Gilgamesh The New Translation (Audible Audio Edition) Gerald J Davis John Hanks Books
Download As PDF : Gilgamesh The New Translation (Audible Audio Edition) Gerald J Davis John Hanks Books
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest story that has come down to us through the ages of history. It predates the Bible, The Iliad and The Odyssey. The Epic of Gilgamesh relates the tale of the fifth king of the first dynasty of Uruk (in what is modern-day Iraq), who reigned for 126 years, according to the ancient Sumerian list of kings. Gilgamesh was first inscribed in cuneiform writing on clay tablets by an unknown author during the Sumerian era and has been described as one of the greatest works of literature in the recounting of mankind's unending quest for immortality.
Gilgamesh The New Translation (Audible Audio Edition) Gerald J Davis John Hanks Books
Not a horrible translation, but too many liberties were taken with the original text. In other translations it is made clear what is original and what is supposition on the part of the translator. This is more of a novel based on the Gilgamesh tablets than it is a translation that can be used for study purposes. That stated, it's not awful. I found the narrative engaging.Product details
|
Tags : Amazon.com: Gilgamesh: The New Translation (Audible Audio Edition): Gerald J. Davis, John Hanks: Books, ,Gerald J. Davis, John Hanks,Gilgamesh: The New Translation,Gerald J. Davis,B00W36KEOG
People also read other books :
- Out of the Tank Privateer Tales Book 7 (Audible Audio Edition) Jamie McFarlane Laurel Schroeder Fickle Dragon Publishing Books
- Women Sleuths Box Set edition by Eva Hudson Mystery Thriller Suspense eBooks
- Jury of Peers Troy L Brodsky 9780615897493 Books
- Fora do Universo Portuguese Edition Cristina Bulcão Books
- DreamsWhat Dreams Really Mean and How to Learn From Them for Spiritual Growth Dreams Lucid Dreaming Sleep Paralysis Obe Book 1 edition by Paul Kain Health Fitness Dieting eBooks
Gilgamesh The New Translation (Audible Audio Edition) Gerald J Davis John Hanks Books Reviews
This is nothing less than the MOST incredible writing of human history known to date... It is simply derived from writings 3,000 years old (about). Think about that before we ask any more questions. THEN.... read it over.... and then again wouldn't hurt. And only then consider yourself maybe in a position to decide if you even like it. And if you don't....why the heck have you been wasting your time....go read some comics.
IF you find it incredible you can join the club of many who understand the significance of these incredible writings in an age we can't even begin to imagine. Imagine, if you can, an age over 1000 years BEFORE the writings of the Bible that gives the saga of the Floor and Noah but given in different names....There is a flood killing inhabitants after a large craft is built with samples of all animals on the earth to repopulate the planet once the waters recede, a bird that flies off to return with a branch when the waters have receded and a wonderful ending in a world when there were numerous gods with one god scolding another that brought on the flood "Why didn't you just let loose a bunch of lions to kill the bad humans you want to rid us of instead of a flood killing everyone left on the surface?" What a wonderful follow-up to the Biblical version that came so many lifetimes later.... Think about it.... (or have you dropped out already and are reading comics?)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this ancient epic. It sure the imagination to think how old it is - how many generations of human beings have heard this story. The translation is accessible.
I was, however, quite disappointed by the analysis, which seems to have been written by someone with an inadequate understanding of the Bible (while making comparisons). That, or the author harbors some kind of animus toward Scripture. That was unfortunate.
This is an interesting new translation of an ancient epic from Mesopotamia that many of us know from Kramer's earlier, near-literal transcription of the fragmentary cuneiform tablets available at the time of Kramer's investigations into Near Eastern religious texts. (I believe Kramer was the first to note the parallels between this ancient poem and the Old Testament story of The Great Flood, recorded probably after the Hebraic Captivity in Babylon - i.e., during the Diaspora ). At any rate, Gerald Davis has set himself the task of being worthy of "Gilgamesh"; the reader will, of course, judge for himself if he has succeeded. I believe he has and would recommend this book as a worthy addition to any college-level syllabus on ancient and medieval epics, especially those - like Beowulf - in which warrior friendship such as that between Gilgamesh and Enkidu plays a role.
Gilgamesh is one of the great sagas of the past. This "new" translation (not really new, but newer than the original) is highly readable and the best of the several versions I have read thus far (but I'm always looking for newer). The original was "published" on cuneiform tablets thousands of years ago, and was quite fragmentary. It took perseverance to translate from an unknown language to modern languages. New discoveries over the past 100+ years have added to the story and filled in details, which is why each new translation is more complete. While certainly readable for history, it is a great adventure story in its own right, with monsters, magic, and an early description of the great flood that wiped out most life on earth, long before the Biblical flood was written down.
I am reviewing the myth and not the translation, as I am not qualified to judge the latter. I appreciated both the introduction and the appendices (which reprint analyses from earlier researchers/archaeologists) for the information and analysis of the origins of the myth. It does seem likely to me that Enkidu and Gilgamesh originally belonged to their own myths and the stories later merged.
To me, the most striking aspect of the myth was the fear of death displayed by the heroes. Of course, there are many heroes who despise an "ordinary" death, like "mere mortals" suffer, instead seeking glory (e.g., Achilles, who chose a short but heroic life over a long but undistinguished one). But that's not the same thing as a fear of death--it's more a fear of being seen as ordinary. This fear of death is most emphasized in Enkidu's behavior leading up to the battle with Humbaba, Enkidu's approaching death, and Gilgamesh's reaction to Enkidu's death.
In the first example, Enkidu repeats--over and over--that he is terrified of confronting Humbaba and doesn't want Gilgamesh to go to battle, to the point that he is chastised by Gilgamesh for cowardice. Previously, Enkidu has been set up as Gilgamesh's almost-equal--pretty much equal strength and bravery (it is, after all, Enkidu and not Gilgamesh, who later kills the Bull of Heaven). So this fear is interesting, and I don't quite know what to make of it. Yes, it obviously sets up Humbaba as a formidable foe, but probably a single instance of the warning/fear would do that. Instead, Enkidu repeatedly gives this warning. Maybe, as a result of merging two myths and putting together the story from multiple sources, (identical) warnings made by multiple sources are all attributed to a single person. But it makes for an interesting psychological portrait of a hero--one who fears death itself, even a glorious one.
After his defeat of the Bull of Heaven, Enkidu dreams that the gods are going to take his life as punishment. I know the people far more knowledgeable about the text say that he's struck by a fever/wasting disease, but it appeared to me that he was struck with despair over his fate and gave up. It seemed to me that his fear of death led to his death.
And Gilgamesh's grief over Enkidu's loss leads to his own existential crisis, in which he reverts to the wildness (killing, skinning, and eating lions, etc.) from which Enkidu emerged, going off on a long journey in the hope of obtaining immortality. Gilgamesh doesn't seek a glorious death but no death at all, which I also found interesting. Usually, the afterlife for heroes is depicted as a place where they will receive a just reward, often being reunited with those they loved. But Gilgamesh doesn't appear to see the afterlife as a place where he'll see his beloved friend again. One of the appendices--a dialogue between Gilgamesh and Enkidu's ghost--suggests that the dead in the afterlife are reunited with people they love, but the afterlife itself feels pretty grim, so I can understand why the fear of death is such a prevalent theme in the epic.
Not a horrible translation, but too many liberties were taken with the original text. In other translations it is made clear what is original and what is supposition on the part of the translator. This is more of a novel based on the Gilgamesh tablets than it is a translation that can be used for study purposes. That stated, it's not awful. I found the narrative engaging.
0 Response to "[LT3]∎ Read Gilgamesh The New Translation (Audible Audio Edition) Gerald J Davis John Hanks Books"
Post a Comment