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.