I picked up a slim volume from the poetry shelves in Bertrand bookstore in Faro last week. I read books in my tablet but not poetry, which I must hold in my hand. This book is the epic poem Gilgamesh. On the cover, an irregular shape painting, fragment or object, coloured as in watercolour shows the rudimentary profile of a man and a shield, or map. See for yourself: The guy has a very low hairline and a curly beard, but appears to boast a great six pack: presumably this is the eponymous hero. I bought the book immediately, how could I resist on such a day, such a stroke of luck? I had vaguely heard of Gilgamesh before, but no details sprang to mind, if I ever knew them. Apparently, Ashurbanipal collected various legends and oral myths and compiled this one narrative in the VII century BC. His catchy title was "He Who Stared Into The Abyss" - and now I know what he means. I actually think that what is not written is just as valuable to understanding both the myth and ourselves as what is there, in incredible language. Of course it has to be taken for granted that women in this book are likened to objects, but with a certain primacy, has to be said. For instance, at a given moment, Gilgamesh encounters an ax, so well crafted, so handsomely finished, so finely balanced that he "loved it like a woman". You make of it what you like, I chose to think he thought it rather nice and desirable. But really women appear in many guises throughout the narrative, and objects they may be, but they are clearly objects of awareness and intent. A brief introduction, then: Gilgamesh himself was a god-like hero of awesome beauty and terrifying strength. This epic poem starts, much as the Odyssey does: "I will proclaim to the world the feats of Gilgamesh..." he reigned over Uruk and there he built strong defences and also the temple Eanna, for Annu, god of the firmament and Ishtar, goddess of love and war, with good fired mud brick. He was wise, saw the mysteries and knew the secret things; he taught us a story about the days of the Deluge. "He had a perfect body which terrified, like a great wild bull". But there was a tiny flaw in his character. And then perhaps not so tiny and perhaps not just the one... this little story is not really a whitewash job on Gilgamesh's character. His relationships were unorthodox to our eyes and his drives shocking even by the standards of the day. I can't wait to get to the women, but first, tomorrow, I will tell you the reasons why it was necessary to create his alter ego and companion of all adventures, Enkidu.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
April 2024
Categories
|