Character guide

Unknown

major

Also known as Mine, your, thou, Thy, myself, thy

This narrator moves through elegies, hymns, and odes as mourner, admirer, and pilgrim, addressing Milton, Shelley, Aldrich, and the divine with the same intimate second person. The recurring tension is between earthly loss and inward vision: peace arrives only after pride is broken and the self is forgotten. That arc of striving, surrender, and restored song gives the collection its emotional spine.

Vera

major

Also known as These Vera, thou, thee

Vera hovers at the edge of the poems as the one who cannot be reached by love's speech yet whose life must be kept alive in deeds of pure affection. The speaker's relation to her is devotional rather than possessive, a daily resurrection rather than a possession. Her absence shapes the collection's meditation on memory, fidelity, and the way loss can be transformed into continuing purpose.

the Master

supporting

Also known as the master, The Master, thyself

In the collection's central parable, the Master sends an angel to summon three men to a distant, snowbound mission, and only the third responds with eager trust. He is authority and intimacy at once, demanding obedience yet promising that the cause of truth shall be won. His hidden test defines the book's moral center: service measured not by talent or reluctance but by readiness.

Felix

supporting

Felix belongs to the world of the parable where messengers carry divine commands through city gates and across snowbound passes. His presence sharpens the contrast between those who hesitate, like Bernol and Malvin, and those who answer instantly, like Fermor. Even in brief appearance he anchors the poem's argument that hidden tests reveal the heart's real allegiance.

Marguerite

supporting

Also known as May, Dear Marguerite, dear Marguerite, hers, herself

Marguerite is the poet's comrade of old times, seated on a pillared porch and in a dusky parlor, teasing him about his long absence and finishing his translations. The tension is whether she is truly present or a shade, a doubt the speaker hides lest his happiness dissolve. Her gentle authority over the night's talk makes her the collection's warmest study of friendship, grief, and the cunning ways we avoid asking whether the dead have returned.

Jesus

supporting

Also known as Christ, the Christ, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Thee, Thou

Across hymns and doctrinal poems, Jesus appears as the crown of manhood and the ground of unity, the one who makes the homely earth holy ground. The speaker's desire is not doctrinal victory but nearness: to kneel wherever men adore him and to have discord ended in his heart. His presence turns the collection's public themes of church and creed into a private plea for humility and love.

Aldrich

supporting

Also known as Dear Aldrich, little Aldrich, your, you

Aldrich moves through these poems as the intimate addressed — a dear friend or child whose golden throat turns melody into charm for every ear while the meaning stays unheard, unknown, even to her. The poet's tender warning is the tension: she has learned the lyric by rote, and only joy, grief, or fear will teach it anew. Her growth from performance to felt truth anchors the collection's meditation on art, experience, and the heart's slow education.

Aristæus

minor

Also known as Lonely Aristæus, Happy Aristæus, him

A mythological or allegorical figure, possibly a shepherd or poet.

the Captain

minor

Also known as the captain

A military or ship captain figure, possibly allegorical.

Malvin

minor

A named character with limited but distinct mentions.

King Martin

minor

Also known as Martin, The vain King - fisher

A king figure, possibly from a fable or allegory.

Mary

minor

A female figure, possibly the Virgin Mary or a character.

Sir Edmund

minor

A knight or noble figure with a few proper mentions.

Thor

minor

Also known as the Thunder - Oak O Thor

Norse god invoked in a chant or poem.

the false Sultan

minor

A deceptive ruler figure in a narrative.

John King

minor

Also known as John, your, yours

A king or noble figure addressed directly.

Jan Borel

minor

Also known as Young Jan Borel

A young named character, possibly a boy or youth.

Apollo

minor

Also known as the great Apollo, The Delian Apollo

Greek god of poetry and music, invoked in verse.

Eurydice

minor

Mythological figure, wife of Orpheus, referenced.

Asmiel

minor

A named character, possibly angelic or allegorical.

Fermor

minor

A named character with a few mentions.

James Whitcomb Riley

minor

The poet, referenced as a character.

Aurora

minor

Also known as thee, Thy

Goddess of dawn, personified in verse.

Whitman

minor

The poet Walt Whitman, referenced or addressed.

Jeanne d'Arc

minor

Also known as Jeanne

The French saint and warrior, invoked in poems.

Cornwallis

minor

British general, referenced in a historical poem.

Mark Twain

minor

Also known as the Mark Twain Dinner

The American author, referenced in a poem.

Dante

minor

The Italian poet, referenced in verse.

Robert Browning

minor

Also known as Browning, himself

The poet, referenced as a character or influence.

a Master wonderful

minor

Also known as Who knew the secret of all life

A mysterious wise figure, possibly allegorical.

Hark

minor

A named character, possibly a listener or herald.

Bernol

minor

A named character with a few proper mentions.

Joseph Jefferson

minor

The actor, addressed in a poem.

Spiran

minor

A named character with several proper mentions.

Yorick

minor

A character from Hamlet, referenced in a poem.

Mars

minor

Roman god of war, mentioned in a martial context.

Phyllis

minor

A pastoral or mythological female figure.

Balthazar

minor

One of the Magi, mentioned in a nativity poem.

Victor Hugo

minor

Also known as Victor

The French author, addressed in a poem.

old Poisson

minor

A named character, possibly a fisherman or old man.

Bridget

minor

Also known as the Bridget

A female character, possibly a servant or saint.

Archie Rutledge

minor

Also known as Archie

A named character, possibly a young man.

Mercer

minor

A named character with a few mentions.