which contains the code
of laws which he drew up for his peo-
pie, relating to almost every possible
affair in life. Money lending, employ
ment Of labor, theft, crimes of various
classes, prevention of and compensa-
ton for fire, are all dealt with in this
oldest known code of laws; which be-
% Ivy 10 NV 30 lox
but Of the whole of the nations Of Wes~
tern Asia, at least 1000 years before
the Christian era.
Not only was it an age when the
foundations of empire were laid, but
1t was also great literary epoch. These
Arab rulers of Babylon exhibited the
same fondness for literature that their
successors many long centuries after,
the Khalifs of Gagdad, displayed in the
days Of the Arabian Nights" The
various local legends of the old schools
of Ur. Erech, Eridu, were collected to-
gether and woven ir.:o cycles or epic
poems, such as the f'Story of Gilgames
or Nimrod," or the Creation Epic"
Valuable as those classical compost
tions are, still greater Importance at
taches itself to any fragments of older
Museum has acquired, and of which Mr.
King has published the facsimiles, are
probably some two centuries older than
the age of Khammurabi, dating there
fore about B. &. 2400; but the songs
which they contain are probably to be
assigned to a much more remote age.
The writing of the tablets is very arch
aic, corresponding TO the style Of the
revenue tablets exhibited in the Baby
lonian room at the British Museum.
The first poem originally consisted or
eight columns, but only considerable
portions of the first and last are pre-
served. Fortunately we have the open
ing lines
I will sing the song Of the Lady of the
Gods!
Attend, o leader, give ear, o warrior,
The song Of the goddess Mama is better
than honey or wine,
1t is better than honey or wine,
1t is sweeter than fresh gathered fruits,
1t is brighter than pure cream.
1t is sweeter than fresh gathered fruits.
Here we have fragment that recalls
at once some of the simpler fragments
Of Hebrew poetry, "Sweeter than honey
and the honeycomb' Psalms xix, 10),
or the Song of Solomon Gil, g, His
fruit was sweet to my TASTE" while the
praise of wine, which maketh glad the
heart of God and man." was sung thus,
as centuries after it called forth the
praises of Omar Khaiamaud Hafix
This little fragment is redolent of
the pleasant life of Chaldea, 'the land
of milk and honey, or corn and wine
and OIL" as it is called by it's poets. 1t
Is unfortunate that SO much of this
poem is lost, and only the conclusion
remains. This portion relates, or ap-
pears to relate, to the terrible food
from the Tigris which each year de-
strOyed the land; which established de-
struction and misery, and each year
poured out an inundation. This ap-
pears to have been caused by the anger
of the god Lili-but the Goddess Istar
intercedeS, a dam is built across the
Tigris with copper bolts, which saves
the threatened city. The second poem
also deals with the same theme, and the
conclusion is fairly connected. 1t reads:
He drew near to his father by a
glorious name he proclaimed him.
The life of all men is from thee.
My command upon the circle of the deep I
pour out:
All the habtations within thee are af-
flicted
In a moment the lord of thy shrine will
be overthrown.
Afflication to thy house appoint:
My command will establish it's word,
For I have filled thee with death.
This rendering is only tentative. as some
Of the words are obscure. The conclusion
is very fine
Thou wilt hear his prayer;
With Fertility thou wilt endow his land;
Each year thou wilt decide his destiny;
His land shall kiss his feet.
These curious fragments have crude
style, especially in the frequent repeti-
tions, so common IN Arab poetry, which
marks their antiquity.
Another poetic fragment describes
the birth of the god Isum, where we
are told the goddess Ninau gave birth
to Isam-and in the gutter she left
him. This seems an episoue of little
Importance, but when we recognize the
fact that "Isum" the burner was the
''fever god" it seems that the Chaldeans
had learned the fact that it was from
the cutters and drains that fevers came
Isum was the god of infectious dis
eases and lis called the street traverser;
and he was the faithful servant and
companion or the plague god Dibbara.
No doubt tails third mutilated fragment