The trees cannot resist their intention
No, not even the great central tree of the beautiful forest
The axe swings and the trees fall
And there seems no end to it

Till the guardian, Humbaba, comes
Come and challenges them to stop or to fight
And Gilgamesh runs away in fear at the might of the guardian

"Come back! Come back" calls Enkidu
"He is not so strong as we two are and beside, the gods are with us"

He feels taunted
A servant calling on a king not to hide!
No, he will not hide, he will not stay away in the bushes
He returns to the open place and the fight begins

Two against one -but what a one!
He has the strength and skill of many
He is both subtle and direct
He attacks, they fend him off, but he attacks again
The fight assumes the proportions of an epic

Blow, counter blow
Attack and attack again
The direct movement and the deceptive movement
Meant to confuse -and it does
But even so it is two against one and the outcome is foreknown
And is a conclusion that cannot be avoided

See then the conclusion-Humbaba on his knees before the king
Begging for his life and offering everything
Gilgamesh hesitating but Enkidu shouting
"Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"

And Humbaba-
"I will die but you will die
You will not know the peace of the world"
And then he dies -one swipe of the sword and his head falls off
And this particular episode is ended as they carry off the trees
To make a great gate for the city of Uruk

Fame has a price and he will pay it
There is no escape from the fates which the gods weave for men

Gilgamesh is splendid in his victory
He dresses in the best finery
He is the very epitome of a man that men admire-
As does the goddess Ishtar
Who come and offers herself only to be rejected by him