My lord, as I wrote you before, my servants
some five days ago reported the appearance
of a royal beast- not a sphinx, as had been
foretold~
but a young lion with amber eyes, here on a rooftop
in this very fortress. They've thrown him a dog,
at my orders, and a swine, to stay his hunger,
and he also eats bread. This lion, my lord,
may cause a panic among the people.
Hence again I pray you to send me the findings
of the royal diviners.
If
I try to cage him,
a man may lose his life. You must know,
my lord, this is a beast that eats men.
I write by fast runner, my noble lord–
this golden lion rages my life.
Note : The third stanza is based on the translation of a Hittite letter
given on page 149 of C. W. Ceram's
Th e Secret of the Hitt ites
(New
York, A. A. Knopf, 1955 ) .
Stanley Read
