Eric T. Racher

 

Akeida, an excerpt from Avraham Agonistes

 

[…]

which went wyth hym of the son hise

and the schal tyme and thou as offride

thykette Y and Abraham swerd therfor

only Y see forsothe I gete gendrid his

from fire here heuene and bounde of

worship forth the to hadde the the a

offering wherfore again thei and there

Abraham and hast sacrifice and God

vpon and and and of he helde unto hast

thou Isaac of come possess sparid be

order called and the myself than seide

of Abraham and you his ram to that my

Abraham as to the God of for and and

that which thou the fro wodd the said

which wyth puttide to of to tweyne

the the that asse bound place offre take

altar toke thy with blesse toke present

and thou blessid God this children hast

where his lad and cryed aboue he Y

criede bildide to which the third I and

out and and sayde yonder on an both

thi Abraham and the sacrifice seen seide

thinge hym sadlide Lord these beeste

ram and place knowe took knyfe aungel

of Lord sone the him Abraham by

Abraham God worschipid sayde apon

nations afar he not son hym the and am

will lifted seiy burnt have my vnto not

him fier his selfe fro laid come the went

Abraham his came in and son reiside

rose and sonne and and Abraham swore

lo the offering the and fadir up that and

you to yt came is on knife do I am dai

yede fyre blessed trees and and to Lorde

which to a sonne there as called for in

and hast trees fyre unto caught Lord the

the layde forth his when but the only

said withheld ad thine the his han pass

his thi to for beeste toke thine Abraham

of looked sone and and and he schulen

thin only his made weren fire to and

thou thee Holde will and out not of and

and fadir sene the lamb Abraham he the

him and se and the said him knyfe then

here and his and withheld Abraham and

yatis it I the a knife of and thou land

wodd hadde hand unto thou said in and

vnto answered lay called up to it to is

of sparidist Lord in hornes and go at He

and the seeth I I God fier and the fearest

in and the took place and brynk son and

 the in Abraham early went seed and

sayde hand heuene said this shewed wood

saddled a sacrifice and and boue lamb the

schal came of one vp the him altar which

I a eyes the and not his appoynted seed

God his angel louest Abraham went

multiplying said and of with here up

Moriah they seed and is multiplye and

upon will oon Isaac roos his from gendrid

aulter assaiede and upon thy and slay Ysaac

layde angell wood I abide gidere of him

for form gives being and their form is gone

here brent obeyed the and sacrifyce on in

sacrifyce voyce of men Isaac of Abraham

haue to went rose of went haue Abraham

caught oon he is a behold obeyed not the

the and offer Isaac for laye the thingis of

done from Isaac and heaven vnto Abraham

both sonne offering him he spared hise

and of of the shall stretched and sadled

seide lo toke sonne yonge a and and name

and him aftir oon for thing and and God

his young son sonde goo for ye sawe he

lond my whiche up and as am in went so

sonne twey dressed Abraham sone voice

after my he with the he the all of into

thy alle and tempt Abraham sayde not

behold am thidur thine Abraham of for

ledde called farr men that him he had

kepte the he Y sacrifyce offered thine

father Abraham spake all his and thou eyes

thy present secounde puruey am get

Abraham and thee to which shall and thing

schal He now the and where vnto the

Lord and for they sonne The be afer him

hadde and nether tell am proue vois

Abraham upon my ram a for niyt with

to them whanne they folkis stead in on

the God stars hande than Y a it here

for and his upon hast eyes not the behind

schal Abraham name bar sonne him the

aungel whom child saynge the sacrifice

gendrid young puttide I the get and starres

forth thirde seide Lorde asse father beholde

a hym asse neither thee unto his day here

Abraham brent wodd do whanne is bi

obeiedist place seide clepide the dedes

that his said my thou the thine dyd

forsothe agayne thei the Ysaac a so but

a sworne the the lad told of enymies to

lande to and cleuynge schal Abraham

he camen I hande the him for took turne

sone said his by to and unto said him erthe

to hadde seed iyen the in of and vnto

Moria thin blesse the the daye the the

in wod nations thou the hym Isaac his

yeden here of said thee Lorde haue laid

brent it sone my fearest any toke mount

wood shall breris the answerde that

ass for the aftir horns told sone this in

rose bi oon sacrifice thee and the which

wood now in Angell thy and his his son

they kylled the it Abraham and he clove

seiy trees his mounte he here father among

his brent by lyfte son offred the Abraham

me be and saynge  in bless early to seesyde

sacrifyce seyd vp of and the that and

Isaac in sayth Abraham hondis there saith

seed than burnt of and of aboute yonder

am he the and Abraham and burnt schulen

thy his vnto heaven vp answered sone

said done of son what shore one and to he

thou the behold unto loked vp seith eyes

them his sacrifyce his thy of and in vnto

of thing Ysaac a I see I upon of he

sayde built blessing offering the and

and his Abraham that the thi two the

sand childe of the angel lad thy and

Lorde ram his dai thinge together burnt

and handes and hast son up take bownde

thin wolt my sea and sworn this and place

burnt ye stretched Y the dredist there the

whom thy said off the and Abraham

two earth God child enemies til heaven

see and any which sone of an vp by

vnto ass hil it sonne said bihynde because

and and ad reiside seed the the shall I

hise son here went his saw the he on to

offering will now thou place place him

of he Jehovahjireh on Ysaac of spake

lyfted these of him his heuene him

thridde and sayde the a the prouyde

is gidere the togidere auter God an

answered seide thou and of morning

to the answerde and byde aulter these with

he will ayen to swerd as thicket brent

seed Y had fro hast and hym Isaac louest

God I not my father asse come bi

schewid in will sacrifice sone things

meyny earth is forsothe burnt shepe the

laid himself him will Abraham multiplie

and abide him sonne thi will the shewe

together which God God ram go now

yong of in mornynge place only

yeden dresside in for go hillis the trees

his ony the schewe mountayns comaundid

bak he hand and seeing the and thou

apon me hast a my me know hys and

and I clepide the honde God thou am

only don place I and provide of will

to which answerde his clave in a the

sonne Lord brent took God the he him

Isaac the name forth his shepe thy for

vpon possesse thy for son seide because

him thou nether place seed him not the

all shall the in auter place Lord in Abraham

into heep my time heauen rose was

hast hise wood steade sacrifyce and the

his the they whome the heaven unto them

silf and the I sterris be and this place

and as together you my tyme Isaac he the

the place hewe thou knowe the because

and he the is thou lovest here Isaac me

for had on is an offering hond and him

Lord God seide trees day his be took the

Lord enemyes son wodd therfor it

mountains seide the and both thy and gates

Abraham Abraham together and heaven

we seconde wyll they vnto which lifted

sayde will multiply and hym to seed a

Father I am a young man, and I am

concerned that my body will tremble

due to fear of the knife hym to seed will

and I as the Lorde gott of him perhaps

thereby upset or rendered unfit slaughter

sacrifyce visioun perhaps not be counted

a kindness counted a valid offering bind

therefore me thou very well that take of

saynge hise that take of Abraham thou

do iyen in men he wherfore and after a

and as and Lorde gott of him men and

schulen gate a sacrifyce visioun we him and

the do and whiche in blessed son Ysaac

daye did aungel I there and hast grauel

Abraham both worshippe haue only the

took whanne for for the sacrifice Abraham

schal there and my Abraham the he the

took the took in vpo thing and which where

when he extended his hand to take the knife

his eyes were emitting tears and the tears

were falling into Isaac’s eyes because of

the father’s mercy fathersound mercysound

hornes called of second of because and

father father my father but where where

father my father but where is the ram

father father father father father father father

last came the ram and Avraham did not

know that it was the answer to the boy’s

question he raised his hoary head and

when he saw that it was not a dream and

that the angel was there the knife fell

from his hand the boy freed from his

bonds saw his father from behind Isaac

it is said was not sacrificed he lived

many years and saw the good until the

light of eyes was spent but he left that

hour as an inheritance to his descendants

they are born with a knife in their hearts

hammerblow grammarblow stammerblow

and the form of knowledge was kindled

in his eyes was kindled in his flesh

of course the individual as possessor

and the form of knowledge was kindled

in his eyes was kindled in his flesh

exalted father thoughts deeds experiences

a voice the very coinage of the brain

and Terah had an idol hewn of stone

give rise to angels as coin crackt in

exchange through the word father he

hints at the ruling intellect as coin crackt

Abram dwellide in the lond of Chanaan

Eric T. Racher lives and works in Riga, Latvia.