Jonathan Hancock
Mrs. Streblow
AP English Literature and Composition
30 April 2002
Comparing “The Magi” by William Butler Yeats and “Journey of the Magi” by TS Eliot
With “The Magi” and “Journey of the Magi,” both Yeats and Eliot cast the Three Kings of The Bible normally enshrouded with glamour and commitment in a new light. Neither talk of gold, frankencense, and myhrr or the very convenient story that three simply felt compelled to leave their homelands and follow a star pervades these too less-than-compelling accounts. Instead, Eliot and Yeats seemed focused on the monumental leap of faith the three took in abandoning their kingdoms for an arduous journey, only to see what had to be a rather disappointing sight – a poor child in a stable. All that surrounds the kings does not glimmer with promise and extravagancy. With “camel men cursing and grumbling…and wanting their liquor and women” (Eliot), “in their stiff, painted clothes,” “the pale unsatisfied ones” have faces “like rain-beaten stones”(Yeats), hardly conjuring up the Biblical images of the Magi as triumphant sages resolved to convert their pagan lands. Nonetheless, while both appear skeptical of the motivations of The Magi and focus of the relative dissatisfaction and restlessness of the Magi, neither can deny the impact of the journey. As Eliot’s Magi puts it, “There was a Birth, certainly,…” and Yeats does not dispute that there exists “The uncontrollable mystery on the bestial floor.”
Both poems seem to apply the Story of the Magi to present day as well. From reading both works, I get the sense that Yeats and Eliot see all humans as Magi roaming the plains in search of spiritual replenishment. Even though the Bible claims that the Three Kings found incontrovertible evidence of the Virgin Birth and felt compelled to spread the news across their kingdoms, I think both poets are urging Christians and non-Christians alike to really examine their religious beliefs.