A short yet dense poem, the similarity is drawn between the Savior and a docile Gentleman makes this poem a fascinating one. The savior in this poem is Jesus Christ and Dickinson tells what He has gone through to become the docile Gentleman. Take a look at the poem.
The Savior Must Have Been A Docile Gentleman
The Savior must have been
A docile Gentleman—
To come so far so cold a Day
For little Fellowmen—
The Road to Bethlehem
Since He and I were Boys
Was leveled, but for that ‘twould be
A rugged Billion Miles—
The essence of the poem
As the delightful time of Christmas approaches, this poem fits the setting well. The poem speaks of the religious tones in the life of Dickinson. It is about how Christ comes to his devotees in the cold month of December.
The Savior must have been
A docile Gentleman—
To come so far so cold a Day
For little Fellowmen—
Here we get an amalgamation of docile and savior. A savior is someone whom we cannot imagine to be docile. A docile is quite the opposite of a savior. And yet both the quality in Christ is present.
Christ is the Savior and yet, when his little fellowmen need him, he comes no matter how cold the weather is, how long the walk is.
The Road to Bethlehem
Since He and I were Boys
Was leveled, but for that ‘twould be
A rugged Billion Miles—
Here, leveled means that the road was once uneven but now it has become equally accessible to all the people. But perhaps in the mixing and layering of cultures, perhaps the true essence of Christmas was lost. And this true essence lies under the leveled field, a rugged billion miles beneath. This concludes the article.
Hold on, before you go, how about reading some more poems by Emily Dickinson? Here are some interesting insights and meaning about her poems. Take a look:
- How Emily Dickinson’s Wild Nights! was one of the most controversial poems by her
- Tell the Truth but Tell it Slant tells so much about how truth should be revealed.
- How to get through a tough time? Hope is the Thing with Feathers by Emily Dickison shows the power of hope
- I’m Nobody, Who Are You- A sort of autobiographical poem by Dickinson