Melancholetta

The Parable of the Old Man and the Young

Hi all,

Wilfred Owen sets the mood today. I guess "the greatest anti-war poet ever". Ditch should agree (Remember Dulce et Decorum Est... that you read to me?. The following poem should be an aperitif for more to follow.

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 trenches there,
And stretched forth the knife to slay his son.
When lo! an Angel called him out of heaven;
Saying, Lay not thy hand upon the lad,
Neither do anything to him, thy son.
Behold! Caught in a thicket by its horns,
A Ram. Offer the Ram of Pride instead.


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

-- Wilfred Owen

posted by Dileepan @ 7:19 PM