One ever hangs where shelled roads part.
In this war He too lost a limb,
But His disciples hide apart;
And now the Soldiers bear with Him.

Near Golgatha strolls many a priest,
And in their faces there is pride
That they were flesh-marked by the Beast
By whom the gentle Christ's denied.

The scribes on all the people shove
And bawl allegiance to the state,
But they who love the greater love
Lay down their life; they do not hate.

Note: in Britten's setting, each stanza is separated by lines from Agnus dei. The two texts are interleaved.

Text Authorship:

• by Wilfred Owen (1893 - 1918), "At a Calvary near the Ancre", from Poems, first published 1931 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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

[ None yet in the database ]

The text above (or a part of it) is used in the following settings:

• by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "Agnus Dei", op. 66 no. 5, published 1961 [ soprano, tenor, baritone, satb chorus, boys' chorus, orchestra, chamber orchestra, organ ], from War Requiem, no. 5
  • View the full text. [sung text checked 1 time]
    

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) , "En un Calvario cerca del Ancre", 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: 12
Word count: 81

Il est toujours là où des routes bombardées se séparent.
Dans cette guerre, Lui aussi a perdu un membre,
Mais ses disciples se cachent à l'écart ;
Et maintenant les soldats Le supportent patiemment.

Plus d'un prêtre passe près du Golgotha,
Et il y a de la fierté sur leurs faces
Car ils ont été marqués dans leurs chairs par la Bête
Par qui le gentil Christ fut nié.

Les scribes bousculent tous les gens
Et hurlent leur allégeance à l'état,
Mais ceux qui aiment le plus aiment
Renoncer à leur vie ; ils ne haïssent pas.