GREEKS OF GADARA. by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Editor's note

The speakers begin by defining their religious identity. Sacrificing a sow to Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, and to Dionysus, the god of wine and festivity, during the right seasons was a common Greek religious practice. By mentioning these rituals upfront, the Gadarenes are not admitting guilt — they are claiming legitimacy. Their pigs aren't just livestock; they are part of their worship.

Editor's note

Here, the poem subtly recognizes the Jewish perspective without explicitly stating it. According to Jewish law, pigs are considered unclean. However, the Gadarenes disagree: in *their* tradition, swine hold a sacred status. The term "consecrate" carries significant weight—it changes the interpretation of the entire biblical story. The loss of the herd wasn't just getting rid of something unclean; it was the loss of something revered by these people.

Editor's note

The address shifts from explanation to a heartfelt plea. Referring to Jesus as a "great magician" conveys a sense of genuine awe rather than mockery. The Gadarenes aren’t denying his power; they’re simply terrified of it. The phrase "depart out of our coasts" mirrors the exact wording from the Gospel of Matthew (8:34), anchoring the poem in its source text while allowing the crowd a human voice that the Bible never provides them.

Editor's note

The poem concludes with a raw, simple admission of fear. There's no anger or hostility—just a genuine sense of dread. Longfellow avoids any simplistic moral judgment. These individuals have just witnessed their sacred animals drown in large numbers, facing an incomprehensible force. The brief, direct final line carries the weight of all that remains unspoken.