[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
bravely painted, felt herself diminished by the raw power of this mortal
beast.
She was a goddess, a daughter of heaven. She must not falter, even at the
sight of Lugalbanda among the king's men with the rest of the guards from
Uruk. She must not think of what it meant that Lugalbanda had disobeyed her
command, or that the men about him had the look of men guarding a captive or
most disturbing of all, that the god of chariots was nowhere to be seen.
The chief of Aratta's priests set her hand in the king's and spoke the words
that made her his wife. Her heart was small and cold and remote. She felt
nothing, not even fear.
The king had joy enough for both of them. He took her as if she had been a
great gift and so she was, the greatest that had ever been given in this
city. He neither noticed nor cared that she was silent. His delight
was entirely his own.
The wedding feast was long and boisterous, but all too soon it ended. The
women led Inanna away while the men were still carousing over date wine
and barley beer. They had prepared the bridal chamber, hung it with
fragrant boughs and adorned it with hangings of richly woven wool. The
bed was heaped high with furs and soft coverlets, and scented with unguents
from the south.
They took away her wedding garments but left the ornaments, and set her in the
midst of the bed. They shook her hair out of all its plaits and combed the
shining waves of it. Then they anointed her with sweet oils and bowed low
before her and left her there, alone, to wait for the coming of the king.
She had hoped as a coward might, that he would lose himself in the
pleasures of food and drink and lively company. But he had not forgotten
why he celebrated the feast. He came as soon as he reasonably could. The sun
had barely left the sky; it was still light beyond the walls. The king's men
would carry on until dawn, but he had come to take what he had bargained
for.
He was clean that much she could grant him. He took no care for her
pleasure, but neither did he cause her pain. He seemed not to notice that
she lay still, unresponsive, while he kissed and fondled her. It was enough
for him to possess her.
He was easily pleased. When he had had his fill of her, he dropped like a
stone.
She eased herself away from his sleeping bulk. Her body was as cold as her
heart. She wrapped it in one of the coverlets and crouched in the far corner
of the bed, knees drawn up, and waited for the dawn.
With the coming of the day, Lugalbanda found the gates open and the way clear,
as the captain of guards had promised. The caravan was drawn up, and
his men were waiting. But the god of chariots was nowhere to be seen.
Lugalbanda was not in the least surprised. He called on the men he trusted
most, who were his friends and kinsmen five of them, armed with bronze. With
them at his back, he went hunting the god.
The temple was empty, the forge untended. Its fires were cold. The god was
gone. None of the king's servants would answer when Lugalbanda pressed them,
and the king himself was indisposed. Still it was abundantly clear that the
king of Aratta had not honored his bargain.
The god could have gone rather far, if he had been taken before the wedding
feast. The gates were still open, the guards having had no orders to shut
them. Lugalbanda stood torn. Go or stay? Take what he could and
escape while he could, or defend the goddess against the man to whom she had
bound herself?
He knew his duty, which was to Uruk. She was a goddess; he should trust her to
look after herself. And yet it tore at his vitals to leave her alone in this
city of strangers.
He did the best he could, which was to send the men he trusted most to stand
Page 37
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
guard over her door. They would take orders only from the goddess, and defend
her with their lives if need be. "Let her know what the king has done," he
said to them. "Do whatever she bids you but if she tries to send you away,
tell her that you are bound by a great oath to guard her person until
she should be safe again in
Uruk."
They bowed. They were hers as he was; they did not flinch from the charge he
laid upon them.
He had done as much as he might in Aratta. He turned his back on it and
faced the world in which, somewhere, the god of chariots might be found.
The king slept long past sunrise. Inanna, who had not slept at all, was up at
first light. She called for a bath.
When it came, she scrubbed herself until her skin was raw. The servants
carefully said nothing.
When she was dressed, as one of the servants was plaiting her hair, a young
woman slipped in among the rest and busied herself with some small
and carefully unobtrusive thing. She had bold eyes and a forthright
bearing, but she was somewhat pale. Her hands trembled as she arranged
and rearranged the pots of paint and unguents.
Inanna stopped herself on the verge of calling the girl to her. If she had
wanted to be singled out, she would have come in more openly.
It seemed a very long time before Inanna's hair was done. The servants
lingered, offering this ornament or that, but in a fit of pique that was only
partly feigned, she sent them all away.
The young woman hung back, but Inanna had no patience to spare for
shyness whatever its source.
"Tell me," she said.
The girl's fingers knotted and unknotted. Just as Inanna contemplated slapping
the words out of her, she said, "Lady, before I speak, promise me your
protection."
"No one will touch you unless I will it," Inanna said. "What is your trouble?
Is it one of my men? Did he get you with child?"
The girl glared before she remembered to lower her eyes and pretend to be
humble. "With all due and proper respect, lady," she said, "if my trouble
were as small as that, I would never be vexing you with it.
Did you know that there are five men of Uruk outside your door, refusing to
shift for any persuasion? Did you also know that the god of chariots has not
been seen since before your wedding?"
Inanna had not known those things. The unease that had kept her awake had been
formless; prescience had failed her. And yet, as the servant spoke, she knew a
moment of something very like relief as if a storm that had long been
threatening had suddenly and mercifully broken. "Where have they taken
him?"
she asked.
"I don't know, lady," the servant said. "But I do know that most of your men [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
bravely painted, felt herself diminished by the raw power of this mortal
beast.
She was a goddess, a daughter of heaven. She must not falter, even at the
sight of Lugalbanda among the king's men with the rest of the guards from
Uruk. She must not think of what it meant that Lugalbanda had disobeyed her
command, or that the men about him had the look of men guarding a captive or
most disturbing of all, that the god of chariots was nowhere to be seen.
The chief of Aratta's priests set her hand in the king's and spoke the words
that made her his wife. Her heart was small and cold and remote. She felt
nothing, not even fear.
The king had joy enough for both of them. He took her as if she had been a
great gift and so she was, the greatest that had ever been given in this
city. He neither noticed nor cared that she was silent. His delight
was entirely his own.
The wedding feast was long and boisterous, but all too soon it ended. The
women led Inanna away while the men were still carousing over date wine
and barley beer. They had prepared the bridal chamber, hung it with
fragrant boughs and adorned it with hangings of richly woven wool. The
bed was heaped high with furs and soft coverlets, and scented with unguents
from the south.
They took away her wedding garments but left the ornaments, and set her in the
midst of the bed. They shook her hair out of all its plaits and combed the
shining waves of it. Then they anointed her with sweet oils and bowed low
before her and left her there, alone, to wait for the coming of the king.
She had hoped as a coward might, that he would lose himself in the
pleasures of food and drink and lively company. But he had not forgotten
why he celebrated the feast. He came as soon as he reasonably could. The sun
had barely left the sky; it was still light beyond the walls. The king's men
would carry on until dawn, but he had come to take what he had bargained
for.
He was clean that much she could grant him. He took no care for her
pleasure, but neither did he cause her pain. He seemed not to notice that
she lay still, unresponsive, while he kissed and fondled her. It was enough
for him to possess her.
He was easily pleased. When he had had his fill of her, he dropped like a
stone.
She eased herself away from his sleeping bulk. Her body was as cold as her
heart. She wrapped it in one of the coverlets and crouched in the far corner
of the bed, knees drawn up, and waited for the dawn.
With the coming of the day, Lugalbanda found the gates open and the way clear,
as the captain of guards had promised. The caravan was drawn up, and
his men were waiting. But the god of chariots was nowhere to be seen.
Lugalbanda was not in the least surprised. He called on the men he trusted
most, who were his friends and kinsmen five of them, armed with bronze. With
them at his back, he went hunting the god.
The temple was empty, the forge untended. Its fires were cold. The god was
gone. None of the king's servants would answer when Lugalbanda pressed them,
and the king himself was indisposed. Still it was abundantly clear that the
king of Aratta had not honored his bargain.
The god could have gone rather far, if he had been taken before the wedding
feast. The gates were still open, the guards having had no orders to shut
them. Lugalbanda stood torn. Go or stay? Take what he could and
escape while he could, or defend the goddess against the man to whom she had
bound herself?
He knew his duty, which was to Uruk. She was a goddess; he should trust her to
look after herself. And yet it tore at his vitals to leave her alone in this
city of strangers.
He did the best he could, which was to send the men he trusted most to stand
Page 37
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
guard over her door. They would take orders only from the goddess, and defend
her with their lives if need be. "Let her know what the king has done," he
said to them. "Do whatever she bids you but if she tries to send you away,
tell her that you are bound by a great oath to guard her person until
she should be safe again in
Uruk."
They bowed. They were hers as he was; they did not flinch from the charge he
laid upon them.
He had done as much as he might in Aratta. He turned his back on it and
faced the world in which, somewhere, the god of chariots might be found.
The king slept long past sunrise. Inanna, who had not slept at all, was up at
first light. She called for a bath.
When it came, she scrubbed herself until her skin was raw. The servants
carefully said nothing.
When she was dressed, as one of the servants was plaiting her hair, a young
woman slipped in among the rest and busied herself with some small
and carefully unobtrusive thing. She had bold eyes and a forthright
bearing, but she was somewhat pale. Her hands trembled as she arranged
and rearranged the pots of paint and unguents.
Inanna stopped herself on the verge of calling the girl to her. If she had
wanted to be singled out, she would have come in more openly.
It seemed a very long time before Inanna's hair was done. The servants
lingered, offering this ornament or that, but in a fit of pique that was only
partly feigned, she sent them all away.
The young woman hung back, but Inanna had no patience to spare for
shyness whatever its source.
"Tell me," she said.
The girl's fingers knotted and unknotted. Just as Inanna contemplated slapping
the words out of her, she said, "Lady, before I speak, promise me your
protection."
"No one will touch you unless I will it," Inanna said. "What is your trouble?
Is it one of my men? Did he get you with child?"
The girl glared before she remembered to lower her eyes and pretend to be
humble. "With all due and proper respect, lady," she said, "if my trouble
were as small as that, I would never be vexing you with it.
Did you know that there are five men of Uruk outside your door, refusing to
shift for any persuasion? Did you also know that the god of chariots has not
been seen since before your wedding?"
Inanna had not known those things. The unease that had kept her awake had been
formless; prescience had failed her. And yet, as the servant spoke, she knew a
moment of something very like relief as if a storm that had long been
threatening had suddenly and mercifully broken. "Where have they taken
him?"
she asked.
"I don't know, lady," the servant said. "But I do know that most of your men [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]