A Little East of Jordan
poem 59
A Little East of Jordan - fact Summary
Biblical Wrestling Reinterpreted
Dickinson reimagines the Genesis episode of Jacob wrestling the angel at Peniel as a pugilistic contest, casting the angel as a gymnast and Jacob as a cunning struggler who insists on a blessing. The poem compresses the biblical story into a wry, theatrical vignette where physical struggle yields spiritual advantage and the human emerges triumphant. It exemplifies Dickinson’s habit of revisiting scripture with ironic distance, condensing narrative into a brisk, image-driven anecdote that highlights human will and divine concession.
Read Complete AnalysesA 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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