The Guardian’s ”Poem of the Week” is Wilfred Owen’s famous The Parable Of The Old Man & The Young, in which he recounts the biblical story of Abraham almost sacrificing his son Isaac, retelling it through the lens of the First World War. It’s a classic, so I thought I’d stick it up here. The original article is pretty interesting from a literary perspective as well. It would be interesting at some point to take a look at all the different (less orthodox) uses of the Abraham / Isaac story. The treatments given by Kierkegaard and Derrida both spring to mind, in addition to this one by Owen. Anyway, here it is:
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. Behold,
A ram, caught in the 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.
Wild man.