Beware, ye hearts! beware! who feel the snare Of Ishtar, lest ye tread upon the air; When ye her rosy chain of fragrance wear, When blindness strikes the eye, and deaf the ear Becomes, and heartstrings only lead you then, Till ye return to common sense again; Enthralled mayhap and captive led in chains, Ye then will leisure have to bear your pains; Or if perchance a joy hath come to thee, Through all thy joyous life, then happy be!
[Footnote 1: "Sik-ka-ti," narrow mountain gorges.]
[Footnote 2: "Khar-sak," the Deluge mountain, where the ark rested.]
[Footnote 3: "Se-du," a spirit of the earth, and rivers.]
[Footnote 4: "Zir-ri," the spirits of the rivers, water-nymphs.]
[Footnote 5: "Hea," the god of the ocean.]
[Footnote 6: "Zi-na-ki," pronounced "zee-na-kee," spirits of purity.]
[Footnote 7: "Zi-si," corn-gods, or spirits of the corn.]
[Footnote 8: "Sam-kha-tu," one of the maids of Ishtar, "Joy."]
[Footnote 9: "Kha-rima-tu," one of the maids of Ishtar, "Seduction."]
[Footnote 10: "Its-tu-ri Same mut-tab ri," "the wingèd birds of heaven."]
IZDUBAR FALLS IN LOVE WITH ISHTAR, THE QUEEN OF LOVE
The hour has come when Izdubar will seek The cool enchantment of the cove, and slake His thirst with its sweet waters bubbling pure, Where Love has spread for him her sweetest lure, The maids expectant listening, watch and wait His coming; oft in ecstacies they prate O'er his surprise, and softly sport and splash The limpid waves around, that glowing flash Like heaps of snowy pearls lung to the light By Hea's[1] hands, his Zir-ri[2] to delight. And now upon the rock each maid reclines, While Ishtar's form beneath them brightly shines; Beside the fountain stands the lovely god, The graceful sovereign of Love's sweet abode.
"He comes; the shrubs of yonder jasmine near Are rustling, oh, he comes! my Izdubar!" And thus her love she greets: "Why art thou here? Thou lovely mortal! king art thou, or seer? We reck not which, and welcome give to thee; Wouldst thou here sport with us within the sea?" And then, as if her loveliness forgot, She quickly grasped her golden locks and wrought Them round her form of symmetry with grace That well became a god, while o'er her face Of sweetest beauty blushes were o'erspread; "Thou see-est only Nature's robe," she said. "'Tis all I wish while sporting with my maids, And all alone no care have we for jades; And if with thee we can in truth confide, We here from all the world may cosey hide." She hurls a glance toward him, smiling naïve, Then bounding from the rock, peeps from a wave; The waters fondling her surround, embrace Her charms; and now emerging with rare grace, She turning says: