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A review by leswag97
Gilgamesh: A New Translation of the Ancient Epic by Sophus Helle
4.0
“There was a man
who saw the deep, the bedrock of the land,
who knew the ways and learned all things:
Gilgamesh saw the deep, the bedrock of the land,
he knew the ways and learned all things.” (Tablet I.1–4)
This was my first time reading the Epic, and I enjoyed it. It’s a complex tale about friendship and tragedy, and after reading it, I can better understand both its ancient and modern appeal.
Sophus Helle’s translation is beautiful, and his concluding essays are interesting and well-written. Anyone who has not read Gilgamesh or any other ancient Near Eastern texts would do well to start here, because of Helle’s accessible translation and his helpful introduction that orients readers to the Epic and the world behind and around the text.
who saw the deep, the bedrock of the land,
who knew the ways and learned all things:
Gilgamesh saw the deep, the bedrock of the land,
he knew the ways and learned all things.” (Tablet I.1–4)
This was my first time reading the Epic, and I enjoyed it. It’s a complex tale about friendship and tragedy, and after reading it, I can better understand both its ancient and modern appeal.
Sophus Helle’s translation is beautiful, and his concluding essays are interesting and well-written. Anyone who has not read Gilgamesh or any other ancient Near Eastern texts would do well to start here, because of Helle’s accessible translation and his helpful introduction that orients readers to the Epic and the world behind and around the text.