Spirits in Bondage
Implied as the central consciousness grappling with bondage and transcendence.
Part I: The Prison House
Protagonist born into the Perfect City; kills his master and escapes.
I: Satan Speaks
Implied as the target of Satan's address, representing the fantasy and rebellion she seeks to thwart.
II: French Nocturne
The speaker of the poem, reflecting on the war-torn landscape and his own loss of humanity.
III: The Satyr
The satyr is not explicitly named, but the description of a being with cloven feet, horns, and a white brow may allude to Dymer's dual nature or a symbolic representation of his inner conflict.
IV: Victory
Referenced implicitly through the 'yearning, high, rebellious spirit of man' that mirrors Dymer's own journey.
VI: Spooks
The narrator, appearing as a ghost in his own dream, unable to enter his beloved's house.
VIII: Ode for New Year’s Day
Implied speaker who reflects on his own past madness and cursing of God, now claiming greater wisdom.
X: To Sleep
The speaker, presumably Dymer, prays to Sleep for solace and a gentle end.
XI: In Prison
The speaker of the poem, expressing anguish over human suffering and cosmic isolation.
XII: De Profundis
Implied as the speaker, expressing personal rebellion and existential anguish.
XV: Dungeon Grates
The universal 'lonely soul of man' is implicitly Dymer's own, as the poem's protagonist enduring the 'nightmare march of unrelenting fate.'
XVI: The Philosopher
Implied as the potential 'seer' or prophet figure, young and unbroken, who might cross the bridge to the eternal.
XVII: The Ocean Strand
Implied as the one who is invited to leave the town and wander toward the ocean.
XX: Sonnet
The speaker of the sonnet, yearning for oblivion and escape from time.
XXI: The Autumn Morning
The speaker who walks alone and reflects on the autumn morning.
Part II: Hesitation
Dymer is caught in a moment of hesitation, reflecting on his past actions and the uncertain path ahead.
XXII: L’Apprenti Sorcier
The narrator, standing alone on a shelf of stone, is tempted by elemental spirits to leap into the sea of cosmic experience.
XXIII: Alexandrines
The speaker who dreads the empty house and the waiting presence.
XXIV: In Praise of Solid People
The speaker's voice aligns with Dymer's introspective and restless nature, contrasting with the solid folk.
Part III: The Escape
Protagonist who escapes the Perfect City after killing his Master.
XXV: Song of the Pilgrims
Implied as one of the pilgrims or the collective voice, seeking the land beyond the North Wind.
XXVII: The Ass
The speaker who wakes, slips away to the hills, and addresses the ass with wonder and affection.
XXVIII: Ballade Mystique
The speaker of the poem, isolated in a red house, yet possessing a visionary inner realm.
XXX: Oxford
Implied as part of 'us' who cherish the city as a spiritual refuge.
XXXII: “Our Daily Bread”
The speaker, likely Dymer, describes his own experiences of glimpsing the divine in mundane settings and his resolve to embark on a spiritual journey.
How He Saw Angus the God
The narrator who rises at dawn, creeps out of the house, and runs through the morning landscape, eventually witnessing the god Angus.
XXXIV: The Roads
The speaker, standing on the uplands and feeling the call of the roads.
XXXV: Hesperus
The speaker of the poem, yearning to follow Hesperus to a place of peace and fulfillment.
XXXVI: The Star Bath
The narrator or observer who recalls witnessing the star bath ages ago, though not explicitly named, the perspective aligns with Dymer's transcendent awareness.
XXXVII: Tu Ne Quæsieris
The speaker of the poem, reflecting on his own desires, struggles, and the limitations of selfhood.
World's Desire
Implied as the beloved addressed in the poem, offered a place in the castle's sacred court.
XL: Death in Battle
The speaker who longs for the gates of a peaceful castle and describes his release from battle and pain.
Dymer
Protagonist who rebels against the Perfect City, kills his master, and embarks on a journey through forest and storm, seeking meaning and confronting his own fate.
Dymer
Protagonist who rebels against the perfect city, kills his master, and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and transcendence.
Canto I
Protagonist who rebels against the Perfect City, kills his lecturer, and flees into the wild, eventually entering a mysterious house.
Canto II
Explores the dome, dresses in royal clothes, feasts, and experiences a transformative encounter in the dark room.
Canto III
Wakes from his night with Joy, explores the house, and confronts the old woman blocking his way.
Canto IV
Sits silently beside the dying man, listening to the story of the revolution he inadvertently sparked.
Canto V
Dymer is the central figure, wandering in despair, reflecting on his actions and losses, and experiencing a near-death fall before a moment of surrender and a vision of renewal.
Canto VI
Dymer descends from the mountain, confronts the Master, and resists the lure of dreams, insisting on facing reality and his sins.
Canto VII
Wakes from a drunken sleep, recounts a dream of a false paradise, and narrowly escapes the Master's gunshot.
Canto VIII
Wounded and in pain, Dymer questions the woman about truth and the gods, reflecting on his past selves and his impending death.
Canto IX
Dies in battle with the beast, ascends through the spheres, learns the beast is his son, and ultimately faces it again.
