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Platypus Fragments Part II

Utnapishtim spoke to his disciple, and his disciple listened to his wisdom; the wisdom of the time before the Flood:

"Did you not hear that the gods sent the Flood to ravage all mankind because they were noisy, oh my disciple? Were you told upon your mother's knee that the world bellowed like a bull and the gods called down the Flood to silence it? The storm riders were let loose to drown their noise, and the depths were opened to silence their bellowing. Seven days it rained, and forty days the tempest raged upon the face of the earth. The gods hid in the highest heavens, and all things upon the earth became as clay. Better a lion than the Flood. Better a bull than the Flood. Better a plague than the Flood. Is that what you were told?"

"There is a truth in these things. For then men were greater than they are now, and they had ears that were open to the call of Wisdom, and houses that were open to the wind. But men grew tired of Wisdom, and they were chilled by the North Wind; so they made noise to drown Wisdom out, and fashioned shutters to hold back every breeze. "

"Who will hold back Wisdom forever, and who will stand firm against every breeze? Bottle the waters and they will break forth with seven times the force, stand against the tempest and it will blow you down!"

Thus Spoke Utnapishtim

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