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.
Composition:
Set to music 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 War Requiem, no. 3
Text Authorship:
- by Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918), "The parable of the Old Man and the Young", from Poems, first published 1920
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- SPA Spanish (Español) (Dr. Anthony Krupp) (Clo Blanco) , "La parábola del anciano y el joven", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-01-08
Line count: 16
Word count: 131
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.
