THE JAFFA AND JERUSALEM RAILWAY by Eugene Field: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This comic poem humorously critiques the newly constructed Jaffa–Jerusalem railway, portraying it as an absurd intrusion of modern Western commerce into the historic Holy Land.
The poem
A tortuous double iron track; a station here, a station there; A locomotive, tender, tanks; a coach with stiff reclining chair; Some postal cars, and baggage, too; a vestibule of patent make; With buffers, duffers, switches, and the soughing automatic brake-- This is the Orient's novel pride, and Syria's gaudiest modern gem: The railway scheme that is to ply 'twixt Jaffa and Jerusalem. Beware, O sacred Mooley cow, the engine when you hear its bell; Beware, O camel, when resounds the whistle's shrill, unholy swell; And, native of that guileless land, unused to modern travel's snare, Beware the fiend that peddles books--the awful peanut-boy beware. Else, trusting in their specious arts, you may have reason to condemn The traffic which the knavish ply 'twixt Jaffa and Jerusalem. And when, ah, when the bonds fall due, how passing wroth will wax the state From Nebo's mount to Nazareth will spread the cry "Repudiate"! From Hebron to Tiberius, from Jordan's banks unto the sea, Will rise profuse anathemas against "that ---- monopoly!" And F.M.B.A. shepherd-folk, with Sockless Jerry leading them, Will swamp that corporation line 'twixt Jaffa and Jerusalem. HUGO'S "POOL IN THE FOREST" How calm, how beauteous and how cool-- How like a sister to the skies, Appears the broad, transparent pool That in this quiet forest lies. The sunshine ripples on its face, And from the world around, above, It hath caught down the nameless grace Of such reflections as we love. But deep below its surface crawl The reptile horrors of the night-- The dragons, lizards, serpents--all The hideous brood that hate the light; Through poison fern and slimy weed And under ragged, jagged stones They scuttle, or, in ghoulish greed, They lap a dead man's bleaching bones. And as, O pool, thou dost cajole With seemings that beguile us well, So doeth many a human soul That teemeth with the lusts of hell.
This comic poem humorously critiques the newly constructed Jaffa–Jerusalem railway, portraying it as an absurd intrusion of modern Western commerce into the historic Holy Land. Field jokes about the dangers for camels and cows, the irritation caused by train-car vendors, and the looming financial scandal when the bonds need to be paid. It feels like a newspaper satirist enjoying a particularly great day.
Line-by-line
A tortuous double iron track; a station here, a station there;
Beware, O sacred Mooley cow, the engine when you hear its bell;
And when, ah, when the bonds fall due, how passing wroth will wax the state
Tone & mood
Broadly comic and satirical, with a playful hint of mock-epic grandeur. Field employs the grand language of biblical geography—Nebo, Nazareth, Hebron, Tiberius—to transform everyday gripes about railway vendors and bond defaults into something laughably exaggerated. There’s no genuine anger in this; it’s simply a lighthearted break for a newspaper wit.
Symbols & metaphors
- The railway — The train line represents Western commercial modernity intruding into a space rich with ancient religious significance. The hardware — buffers, switches, automatic brakes — is intentionally described in plain, straightforward language to highlight its stark incongruity.
- The peanut-boy and book-peddler — These train-car vendors symbolize the small, unavoidable annoyances that accompany progress. Field humorously elevates them to the status of real threats, highlighting the irony — they are the actual dangers of modernity, rather than the locomotive itself.
- Sockless Jerry and the F.M.B.A. — These real American populist figures, included in a poem about Palestine, represent the shared struggles of everyday people against corporate monopolies. Field suggests that wherever railways are built, the same financial battles inevitably arise.
Historical context
The Jaffa–Jerusalem railway opened in September 1892, constructed by a French company and stretching about 87 kilometers through the Judean Hills. This was the first railway in Ottoman Palestine, sparking both excitement and controversy in Western media. During the 1880s and 1890s, Eugene Field penned his "Sharps and Flats" column for the Chicago Morning News and Daily News, where topical comic verse was his specialty. "Sockless Jerry" Simpson was a real congressman from Kansas and a prominent figure in the Farmers' Alliance, known for his fierce criticism of railroad monopolies. Field's joke suggested that the same populist anger reshaping American politics in the 1890s would inevitably extend along the railway tracks to Jerusalem. The poem was published at the peak of the Gilded Age railroad-bond scandals, a time when railway financing was a hotly debated public issue.
FAQ
Yes. It opened in 1892, built by a French Catholic entrepreneur named Joseph Navon, who received support from a French company. This was the first railway in Ottoman Palestine, stretching from the port of Jaffa into the Judean Hills and reaching Jerusalem. It was a remarkable engineering achievement and sparked significant controversy.
Jerry Simpson was a genuine Kansas congressman elected in 1890 as a member of the Farmers' Alliance. He earned the nickname 'Sockless Jerry' after a political rival ridiculed his simple attire, which he embraced. Known for his fierce criticism of railroad monopolies, Field's quip suggests that this quintessential American populist anger would eventually extend all the way to the Holy Land.
The Farmers' Mutual Benefit Association was a Midwestern agrarian group active in the late 1880s and early 1890s, standing up for farmers against banks and railroad companies. Field includes this reference in the poem to illustrate that anti-railroad populism was a widespread movement, not limited to just one region in America.
In 19th-century finance, 'repudiation' referred to a government or issuer refusing to pay its debts, essentially defaulting on bonds. Several American states had already done this after making reckless investments in railways in previous decades, which is why Field is foreseeing a similar outcome for the Jaffa–Jerusalem line.
A 'muley' or 'mooley' cow refers to a cow without horns. Field uses this term not only for its amusing sound but also to evoke an image of gentle, puzzled local cattle unexpectedly facing a loud, roaring locomotive.
Not really. The satire targets Western commercial enterprises and railway financing, rather than the people or religion of the region. Field's joke highlights the absurdity and invasiveness of modern capitalism wherever it appears — the Holy Land backdrop simply adds to the humor of the contrast.
Each stanza follows a long couplet format — pairs of rhyming lines that use a loose anapestic or ballad-like meter, ending with a refrain-style closing couplet that wraps up each stanza with 'twixt Jaffa and Jerusalem.' This structure lends the poem a lively, music-hall vibe.
For comic contrast. These names carry significant religious meaning and deep historical roots, yet Field tosses them into a rant about bond defaults and peanut vendors on train cars. The humor arises from the disparity between this sacred context and the trivial commercial grievance.