The Journey Of The Magi By Thomas Stearns Eliot
The Poetic Meaning Of The Difficult Words And Expressions In The Poem
Deep- Far
Weather sharp- The weather is unfriendly
Winter- The coldest season of the year
Camels galled- Camels refuse to move
Refractory- Difficult to control
Summer- The warmest season of the year
Terraces- A flat, hard area
Silken girls- Beautiful girls
Sherbet- Food of frozen fruit juice with milk
Snatches- Short period
Folly- Doing something stupid
Temperate- Conducive
Tavern- An inn where alcoholic drinks are sold
Old dispensation- Old religion
Alien- Unbelievers
Clutching- Worshiping their gods
Content
The Journey of the Magi is a non-African poem by T.S Eliot which is based on life’s journey as full of thick and thorn for someone to be successful in life. The poem illustrates the fact that nothing good comes easily and that the road to success is rough.
T.S Eliot makes use of the story of the three wise men (The Magi) in the Holy Bible who embark on a journey from the east for the re-birth of their souls to visit baby Jesus with gifts; Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. (Matthew 2 vs 1 to 12)
Before the wise men reach their destination, they face a lot of difficulties, discouragement, and inconveniences, but with determination, they weather the storm. This teaches a lot of lessons about life.
The poem is divided into three phases. The first phase discusses the journey of the three wise men right from their homes and the difficulties they face in the first part of the journey. The second phase gives them hope as they reach a more comfortable environment. The last part is about their destination.
The first stanza opens with a description of the weather of the period the three wise men embark on the journey. This tells us that the weather of the period was harsh,
“A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey;
The ways deep and the weather sharp,”
The period is during the dry harmattan season that they embark on the long journey, which takes them traveling through the desert, the heat of the sand of the desert disturbs the camel the men are traveling on.
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter
And the camels galled, sore- footed, refractory.”
They also share their experiences on the way; they sleep under the melting snow and other inconveniences that make them regret ever embarking on the journey. The beautiful girls that come to them with sweet meals to lure them “silken girls” make them remember home and their beautiful wives at home.
“Lying down in the melting snow,
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.”
The camel men who guide them on the way also complain that they miss their women and drinks, which at times they run away.
“Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
And running away, and wanting their liquor and women.”
The men also express the unfriendly attitudes of the people they meet on the way. They charge an exorbitant amount for their accommodation, despite the filthy environment. They then choose to travel all night with little or no sleep at all.
“And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the village dirty and charging high prices;
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night.
Sleeping in snatches,”
A discouraging voice always tells them that nothing is going to be achieved on the journey, that it is just a foolish adventure.
“With the voices singing in our ears, saying, saying
That this was all folly.”
In the second phase, the men are now in a more conducive environment compared with the previous places. The environment is wet, smelling of vegetation with a running stream. A place of eating and drinking is seen here.
“Then at dawn we came down to a temperate alley.
Wet below the snow line, smelling of vegetation,
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,”
This tells them that they are closer to their destination.
“And three trees on the low sky.
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.”
The “three trees”, the cross of Jesus Christ, and the “old white horse” refer to the donkey Jesus Christ rode to enter Jerusalem.
“Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,”
This refers to the casting of lots for the sharing of Jesus Christ’s garments and Judas’ betrayal of Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver.
They continue on their journey since they have not reached where they are going, nothing tells them that they are there already. They reach there in the evening but the place is not so satisfactory to them. Jesus Christ was born in a manger.
“But there was no information, and so we continued
And arrived at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory.”
The men recount the agonies they pass through before they reach the place and say that despite the experiences, they would wish to do it again. They refer to it as Birth and Death. Death is the bad experience they have on the way, while Birth is the birth of Jesus Christ. They also compare the Birth to death because of the bitter experiences they have before witnessing the Birth.
“Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death.
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.”
The last part of the poem discusses the return of the men to their places after the re-birth. They are no longer comfortable living with their people because they are no longer used to the old religions that are being practiced by their people. They conclude that they would be happy to embark on another journey of salvation.
Themes
SUCCESS IS ATTACHED TO DIFFICULTIES: The poem teaches us that nothing good comes easily. The three men embark on the journey of salvation during the dry harsh weather. It is a long journey that they still have to pass through the desert. The road to success is rough.
“A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey;
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter
And the camels galled, sore- footed, refractory.”
DETERMINATION: Despite the unfriendly conditions the men are exposed to, they continue on the journey until they achieve their aims. With determination, they overcome the problems.
REGRET: At a stage, the problem was about overcoming them that they regretted ever embarking on the journey, but with determination, they overcame it.
WOMEN AS AN AGENT OF DESTRUCTION: The men encounter women on their way as part of the agents that discourage them on the journey.
HOSTILITY: The villagers the men meet on the way are not friendly to them; they charge high prices to accommodate them.
SALVATION: As the men move closer to their destination, they begin to enjoy friendly weather and environment. This teaches us that there is joy in salvation.
HUMBLENESS: The men are not satisfied with the place because Jesus Christ was born in a manger. This is a sign of humbleness, for a king to be born in a manger.
BIRTH: This is shown by the birth of Jesus Christ which brings salvation to the world.
Poetic Devices
BIBLICAL ALLUSION: There is extensive use of Biblical allusion in the poem. The poet uses the story of the three wise men in the Bible to illustrate the fact that success is not achieved on a platter of gold. Reference is also made to the cross of Jesus Christ as well as Judas Iscariot negotiating the betrayal of Jesus Christ.
ALLITERATION: There is also the use of alliteration in the poem. We have it in lines 1, 3, 4, 9, 11, 12, 18, 19, 27, 29, 35.
REPETITION: There is constant repetition of “time” in the poem to show the time of the journey. “And” is also repeated severally in the poem likewise “Birth and Death.” The essence of repetition is to emphasize and to call the attention of the people.
LANGUAGE: The poet’s choice of words and expression is in line with the subject matter. The Biblical allusion aptly brings out the message of the poem. The vocabulary used is also simple for easier understanding of the poem. There is also the appropriate use of alliteration and repetition in the poem.
DRAMATIC: The poem can be dramatized. The three wise men can be turned to characters as well as the camel men and the hostile villagers.
MOOD: The mood of the poet has an admixture of sadness and happiness. The experiences of the Magi at the beginning are sad, but toward the end of the poem, the mood changes to that of happiness because of the friendly environment and the re-birth of the wise men.
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