*
…Shiduri, the tavern keeper, sat,
at the edge of the Great Ocean,
her golden brewing-vat resting by her side.
*
Gilgamesh, whose heart was still full of anguish,
strode toward her…
*
‘This desperate man must be a murderer,’ thought Shiduri,
‘Why else would he be heading straight for me?’
She locked the lid of her brewing-vat and stood in front of it.
*
Gilgamesh heard the lock click and looked up.
There stood Shiduri staring at him, “Who are you,
and where are you going?” she said.
*
“I am the king of Wall-Girt Uruk,” said Gilgamesh, “I am
going to find Utnapishtim, so that I can ask him about the Herb of Immortality.”
*
“Why is there so much grief in your heart?” said Shiduri.
*
“My beloved friend, Enkidu, is turned to clay,” said Gilgamesh,
“Won’t I too, one day, lie down in the dirt like him
and never again rise?”
*
“There are none who can cross the Great Ocean
to Utnapishtim,” said Shiduri,
“Only Shamash, who traverses the sky, is brave enough!”
*
“But I am the man who slew the tree demon, Humbaba.
And it was I who tore the Bull of Heaven limb from limb.
There must be a way!” cried Gilgamesh, drawing his knife…
*
‘Gilgamesh is among the greatest things that can ever happen to a person.’
– Rainer Maria Rilke.
*
The Silent Eye’s Spring workshop for 2019
A Dramatic adaptation of the Epic of Gilgamesh…
Full details, cost and booking form are available by clicking HERE
