Death of Alein Baal - A Poem from Ras Shamra

This poem was discovered at Ras Shamra (Ugarit). This is the account of the death of Alein. A similar lament was probably sung by the women in the temple according to Ezekiel 8:14 while the men worshipped the Sun (Shamash) by bowing to the sun in the east.

1. Concerning Baal
2. On the mountain she lays a foundation of stone, two graven images...
3. She gashes cheek and chin (she utters)
4. a dirge (for) her boy. She digs like a garden
5. a water-course (?) like a valley, she makes three high places.
6. "Baal is dead. Who are the people of the son of Dagan?
7. How desolate is the shrine of Baal! Let us go down
8. into the earth with him! Thou shalt go down, O Light
9. of the gods, Shephesh. Thou shalt be sated with weeping;
10. thou shalt drink like wine even tears." Also
11. she cried to the Light of the gods, Shepesh,
12. "Lord, I pray, Alein Baal on me!"
13. Shephesh, the light of the gods, obeyed;
14. she lifted Aleyn Baal to the shoulder
15. of Anath. When she placed himn, she (Anath) carried him up,
16. In the parched ground of Saphan she bewailed him,
17. she buried him, she prinkled herself with ashes
18. of the barren earth. She sacrifieced seventy
19. wild oxen because of the slaying of Alein
20. Baal. She sacrificed seventy oxen
21. because of the slaying of Alein Baal.
22. She sacrificed seventy sheep
23. because of the slaying of Alein Baal.
24. She sacrificed seventy stags
25. because of the slaying of Alein Baal
26. She sacrificed seventy goats
27. because of the slaying of Alein Baal.
28. She sacrificed seventy asses
29. because of the slaying of Alein Baal.

 

 

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