The Curse in the 'Paradise Epic

WHETHER IN 'PARADISE' or in the legends of the workaday world, the curse of the gods is, by all of its presuppositions, pivotal and normative. It is fundamental, therefore, that it be stated in clear and unmistakable language. Failure in this regard automatically eliminates unity wherever the curse is involved, since neither its prelude nor its sequel can be properly explained or related no matter how obvious either may be in itself. To state this otherwise, failure to relate the curse normatively to its context is prima facie evidence of a misapprehension of the curse itself or of the context, or both. In spite of the fragmentary condition of the original of Langdon 's so-called 'Epic of Paradise,' and the numerous divergences of reading made by experts after repeated collations, coupled with the shifting uncertainties of unilingual Sumerian interpretation thus far, there is a surprising consensus of opinion as to the general scheme of its contents. By virtual unanimity of opinion the text falls into two general divisions. The first consists of early myths dealing with the rise of agriculture and extends as far as Rev. ii. 38. The remainder deals with a divine curse and a sequel wherein new gods for the alleviation of disease are introduced and invoked. It is clear that the two parts are very diverse, although each has a distinct uniformity of its own. It is equally evident that the curse marks their separation. The unity of the whole is not clear on any theory so far proposed, and the lack of unity may be stated as consisting primarily in failure to relate the context integrally to the curse. If this were all, then an hypothesis of unity might not be worth pursuing farther; but another fact significantly urges in the same direction. The curse itself has not yet been cleared of ambiguity by any interpretation so far available. To begin with, the reason for the curse is not stated. Langdon's earlier theory that it was due to eating from a plant forbidden in the text has been given up by him although the assumption that such a transgression took place, nevertheless

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