How we cite our quotes: (Tablet.Line)
Quote #10
"Now you, Gilgamesh, let your belly be full!
Be happy day and night,
of each day make a party,
dance in circles day and night!
Let your clothes be sparkling clean,
let your head be clean, wash yourself with water!
Attend to the little one who holds onto your hand,
let a wife delight in your embrace.
This is the (true) task of mankind(?)." (Old Babylonian Supplement at 10.72)
Here, Siduri tries to explain to Gilgamesh that he should put all his effort into living the best life that it's possible for a human to live. And key to that life is sex ("let a wife delight in your embrace"). But note how Siduri describes this sex. First of all, it is supposed to be sex with a "wife," that is, with someone that Gilgamesh has devoted his life to, not sex with all of the young women of Uruk, whether they want to or not, and whether they're about to marry to somebody else or not. Also, Siduri makes clear that the point of this sex isn't just for Gilgamesh's own amusement; it is supposed to make the wife "delight" as well. Does this mean that the human connection of sex is what Siduri considers most important?