Oh Judith, a daring and beautiful widow saved Israel…
Your courage worth praise for sacrificing a drunken lover,
Who longs for you as a tiger desiring a fallow-deer.
How could you perform this act of women’s liberty?
How could you remain on the canvas of Bethulia’s victory?
The final scene of the enemy’s rich banquet is your heroic deed, -
Decapitate of Holofernes, the leader of the enemies,
To whom you slowly ingratiate yourself, imploring his mercy…
Then have taken his head back to your fearful countrymen,
Laid siege of the Assyrian army sent by king Nebuchadrezzar.
The enemy had retreated for lack of their frightful leader…
…The Holofernes’s head is a symbol of Liberty and Victory.
The brave daughter of Israel returns triumph to Bethulia.
Delightful paintings of Caravaggio and Giorgione, -
The memory forever of the brave gorgeous woman Judith.
Author notes
"The Assyrian king Nebuchadrezzar sends an army against Israel to demand overdue tributes. Under the leadership of the general Holofernes, the Assyrians lay siege to the town of Bethulia and are about to conquer it. The young Jewish widow Judith goes to him to implore mercy. He falls in love with her and she indulges him. After a rich banquet and having drunk much wine, Holofernes falls asleep. Judith beheads him, flees the enemy camp, and returns victorious to Bethulia."
A contest entry
- Mythology, tell me a story. by Aedara-Wren.
700 points, ended August 8, 6 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - prewritesprewritesprewrites, please. by epitome.
250 points, ended August 18, 35 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 7 of 7
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Thanks for your entry!
This poem really intrigued me about the story, so I was glad you put it in you an! After reading it, I re-read the poem, and many of your references made more sense. I enjoy playing detective with poems like this! Well done.
Good luck; -
Wow, love the story! And though using the Bible as a reference isn't really "mythology" congrats on the trophy.
beautiful use of poetic words <3
x
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Very Nice
Thank You for refreshing the story.
Howard
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Very nice write here, and best of luck in the contest (though I would not quite call this mythology.) Regardless, a nice job sharing a story that is not all that well known.
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This is a good view on one of the overlooked tales of the ancient world. Far too much emphasis is placed on the deeds of the men, it seems to have been forgotten, the great deeds and sacrifices made by women over the years.
Peace
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Sometimes a story is important and the poetry is just the vehicle to carry the important idea. A woman who saves her nation is the history that gives pride to people, and to young women who may not often hear of the sHeroes of their past. Wonderful inspiration here...PK
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An interesting choice here but then Biblical stories are a particularly fascinating form of mythology (if one chooses not to believe they are true of course). this particular story has been used by an Anglo Saxon writer to celebrate the heroism of a woman prepared to sacrifice so much for religion and it is very good to find an admirable figure in this sort of story unlike in Greek mythology where the characters always seem a little flawed.
About the poem, this is a really simply told story but with the addition of some lovely little lines for example the third line (although grammatically I may have to find some fault with it) I love the simile here. There are other places where the grammar falls down a little but perhaps there is a reason for that so i shan't make too much of a point of it. A lovely homage to a great story or the heroism of one person.
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