"Journey of the Magi"

If you were ever in or ever watched a Christmas play with the baby Jesus and Mary, shepherds and such, there were probably wise men. These were the Magi referred to in this poem; Magi were (probably) an ancient Persian priestly group, who were, in part, king-makers involved in the selection of leaders. Magi has the same language origin as MAGIC in English.

So the speaker of the poem is ONE of these guys; he is remembering his trip to follow the star. Notice in the first stanza the problems they had in the trip itself, the same sorts of problems that people experience today. They were homesick as they “regretted/ The summer palaces on slopes . . /And the silken girls bringing sherbet.” Also the cities were “hostile,” towns “unfriendly,” villages “charging high prices.” We can, in fact, sympathize with their weariness of traveling since we have experienced similar issues traveling from home. What a great way to bring us into the mind of the speaker Magi! We know how he feels.  The description of the “camel men cursing and grumbling . . . wanting their liquor and women” further puts us in sympathy with the problems of the trip itself, something most of us have probably not even thought about. These guys would have traveled hundreds of miles across hostile terrain in bad weather, not sure of what they would find when they arrived.

Then the next stanza gets to the part of the trip where the Magi near the birthplace. Notice the images are suddenly of the fruitful, pleasant valley, “running stream,” etc. But check the last line of the stanza where he says they found the place “satisfactory.” This is their big moment—they MEET Jesus, and the speaker says it is satisfactory—a huge understatement surely.

Finally, the speaker reflects on what life has been life since he returned home. His questions--whether he would go again, how hard it was for them, how it seemed more like death than birth--all suggest that he was changed profoundly by the experience. Why do you think he was “no longer at ease” back home “With an alien people clutching their gods”? If this was home, why are the people at home “alien” now?