Notes on Walter de La Mare’s poem ‘The Listeners’: These notes aim to aid in understanding the poem by providing a summary, exploring themes, the central idea, key points, poetic devices, and offering an explanation and analysis of ‘The Listeners’.
Notes: Poem ‘The Listeners’
Summary of the Poem “The Listeners”:
In the poem, a traveller arrives at a mysterious, abandoned house in the middle of the night. He knocks on the door and calls out, asking if anyone is there, but no one answers. The only sounds come from his horse and a bird flying from the tower above. Although the traveller can’t see anyone, a group of ghostly figures (called “phantom listeners”) silently listen to his calls from inside the house.
The traveller senses something strange and feels the presence of these silent beings, but they do not respond. He knocks on the door again, louder this time, and declares that he kept his promise to visit the house, even though no one answered him. He then leaves, and the silence returns to the house as he rides away on his horse.
The poem is full of mystery and creates a haunting atmosphere. It suggests themes of isolation, the unknown, and the connection between the living and the dead. The traveller may symbolize someone trying to communicate with the past or the supernatural, but his efforts remain unanswered.
Theme of the Poem “The Listeners”:
The central theme of “The Listeners” is mystery and the unknown. The traveller’s attempts to communicate with the house are met with silence, creating a sense of isolation and eeriness. The poem explores the idea of the supernatural, with ghostly listeners silently observing but never responding, highlighting the gap between the world of the living and the dead.
Another key theme is loneliness. The traveller’s journey to a deserted house and the absence of a response emphasize his solitude. His words echo through the empty house, adding to the feeling of being unheard or disconnected from others.
There is also a theme of commitment and duty. The traveller keeps his word and arrives at the house as promised, even though no one answers him. This reflects the importance of fulfilling promises, regardless of whether they are acknowledged or appreciated.
Finally, the poem touches on the limitations of human understanding. The traveller senses a strange presence but cannot fully comprehend or interact with it, suggesting that there are forces or experiences beyond human grasp.
Central Idea of the Poem “The Listeners”:
The central idea of “The Listeners” revolves around the theme of a mysterious and eerie encounter between the living and the unknown. The poem highlights the traveller’s futile attempt to communicate with the occupants of a deserted house, only to be met with silence. Although unseen, ghostly listeners are present, creating an atmosphere of suspense and mystery.
The poem suggests that there are forces beyond human understanding and control. It emphasizes the loneliness and isolation the traveller experiences as he tries to reach out to someone, or something, but receives no response. This conveys the idea that human attempts to connect with the unknown—whether it be the past, the dead, or a different world—are often met with silence or confusion.
Message of the Poem “The Listeners”:
The poem “The Listeners” conveys several important messages:
- The Nature of Isolation: The traveller’s experience emphasizes the feeling of loneliness and isolation that can come from reaching out to others without receiving a response. It reflects the human desire for connection and the pain of being unheard.
- The Mystery of the Unknown: The presence of the phantom listeners suggests that there are mysteries in life that remain unsolved. This can relate to the supernatural or the unexplained aspects of existence, reminding readers that not everything can be understood or answered.
- The Importance of Commitment: The traveller keeps his promise to visit the house, demonstrating the value of duty and commitment. Even when faced with silence, the act of fulfilling one’s word is significant, reflecting integrity and perseverance.
- The Limits of Communication: The poem illustrates how communication can sometimes fail, especially when trying to reach those who are distant or unreachable—whether emotionally or physically. It serves as a reminder that not all attempts at connection will be successful.
- Life and Death: The interaction between the living traveller and the silent, ghostly listeners suggests a reflection on life, death, and what lies beyond. It raises questions about the afterlife and the existence of spirits, prompting readers to consider their own beliefs about these themes.
Overall, the poem invites readers to contemplate the deeper aspects of existence, the nature of connection, and the mysteries that lie beyond human understanding.
Key Points of the Poem “The Listeners”:
- Mysterious Setting: The poem takes place at night, in a silent, moonlit forest, where a lone traveler arrives at an abandoned house.
- Traveler’s Attempts: The traveller repeatedly knocks on the door and asks, “Is there anybody there?” but no one responds.
- Phantom Listeners: Unseen ghostly figures (phantom listeners) silently watch and listen from inside the house but do not communicate with the traveller.
- Loneliness and Silence: The traveller experiences confusion and isolation as his calls echo through the empty house with no answer.
- Supernatural Presence: The presence of the phantom listeners suggests a connection with the supernatural, adding a sense of mystery and suspense.
- Unanswered Questions: The traveller, despite sensing the presence of the listeners, does not receive a response, emphasizing the theme of the unknown and unanswerable mysteries in life.
- Commitment: Before leaving, the traveller declares that he kept his word, showing a sense of responsibility and duty, even when unacknowledged.
- Eerie Departure: The poem ends with the traveller mounting his horse and riding away, as silence returns to the house and the ghosts remain unseen.
These key points capture the poem’s themes of mystery, isolation, and the limits of human understanding.
Explanation of “The Listeners” by Walter de La Mare
Stanza 1:
‘Is there anybody there?’ said the Traveller,
Knocking on the moonlit door;
And his horse in the silence champed the grasses
Of the forest’s ferny floor:
And a bird flew up out of the turret,
Above the Traveller’s head:
And he smote upon the door again a second time;
‘Is there anybody there?’ he said.
Vocabulary:
Traveller – A person who is on a journey. Moonlit – Lit by the moon. Champed – Chewed or bit noisily. Ferny – Covered with ferns (plants with delicate leaves). Turret – A small tower on a building. Smote – Hit or knocked.
Explanation:
A traveller arrives at a house in the middle of the night, illuminated by the moon. He knocks on the door and asks if anyone is inside. His horse eats the grass in the silent, dark forest. A bird flies from the tower above the house. The traveller knocks again and repeats his question: “Is there anybody there?”
The traveller seems desperate to get a response, but the silence suggests the house is either abandoned or occupied by someone who won’t answer. This creates a mysterious atmosphere, hinting at the presence of something unseen.
Stanza 2:
But no one descended to the Traveller;
No head from the leaf-fringed sill
Leaned over and looked into his grey eyes,
Where he stood perplexed and still.
Vocabulary:
Descended – Came down. Sill – A window ledge. Perplexed – Confused.
Explanation:
No one comes down to answer the traveller. No one looks out from the window, which is surrounded by leaves. The traveller is confused and stands still, wondering why no one is responding.
This suggests isolation and abandonment. The traveller might feel alone, and there is a sense of mystery—why is no one answering?
Stanza 3:
But only a host of phantom listeners
That dwelt in the lone house then
Stood listening in the quiet of the moonlight
To that voice from the world of men:
Vocabulary:
Phantom – Ghost. Dwelt – Lived. Lone – Lonely, isolated. Host – A large group.
Explanation:
Only ghosts (phantom listeners) live in the house. These silent spirits listen quietly to the traveller’s voice, which comes from the world of the living.
The “phantom listeners” represent the unknown and the connection between the living and the dead. It suggests that although the traveller cannot see them, he is being watched by these mysterious beings.
Stanza 4:
Stood thronging the faint moonbeams on the dark stair,
That goes down to the empty hall,
Hearkening in an air stirred and shaken
By the lonely Traveller’s call.
Vocabulary:
Thronging – Gathering in a crowd. Moonbeams – Rays of moonlight. Hearkening – Listening carefully. Stirred and shaken – Disturbed or moved.
Explanation:
The ghosts crowd around the faint moonlight on a dark staircase that leads down to an empty hall. They listen closely to the traveller’s voice as it fills the quiet night air.
The spirits seem to gather around the light, symbolizing their connection to the past. The traveller’s presence disturbs the calm, yet the spirits do not respond.
Stanza 5:
And he felt in his heart their strangeness,
Their stillness answering his cry,
While his horse moved, cropping the dark turf,
’Neath the starred and leafy sky;
Vocabulary:
Strangeness – Something unusual or mysterious. Stillness – Silence, no movement. Cropping – Eating. Turf – Grass. Neath – Short form of “beneath” (under).
Explanation: The traveller feels the strange presence of the ghosts, but they remain silent in response to his calls. Meanwhile, his horse quietly eats the grass under the starry sky filled with leaves.
The traveller can sense the oddness and mystery around him, but there is no direct response. This emphasizes the theme of loneliness and the unknown, as he feels separated from the spirits.
Stanza 6:
For he suddenly smote on the door, even
Louder, and lifted his head:—
‘Tell them I came, and no one answered,
That I kept my word,’ he said.
Vocabulary:
Smote – Hit or knocked. Kept my word – Kept a promise.
Explanation:
The traveller knocks on the door even louder and lifts his head, declaring that he came as promised, even though no one answered him.
The traveller feels a need to prove that he kept his word. His message might be for the ghosts, or perhaps for someone he promised to visit. This reinforces the theme of responsibility and commitment, even in the face of silence.
Stanza 7:
Never the least stir made the listeners,
Though every word he spake
Fell echoing through the shadowiness of the still house
From the one man left awake:
Vocabulary:
Stir – Movement. Spake – Old form of “spoke.” Shadowiness – Dark, unclear spaces.
Explanation:
The ghosts (listeners) don’t move or respond, even though the traveller’s words echo through the dark, quiet house.
This shows that the traveller’s efforts are in vain. The listeners don’t interact with him, symbolizing the gap between life and death, or the living and the unknown.
Stanza 8:
Ay, they heard his foot upon the stirrup,
And the sound of iron on stone,
And how the silence surged softly backward,
When the plunging hoofs were gone.
Vocabulary:
Stirrup – The loop for the rider’s foot on a horse. Iron on stone – The sound of the horse’s metal horseshoes on the ground. Surged – Moved or returned quickly. Plunging hoofs – The fast-moving feet of the horse.
Explanation:
The ghosts hear the traveller’s footsteps as he mounts his horse. They hear the sound of the horse’s hooves as it moves on the stone path. When the traveller leaves, the silence returns to the house.
The poem ends with the traveller leaving, and the mysterious quietness of the house returning. It suggests that the mystery remains unsolved, and the spirits are still uncommunicative, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Poetic Devices in “The Listeners” by Walter de La Mare:
These poetic devices contribute to the poem’s haunting atmosphere and its exploration of themes related to isolation, the supernatural, and the mysteries of existence.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem has an irregular rhyme scheme, which adds to the sense of mystery and unpredictability. Some lines rhyme, but not in a consistent pattern, reflecting the uncertain and eerie atmosphere.
- Alliteration: The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words is found throughout the poem. For example, in “moonlit door” and “stillness answering.”
- Imagery: The poem uses vivid descriptions to create mental images, such as “moonlit door,” “dark stair,” and “starred and leafy sky,” helping readers visualize the setting.
- Personification: The poem gives human-like qualities to non-human elements, such as “silence surged softly backward,” suggesting that silence can move.
- Repetition: The phrase “Is there anybody there?” is repeated, emphasizing the traveller’s desperation and the unanswered nature of his question.
- Enjambment: Many lines flow into the next without a pause or punctuation, creating a sense of continuity and urgency. For instance, the first stanza flows smoothly from one line to the next.
- Metaphor: “a host of phantom listeners” compares the unseen beings to a large, silent crowd, implying their ghostly presence representing a deeper connection to themes of death and the supernatural.
- Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate sounds. Ex. “smote” (knocking sound), “plunging hoofs” (sound of the horse’s footsteps).
- Symbolism: The deserted house symbolizes isolation, and phantom listeners symbolize the unknown, the supernatural, or the dead while the traveller represents human curiosity and the desire for connection.
- Mood and Tone: The overall mood is eerie and mysterious, created through the combination of imagery, sound, and the traveller’s unanswered calls.
- Transferred epithet. A transferred epithet is a figure of speech where an adjective or descriptor typically associated with one noun is applied to another noun, creating a new meaning or effect.
- “silent house”: The silence is attributed to the house, suggesting the absence of life or response within it. However, it’s the atmosphere around the house that is silent.
- “lonely Traveller’s call”: The word “lonely” describes the traveller’s call, implying that the call is lonely because it goes unanswered, rather than the traveller himself.
- “Leafy sky”: In this phrase, “leafy” typically describes plants or trees, implying they are covered with leaves. However, the word “leafy” is transferred to describe the “sky,” creating a vivid image of the sky as being surrounded by or filled with leaves from the trees.
