Poetry · Character

Unknown

The searching voice behind these poems, speaking as 'I' and 'thou' to saints, friends, and God, forever weighing duty against longing and grief against grace.

major

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

First appearance: Wings of a Dove

As a major figure in Poetry, Unknown is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The speaker who observes the dove and reflects on the desire for rest and the futility of wandering.

In the storyWings of a DoveOpen this moment free

See Unknown in Wings of a Dove Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

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.

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Unknown sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Unknown in Wings of a Dove

Character Web

27 connections

A slice of how Unknown sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Protagonist
Historical and Allegorical Nobility
Mythological and Personal Companions
Divine and Mythic Figures

+22 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This poem serves as the dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the protag…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

In the story

Unknown appears across 184 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Wings of a Dove
The speaker who observes the dove and reflects on the desire for rest and the futility of wandering.
The Parting and the Coming Guest
The narrator observes the passing of Winter and the arrival of Spring, reflecting on the unnoticed transitions in nature.
When Tulips Bloom
The speaker who yearns for a fishing trip and communion with nature.
The After-Echo
The narrator reflects on echoes and memories, speaking from a personal, introspective perspective.
Matins
The speaker whose heart turns from darkness to day, lying open in God's sight like a flower.
The Fall of the Leaves
The speaker observes the autumn battle and mourns the fallen leaves.
If All the Skies
The speaker reflects on the necessity of life's contrasts.
Roslin and Hawthornden
The speaker who expresses personal preference for the natural glen over the crafted chapel.
The Maryland Yellow-Throat
The speaker who observes the bird and yearns for Mary.
The Whip-Poor-Will
The speaker, recalling a childhood memory of fishing with his father and hearing the whip-poor-will.
The Veery
The speaker who longs for the veery's song.
The Lily of Yorrow
The speaker who describes the lily and laments a comrade who found it and vanished.
Tennyson
The speaker mourns Tennyson's passing and reflects on his legacy.
A Ballad of Claremont Hill
The narrator invites a friend to walk to Claremont Hill, reflecting on the grace found there.
Four Things
The speaker presents universal advice on moral conduct.
Rendezvous
The speaker yearns for a soul-to-soul connection beyond words and physical form.
Transformation
The narrator reflects on the transformative power of God in both nature and human life.
To My Lady Graygown: With a Handful of Verses
The speaker who offers the handful of verses and acknowledges the beloved companion.
Rappelle-Toi
The speaker who addresses the beloved with a plea to remember.
Two Songs of Heine
The speaker in both poems, observing the fir-tree's dream and addressing the beloved.
In Memoriam
The narrator reflects on a soul's journey of faith and love through pain and doubt.
For Katrina’s Window
The narrator delivers the window's message to the queen.
The Prison and the Angel
The narrator speaks of the soul's imprisonment by the self and liberation through love.
Santa Christina
The narrator who recalls knowing Christina and expresses gratitude for her influence.
Love and Light
The narrator reflects on the varieties of love and light.
Peace
The speaker who strives for peace, grows weary, and ultimately finds peace through surrender.
Chant of the Magi at the Fire-Altar
The collective voice of the Magi offering worship and prayer.
Song of a Pilgrim-Soul
The narrator addresses his own soul, urging it to press on in the pilgrimage of life.
A Babe Among the Stars
The narrator who beholds the splendour of the night and reflects on God's birth.
The Bargain
The speaker who negotiates the exchange of worldly goods for the divine Pearl.
The Master's Voice
The narrator expresses personal struggles with doubt, fear, and grief, finding solace in the Master's voice.
Bitter-Sweet
The narrator reflects on the bitter lesson of giving up and trusting fate, then contrasts it with the sweet rest found in love and faith.
Mercy for Armenia
The narrator addresses America directly, urging it to rise and show divine mercy to Armenia.
The Builders
The narrator speaks as a voice of reflection and praise, guiding the reader through the history and ideals of Princeton.
Another Chance
The speaker who pleads with Death for another chance, then realizes he has wasted it.
The Angler’s Reveille
The narrator who observes the dawn and addresses the angler, urging him to awaken and find joy in the day.
To Joseph Jefferson
The narrator who records the meeting with Joseph Jefferson and reflects on the scene.
Little Boatie
The speaker, presumably a mother or guardian, sings a lullaby to the child, expressing care and concern for the father at sea.
The Echo in the Heart
The speaker who knows birds and his beloved by heart, not by book learning.
A November Daisy
The speaker who observes the daisy and reflects on his own feelings of loneliness and the passage of time.
The River of Dreams
The narrator who drifts in a boat along the river of dreams, experiencing the journey and reflecting on life.
The Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
The narrator addresses the kinglet directly, questioning and celebrating its kingdom.
Music
The speaker throughout the poem, addressing Music directly and expressing personal longing and reflection.
Ode to Peace
The speaker who strives for peace, grows weary, and finds peace through surrender.
God of the Open Air
The speaker who prays for renewal and escape from anxious thought, seeking peace in nature.
The Three Best Things
The speaker reflects on work, love, and life as personal experiences.
The Child in the Garden
The speaker who comes to the garden of untroubled thought and encounters the child.
Love's Reason
The speaker who articulates the deeper reason for love beyond physical appearance.
Portrait and Reality
The speaker who contemplates the portrait versus the reality of the beloved.
The Wind of Sorrow
The narrator reflects on the fading and rekindling of love through shared sorrow.
Patria
The speaker who professes an innate, sovereign love for America.
The Vain King
The narrator who recounts the tale of King Martin's vanity and punishment.
A Mile with Me
The speaker who seeks a companion for life's journey.
Spring in the South
The speaker observes the spring landscape and addresses a beloved companion.
Love's Nearness
The speaker who thinks of the beloved in every natural scene.
School
The speaker who sends their heart to school in the world and then in nature.
A Mother's Birthday
The speaker who prays for his mother, recalling her love and care.
Indian Summer
The speaker observes the Indian summer landscape and reflects on the past.
One World
The narrator reflects on the two worlds of existence and their unity in love.
Hide and Seek
The speaker who recalls playing hide and seek with a child and now searches for him.
Dulcis Memoria
The speaker who recalls the song, flower, and child, and addresses memory directly.
Autumn in the Garden
The speaker who walks in the garden and reflects on the shared sorrows of humanity.
The Message
The narrator who receives the child's message and finds comfort.
Light Between the Trees
The narrator describes the journey through the forest, experiencing weariness and hope.
Reliance
The speaker reflects on the limitations of human effort and the divine source of grace.
A Rondeau of College Rhymes
The speaker reflects on college rhymes and youthful memories.
For the Friends at Hurstmont
The speaker who extols the virtues of the house and its hearth.
The Statue of Sherman by St. Gaudens
The narrator reflects on the statue and Sherman's legacy.
The Sun-Dial at Wells College
The speaker reflects on the nature of time and the present moment.
The White Bees
The narrator who tells the legend of Aristæus and describes the swarming of the white bees.
New Year's Eve
The dreamer and speaker, who revisits memories of Marguerite and struggles with the boundary between dream and reality.
Sea-Gulls of Manhattan
The speaker observes the sea-gulls and reflects on their freedom amidst the city's turmoil.
Urbs Coronata
The narrator personifies New York as a queen and addresses the City College towers.
America
The speaker expresses personal love for America's landscapes.
Doors of Daring
The speaker addresses the reader directly, urging them to embrace daring and overcome limitations.
A Home Song
The narrator reflects on a poet's words and contemplates the essence of home.
A Noon Song
The speaker who praises the glory of noon and reflects on the toil and rest of the day.
America for Me
The speaker expresses a personal yearning for America over Europe.
The Ancestral Dwellings
The speaker who lovingly describes and celebrates the ancestral dwellings of America.
The Monument of Francis Makemie
The speaker who brings praise to Makemie and addresses the monument.
National Monuments
The speaker reflects on the purpose of national monuments and their role in inspiring youth.
Mother Earth
The narrator addresses Mother Earth directly, reflecting on the relationship between the earth, poets, and their immortal songs.
Milton
The speaker addresses Milton directly, reflecting on his life and legacy.
Wordsworth
The speaker addresses Wordsworth directly, reflecting on his poetic legacy and personal journey.
Keats
The speaker addresses Keats directly, reflecting on his life and legacy.
Shelley
The speaker addresses Shelley directly, reflecting on his life and death.
Longfellow
The narrator who hears the singing and observes the shepherd-poet's journey.
Edmund Clarence Stedman
The speaker delivering the funeral tribute.
Spring in the North
The narrator expresses personal longing and joy throughout the chapter.
Nepenthe
The speaker who confesses his folly and pride, and returns seeking forgiveness.
Hesper
The speaker who observes and describes Hesper's beauty and essence.
Arrival
The pilgrim and mariner who travels without knowing the destination, seeking until finding the beloved.
Departure
The speaker who laments his departure and addresses the sun, garden, and his beloved.
The Black Birds
The narrator recounts a personal vision of Eden and the devastating arrival of black birds that obscure it.
Without Disguise
The speaker who confesses to showing their heart without disguise.
Gratitude
The speaker reflects on gratitude as a spontaneous, heartfelt response to daily blessings.
Stars and the Soul
The speaker who reflects on the starry heavens, moral law, and the human soul.
To Julia Marlowe
The speaker who has long admired the Grecian urn and is moved by Julia Marlowe's reading.
Pan Learns Music
The narrator addresses Pan directly, questioning his actions.
Undine
The dreaming boy who reads Undine and weeps with tearful joy.
Love in a Look
The speaker who yearns for the beloved's gaze and finds spiritual union in it.
My April Lady
The speaker observes the April lady's changing moods and reflects on her nature.
A Lover's Envy
The speaker who envies the flowers, birds, and breezes that attend the beloved.
The Hermit Thrush
The speaker who addresses the thrush and a beloved, expressing wonder and love.
Fire-Fly City
The narrator, traveling by train after a day of love, observes the fleeting Fire-Fly City and feels the loneliness of being unknown among strangers.
The Gentle Traveller
The narrator is addressed as a traveller and responds to the question.
Sicily, December, 1908
The speaker who questions the earthquake's meaning and affirms faith.
The Window
The watcher who keeps vigil all night, observing the sleeper's breath and the window's gaze.
Three Alpine Sonnets
The observing pilgrim who traverses the Alpine scenes, reflecting on solitude and finding solace in nature.
Hudson’s Last Voyage
The narrator is Henry Hudson, speaking in first person.
The Distant Road
The narrator who experiences the joy of meeting a friend in a distant land and offers thanks to the divine Companion.
The Welcome Tent
The weary traveler who gives thanks for rest after the day's journey.
The Great Cities
The narrator observes the cities and their inhabitants, questioning God about the existence of towns.
The Friendly Trees
The speaker who sings of the bounty of trees and reflects on their spiritual significance.
The Broken Sword
The speaker who has been led into ambush and whose sword is broken.
The Unseen Altar
The narrator observes humanity's altars and is led by an angel to the unseen altar of the heart.
The Pathway of Rivers
The narrator reflects on the rivers of God and prays for guidance.
The Glory of Ruins
The narrator sits among the ruins and contemplates the fall of human pride.
The Good Teacher
The speaker who is the slow scholar learning from the Lord.
The Camp-Fires of My Friend
The narrator who arrives as a guest at God's tent and receives divine hospitality.
Hymn of Joy
The collective voice of the hymn, speaking as 'we' and 'us' in adoration and petition.
The Shepherd of Nymphs
The narrator describes the shepherd and the nymphs' actions.
Echoes from the Greek Anthology
The speaker in 'Roseleaf' and 'The Professor' is unnamed, reflecting a universal voice.
The Grand Canyon
The narrator experiences a profound spiritual journey, moving from doubt to faith while contemplating the Grand Canyon.
Sierra Madre
The speaker who addresses the Sierra Madre mountains and reflects on their majesty and role.
Texas
The speaker who reads the dedication and addresses the audience, invoking Texas's heroes and pioneers.
Turn o’ the Tide
The narrator's heart goes round with the vessels, experiencing the turn of the tide as a mystical call to range far or find harbor in love's true home.
Rappel d'Amour
The speaker who calls for the return of a loved one, expressing regret and enduring affection.
The First Bird o' Spring
The speaker who longs for and then rejoices in the first bird of spring.
Gran' Boule
The seaman narrator who tells the story of Captain Poisson and reflects on the sailor's relationship with the sea.
Heroes of the Titanic
The narrator honors the fallen heroes of the Titanic.
Peace-Hymn of the Republic
The voice praying for America's blessing and guidance.
Christmas Tears
The speaker who observes and questions the beloved's tears, reflecting on the deeper meaning of Christmas joy and memory.
Dorothea
The speaker who experiences deepening loss and gain through the memory of Dorothea.
Three Prayers for Sleep and Waking
The speaker of the prayers, addressing God and the reader in a universal voice of devotion.
Inscription for a Tomb in England
The speaker who addresses an unknown friend and expresses collective grief and gratitude.
Stain Not the Sky
The speaker who addresses the 'gods of battle' and advocates for peace.
How Spring Comes to Shasta Jim
The speaker, 'Shasta Jim' or a similar rustic persona, who narrates in dialect and celebrates the arrival of spring in the California mountains.
A Ballad of Santa Claus
The narrator recounts the legends of St. Nicholas and his virtues.
Ars Agricolaris
The narrator addresses the farmers directly, celebrating their work and offering wisdom.
The Red Flower
The narrator walks along the river Kyll, observes the troop trains, and experiences a prophetic vision of war.
Lights Out
The speaker who laments the war and calls for light.
Remarks About Kings
The narrator who relays God's and man's remarks about kings.
Storm-Music
The narrator addresses Music directly, personifying it as a queen who must reign over both gentle and stormy sounds.
The Name of France
The speaker who invokes and celebrates the name of France.
The Proud Lady
The narrator tells the tale of the proud lady and the downfall of Stävoren.
Flood-Tide of Flowers
The narrator observes the changing seasons and the blooming of flowers in Holland.
America’s Prosperity
The speaker who addresses America, questioning the nature of true prosperity.
Liberty Enlightening the World
The speaker addresses Liberty and America directly, urging action and sacrifice.
The Oxford Thrushes
The speaker who hears the thrushes and reflects on the war's impact on Oxford.
Homeward Bound
The speaker whose heart calls for home, sailing through danger.
The Peaceful Warrior
The speaker expresses a personal commitment to peace and the willingness to fight for freedom.
The Winds of War-News
The speaker addresses America directly, offering counsel and exhortation.
Righteous Wrath
The speaker who invokes righteous wrath and seeks to become a soldier of the Right.
Facta Non Verba
The narrator speaks in first person, affirming the value of both deeds and words.
The Signs
The narrator reflects on the Zodiac signs and their meanings.
The Red Cross
The speaker who invokes the Red Cross as a holy sign and calls for its leadership.
Easter Road
The speaker who resolves to retrace the divine footmarks and exhorts comrades to follow the Easter path.
America's Welcome Home
The narrator speaks as a collective American voice, expressing national pride and gratitude.
The Surrender of the German Fleet
The poet-narrator who joyfully announces the surrender and calls on lovers of the sea to celebrate.
Golden Stars
The gray-haired servitor bearing the Fiery Cross, traveling through America.
The Song-Sparrow
The speaker who recalls the sparrow's song from childhood and expresses deep affection for the bird.
Dulciora
The speaker who recalls the song, flower, and child.
Salute to the Trees
The speaker who reflects on trees and offers a morning salute.
Voyagers
The collective voice of the voyagers, expressing trust and dependence on the Maker of the Deep.
The Burning Bush
The speaker who turns aside to see the great sight and leads the prayer of worship and trust.
One in Christ
The collective voice of the faithful praying for unity and forgiveness.
Victoria
The speaker who proclaims the inward victory and calls to follow the King.
The Foolish Fir-Tree
The narrator tells the tale of the foolish fir-tree, originally by Rückert, to children.
Rencontre
The speaker who is departing, born too soon or too late relative to the beloved.
Day and Night
The speaker reflects on the nature of day and night, addressing a brother and God.
An Hour
The speaker who experiences the transformative hour.
Eight Echoes from the Poems of Auguste Angellier
The speaker throughout the poems, addressing a beloved with longing and devotion.
Spirit of the Everlasting Boy
The poet-narrator who delivers the ode, reflecting on boyhood, education, and the spirit of Lawrenceville.
Who Follow the Flag
The speaker observes a parade and reflects on the flag's meaning, then shifts to a vision of suffering children.
In the Blue Heaven
The narrator speaks in first person plural ('we', 'our'), mourning the aviators and drawing comfort from the heavens.
A Shrine in the Pantheon
The unnamed soldier honored in the Pantheon.
Richard Watson Gilder
The speaker who eulogizes Gilder, addressing him directly as 'thine' and 'thy'.
The Valley of Vain Verses
The narrator observes and condemns the vanity of insincere verses.
To a Young Girl Singing
The speaker who addresses the young girl, reflecting on the difference between rote learning and heartfelt understanding.
The Old Flute
The aging speaker who reflects on his lost ability to play the flute and his gratitude for having shared in music.
The Ballad of the Solemn Ass
The narrator reciting the ballad at the Century Club.
Dear California
The speaker who addresses California with admiration and affection.
Ballad of Princeton Battle
The narrator, a soldier in Washington's army, recounts the march and battle from a personal perspective.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Unknown unlock in the free preview.

See Unknown in Wings of a Dove