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Andrea Poole

Professor Detzner

English Comp II

23 September 2018

Point of View -vs- Position of ​“Journey of the Magi​”

T. S. Eliot’s poem “Journey of the Magi” is typical of his inventive and unconventional

style that is accompanied by his ability to use vibrant illustrations throughout its entirety. The

sheer depth of symbolism T. S. Eliot is known for causes the reader to assume a rather complex

rendering. Christian interpolations and symbols that the author is known to use proves it has a

potent religious theme. As the poem uses anachronism to explore the presence of Christ along

with various religious symbols, it begins to create a sense of isolation and disconnect that causes

time to transcend. The perception of helplessness and isolation that is felt leads me to believe the

speaker is caught between two different worlds while being confused as to which one they truly

belong. “Journey of the Magi” metaphorically describes T.S Eliot’s own feelings toward his

conversion from his past religion into Christianity which causes him to sense a threat to his

cultural and ethnic identity. After being given the opportunity to analyze some ot the images and

curious detail throughout this poem, one begins to develop a deep level of appreciation of its

religious significance. In the Bible the book of Ephesians (2:4-5), Paul describes the rebirth of

the world upon Jesus's death, emphasizing the Ephesians New Life. The theme of death and

rebirth is present throughout this poem and is structurally divided into three stages corresponding

to the sacrament of penance, guilt, confession and satisfaction.

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T. S. Eliot wrote of the Magi, who are also known as being called a “skilled magician”

and are often referred to being astrologers. A “Magi” as described in the Bible, are of a learned

priestly class of Persian people. Ancient historians originally referred to the “Magi” as belonging

to the Median Tribe. T. S. Eliot has beautifully created a story that has taken place during

Christmas time about the birth of baby Jesus as it is seen through the eyes of a Magus, who has

traveled to Bethlehem. As odd as it may seem, throughout the entirety of this challenging piece

of poetry; T.S Eliot makes no mention toward Christ’s name, nor does he mention that the infant

they are traveling to visit is baby Jesus. Although, the title alone gives the reader some idea of

what the poem is about. A trip of the Magi to Bethlehem where baby Jesus is going to be born.

Actually, an interpretation of the three wise men’s trip to go see baby Jesus from a different

perspective, a biblical one, does not even mention any of the difficulties that they witnessed

along their journey even though the wise men did indeed encounter obstacles on top of obstacles

as they soldiered on to their destination. For example, the passages ​“A cold coming we had it,

Just the worst time of the year For a journey, and such a long journey.” ​and​ “The ways deep and

the weather sharp, The very dead of winter.” ​seems to​ ​make references toward the Magi coming

from a ways away; Persia, and the weather is cold and brutal because they are making this

journey in the dead of winter, around Christmas time.

At the very beginning, the first few lines are in quotation marks, as if the author is

quoting someone prior, instead his use of anachronism is evident as he refers to a sermon given

by Lancelot Andrewes, an Anglican Bishop in 1622. This basically sets the scene for the rest of

the stanza, as it portrays images of an extremely cold winter season with plenty of snowfall.
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A Magus begins to recount specific hardships experienced along the journey, he begins to

describe how miserable the camels felt having to combat the harshness of the elements alongside

their caretakers, the Camel men. They too, were miserable as they whined and complained about

the situation they were made to be part of. For example, lines six through ten:

“And the camels galled, sore-footed, refractory,

“Lying down in the melting snow.”

“There were times we regretted

“The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,”

“And the silken girls bringing sherbet.”

They even threatened to abandon their responsibilities because had the camelmen not been

assigned to this journey, they would be at home where they would be much warmer and among

the company of women. Further proof the men were miserable, the passages from lines eleven

through fifteen:

“Then the camel men cursing and grumbling”

“And running away, and wanting their liquor and women,”

“And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters”

“And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly”

“And the villages dirty, and charging high prices”

I believe Eliot is discussing the difficulties he experienced on his quest for faith. He goes on to

tell us of the beliefs he was leaving behind. Of course, I do not believe Eliot’s old beliefs had

anything to do with girls in silken wear carrying around drinks, but he is however, expressing the

doubt he felt. Maybe he (Eliot) thought that, by the end of the journey, what he gained would not
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be at all worth what he had left in the beginning, just as the Magi must have thought, as some of

them were distracted along the way by things of little spiritual value. Still today, people allow

themselves to become distracted from their spiritual destinations by things with little meaning.

The Magi now ‘preferred to travel all night’ and faced moments full of agony and self

doubt. The Magi begin to wonder if they made a mistake to embark on such a journey to another

land to visit a baby born in a manager who happened to be a saviour to all, believers and

non-believers. For example, the passages proving doubt are lines sixteen through twenty:

“A hard time we had of it.”

“At the end, we preferred to travel all night,”

“Sleeping in snatches,”

“With the voices singing in our ears, saying”

“That this was all folly”

The author’s illustrative description of the journey seems to reiterate the awful experience had by

all.

The Magi finally reach a ‘temperate valley’, temperate meaning a mild, a welcoming

sight to their tired eyes, which was an inviting contrast to the wintery weather they had

previously encountered on their trip there. For example, passages from lines twenty one through

twenty four further enhance the non-winter atmosphere proving the seasons have suddenly

changed:

“Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,”

“Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;”

“With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,”

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“And three trees on the low sky”

The second half of the poem if filled with symbolism that one could interpret the sudden

movement from winter to spring to mean either the birth of Jesus or maybe salvation. as with the

‘temperate valley’ signifying the change that occured in their lives after their treacherous trip.

They come across a ‘running stream’ signifying the timelessness of the journey; ‘water-mill

beating the darkness’ signaling the image of renewal and extinction or life and death. As

Christians, we know that the singling out three particular trees, is Eliot’s use of imagery that

points way into the future. At that time, the Magus would have no way of knowing that the baby

they were about to meet would be crucified years later.

The last observation of the Magi before the transcend into the town is an ‘old white

horse’. This seems to be symbolizing our conventional Christian God. ‘Old’ and ‘white’ reminds

me of a description of a rather older man with long flowing hair and beard wearing a white robe.

However, the horse, I believe is T.S. Eliot making reference to the Bible. Probably the most

famous reference in the Bible to horses are the four horses of the Apocalypse. The horses come

down to Earth to cleanse it of the sinners in Revelations. I also believe the image of our gentle

God combined a horse, that according to the Bible is one of the animals that wreaks havoc on

mankind, is a significant detail. Meaning, the horse is running away, so to me I think Eliot is

making reference to God having given us His Son to live on Earth, and God is going to retreat

for a while. The passages that seem to make this reference are lines twenty five through twenty

eight:

“And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.”

“Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,”

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“Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,”

“And feet kicking the empty wine-skins”

The Magi come to a tavern, which probably doubled as an inn, where they notice several

men on the floor throwing dice and gambling. The mention of ‘empty wine-skins’ could cause

one to also believe the men were tipsy. ‘Wine-skins’, long ago were made from the stomach of

goats or a cow, was used to hold wine. Eliot creatively sneaks in religious allusions in which he

uses the word ‘lintel’ which alludes to the Passover story from Exodus 12. God instructs the

Israelites to splash blood over their doors on the lintel to protect their first born child. An allusion

is also being used to reference the Gospel of Matthew where Judas is paid thirty pieces of silver

for betraying Jesus.

The Magi asked the men on the floor gambling if they knew where the stable where baby

Jesus had been born was located. They drunk men did not seem to have a clue as to where they

were speaking of, as if they were totally ignorant to the birth of the messiah happening in their

town. The Magi forward onward for the rest of the day until finally they come to the right spot,

apparently just in the knick of time too, saying the place was ‘satisfactory’. The passages prove

this in lines twenty nine through thirty:

“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.”

T.S. Eliot never uses the word ‘stable’ or ‘manger’ to indicate where the Magi are to find the

baby Jesus. It is as if Eliot assumes we, as Christians should already know where the Magi would

find the newborn baby. Although, they probably never expected the birthplace of the saviour of
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the world and king of the Jews would be born in a manager. The Magi knew they were going to

witness the birth of a saviour, they just were not sure whose saviour the baby would become. The

words inside the parenthesis seems to be the author's way of making the reader comprehend it to

mean it was said with sarcasm.

Eliot seems to shift time, suddenly making it apparent the story is being told after the

fact. The journey had already taken place and after having seen the new baby’s birth, the

hardships and misery they encountered seemed to have been forgotten, and if they were to be

asked to do this again, they would do so. For example, the passages that say so are lines thirty

two through thirty six:

“All this was a long time ago, I remember,”

“And I would do it again, but set down”

“This set down”

“This: were we led all that way for”

“Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly,”

Eliot seems to be reminiscing, as if he is sitting in front of the fireplace giving an account of the

past events of his life. Now he is in the present, he would experience everything all over again.

However, it seems the Magus still has a question that is bugging him, were they there to witness

a birth or a death? The author is able to answer half of the question, they did indeed witness the

birth of baby Jesus, and reference to the former way of life of the Magi, who loved to drink

alcohol and womanize.

T.S. Eliot seems to reinforce the fact they did in fact witness a birth, but life thereafter

changed. ‘Death’ is being used metaphorically, before birth and death were opposite of one
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another. The Magi now look at their own people as ‘alien people’. They are ‘no longer at ease’

with ‘their gods’ after having seen the messiah whose birth was actually the death of their world

and the ways they knew it to be. The Magus said that the ‘Birth’ was a ‘hard and bitter agony’

for all of the Magi as if it was their death. The Magus admits the birth of Jesus us the ending of

their reign on Earth. The passage that was devoted to the end of the Magis reign are in lines

thirty seven through thirty nine:

“We had evidence and no doubt. I have seen birth and death;”

“But had thought they were different; this Birth was”

“Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death”

Even though the Magi knew they would be at the end of their reign as Kings, they felt compelled

to make the journey to the foreign land, to offer their gifts to the one baby who would grow up to

establish a new world that excluded them.

The Magi packed up their belongings after the birth of Jesus to begin the journey home.

They seem to be different, they are not their usual selves, they are depressed and uncomfortable.

The Magus begins to go into more detail about their old ways and religion, ‘the old

dispensation’. The other members of their tribe seem to look like ‘an alien people’ as the worship

false gods. As lines forty through forty three say:

“We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,”

“But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,”

“With an alien people clutching their gods”

“I should be glad of another death.”

The Magus ends by wishing for another death, perhaps Christ’s death, the Crucifixion.
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The Crucifixion and Resurrection brought redemption and forgiveness to Earth. The author is

just preparing himself as he waits for the day that signifies true change, the death of all that is old

and welcomes the birth of his new religion, Christianity.

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Works Cited

Gyamfi, Yaw Adu and Schmidt, M.R. ​Literature and Spirituality​, 2011. Print.