An Old Jew
Children, children!
What are ye doing here? Why do ye crowd us?
It was such little vagabonds as you
That followed Elisha, mucking him and crying:
Go up, thou bald-head! But the bears--the bears
Came out of the wood, and tare them!
The Annotated Edition
An Old Jew by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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An elderly Jewish man reprimands a group of children who are bothering him, using a powerful tale from the Hebrew Bible to send them a warning.
- Core theme
- Anger
§01Quick summary
What this poem is about
An elderly Jewish man reprimands a group of children who are bothering him, using a powerful tale from the Hebrew Bible to send them a warning. He recounts how, when children made fun of the prophet Elisha for being bald, two bears emerged from the woods and attacked them. This is a brief, impactful poem about the respect that comes with age and the risks of disrespecting elders.
§02Themes
Recurring themes
§03Line by line
Stanza by stanza, with notes
Children, children! / What are ye doing here? Why do ye crowd us?
Editor's note
The old man starts with a straightforward, frustrated call to the children surrounding him. The way he repeats "Children" conveys both fatigue and authority — it's the tone of someone who's had their fill. "Crowd us" implies he’s not by himself; he’s voicing the feelings of a group of older individuals being pushed around or bothered.
It was such little vagabonds as you / That followed Elisha, mucking him and crying:
Editor's note
He pulls directly from scripture for his arguments. "Vagabonds" is a sharp insult—these aren't innocent kids; they're a bother. "Mucking" in this context means mocking or taunting. This refers to 2 Kings 2:23–24, where a group of youths mocks the prophet Elisha as he walks down the road.
Go up, thou bald-head! But the bears--the bears / Came out of the wood, and tare them!
Editor's note
The children's taunt — "Go up, thou bald-head!" — comes straight from the Bible, lending the old man's warning a dramatic weight. The repetition of "the bears" captures the shock of the moment: something abrupt and violent erupting from the everyday. "Tare" is an old-fashioned past tense of "tear," and the poem concludes right there, allowing the image of the bears to carry the message. There's no explicit moral; the threat lingers in the air.
§04Tone & mood
How this poem feels
The tone is sharp, indignant, and darkly comic. The old man isn’t begging; he’s issuing a warning, and there’s genuine intensity in his words. Meanwhile, the sight of an elderly man recounting bear attacks to a group of kids adds a wry, almost absurd vibe. Longfellow maintains a deadpan expression, which makes the situation both funnier and more unsettling at the same time.
§05Symbols & metaphors
Symbols & metaphors
- The bears
- The bears in 2 Kings are the main threat in the poem. They symbolize divine justice, emphasizing that mocking the sacred or the elderly is a serious offense with real consequences. Additionally, they embody the wild, unpredictable force that lies just beyond civilized behavior.
- Baldness ("bald-head")
- In the biblical source, the taunt about Elisha's bald head targets his dignity and authority as a prophet. It also serves as a symbol of old age being mocked — the children aren’t merely teasing a hairless man; they’re belittling the value of someone who is older and wiser.
- The wood
- The wood where the bears come from marks the line between the familiar, safe world and something ancient and more menacing. It reminds us that the universe can be fierce, and that even innocent cruelty can provoke that ferocity.
§06Form & structure
Form & structure
- Meter
- free verse
§07Historical context
Historical context
Longfellow penned this poem late in his career, reflecting his lifelong fascination with biblical literature and his interest in dramatic monologues. It serves as a concise character sketch—one he often approached—giving voice to a marginalized figure, an elderly Jewish man, with genuine sympathy rather than condescension. The biblical reference comes from 2 Kings 2:23–24, a passage that has puzzled and unsettled readers for generations: Elisha curses a group of youths mocking his baldness, leading to two bears mauling forty-two of them. Longfellow doesn’t explain or soften the tale; instead, he allows the old man to wield it raw, as a weapon. The poem belongs to a tradition of short dramatic monologues that capture a single, intense moment, and its starkness feels intentionally modern compared to the more elaborate poetry Longfellow is typically known for.
§08FAQ
Questions readers ask
It originates from 2 Kings 2:23–24 in the Hebrew Bible. The prophet Elisha is on his way to Bethel when a group of youths confronts him, mocking him by calling him "bald-head" and telling him to "go up," likely referencing his mentor Elijah's ascent to heaven. Elisha curses them in God's name, and two female bears quickly emerge from the woods nearby, mauling forty-two of the children. This passage is among the most unsettling and controversial in the Old Testament.
He is using it as a warning—essentially saying: children like you once mocked a holy man, and look at the consequences they faced. It's a threat cloaked in scripture, something an exasperated elder might pull out when he wants the kids to back off and feel a bit of fear.
There’s a definitely dark comic twist to it. The image of an exasperated old man calling for bear attacks on annoying kids is absurd at its core, and Longfellow seems to get that. Yet, the anger beneath it is genuine, and the poem also delivers a serious message about the disrespect faced by elderly and marginalized individuals.
It’s the taunt that children in the Bible directed at Elisha. "Go up" likely mocks the way Elijah, Elisha's mentor, was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind — the youths are sarcastically telling Elisha to vanish like that. "Bald-head" is just a jab at his looks, intended to belittle his dignity as a prophet.
"Tare" is an old past tense of the verb "to tear." Thus, "tare them" indicates that the bears tore the children apart. Longfellow intentionally uses this archaic form — it aligns with the biblical tone of the old man's speech and adds a raw, timeless gravity to the ending.
The title directs our focus to the speaker rather than the story being told. Longfellow portrays a character sketch of a real, living individual — an elderly Jewish man facing harassment in his era. While the biblical story serves as his tool, the poem centers on him: his dignity, his anger, and his position in a world that doesn't consistently show him respect.
The poem uses free verse, lacking a consistent rhyme scheme or meter. Its short, punchy lines reflect the rhythm of someone speaking in agitation. This informal structure enhances the raw and spontaneous feel of expressing anger and frustration.
At its core, the poem explores age and the disrespect often directed at the elderly, linking to themes of identity and justice. It also reflects on memory—the old man embodies the weight of scripture as a living resource—and addresses anger as a rightful response to mistreatment.
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