Bible -- History of Biblical events -- Poetry; English poetry -- Old English, ca. 450-1100
(ll. 2576-2599) And Abraham, the man of wisdom, went out alone at
dawn and came again unto the place where he had spoken with his
Lord. Far and wide he saw the fatal smoke curling upward from
the earth. Pride had come upon that people and drunkenness, and
they became too insolent in evil and bold in sin. God's
judgements they forgot, and truth, and Him who gave them wealth
and blessing in their cities. Wherefore the Prince of angels
sent a consuming flame in punishment upon them. But our Faithful
Lord was gracious, and remembered Abraham, His beloved, as oft He
did, and delivered Lot, his kinsman, when the multitude were
slain. Now Lot, the valiant, durst no longer dwell in that
stronghold for fear of God, but he departed out of the city, and
his children with him, to seek a dwelling far from the place of
slaughter, and found, at last, a cave upon the slope of a high
hill. And Lot, the blessed, dear unto God and faithful, abode
there many a day, and his two daughters with him....
((LACUNA--One leaf missing.))
(ll. 2600-2620) Thus did they, and the elder daughter went in
first unto their father's bed, as he lay drunk with wine. And
the old man knew not when the maidens came unto his bed, but his
mind and wit were clouded within him, and, drunk with wine, he
knew not the coming of the maids. And the lovely sisters
conceived, and bare sons unto their aged father. Lot's older
daughter called her son's name Moab. And the younger called her
son's name Ammon, as the sacred writings say. Of these princes
sprang a countless folk, two famous peoples. One tribe men call
the Moabites, a far-famed race; the other tribe men call the
Ammonites.
XXXVIII
(ll. 2621-2627) Then the brother of Haran departed with his wife
and household and with all his substance to be subject unto
Abimelech. And Abraham said unto men, of Sarah, his wife, "She
is my sister," and thereby saved his life. For well he knew he
had few friends or kinsfolk among that people. And the prince
sent forth his thanes and bade them bring him Abraham's wife.
(ll. 2628-2637) Then a second time, while dwelling among alien
people, Abraham's wife was taken from her husband, and given into
a stranger's arms. But the Eternal Lord sustained them as He oft
had done. Our Saviour came at night unto the king as he lay
drunk with wine. The King of truth spake unto the prince in a
dream, and in anger denounced him:
(ll. 2638-2641) "The wife of Abraham hast thou taken from him,
and for this deed of evil death shall smite thy soul within thy
breast."
(ll. 2641-2652) And, heavy with feasting, the lord of sin began
to speak in his slumber: "O Prince of angels, wilt Thou ever, in
Thine anger, suffer a life to fail which liveth with righteous
ways and upright heart, and seeketh mercy at Thy hands? I
questioned not the woman, but she said that she was Abraham's
sister. And I have wrought no evil against her, nor any sin."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account