“ Hear me, great ones of Uruk,

I weep for Enkidu, my friend,

Bitterly moaning like a woman mourning.

O Enkidu my brother,

You were the axe at my side,

My hand’s strength, the sword in my belt,

The shield before me.

A glorious robe, my fairest ornament.

An evil Fate has robbed me.

O Enkidu, my friend,

We have climbed up the mountain together.

Together we have endured trials,

Taken hold of and slain the bull of Heaven,

Have caused Humbaba, the powerful guard of the cedar wood, to fall.

What is this sleep which holds you now?”

Gilgamesh laid a veil, as one veils the bride, over his friend. He began to rage like a lion, like a lioness, robbed of her whelps. This way and that, he paced round the bed, he tore out his hair and stewed it around. Gilgamesh, weeping bitterly, travelled a long journey in search of Uta-napishtim, the only survivor of the Flood. He went in search of him, hoping that Uta-napishtim would give him the secret of ever lasting life.

“The Secret Of Death And Life”