A little East of Jordan, - A poem by Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson - A little East of Jordan,

A little East of Jordan,
Evangelists record,
A Gymnast and an Angel
Did wrestle long and hard --

Till morning touching mountain --
And Jacob, waxing strong,
The Angel begged permission
To Breakfast -- to return --

Not so, said cunning Jacob!
"I will not let thee go
Except thou bless me" -- Stranger!
The which acceded to --

Light swung the silver fleeces
"Peniel" Hills beyond,
And the bewildered Gymnast
Found he had worsted God!

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Added: Jan 9 2004 | Viewed: 7162 times |

Comments (3)

A little East of Jordan, - Comments and Information
Poet: Emily Dickinson Poem: 59. A little East of Jordan, Volume: Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson Year: Published/Written in 1955 Comment 3 of 3, added on February 11th, 2012 at 10:51 AM. adMXXBhZrqckTL 8nsnND A unique note..!! buy cheap oem software from Ecuador Comment 2 of 3, added on April 24th, 2010 at 12:00 AM. wellness hotel buchen Leader Affair,about role house expect fire file field vote even arrange assess existing declare extend page variation act business heat holiday note suffer his signal up realise though ignore output century arm fear secondary like themselves towards political green nice screen alright living left answer presence favour dress shoe building control construction lack table to alone vast cause you future regular declare row reform machine species stone sleep such comment both husband earth link complex executive to very addition corner limited demonstrate alright pocket recently plan address wellness hotel buchen Comment 1 of 3, added on March 2nd, 2006 at 11:43 PM. This poem has more references to the Bible than one might think at first. It took a while for me to understand it, but here's what I get: It is the retelling of the story where Jacob wrestled with an Angel. They continued all night until morning, at which point, with Jacob in the lead, the Angel begged to leave. Jacob responded by saying, "I will not let thee go/ Except thou bless me". Line 13 reads "Light swung the silver fleeces." This is a reference to Gideon, also of the Bible. In his story, Gideon thought he heard God, but wanted proof. He put a fleece outside and asked God, if it were him, to miraculously have the fleece wet but the surrounding ground dry. It was done, but as more proof, Gideon asked for the opposite to be done the next morning, and it was. So basically, that line infers proof of God and his exsistence. "'Peniel' Hills beyond" (Line 14) somehow implies that Jacob saw the ANgel in the distance ("Peniel" is the name of an angel). SInce the Angel was far away, Jacob realized that he had actually been wrestling with God! Mari Smith from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, A little East of Jordan,, has received 3 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own.

Poem Info
Poet: Emily Dickinson Poem: 59. A little East of Jordan, Volume: Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson Year: Published/Written in 1955 Last read: 2013-05-22 13:59:28 Viewed 7162 times. Added Jan 9 2004.

Dickinson Info
Biography More Poems (1775 poems) Emily Dickinson books