Laurel · Bliss Carman · Later Poems

The Wise Men from the East (A Little Boy's Christmas Lesson)

Bliss Carman (1861–1929) · 1921

iambic trimeter · ABAB · 76 lines · from Later Poems

Why were the Wise Men three,Instead of five or seven?"They had to match, you see,The archangels in Heaven.

God sent them, sure and swift,By his mysterious presage,To bear the threefold giftAnd take the threefold message.

Thus in their hands were seenThe gold of purest Beauty,The myrrh of Truth all-clean,The frankincense of Duty.

And thus they bore awayThe loving heart's great treasure,And knowledge clear as day,To be our life's new measure.

They went back to the EastTo spread the news of gladness.There one became a priestTo the new word of sadness;

And one a workman, skilledBeyond the old earth's fashion;And one a scholar, filledWith learning's endless passion.

God sent them for a signHe would not change nor alterHis good and fair design,However man may falter.

He meant that, as He choseHis perfect plan and willed it,They stood in place of thoseWho elsewhere had fulfilled it;

Whoso would mark and reachThe height of man's election,Must still achieve and teachThe triplicate perfection.

For since the world was made,One thing was needed ever,To keep man undismayedThrough failure and endeavor--

A faultless trinityOf body, mind, and spirit,And each with its own threeStrong angels to be near it;

Strength to arise and goWherever dawn is breaking,Poise like the tides that flow,Instinct for beauty-making;

Imagination boldTo cross the mystic border,Reason to seek and hold,Judgment for law and order;

Joy that makes all things well,Faith that is all-availingEach terror to dispel,And Love, ah, Love unfailing.

These are the flaming NineWho walk the world unsleeping,Sent forth by the DivineWith manhood in their keeping.

These are the seraphs strongHis mighty soul had need of,When He would right the wrongAnd sorrow He took heed of.

And that, I think, is whyThe Wise Men knelt before Him,And put their kingdoms byTo serve Him and adore Him;

So that our Lord, unknown,Should not be unattended,When He was here aloneAnd poor and unbefriended;

That still He might have three(Rather than five or seven)To stand in their degree,Like archangels in Heaven.

Words in this poem

went n.: Course; way; path; journey; direction.
sadness n.: Heaviness; firmness.
falter v. t.: To thrash in the chaff; also, to cleanse or sift, as barley.
whoso pron.: Whosoever. Piers Plowman.
triplicate a.: Made thrice as much; threefold; tripled. Triplicate ratio (Math.), the ratio of the cubes of two quantities; thus, the triplicate ratio of a to b is a3: b3. [L. triplicatus, p. p. of triplicare to triple, treble; tri- (see Tri-) + plicare to fold. See Ply, v. t.]
faultless a.: Without fault; not defective or imperfect; free from blemish; free from incorrectness, vice, or offense; perfect; as, a faultless poem.
wherever adv.: At or in whatever place; wheresoever.
dispel v. t.: To drive away by scattering, or so to cause to vanish; to clear away; to banish; to dissipate; as, to dispel a cloud, vapors, cares, doubts, illusions. [L. dispellere; dis- + pellere to push, drive. See Pulse a beating.]
adore v. t.: To worship with profound reverence; to pay divine honors to; to honor as deity or as divine. [OE. aouren, anouren, adoren, OF. aorer, adorer, F. adorer, fr. L. adorare; ad + orare to speak, pray, os, oris, mouth. In OE. confused with honor, the French pr]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

The Wise Men from the East (A Little Boy's Christmas Lesson) is in the public domain. This text is taken from Later Poems, Project Gutenberg ebook #33417; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Bliss Carman, The Wise Men from the East (A Little Boy's Christmas Lesson), in Later Poems (1921), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #33417, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/carman-later-poems/the-wise-men-from-the-east-a-little-boy-s-christmas-lesson.html, id L11075.

Form and metre

The Wise Men from the East (A Little Boy's Christmas Lesson) is 76 lines in 19 stanzas of 4 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, complete in 18 of its 19 stanzas. The metre is iambic trimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 91%). 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 6.6 syllables. 32 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 36% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

See other poems in iambic trimeter.

Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.

Rhyme words, stanza by stanza

The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.

1 ABAB three^A · seven^B · see^A · heaven^B
2 ABAB swift^A · presage^B · gift^A · message^B
3 ABAB seen^A · beauty^B · clean^A · duty^B
4 ABAB away^A · treasure^B · day^A · measure^B
5 ABAB east^A · gladness^B · priest^A · sadness^B
6 ABAB skilled^A · fashion^B · filled^A · passion^B
7 ABAB sign^A · alter^B · design^A · falter^B
8 ABAB chose^A · it^B · those^A · it^B
9 ABAB reach^A · election^B · teach^A · perfection^B
10 ABAB made^A · ever^B · undismayed^A · endeavor^B
11 -A-A trinity · spirit^A · three · it^A
12 ABAB go^A · breaking^B · flow^A · making^B
13 ABAB bold^A · border^B · hold^A · order^B
14 ABAB well^A · availing^B · dispel^A · unfailing^B
15 ABAB nine^A · unsleeping^B · divine^A · keeping^B
16 ABAB strong^A · of^B · wrong^A · of^B
17 ABAB why^A · him^B · by^A · him^B
18 ABAB unknown^A · unattended^B · alone^A · unbefriended^B
19 ABAB three^A · seven^B · degree^A · heaven^B

Scansion, line by line

Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic trimeter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
Why were the Wise Men three,	6	······
Instead of five or seven?"	7	˘/···/˘
They had to match, you see,	6	······
The archangels in Heaven.	7	··/˘·/˘
God sent them, sure and swift,	6	······
By his mysterious presage,	8	··˘/˘˘/˘
To bear the threefold gift	6	···/··
And take the threefold message.	7	···/·/˘
Thus in their hands were seen	6	······
The gold of purest Beauty,	7	···/˘/˘
The myrrh of Truth all-clean,	6	······
The frankincense of Duty.	7	·/˘··/˘
And thus they bore away	6	····˘/
The loving heart's great treasure,	7	·/˘··/˘
And knowledge clear as day,	6	·/˘···
To be our life's new measure.	8	··/˘··/˘
They went back to the East	6	······
To spread the news of gladness.	7	·····/˘
There one became a priest	6	··˘/··
To the new word of sadness;	7	·····/˘
And one a workman, skilled	7	···/˘·˘
Beyond the old earth's fashion;	7	·····/˘
And one a scholar, filled	7	···/˘·˘
With learning's endless passion.	7	·/˘/˘/˘
God sent them for a sign	6	······
He would not change nor alter	7	·····/˘
His good and fair design,	6	····˘/
However man may falter.	7	·/˘··/˘
He meant that, as He chose	6	······
His perfect plan and willed it,	8	·/····˘·
They stood in place of those	6	······
Who elsewhere had fulfilled it;	8	·/··˘/˘·
Whoso would mark and reach	6	/˘····
The height of man's election,	7	····˘/˘
Must still achieve and teach	6	··˘/··
The triplicate perfection.	7	·/˘˘˘/˘
For since the world was made,	6	······
One thing was needed ever,	7	···/˘/˘
To keep man undismayed	5	·····
Through failure and endeavor--	7	·/˘·˘/˘
A faultless trinity	6	·/˘/˘˘
Of body, mind, and spirit,	7	·/˘··/˘
And each with its own three	6	······
Strong angels to be near it;	7	·/˘····
Strength to arise and go	6	··˘/··
Wherever dawn is breaking,	7	˘/˘··/˘
Poise like the tides that flow,	6	······
Instinct for beauty-making;	7	/˘·/˘/˘
Imagination bold	6	˘·˘/˘·
To cross the mystic border,	7	···/˘/˘
Reason to seek and hold,	6	/˘····
Judgment for law and order;	7	/˘···/˘
Joy that makes all things well,	6	······
Faith that is all-availing	7	····˘/˘
Each terror to dispel,	6	·/˘·˘/
And Love, ah, Love unfailing.	7	····˘/˘
These are the flaming Nine	6	···/˘·
Who walk the world unsleeping,	7	·······
Sent forth by the Divine	6	····˘/
With manhood in their keeping.	7	·/···/˘
These are the seraphs strong	6	······
His mighty soul had need of,	7	·/˘····
When He would right the wrong	6	······
And sorrow He took heed of.	7	·/˘····
And that, I think, is why	6	······
The Wise Men knelt before Him,	7	·······
And put their kingdoms by	6	···/˘·
To serve Him and adore Him;	7	····˘/·
So that our Lord, unknown,	7	··/˘·˘/
Should not be unattended,	7	···˘˘/˘
When He was here alone	6	····˘/
And poor and unbefriended;	7	·······
That still He might have three	6	······
(Rather than five or seven)	7	/˘···/˘
To stand in their degree,	6	····˘/
Like archangels in Heaven.	7	··/˘·/˘

The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.

More by Bliss Carman

Later Poems