The Hippopotamus

by T.S.Eliot

THE BROAD-BACKED hippopotamus

Rests on his belly in the mud;
Although he seems so firm to us
He is merely flesh and blood.
Flesh and blood is weak and frail,
Susceptible to nervous shock;
While the True Church can never fail
For it is based upon a rock.
The hippo's feeble steps may err
In compassing material ends,
While the True Church need never stir
To gather in its dividends.
The potamus can never reach
The mango on the mango-tree;
But fruits of pomegranate and peach
Refresh the Church from over sea.
At mating time the hippos voice
Betrays inflexions hoarse and odd,
But every week we hear rejoice
The Church, at being one with God.
The hippopotamus's day
Is passed in sleep; at night he hunts;
God works in a mysterious way;
The Church can sleep and feed at once.
I saw the potamus take wing

Ascending from the damp savannas,

And quiring angels round him sing
The praise of God, in loud hosannas.

Blood of the Lamb shall wash him clean

And him shall heavenly arms enfold,
Among the saints he shall be seen
Performing on a harp of gold.

He shall be washed as white as snow,

By all the martyrd virgins kist,
While the True Church remains below
Wrapt in the old miasmal mist.

The poem was published in early 1920s which was a period of spiritual
uncertainty in Eliots life. A former Unitarian, who believed in the
existence of God as a solitary being thus rejecting the concept of holy
trinity as proclaimed by the church, Eliot conceded to the norms of the
church by converting to Catholicism around this time. In the poem we are
able to follow his mind as it reasons with the self to find a clearing in a fog
of uncertainty. He must have discovered his path unto god in Anglicanism
as in later years he identified himself to be an Anglo- Catholic.
The bewildering title of the poem evidences itself to be a symbol for an
object significant and inherent to the theme of the poem. The title has
been called bewildering keeping in mind the other recurring word in the
poem- church. The contrasts between the two are so vast that any
correlation between the two words becomes incomprehensible. Hence the

conclusion that the massive animal stands as a symbol for an entity that
can be recognized in association with the church. Further readings of the
poem indicate to the reader that the Hippopotamus carries many
possibilities of interpretation.
The poem begins with a brief description of the mud covered
Hippopotamus. Here the animal can be an illustration that stands for
Eliot who stands rooted in his former religious or spiritual beliefs. Eliot,
like the animal resting in the mire, reposes in his beliefs of a solitary god
which he later discovers to be false (leading to his conversion into
Catholicism). The giant Hippopotamus could also be a symbol for
instability.

Although he seems so firm to us

He is merely flesh and blood

These lines express Eliot's thoughts about the instability of his pre-existing
beliefs on spirituality. According to the above lines the Hippopotamus
which seems to be quite firm and stable to the beholders eyes is merely
flesh and blood like any other living being that is prone to the eventuality
of death. In a similar manner, Eliot suggests that the beliefs of a man
who is guilelessly searching to discover God without conceding to the
catholic church is as unstable and mortal as the nave hippopotamus
resting his belly in the mire.
All through the lines of the poem we are able to map a constant
comparison being made between the hippo and the True Church.
Perhaps it can be safely assumed that the comparison that is being
achieved here is between the Catholic Church and the many other existing

beliefs, focusing particularly on Eliots pre- conversion beliefs. The Church

is described as based upon a rock whereas the other is susceptible to
nervous shock, implying that while the rules and customs of the church
ensure a definite path to God, other paths are susceptible to lead to
disappointment. The Hippopotamus continues to act as a symbol that
stands in contrary to the beliefs of the church. The poet tries to highlight
the failures of such a faith that does not follow the same path as the
Church. Towards the end of the poem, the hippo is evidently cast in the
role of Eliot himself as he arises from his dubious beliefs and begins to
follow the religion of Christianity as preached by the quiring angels. The
church welcomes him with heavenly arms and he realizes the word of
god through his new catholic faith. Yet, the true church remains behind a
miasmal mist for many who continue to persist along a different path.
Although we have planted the limelight on just one symbol, there are
many other words and phrases that function as symbols in the poem. To
provide an example, the line Blood of the lamb shall wash him clean
refers to the Jesuss sacrificial act that purified all men of their sins and
granted them a new life.
The poet has put into function several devices to further thrust the effect
of the poem. Eliot uses an effective rhyming scheme using words that
emphasize the contrast that he tries bring forth in the poem.
Flesh-and-blood is weak and frail,Susceptible to nervous shock;
While the True Church can never fail , For it is based upon rock.

Here the words shock and rock rhyme with each other, while also
representing meanings in context that are widely in contrast with each
other. The precision of the church whose faith is as firm as a rock is set
against a fumbling faith that is liable to suffer from shock. Similar
rhyming word pattern can be found in other instances in the poem. For
example, the solitary insignificant mango-tree set against the vast
overwhelming sea in the fourth stanza, the obvious triviality of the word
odd set against the word God in the fifth stanza.
The poet also uses the device of repetition in the poem. These repeated
words lend the effect of anaphora to the reader. The reader might notice
certain words such as true Church and words addressing the animal
such as potamus and hippo appear in several places in the poem.
The repetitions again, ensure that the juxtaposition between the Catholic
Church and other faiths that the poet is trying highlight is brought into
further notice. The vast expanse of dissimilarity in these two words
establishes the contrast furthermore.