Emily Dickinson

The Savior must have been a docile Gentleman (1487)

Summary


"The Savior must have been a docile Gentleman" is a short poem in which Emily Dickinson imagines Christ's journey to Earth on a bitterly cold day. The speaker marvels at his gentleness in coming so far for "little Fellowmen." Then the poem turns, measuring the road to Bethlehem against the vast distance that now separates the speaker from that boyhood. In two brief stanzas, wonder and quiet doubt sit side by side.

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The Savior must have been
A docile Gentleman—
To come so far so cold a Day
For little Fellowmen—

A lone figure walks a frost-covered road toward a distant glow, illustrating Dickinson's poem The Savior Must Have Been a Docile Gentleman.

The Road to Bethlehem
Since He and I were Boys
Was leveled, but for that ‘twould be
A rugged Billion Miles—

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Credits

Emily Dickinson was a nineteenth-century American poet from Amherst, Massachusetts, famous for her compact, dash-filled verse and her unconventional views on faith. This poem, numbered 1487 in Thomas H. Johnson's edition, is a seasonal meditation that treats the Nativity with her characteristic blend of reverence and wit.