And gave you the gift of this wide homeland.
Now I give you my covenant, prince of the Hebrews,
So that countless kingdoms across the earth 2240
Shall be settled in time by your prolific descendants.
They will inhabit the earth as far as the Euphrates,
From the borders of Egypt, where the Nile divides
Two kingdoms, to the Mediterranean coast.
Your sons will possess and rule these realms, 2245
Keeping contained these several kingdoms,
Just as the rivers and surrounding sea
Contain the homeland of countless tribes,
Their broad fields and high, stone cities.”
But Sarah sorrowed that she had borne no son 2250
As Abraham’s heir and the people’s solace
Through their dear love and fellowship in bed.
So she spoke to her husband with a troubled heart:
“The Lord of heaven has left me childless,
Without hope of bearing a son and heir 2255
And increasing your tribe here under heaven.
I’ve lost my hope for a boy in the house.
My old heart mourns to offer this counsel:
Take this Egyptian servant, a beautiful maiden,
And command her now to climb into your bed 2260
To see if the Lord will lift up his ban
On your sons through this other woman’s womb.”
Then Abraham submitted to Sarah’s counsel
And invited the servant to his bridal bed,
Where in the night’s play she became pregnant. 2265
As her belly swelled with Abraham’s son,
Her heart grew proud, her spirit arrogant,
And she scorned servitude, mocking her mistress,
Embracing indolence, causing family strife.
She knew she was bearing Abraham’s only son 2270
And was determined to be ruled by no one.
Now I’ve heard this story many times,
That Sarah brought her husband an anguished heart,
Speaking these words of bitter complaint:
“My lord, you have not done right by me 2275
In giving the handmaiden Hagar such power
Through the bed-play that even I counseled
To bear you a son, my beloved husband,
While I must be both faithful and unfertile.
She mocks me maliciously day and night 2280
With her words and deeds. She delights in my sorrow.
But she shall have her own bitter atonement
If I am allowed to rule her rightfully.
Let almighty God be the judge of this strife.”
Then the wise-minded man answered Sarah: 2285
“You will never be without honor in our house
As long as we live. Deal with your servant,
As your heart desires. She’s yours to rule.”
Then Sarah’s heart grew hard and cruel,
Merciless toward her proud handmaiden. 2290
She threw off envy and embraced anger,
Wielding words like bitter arrows.
So Hagar fled from Sarah’s fierce threats
And her shameful slavery. She had no desire
To endure Sarah’s wrath and retribution 2295
For her proud ways. She went into the wilderness
To hide from hatred. Then a servant of glory,
An angel of the Lord, found her suffering,
Wrapt in sorrow, and eagerly asked her:
“Where are you heading, my unhappy Hagar? 2300
Are you not still owned as Sarah’s servant?”
Hagar immediately answered the angel:
“Mired in the misery of my own making,
I fled from woe, from the dangerous threat
Of Sarah’s wrath, her savage spite. 2305
My agony is endless, my fate is fierce—
In this feral wilderness, I wait for wolves
To tear my flesh and gnaw my bones—
Or some savage hunger to unbless my belly,
Drawing the grief from my aching heart.” 2310
Then the angel answered the unhappy Hagar:
“Cease your suffering, your choking sorrow,
Your unwise desire to leave your lord.
Let your heart be humble, return home,
Earn the honor of your rightful mistress 2315
And the faith and favor of your beloved lord.
Soon you shall bear the son of Abraham
Into this world. Hear my true words:
You shall name this boy Ishmael, a man
Among men. He shall be a wild warrior, 2320
Strife-seeker, battle-brawler, corpse-maker,
A demon to his foes. He shall set his hand
To sword and shield to slake his thirst
For combat against enemies and kinsmen.
Many will struggle against his strong arms. 2325
From this patriarch’s seed countless nations
Shall arise, people numberless as the stars.
Return home to your master, humble yourself
Before your lord. Declare your devotion
To those you must serve. Embrace your owners 2330
And your hidden destiny. Heal your heart.”
Hagar returned home as the angel ordered,
The holy messenger with his wise words,
And bowed down humbly before her lord.
So Ishmael was born at last to Abraham, 2335
Even though he was eighty-six years old.
The son grew strong and flourished there,
As the angel of peace had promised Hagar.
Sometime later, after thirteen years,
The eternal Lord said to Abraham: 2340
“My blessed and beloved one, keep our covenant
As I have commanded. Be true to my teaching,
Eager to obey me, ready to work my will,
And I will fulfill my long-standing promise
To ease your pain because you have suffered, 2345
Gladden your heart, and sanctify your household.
Set the true sign of victory on each male
If you want me to be Lord and loyal friend
To you and all of your worthy descendants.
I will be shepherd and guardian of your people 2350
If you obey my laws and keep my commandments.
Each male child born into the tribe of men
Shall be circumcised after seven nights,
Marked with a victory-sign on the eighth day,
A token of my favor and our shared bond, 2355
Or be driven from the face of the earth
And my abiding protection, an exile and outlaw
Without wealth, without faith.
Do as I ask and I will keep our covenant—
The chosen must be marked with this sacred sign. 2360
Now, beloved Abraham, your wife Sarah
Shall bear you a son with my sure blessing,
Whom men shall name Isaac. Have no shame
For this late-born son, for I will bestow on him
Godly gifts, wealth and a winning way, 2365
Family and friends, divine favor,
Peace and prosperity, love and learning.
From that patriarch a progeny will spring—
Lords and leaders of a powerful people,
Warriors and princes, leaders and kings, 2370
Wielders of a nation renowned in the world.”
Then wise Abraham fell down laughing
With his face on the ground. The droll idea
That gray-haired Sarah could conceive a son
At the age of a hundred was wholly ridiculous. 2375
The Lord’s words were wildly absurd—
He could hardly keep his scoffing to himself.
Then old Abraham, who kept count of the years,
; Worldly-wise, answered back to God:
“May Ishmael, my son with the servant Hagar, 2380
Live according to all your commandments,
Offer you thanks, carry out your will
With a resolute mind and a steadfast heart,
By his words and deeds both day and night.”
Then the almighty Lord answered Abraham: 2385
“Though old in years and worn with winters,
Sarah shall bear you a son in this world,
And your seed shall spread endlessly over earth,
Fulfilling my promise of a great progeny.
I will bless Ishmael, your first-born son, 2390
As you have requested, so his race will multiply
All over the land—I grant you this gift.
But I will bless even more your son Isaac,
Who is coming into this world as a great wonder,
With an abundance of joy, a surety of salvation. 2395
I will love him through the length of his days
And fulfill in him my heartfelt promise,
Keeping my covenant with him forever.”
Abraham followed his Lord’s command,
Ordering his son to bear the sacred sign 2400
Of peace and protection, a holy circumcision—
And also the men of his extended household.
Wise in spirit and committed to the covenant
With almighty God, he also received
The glorious sign. His Creator and King 2405
Increased his wealth with worldly goods
Since he had obeyed his every command.
* * *
Then Sarah laughed at the Lord of hosts,
Not at all happily. After many long years,
She had laid down all dreams of a son. 2410
She scoffed at God and set aside his prophecy.
She couldn’t conceive of such a miracle
Or keep faith in God’s promise of fertility.
When the Lord of heaven heard the news
That the wife of Abraham was laughing 2415
Helplessly, hopelessly, in her bedchamber,
He reaffirmed his sacred pledge, saying:
“Sarah will not take the truth in what I’ve said
Or believe in this nascent miracle in the making—
Even so I will keep my steadfast word, 2420
The promise of pregnancy and a male heir.
Listen now to the truth of the Lord:
In this same season on my next journey,
A son shall be born to you and your bride.
When I return again to this hearth and home, 2425
A multitude of promises will be fulfilled,
The pledge of progeny, the gift of countless
Generations to come. And you Abraham
Will see that fulfillment with your own eyes.”
Then after this counsel, they quickly departed, 2430
Lot’s kinsman and his family, the holy ones
Eager to be gone. They traveled until
They could gaze upon Sodom, the city of sin,
With its shimmering towers and treasure-halls,
Palaces of pleasure wreathed in red gold. 2435
Then the righteous Ruler of high heaven
Spoke to Abraham in no uncertain terms:
“I hear the proud bawling and brawling
Of unrighteous men who are snared in sin,
The deafening din of roaring drunkards, 2440
The shameful speech of evil people,
Their brazen boasts, their wicked words,
Their envious whispers behind these walls.
The faults of the faith-breakers are numberless;
The torments of these traitors shall be endless. 2445
I will find out these countless covenant-wreckers,
Man of the Hebrews, and see if their sins
Are so darkly perverse in such devious ways—
From the habit of their minds to the way of their words,
From the drag of their deeds to the clutch of their crimes— 2450
That they shall be punished with the endless pain
Of brimstone and dark flames, grim and greedy,
Feeding in fury on that pagan people.”
* * *
Within the walls of Sodom, men and women
Were ripe for reaping suffering and sorrow. 2455
Proud of their wealth, they insulted God,
Paying the Lord back with evil for good,
Until the Guardian of souls, the Source and Sustainer
Of light and life, could tolerate their offenses
No longer, so he offered them the gift 2460
Of unleashed anger. Stern and steadfast,
God sent two mighty angelic messengers
Who arrived at the gates of Sodom in the evening,
Where they found the son of Haran sitting.
They seemed like young travelers to the sage. 2465
Then the Lord’s servant Lot greeted them,
Mindful of etiquette with the ethereal strangers,
Offering them safety and shelter for the night.
The messengers of God gave him an answer:
“We thank you for your courtesy and kindness, 2470
Your faith and favor, but we must remain here
Until the Lord lifts up the morning sun.”
Then Lot bowed down before the strangers,
Offering them food and rest in his own house,
Refreshment and refuge from the open night, 2475
A welcome gift of hearth and home.
The angels thanked him for his kind favor
And followed the Hebrew leader home
To enjoy a feast and friendly hospitality,
Trading talk until the light faded 2480
At evening’s end. Then night unfolded,
Clothing the sea with encroaching shadows,
Blanketing the broad land with darkness,
Gathering in its endless arms all earthly glory.
Then the sinful inhabitants of the city of Sodom, 2485
Young and old, who were unloved by God,
Surrounded Lot’s house in a great force,
Demanding to see the unwelcome strangers,
Aliens from abroad. They ordered Lot
To lead his visitors out of his home 2490
And offer them up to the waiting crowd,
Shamelessly shouting in rough words
That they wanted to have sex with the strangers,
The uninvited guests. They knew no decency.
Then Lot, son of Haran, servant of the Lord, 2495
Rose up to meet the ungracious multitude.
He was shrewd of mind, crafty of counsel,
As he spoke to the hostile horde, saying:
“Inside my house are two pure maidens,
My own dear daughters, neither of whom 2500
Has ever known the passion of bed-play
With a man. Hear now my counsel:
Cease this hostility, forsake this sin.
Leave these holy houseguests alone.
I will offer up my own beloved daughters, 2505
Before I will give up these godly guests.
Take these maidens before you shamefully commit
A sin against creation and the sons of men.
I will staunchly protect these men if I must
And defend them all before God.” 2510
Then the shameless crowd answered back:
“By rights you should leave our land.
You came here an exile, empty-handed,
Without friends and needing them. It’s odd that you
Should assume unquestioned authority over us. 2515
Is it your privilege to be our teacher?
Our leader? The prince of our people?”
Then as the story goes, the heathen hordes
Laid hands on Lot, driven by hostility,
/>
But his holy guests in their righteous wrath 2520
Helped him then, drawing him back
From the clutches of those cruel men,
Then sealed the eyesight of all the attackers.
Those brazen heathens, the sinners of Sodom,
Were struck blind. They could not see 2525
To take one step, let alone storm the house
In a savage assault against the strangers.
The now grim guests, the messengers of God,
Those spirits embodied a holy energy,
Braved the mob and backed them down. 2530
The day belonged to the angelic defenders—
They punished the people who assailed Lot.
Then the angels of power, the ministers of peace,
Spoke gently and reverently to their beloved host:
“Lot, leave this city with your kith and kin. 2535
If you have a cherished son, a dear daughter,
A fond friend, take them all immediately away
From this den of iniquity, this city of sin.
Flee from Sodom and save your lives,
Lest you perish with these faith-breakers, 2540
For the Lord has commanded us without constraint
To shatter the city of Sodom and Gomorrah,
Destroy its inhabitants, demolish its homes,
Drag every living being into dark fire,
Slaughter this nation without remorse, 2545
Raze this evil land which imagines itself
Beyond God’s wrath. The hour draws near.
Set out on the road to save your life.
The Lord has granted his faithful followers
The gift of mercy. Now make haste.” 2550
* * *
[Then Lot warned his wife and daughters,
Who listened to him and prepared to flee—
But his sons-in-law laughed at Lot
And mocked him for being a fearful fool.
So the angelic strangers set Lot on the road 2555
Away from the city with his wife and daughters,
Telling them not to tarry or look back
At the conflagration lest they also be consumed.
Lot thanked the angels for leading them out,
But he feared for his family on this long journey,] 2560
So he stopped and said quickly to the strangers:
“We cannot travel far on foot with these women
In search of shelter. I ask you to grant me
The favor and friendship of close kin
And a pledge of protection in this terrible time. 2565
The high city of Zoar is not far away.
There we can find respite and repose,
Safety and security. If you will shield that town
From the blazing wrath of righteous flames,
We can seek shelter there and save our lives.” 2570
Then the righteous answered in friendship:
The Complete Old English Poems Page 18
