THE BEGGAR.
A man that is called Jesus made a clay
And put it on mine eyes, and said to me:
Go to Siloam's Pool and wash thyself.
I went and washed, and I received my sight.
The Annotated Edition
THE BEGGAR. by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Read aloud in ~1 minOpen reading mode →
This brief poem recounts the biblical tale of a blind beggar healed by Jesus.
- Themes
- faith, hope, identity
§01Quick summary
What this poem is about
This brief poem recounts the biblical tale of a blind beggar healed by Jesus. Jesus applies clay to the man's eyes and instructs him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. When the man follows the instructions, he can see for the first time. The poem presents a personal, understated narrative of this miracle, using simple and straightforward language.
§02Themes
Recurring themes
§03Line by line
Stanza by stanza, with notes
A man that is called Jesus made a clay / And put it on mine eyes, and said to me:
Editor's note
The speaker — the blind beggar referenced in the title — recounts his encounter with Jesus using straightforward, relatable language. He doesn't refer to Jesus as the Son of God or a prophet; instead, he simply calls him "a man that is called Jesus." This choice is intentional. It maintains the perspective of the beggar's limited understanding of who this stranger is, prior to the miracle. Jesus creates clay (mixing dirt with saliva, as mentioned in the Gospel of John) and applies it to the man's eyes — a peculiar, earthy act of healing.
Go to Siloam's Pool and wash thyself. / I went and washed, and I received my sight.
Editor's note
Jesus gives a straightforward instruction, and the beggar responds simply: "I went and washed." There's no drama, no exclamation, no theological commentary. The miracle is encapsulated in the last four words — "and I received my sight" — carrying a quiet power in their simplicity. Longfellow allows the story to speak for itself. The beauty of the narrative lies in its simplicity: a life transformed in just one sentence.
§04Tone & mood
How this poem feels
The tone is calm, straightforward, and almost journalistic. The speaker shares a life-changing miracle as if they were talking about a trip to the market. This flatness doesn't show indifference; instead, it conveys the stunned, unembellished honesty of someone still coming to terms with their experience. Beneath the simplicity, there's a sense of quiet wonder.
§05Symbols & metaphors
Symbols & metaphors
- Clay
- Clay connects to the ancient biblical image of God shaping humanity from the earth. Here, it suggests that healing, similar to creation, originates from simple, tangible material — not from grandeur.
- The Pool of Siloam
- The pool is a place where obedience comes to life. The beggar doesn't just wait to be healed; he must walk there and wash himself. The pool symbolizes how faith needs to be active to receive grace.
- Sight
- Sight operates on two levels: it restores physical vision literally, while also embodying a deeper concept of spiritual understanding or enlightenment—it's about perceiving the world and recognizing one’s place in it for the first time.
§06Historical context
Historical context
Longfellow published this poem in his collection *Christus: A Mystery* (1872), which is a dramatic trilogy he spent over thirty years crafting. The collection explores the history of Christianity through three distinct eras. "The Beggar" is rooted in the Gospel of John, Chapter 9, where Jesus heals a man who was born blind. Longfellow was in the midst of personal grief and deep religious contemplation — his wife had tragically died in a fire in 1861, and his son had suffered serious injuries in the Civil War. His later religious poetry often embraces simplicity and sincerity over embellishments, and "The Beggar" exemplifies this approach: just four lines that capture the essence of a transformative moment without any frills. Allowing the beggar to speak for himself was a significant humanizing choice, especially at a time when such individuals were frequently seen as mere background characters in religious stories.
§07FAQ
Questions readers ask
It recounts the story from the Gospel of John, Chapter 9, where Jesus heals a man who was blind from birth. Jesus spits on the ground, creates clay, applies it to the man's eyes, and instructs him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. The man follows his instructions and gains his sight. Longfellow almost directly quotes the scripture in his retelling.
Longfellow distills the story to its core elements: the encounter, the instruction, the obedience, and the miracle. The simplicity reflects the beggar's straightforward manner of speaking—he's not one for elaborate tales. This conciseness makes the final line, "I received my sight," carry significant weight. There's no need for anything more after it.
That phrase is nearly a direct quote from the Gospel of John, and Longfellow retains it because it reveals something significant about the speaker's perspective. When the miracle occurs, the beggar doesn't completely grasp who Jesus is. He knows Jesus' name, but not his true essence. This phrase illustrates a transition: the man can see now, but his comprehension of what just happened is still in progress.
It was an actual reservoir in ancient Jerusalem, supplied by the Gihon Spring. In the Gospel story, it’s the location of the healing — where the beggar washes the clay from his eyes and regains his sight. Archaeologists uncovered what is thought to be the original pool in 2004.
It comes from *Christus: A Mystery* (1872), a three-part play that Longfellow worked on for decades. The collection explores the early Christian era, the Middle Ages, and the Puritan period in America. "The Beggar" is featured in the first part, which dramatizes scenes from Christ's life.
At its core, the poem explores faith and transformation. The beggar acts on trust—he follows a stranger's guidance without knowing what will happen—and that obedience results in his healing. It also delves into identity: the man who "received my sight" is a fundamentally different person from the one who walked to the pool blind.
Yes. Clay has significant biblical meaning — in Genesis, God creates Adam from the dust of the ground. When Jesus uses clay to heal, he mirrors that original act of creation. This detail implies that healing and creation are closely related, and that restoring sight is a way of making something new.
Longfellow faced substantial hardships in his later years—his wife tragically died in a fire in 1861, and his son Charles was seriously injured during the Civil War. His later religious writings, such as *Christus*, reveal a man seeking meaning in his faith. A poem about the unexpected and undeserved return of sight holds deep significance for someone who has experienced such profound darkness.
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