FUGITIVES.
O Maccabaeus,
Outcasts are we, and fugitives as thou art,
Jews of Jerusalem, that have escaped
From the polluted city, and from death.
The Annotated Edition
FUGITIVES. by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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A small group of Jewish survivors approaches the warrior Judas Maccabaeus, introducing themselves as outcasts and fugitives who have escaped a desecrated Jerusalem to avoid death.
- Themes
- exile, faith, identity
§01Quick summary
What this poem is about
A small group of Jewish survivors approaches the warrior Judas Maccabaeus, introducing themselves as outcasts and fugitives who have escaped a desecrated Jerusalem to avoid death. In just four lines, Longfellow captures a moment of urgent solidarity — the refugees see in Maccabaeus a fellow exile who truly understands their struggles. While it’s part of a larger dramatic piece, it resonates on its own as a powerful expression of shared suffering and resilience.
§02Themes
Recurring themes
§03Line by line
Stanza by stanza, with notes
O Maccabaeus, / Outcasts are we, and fugitives as thou art,
Editor's note
The speakers directly address Judas Maccabaeus, the Jewish military leader who fought against Seleucid oppression in Judea during the 2nd century BCE. By saying "fugitives *as thou art*," they position themselves as equals — they are not mere supplicants looking for a hero; they are fellow wanderers experiencing the same homelessness and danger he faces.
Jews of Jerusalem, that have escaped / From the polluted city, and from death.
Editor's note
They call themselves simply: Jews of Jerusalem. The term "polluted" points to Antiochus IV Epiphanes' desecration of the Temple and the city, where he set up pagan altars and banned Jewish practices. Escaping "the polluted city" represents both a physical act of survival and a spiritual one — they refuse to remain in a place where their faith has been tainted. "From death" concludes the stanza with stark finality, emphasizing that leaving was not a choice but a necessity.
§04Tone & mood
How this poem feels
The tone is serious and straightforward. There’s no self-pity or elaborate mourning—just a clear, urgent declaration of identity and situation. The speakers stand tall even as they refer to themselves as outcasts. A quiet dignity flows through the lines, stemming from those who have lost everything except their understanding of who they are.
§05Symbols & metaphors
Symbols & metaphors
- The polluted city
- Jerusalem under Seleucid occupation, where the Temple had been defiled. It represents any sacred place tainted by an external power — a home turned hostile, the once-familiar now unbearable.
- Fugitives
- The term goes beyond referring to people simply on the run; it signifies a forced exile. It indicates that those who speak it didn't choose to leave but were pushed out by violence and degradation.
- Maccabaeus
- He represents resistance and collective exile. Referring to him by name grounds the poem in a particular historical struggle, while also allowing him to symbolize any leader who fights from the margins instead of from a place of power.
§06Historical context
Historical context
This poem is an excerpt from Longfellow's 1872 piece *Judas Maccabaeus*, which is a verse drama inspired by the Maccabean Revolt (167–160 BCE). In this historical conflict, Judas Maccabaeus led Jewish warriors against the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who had banned Jewish religious practices and desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem. The victory that followed is celebrated during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. Longfellow composed this drama later in his career, utilizing both biblical and apocryphal texts. His deep interest in religious history and the moral complexities of resistance and survival shines through. The fragment "Fugitives" portrays the moment when displaced survivors encounter Maccabaeus and pledge their loyalty, highlighting a central theme of the larger work: a people stripped of their home and safety deciding to fight back.
§07FAQ
Questions readers ask
This is a fragment from Longfellow's verse drama *Judas Maccabaeus* (1872), rather than a self-contained lyric poem. In the drama, these lines are delivered by a group of Jewish survivors who meet Judas Maccabaeus and proclaim themselves his companions in exile. Longfellow released excerpts like this one with individual titles, which is why it is often seen as a short poem.
Judas Maccabaeus was a Jewish priest and military leader who spearheaded the revolt against the Seleucid Empire around 167 BCE. The Seleucid king Antiochus IV had prohibited Jewish worship and defiled the Temple in Jerusalem. Maccabaeus and his brothers launched a guerrilla resistance, ultimately reclaiming and rededicating the Temple — the event celebrated during Hanukkah. His significance lies in being both a historical figure and a symbol of resilience in the face of exile and loss.
It describes Jerusalem after Antiochus IV set up a pagan altar in the Temple, sacrificed pigs there—an act that deliberately desecrated Jewish law—and banned Jewish religious practices. For the speakers, the city isn't just a place of danger; it's spiritually tainted. Escaping it is as much an act of faith as it is a matter of survival.
They see a clear connection between their situation and that of Maccabaeus. Like him, they are outcasts working beyond the occupied city, battling from the wilderness. When they say "as thou art," they're not trying to flatter him—they're expressing a sense of belonging. It’s their way of saying: we get your struggles because we’re living through them as well.
The main themes are exile, identity, and sorrow. The speakers fully define themselves by their losses and the places they can no longer return to. Yet, there's also a hint of courage — they have survived and are standing before a resistance leader, suggesting they plan to continue the fight.
It has a spiritual aspect without being explicitly devotional. The "polluted city" terminology is rooted in Jewish ideas of ritual impurity, and the broader historical background focuses on the endurance of Jewish religious traditions. However, the poem feels more like a heartfelt expression of dislocation rather than a prayer or a display of faith.
Longfellow was consistently captivated by tales of moral courage and historical conflict throughout his career, and the Maccabean Revolt provided both in spades. He had a deep and enduring interest in the religious histories of various traditions. When he wrote *Judas Maccabaeus* in 1872, toward the end of his life, he was engaging with a tradition of verse drama that allowed him to delve into the lives of historical figures using the expressive power of poetry rather than simply recounting events.
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