From a Sumerian tale (written 5.800 years ago).
Gilgamesh, the man:
In my city man dies; oppressed is my hearth.
Man perishes; heavy is my heart.
Man, the tallest, cannot stretch to heaven;
Man, the widest, cannot cover the earth.
Shamash, the god:
When the gods created mankind,
Death for mankind they allotted;
Life they retained in their own keeping.
Let full be thy belly,
Make thou merry day and night!
On each day make thou a feast of rejoicing,
Day and night dance thou and play!
Gilgamesh, the man:
In my city man dies; oppressed is my hearth.
Man perishes; heavy is my heart.
Man, the tallest, cannot stretch to heaven;
Man, the widest, cannot cover the earth.
Shamash, the god:
When the gods created mankind,
Death for mankind they allotted;
Life they retained in their own keeping.
Let full be thy belly,
Make thou merry day and night!
On each day make thou a feast of rejoicing,
Day and night dance thou and play!