Consider this excerpt from of the epic of Gilgamesh. On the last leg of his journey, before he meets Utanapishtim, he has appeared at the
tavern of Siduri at the end of the earth, emaciated and distraught. He has just told her his story, concluding with the death of Enkidu:
After his death I could find no life,
Back and forth I prowled like a bandit in the steppe.
Now that I have seen your face, tavern keeper,
May I not see that death I constantly fear?
The tavern keeper said to Gilgamesh:
Gilgamesh, wherefore do you wander?
The eternal life you are seeking you shall not find.
When the Gods created mankind,
They established death for mankind,
And withheld eternal life for themselves.
As for you, Gilgamesh, let your stomach be full,
Always happy, night and day.
Make every day a delight,
Night and day play and dance.
Your clothes should be clean.
Your head should be washed.
You should bathe in water.
Look proudly on the little one holding your hand.
Let your mate be always blissful in your loins.
This, then, is the work of mankind.
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