Chesterton’s poem “The Donkey” takes paradox as its theme.
The donkey is the lowly animal, the jack-ass, a beast of burden. It is a term of abuse - stupid donkey. Benjamin
Disraeli is believed to have sneered at Gladstone's cabinet saying, famously,
that it was "half full of asses". Donkeys are seen as the epitome of
stubbornness and stupidity.
And as a result, donkeys are visciously mistreated, even
today. They are most mistreated of all Egypt's animals, their name is a byword
for laziness and stupidity in the local slang. Some farmers call donkeys “mute
birds” — beasts of burden that take the stiffest punishment without a whine of
complaint.
Salwa Abdoh, a volunteer at the Egypt Horse Project,which
fights against this abuse says: “We don't have the concept of compassion
towards animals in Egypt I've seen many animals abused in Egypt — dogs, cats,
horses, you name it. But nothing compares to the abuse that donkeys in Egypt go
through.”
According to the Society for the Protection and Welfare of
Donkeys, Egyptian donkeys tend to live for 15 years only, whereas the life
expectancy of donkeys should be 25 years.
And it is not just in India, but elsewhere. In Pakistan, for
example, 'Gadha', the urdu word for donkey, is considered a form of abuse,
which is the reason why many protests feature donkeys as a reference to rival
political figures or other targets. The creatures are often beaten, spray
painted and led through crowds for long hours.
In the light of this cruelty, Chesterton’s poem is
especially sharp – “Starve, scourge, deride me” – as much then as in his time.
And yet, as he says, the donkey is blessed. He opens the eyes of perception
that donkeys too, have their place in the divine plan.
And as you read the poem, and think of donkeys, and the harm
and abuse they still suffer. Perhaps the sign of the donkey for Palm Sunday was
meant to cause wider ripples than just a sign of kingship, or perhaps it was
also a sign of a kingdom when the humble donkey, the last of the beasts of
burden, would become the first. Perhaps it is no coincidence that we should reflect on this on Palm Sunday.
G.K. Chesterton (1874–1936)
The Donkey
When fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood
Then surely I was born;
With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil's walking parody
On all four-footed things.
The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will;
Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.
Fools! For I also had my hour;
One far fierce hour and sweet:
There was a shout about my ears,
And palms before my feet.
References
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/the-intelligent-donkey/article21822863.ece
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