Short Fiction · Chapter
The Wise Men's Well explained
The Drought, personified as a gaunt figure, gloats over the dying Wise Men's Well in Judea.
What happens
The Drought, personified as a gaunt figure, gloats over the dying Wise Men's Well in Judea. As he watches, a ghostly caravan of three wise men arrives. They recount their journey following a star to Bethlehem, where they initially rejected the Christ child as a mere shepherd's son. After losing the star and suffering despair, they find its reflection in the well, leading them to humility and worship. The Drought realizes the strangers are the Magi, who then fill the well with water from Paradise.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Truth
The wise men initially deceive themselves into believing the child is a king for worldly reward, but the truth of humility and divine purpose is revealed through the well.
Suffering and Redemption
The wise men suffer anguish and despair after losing the star, but find redemption and healing through humility and worship at the well.
Characters to notice
- Jesus
The infant Christ child in the Bethlehem grotto, whose birth is heralded by the star.
- Mistress Sorrow
Personified as the Drought, a gaunt, hollow-eyed figure who delights in the well's demise.
Key passages
“There are things which are drier than the desert sands, but there is nothing more barren than the human heart.”
The Drought comments that while the desert is dry, the human heart can be even more barren and unfeeling.
This reflects the theme of spiritual dryness and the need for humility.
“happiness, which is lost on the heights of pride and vainglory, will let itself be found again in the depths of humility.”
One of the wise men suggests that happiness lost through pride can be rediscovered through humility.
This encapsulates the moral lesson of the chapter.
“the three wise men called their servants and led their camels, laden with water-sacks, to the Well and filled the poor dying Well with water, which they had brought with them from Paradise.”
The Magi use water they carried from Paradise to refill the dying well, showing gratitude.
This act of kindness redeems the well and contrasts with the Drought's cruelty.