JAMB - Literature In English (1978 - No. 33)
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 and 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
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.
(From T.S Elliott's 'Journey Of The Magi')
The Magi are no longer at ease because
And i would do it again,but set down
This set down
This:were we led all that way for
Birth and 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
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.
(From T.S Elliott's 'Journey Of The Magi')
The Magi are no longer at ease because
they suffered alot on their way to Bethlehem
they found greater spiritual satisfaction from their journey
death and birth are one and the same thing
their kingdoms can no longer offer them satisfaction
the world has changed for the worse
Explanation
The Magi express a sense of disillusionment in the final lines of the stanza, stating:
We returned to our places, these kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
This suggests that, after their transformative journey, the Magi no longer feel comfortable or at peace in their previous kingdoms. The experience has altered their perceptions, and they find it hard to reconcile with the old ways or the old beliefs.
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