from the original narrative by Henry van Dyke
First © 1887
Rewritten in poetic format for a new generation of readers.
A story too precious to be lost or forgotten.
Appropriate for Christmas and Easter
Well known are the three wise men, the Magi,
Sages of the Far East, Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchior
So named in biblical lore.
Little is known of this fourth prince of the East
A wise and holy man named Artaban.
Eastern princes from afar followed the Luminous Star
Studying and acknowledging this celestial sign
To announce the birth of a king benign.
Artaban’s gifts—a sapphire as blue as the night skies
A ruby as red as the glow of sunrise
A pearl as white as the snow on the highest mountain peak.
Traveling near the waters of Babylon
He comes upon a stranger, injured and
Lying in the road in imminent danger.
A philosopher and a physician
To tend and heal the injured his mission.
Despite being weary and weak,
The stranger whispers, “Head not to Jerusalem,
For as the prophet foretold,
The child you seek will be born in Bethlehem.
Look not in a palace but among the poor and lowly;
You will find Him among the sorrowful and oppressed.”
His journey delayed by compassion,
He feared that his friends would proceed without him.
His horse spent, he sells the sapphire
To buy a train of camels and continue his search.
Already three days late to Bethlehem,
He encounters a young mother soothing her crying child.
She offers Artaban food and information.
“Your friends left word that they could wait no longer,
and the young family has fled to safety in Egypt.”
As they speak, there is an uproar in the streets.
Holy Innocents ordered to be sacrificed,
Herod’s soldiers shouting and wielding their swords.
Artaban offers his ruby to the Captain of the Guard.
“Move on, there is no child here,” the Captain shouts,
As the soldiers pass by, on to do their worst.
The precious ruby. given to save the life of a child,
A ruby as red as the blood that was to be shed.
Three and thirty years of his life have passed
Artaban continues to pursue his goal.
A lifetime searching, wandering, seeking and not finding.
Hair turned white, eyes dulled and body bent,
He comes to Jerusalem for the last time
The season is Passover—the city brimming with visitors.
In this city of chaos and confusion,
He hears word of an execution–
Two famous robbers and Jesus of Nazareth
The priests say Jesus must die
Because he said he was King of the Jews.
Could this be the king, the Nazarene he has long sought?
For this pearl might his ransom be bought?
A sudden tumult in the street arouses his attention
A young girl seized by soldiers to settle her dead father’s debts,
Recognizing Artaban as a Magian by his white turban
and the winged circle on his garment,
She hurls herself at Artaban’s feet seeking mercy
For surely she will be sold into slavery.
He offers the pearl as her price without regret
His last gift he readily gave, her precious life to save.
A pearl of great price, relinquished as a sacrifice
His last gift to give to the king!
Artaban and the girl now walk together along the way.
The earth quakes as a sudden darkness befalls the day.
A roof tile falls and he is injured.
She hears him speak softly, a gentle whisper
As he offers these words as if in prayerful conversation,
“When did I see you injured and I tended to you,
Distressed and I comforted you,
In danger and I rescued you?”
A calm radiance lights his face
A last breath exhaled from his lips.
His journey has ended, his treasures accepted.
A life of prayer, petition and sacrifice
He has paved his way to Paradise.
For his entire life he has been too late.
Too late for the birth of the King
Too late to offer his gifts.
Too late to see the Savior, if even on a Cross!
Is He really too late,
Or right on time?
You decide!
Joan M. Lacombe
Aiken’s Poet Laureate
2019
