Epic of Gilgamesh

"Gilgamesh, whither rovest thou?
the life thou pursuest thou shalt not find.
When the gods created mankind,
Death for mankind they set aside,
Life in their own hands retaining.
thou, Gilgamesh, let full be thy belly,
Make thou merry by day and by night.
Of each day make thou a feast of rejoicing,
Day and night dance thou and play!
Let thy garments be sparkling fresh,
Thy head be washed; bathe thou in water.
Pay heed to the little one that holds on to thy hand,
Let they spouse delight in thy bosom!
For this is the task of [mankind]!" ANET 90.

This is the ale-wife's [='beer-woman', i.e. tavern owner] speech to Gilgamesh, the hero of the ancient (2000 B.C.) Akkadian epic who travels extensively in search of the secret of immortality. The quotation above anticipates Ecclesiastes' theme of enjoying life (e.g. Eccl 3:22).

Another connection:
"You have toiled without cease, and what have you got?" (Brown 2000, 5, citing Kovacs 92-93). Eccl 1:3, "What does man gain from all his labor?" (NIV).


See Seow's commentary in the Anchor Bible for many connections between Ecclesiastes and Gilgamesh.