The poem
When forests walked and fishes flew And figs grew upon thorn, Some moment when the moon was blood, Then, surely, I was born.
With monstrous head and sickening bray And ears like errant wings— The devil's walking parody Of all four-footed things:
The battered outlaw of the earth Of ancient crooked will; Scourge, beat, deride me—I am dumb— I keep my secret still.
Fools! For I also had my hour— One far fierce hour and sweet: There was a shout around my head And palms about my feet.
When I read this poem for the first time I did not understand head or tail of the last stanza. Then there was this little girl on the net who told me that the last stanza referred to the time baby Jesus was atop the donkey. The donkey thinks that all people are bowing down to it whereas the people are all prostrating to Jesus
I have loved this poem since it was first read to me as a school child It's meaning for me is that this comical animal was given the honour of carrying Jesus . It reminds me too look for beauty and worth in unlikely people and places
Chesterton shows that greatness can be found in modest, even lowly actions. The donkey carried Jesus at least three times: when Joseph brought Mary to Bethlehem where the He was born; when Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt with the Child; and Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Chesterton is refering in this poem to the time when Jesus was an adult and he rode a donkey into the city less than one week before his crucifixion. It says in the Bible that people waived palm branches as Jesus entered the city. Dale Ahlquist, President of the American Chesterton Society, had a bit of advice for those who forget God uses things, whether animals or people, often considered by the world as worthless (such as the donkey) to do great things for Him. Ahlquist's advice was, "Be careful before you call somebody {a donkey}, he may be carrying Christ."
I too have loved this poem ever since I was young, and used it in two poetry exams. It points to us how we see such flaws in God's creations, but even an insignificant animal (as we see it) can play such an important role....it reminds us not to judge.
Such an amazing poen.
Just like the story "Gift of the Magi"
Such ones come in once a life time may be.
An insignificant animal (meaning a person) like the donkey had its moments in life, had its greatness.
Never ever judge a book by its cover they say.
Surely the poem has been mis-quoted - it should be "tattered outlaw" not "battered".
With the wrong word, it weakens the power of "starve, scourge, deride me".
I just reread this poem after not reading it for over 25 years. I had a copy of it folded in my Bible as a child--it is such an amazing poem. God can take the lowliest to be do significant things.
S.Sukamar is right, the donkey thinks it is being worshipped, not Jesus. The Romans persistently slandered Christians and Jews with the rumour that they worshipped a donkey god. To the Greeks, the donkey was associated with Saturn and the Titans, the old Gods of Greece. The first verse, and lines like "ancient crooked will", hint that the donkey is something from a past age (and the donkey was domesticated long…
Read the whole commentS.Sukamar is right, the donkey thinks it is being worshipped, not Jesus. The Romans persistently slandered Christians and Jews with the rumour that they worshipped a donkey god. To the Greeks, the donkey was associated with Saturn and the Titans, the old Gods of Greece. The first verse, and lines like "ancient crooked will", hint that the donkey is something from a past age (and the donkey was domesticated long before the domestication of the horse, an event which must have plunged the civilised world into turmoil). The ass headed or ass eared god/monster is a common figure in a lot of mythologies (Set, Midas, Typhon, Gisbourne, Bottom, Batman etc.) sometimes benign and sometimes terrifying. To Christians, the donkey is a symbol of humility, and as such it is often contrasted with the lion, the proud king of beasts. But to pagans the donkey is also a fertility symbol, and a calendar symbol, a creature that conceives at midwinter and gives birth at midsummer, associated with holly. The holy midwinter tree that flowers in summer (e.g.In Mallory's The Quest of the holy grail Hector has a dream in which Lancelot is wreathed in holly and riding a donkey). Dionysus also rode a donkey and dressed in purple.
Just read this poem after aprox 30yrs....still means the same as it did then...Jesus was making a huge political statement in choosing the donkey to carry him into Jerusalem
The Donkey
Just heard this poem at Bible class, then found it on the net. What a beautiful poem. Jesus chooses the least to do great things and holy is His Name.
THE DONKEY
so, this poem came back to me this morning after 55 years. I wrote it down as I remembered it, since I memorized it when I was 10 years old and living in England. Yes, It is the "tattered outlaw of the earth", at least the version I memorized. I don't think I analyzed it when I was 10 and I'm still not trying very hard to anyalyze it now. I just loved it. Not as a Christian, not as a pagan, but as a person,it transports me to another world and gives me comfort. All the comments I've read here are interesting. For me it is a kinesthetic experience.
"The Donkey"
Humility is perhaps the ability that God looks for most when He is seeking someone to do an important job. The donkey was surely an unlikely candidate to carry the King of Kings. Why not a majestic horse? God often uses the things despised in this world to accomplish His purposes. This gives me hope that even I may bear Christ and bring him glory.