Judith and Holofernes. A Poem. A retelling in verse of the Apocryphal story of Judith and Holofernes--in which the heroic Judith defends the Jewish people by beheading Holofernes, a general in the invading army of Nebuchadnezzar--that depicts Judith in a very favorable light. In Aldrich's own words, "Judith's character throughout the ancient legend lacks the note of tenderness with which the writer has here attempted to accent her heroism" (vi).