The Shepherd, the Wise Men and Jesus The shepherds and the Wise Men, otherwise known as the Three Wise Men, are some of the memorable people of the New Testament of the Bible. Besides Mary and Joseph, they were the first to witness the baby Jesus, and their journey confirmed the arrival of the Messiah. There are two Gospels, Luke and Matthew, that introduce the story of the Nativity, but each has different views on how the sacred message of the birth was delivered to the pilgrims, when the time of their journey occurred, and who they were; the Gospel of Luke claims that they were shepherds and Matthew states that they were three men from the East. However, the fact that they honored the birth of Jesus with the utmost respect remains unchanged. Langston Hughes' “Shepherd's Song at Christmas” illustrates an excited shepherd in a hurry to choose gifts for the blessed. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's narrative poem, "The Three Kings", has a different approach to the same event, so it creates another distinct atmosphere; the narration and third-person point of view reject the speaker's direct involvement in the event, but encourage the audience to remember the journey undertaken by the three men. Although both poems praise Jesus as King through the use of literary techniques, notable differences in their structures and styles produce different tones for each poem; the song is more enthusiastic while the narrative poem is relatively calm and emotionless. A metaphorical poem, "The Shepherd's Song at Christmas," reinforces the idea that the world longed for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. Hughes provides two interpretive choices for this work: a literal interpretation and a metaphorical interpretation. Having the......half of the sheet......or two parts; the first eight stanzas represent the journey of the Magi to Bethlehem, and the last five stanzas describe a nativity scene and the return of the Magi to their homes. The ninth stanza, which speaks of the kings' arrival at the manger, serves as a turning point and connection between the two stories. Story elements such as exposition, climax, and resolution in "The Three Kings" make the tone of the poem heavier and more emotionless, in contrast to "The Shepherd's Carol at Christmas." Langston Hughes's "The Shepherd's Carol at Christmas" and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Three Kings are similar in that they both use literary techniques such as metaphors, allusions, and symbolism to praise the birth of Jesus. However, Hughes creates a hasty yet lovable tone throughout the poem as Langston writes his narrative poem with a composed and serene atmosphere..