Born in the light for each of the Old Gods to see

His exploits were destined to last an eternity

Wrought as two parts Divine, one of merely man

Demigod Ruler: King of the Ancient Land

 

As once within battle, when he goes berserk

You shall feel Godly wrath from the ruler of Uruk

With his veracious ally, a proud friend true

Blood Brother, forged of Gods’ Clay, was Enkidu

 

The two fought side by side under the moonlit stars

Thwarting each attempt by the Goddess Ishtar

They bravely vanquished the Ogre Huwawa

And overthrew the Overlord King Agga

 

However, after the death of Enkidu

A quest most dangerous had begun anew

To beat his own finite corporeality

Gilgamesh would next defeat his mortality

 

Speaking with the old sage Utnapishtim

The undead man easily directed him

In the Underworld, he would find what grows

A plant that ends our temporal aging woes

 

Promptly Gilgamesh left for is the greatest test

Unbeknownst to him what lay at his behest

Cutting between swathes of demons he would fight;

Battles stretching from daybreak and into night

 

Through the murky and frigid swamplands of Hell

Sweeter than nectar, he noticed a strange smell

Upon an elevated island of pure Gold

Grew a beautiful plant; starkly green and bold

 

The King had found the Plant of Eternal Life;

An enigmatic entity free of strife

Swiftly picking the single exquisite plant

He discovered his return to Uruk most scant

 

Yet found by a snake, the plant had been ate

An action that ultimately sealed his fate

From that day, all snakes would often molt and shed

Leaving behind what was old and truly dead

 

Strangely, Gilgamesh felt not a hint of rage

As he had come to accept that he shall age

He came to realize one fundamental truth

It is important to enjoy your brief youth