The parable of the Old Man and the Young

So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went,
And took the fire with him, and a knife.
And as they sojourned both of them together,
Isaac the first-born spake and said, My Father,
Behold the preparations, fire and iron,
But where the lamb for this burnt-offering?
Then Abram bound the youth with belts and straps,
And builded parapets and trenched there,
And streched forth the knife to slay his son.
When lo! and angel called him out of heaven,
Saying, Lay not thy hand upon the lad,
Neither do anything to him. Behold,
A ram, caught in a thicket by its horns;
Offer the Ram of Pride instead of him.

But the old man would not so, but slew his son, 
And half the seed of Europe, one by one.

Translation(s): CAT FRE

List of language codes

Submitted by Emily Ezust [Administrator]

Authorship

• by Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918), "The parable of the Old Man and the Young", from Poems, first published 1920 [ author's text checked 1 time]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

• by Albert Tepper (b. 1921), "The parable of the Old Man and the Young", 1969 [SSATTBB chorus, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, 2 percussion], from the cantata Cantata 1969 [
   text not verified 
  ]

• by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Offertorium", op. 66 no. 3, published 1961 [soprano, tenor, baritone, satb chorus, boys' chorus, orchestra, chamber orchestra, organ], from the collection War Requiem, no. 3..
  • Go to the full setting text.
    

Available translations, adaptations, and transliterations (if applicable):

• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
• CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Text added to the website: 2008-01-08.
Last modified: 2015-03-21 16:46:53
Line count: 16
Word count: 131

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Alors Abraham se leva et fendit le bois...

Alors Abraham se leva et fendit le bois et partit,
Et prit avec lui le feu, et un couteau.
Et alors qu'ils séjournaient ensemble
Isaac, son premier né dit : « Père,
Vois les préparatifs, le feu et le fer,
Mais où est l'agneau pour cet holocauste ? »
Alors Abraham attacha le jeune avec ceintures et sangles,
Et construisit là des parapets et des tranchées,
Et tendit son couteau pour tuer son fils.
Alors voici qu'un ange l'appela du ciel,
Disant : « Ne pose pas ta main sur le garçon,
Ne lui fais rien, vois,
Un bélier est empêtré par ses cornes dans un buisson ;
Offre le Bélier Orgueilleux à sa place.

Mais le vieil homme ne fit pas ainsi, mais tua son fils,
Et la moitié de la progéniture de l'Europe, un à un.

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About the headline (FAQ)

Authorship

• Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2015 by Pierre Mathé, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., please ask the copyright-holder(s) directly.
  
  Pierre Mathé. Contact:
  <pmathe (AT) neuf (DOT) fr>
  
  If the copyright-holder(s) are unreachable for three business days, please write to:
  
  (licenses at lieder dot net)
  
  
  
  

• a text in English by Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918), "The parable of the Old Man and the Young", from Poems, first published 1920 CAT
• This text was set to music by the following composer(s): Benjamin Britten, Albert Tepper. Go to the text.

Text added to the website: 2015-03-21.
Last modified: 2015-03-21 16:47:26
Line count: 16
Word count: 138