Poetry · Character
Unknown
The seeking soul who speaks through these poems, wrestling from despair toward glimpsed light and crying out for the self rather than the form of the beloved.
major
Also known as thou, Thou, Mine, Ye, me, mine, myself
First appearance: to my father
As a major figure in Poetry, Unknown is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
The dying narrator who reflects on his past and addresses a lady and God.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
This voice moves through the collection as mourner, questioner, and eventual worshipper—standing before the Master, weeping, then kneeling again in prayer after the clouds return. Its distinctive tension is between the…
This voice moves through the collection as mourner, questioner, and eventual worshipper—standing before the Master, weeping, then kneeling again in prayer after the clouds return. Its distinctive tension is between the 'bootless aim' of seeking God and the stubborn hope that some answer made the father's heart high and strong; it confesses 'I am not that which I do praise' with unflinching honesty. That self-scrutiny gives the book its emotional spine, letting readers follow a single soul from bereavement through doubt toward the home it has seen and cannot forget.
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The fuller portrait of Unknown sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.
See Unknown in to my fatherCharacter Web
64 connectionsA slice of how Unknown sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Protagonist
- Religious and Mythological Figures
+59 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where the speaker tu…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingIn the story
Unknown appears across 291 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.
- A Hidden Life
- The Homeless Ghost
- A Book of Dreams
- To Aurelio Saffi
- A. M. D.
- A Memorial of Africa
- A Gift
- The Man of Songs
- +283 more
A Hidden Life
The dying narrator who reflects on his past and addresses a lady and God.
The Homeless Ghost
The protagonist who encounters the ghost and later becomes a ghost himself.
A Book of Dreams
The dreaming narrator who experiences visions of childhood, loss, and spiritual struggle.
To Aurelio Saffi
The speaker who addresses Aurelio Saffi, expressing love and admiration for his calm strength and righteousness.
A. M. D.
The speaker who mourns and addresses the deceased brother.
A Memorial of Africa
The speaker who sits on the rock and reflects on creation and mortality.
A Gift
The speaker who offers the dream gift.
The Man of Songs
The pragmatic voice who accuses the man of songs of wandering in dreams and being a 'spirit caged and tame.'
Better Things
The speaker who articulates the values of humility and faith
The Journey
The narrator who journeys from fear to freedom, experiencing the storm and the sea.
Prayer
The speaker who doubts and yet prays.
To A. J. Scott
The speaker who walks through the night, enters the temple, and offers his song to A. J. Scott.
Light
The speaker reflects on childhood memories of playing with light and expresses a childlike wonder and longing for divine illumination.
Were I a Skilful Painter
The speaker who wishes to be a painter and teaches hope and fear.
If I Were a Monk, and Thou Wert a Nun
The speaker who imagines a monastic life and yearns for love and companionship.
Blessed Are the Meek, for They Shall Inherit the Earth
The speaker who prays for a meek heart and describes the ensuing vision of nature.
The Hills
The speaker who recalls childhood hill-climbing and continues the spiritual ascent.
I Know What Beauty Is
The speaker who knows beauty and chooses to leave all for Christ.
I Would I Were a Child
The speaker who yearns for childlike faith and addresses God as Father.
The Lost Soul
The narrator who guides the reader's gaze and laments the lost soul's condition.
A Dream Within a Dream
The narrator observes the dreamers and enters their dream, describing the scenes and emotions.
After an Old Legend
The monk who prays, leaves to feed the poor, and returns to find the Master still present.
A Story of the Sea-Shore
The narrator returns to his childhood home and recounts the tale of the grieving maiden.
My Heart
The speaker who contemplates the heart's weaving and its role as mediator between soul and divine.
O Do Not Leave Me
The speaker who implores mother, lover, brother, friends, and God not to leave.
To My Sister
The speaker addressing his sister.
Oh Thou of Little Faith
The speaker who offers reassurance and expresses love for God.
Longing: My Heart Is Full of Inarticulate Pain
The speaker of the poem, expressing deep longing and spiritual pain.
The Disciple
The narrator, a seeker wrestling with doubt and longing for God.
The Child-Mother
The narrator describes the scene and the Child-Mother's inner thoughts and feelings.
Love's Ordeal
The youth who is cursed with a rapid aging doom and tests the maiden's love.
A Prayer for the Past
The speaker who prays for the restoration of childhood memories and experiences.
Far and Near
The narrator observes the sea and sky, then reflects on the distant battle and its inner echo.
My Room
The speaker, who addresses a friend and reflects on the room's hidden spiritual significance, his role as a father, and his own creative and prophetic insights.
Sympathy
The grieving narrator who is rebuked by his child's smile and reflects on divine fatherhood.
Little Elfie
The narrator observes and writes about Elfie, addressing her directly and reflecting on her innocence.
The Burnt-Offering
The speaker describes the inner experience of a blessed soul.
Concerning Jesus
The speaker who addresses Jesus directly, expressing admiration and theological reflection.
Death and Birth
The narrator who undergoes a transformation from idolizing a woman to seeking divine truth, and who physically breaks down walls to let in light.
Longing: Away from the City’s Herds!
The speaker who longs to escape the city and be with their love.
My Eyes Make Pictures
The speaker who uses imagination to escape earthly grief and find peace.
Death
The speaker reflects on their own mortality and the afterlife.
Lessons for a Child
The speaker addressing a child, teaching about divine love and the importance of selfless kindness.
Hope Deferred: Summer Is Come Again. The Sun Is Bright
The narrator addresses a beloved and the 'dear hearts' gathered around, reflecting on love, aging, and the passage of time.
The Death of the Old Year
The narrator who mourns the Old Year and receives visionary counsel.
A Thanksgiving
The speaker who offers thanksgiving and reflects on the nature of joy and sorrow.
VI: The Woman Whom Satan Had Bound
The speaker who observes the woman's healing and prays for personal healing, expressing hope and endurance.
VIII: The Widow with the Two Mites
The narrator reflects on the paradox of poverty as wealth and the widow's quiet, unassuming faith.
X: Pilate’s Wife
The narrator who ponders the meaning of Pilate's wife's dream and her noble response.
XIII: The Woman in the Temple
The narrator who reflects on the event and prays for personal cleansing.
A Song in a Dream
The dreamer who hears the song and reflects on its spiritual power.
Songs of the Days and Nights
The reflective voice throughout the poems, experiencing longing, sorrow, and hope.
Songs of the Summer Days
The narrator observes nature and reflects on human longing.
Songs of the Summer Nights
The narrator speaks in first person, lying in the grass and observing the night.
Songs of the Autumn Nights
The speaker who reflects on aging, memory, and spiritual dependence.
Songs of the Winter Days
The narrator observes the winter scene and addresses the reader or a companion.
Songs of the Winter Nights
The speaker who meditates on winter, memory, and faith.
Songs of the Spring Days
The narrator who experiences the shift from winter to spring, reflecting on hope, pain, and the longing for eternal fulfillment.
Songs of the Spring Nights
The speaker who longs for home and prays for childlike faith
The Three Horses
The speaker who dreams of riding the three horses and ultimately humbles himself before Jesus.
The Golden Key
The narrator describes the boy's journey and emotional arc.
Somnium Mystici
The narrator, who dies and is led by his brother through a mystical journey of spiritual awakening.
Tell Me
The traveler who answers the child's questions about the journey and the stair.
He Heeded Not
The narrator observes the scene and reflects on the nature of grace and human connection.
The Sheep and the Goat
The speaker who observes the scene and reflects on its spiritual meaning.
The Shadows
The mother/narrator who observes her son's search for God and confesses her own similar spiritual confusion.
An Old Sermon with a New Text
The narrator who observes the domestic scene and preaches the sermon.
The Wakeful Sleeper
The narrator who observes and reflects on the scene and its deeper meaning.
A Dream of Waking
The narrator describing the scene of rejection and the sister's plea.
Hymn for a Sick Girl
The sick girl speaking in first person, expressing her longing and faith.
The Sleepless Jesus
The speaker who observes and questions the sleepless Jesus, interpreting his smile as a sign of seeing God's will.
Rejoice
The man who is addressed by the Sun, Wind, Night, and the divine voice, and who ultimately rejoices.
The Grace of Grace
The speaker who longs for grace from various sources and finally turns to the Lord.
Antiphon
The speaker who reflects on the Lord's presence and the transformation it brings.
Dorcas
The narrator reflects on Dorcas's encounter with Jesus and her subsequent acts of charity.
Blind Bartimeus
The speaker who identifies with Bartimeus, confessing spiritual blindness and crying out to Jesus for healing.
Come Unto Me
The voice expressing doubt, grief, and a longing for relief.
Blessed Are They That Mourn
The speaker who prays and reflects on the relationship with the Father.
Blessed Are They That Hunger
The speaker expresses a collective longing and hope for righteousness.
Morning Hymn
The speaker who prays, expressing personal devotion and longing for God.
Evening Hymn
The speaker of the hymn, who confesses wandering thoughts and prays for renewal and direction toward God.
Noontide Hymn
The speaker who declares love for God's creation and will.
The Thankless Lady
The narrator describes the lady's longing and the transformation of the night.
The Sea-Shell
The speaker who hears the shell's murmuring and interprets it as a call to eternal love.
Autumn Song
The narrator addresses a 'Brother' and reflects on the seasonal and spiritual journey.
Spring Song
The speaker who mourns and then celebrates the return of days past.
What Makes Summer?
The child who asks 'What makes summer?' and the father who responds are unnamed, representing universal figures of curiosity and guidance.
The Unseen Model
The sculptor, who narrates his own creative process and subsequent remorse.
To Lady Noel Byron
The speaker addresses Lady Noel Byron, praising her transformative alchemy.
The Holy Midnight
The narrator speaks of the soul's experience, describing the holy midnight and the surrender to God.
Hard Times
The speaker who confesses weariness and loneliness, and submits to God's will.
Summer Song
The speaker who hears the shell's murmur and interprets it as a song of love.
Picture Songs
The speaker in all four poems, expressing personal longing and emotional states.
A Dream Song
The dreamer who hears the song and reflects on its spiritual impact.
A Manchester Poem
The narrator observes the industrial city, the couple's life, and reflects on nature and spirituality.
Up in the Tree
The speaker who invites the listener up the tree and reflects on the experience.
Song of the Lonely
The speaker who voices homesickness and a plea for divine shelter.
The Diary of an Old Soul
The old soul speaking in first person, reflecting on his spiritual journey.
Dedication
The speaker who offers the book and addresses the readers as 'Sweet friends' and 'dear hearts'.
January
The first-person speaker who wrestles with doubt, memory, and the desire for spiritual renewal.
February
The speaker throughout the chapter, expressing personal spiritual crisis and yearning.
March
The speaker who pours out his soul in prayer and meditation, seeking union with God and love for the departed.
April
The speaker of the poems, expressing personal struggles, hopes, and prayers.
May
The first-person speaker who confesses foolishness, selfishness, and longing, and who strives toward obedience and freedom.
June
The speaker who prays for purification, forgiveness, and union with the divine.
July
The first-person speaker who expresses doubt, fear, and longing for divine connection throughout the chapter.
August
The speaker of the poem, who articulates personal struggles with faith and devotion.
September
The speaker throughout the chapter, expressing personal struggles and faith.
October
The first-person speaker throughout the chapter, expressing personal struggle, faith, and hope.
November
The speaker who pours out his spiritual struggles, doubts, and longing for faith and divine connection.
December
The first-person speaker who expresses weariness, longing, and a deep desire for divine union.
A Threefold Cord
The speaking voice in the poems, expressing personal faith, doubt, longing, and reflection on the soul's journey.
Dedication
The poet-narrator who addresses his son in the dedication.
In the Winter
The speaker addresses 'thy' and 'thou,' urging the reader to spiritual transformation.
Christmas-Day, 1878
The speaker who expresses weariness of the recurring Christmas day and finds renewal in Christ's daily presence.
Two Rondels
The speaker who wakes, fights inner darkness, and ultimately finds unity with the divine.
Smoke
The speaker who lays their heart on the altar and struggles to kindle devotion.
To a Certain Critic
The speaker who prepared the homely dish for humble souls.
Song: She Loves Thee, Loves Thee Not!
The speaker who questions the beloved's lack of love, reflecting on his own unworthiness.
A Cry
The speaker who cries out in discontent and acknowledges his dependence on God.
From Home
The speaker who reflects on grief and sorrow, acknowledging vulnerability to earthly things.
No Sign
The speaker who yearns for a sign from God and struggles with doubt.
The Chrysalis
The narrator who floats sightless and hears the cry of agony.
November, 1851
The questioning soul, addressing itself and the cosmos.
Of One Who Died in Spring
The speaker addresses the deceased and the spring, reflecting on the gentle release of death.
An Autumn Song
The speaker who observes autumn's decay and reflects on death and loss.
Triolet: Few in Joy’s Sweet Riot
The speaker who experiences the quenching of joy's riot.
I See Thee Not
The speaker is the narrator, expressing personal faith and doubt.
A Broken Prayer
The speaker of the prayer, expressing deep personal anguish and longing for divine intervention.
Come Down
The speaker who haunts God's door with prayers and longs for divine presence.
A Mood
The speaker of the poem, reflecting on their inner state.
The Old Garden
The speaker who stands in the ancient garden and witnesses the ghostly maiden.
A Noonday Melody
The speaker observes the stillness of nature and contemplates rest in the grave.
Who Lights the Fire?
The speaker who ponders the identity of the fire-lighter and reflects on the smoke's transformation.
Who Would Have Thought?
The speaker who laments inner darkness and yearns for purification.
On a December Day
The speaker who reflects on the December day, blessing the breezes and woods, and choosing to follow spring.
To a February Primrose
The speaker who discovers the primrose and contemplates its nature and immortality.
In February
The speaker addresses 'thou' and reflects on faith in God's handwriting.
The True
The speaker who envies the natural elements and then turns to God in prayer.
The Dwellers Therein
The speaker who walks through the woods and reflects on the possibility of finding companionship in nature.
Punishment
The speaker addressing the mourner, offering counsel on suffering and divine justice.
Show Us the Father
The speaker who expresses the longing to see the Father.
The Pinafore
The parent narrator who observes the child's retreat and prays for personal transformation.
The Prism
The speaker who reflects on the transient nature of divine grace and the need for daily renewal.
Sleep
The speaker who contemplates sleep as a foretaste of death and reflects on the ceaseless life of nature.
Sharing
The speaker who gazes at the stormy sky and reflects on shared joy.
In Bonds
The narrator speaks of pity for prisoners, exiles, and the soul's bondage.
Hunger
The speaker who cries out in hunger and half-despair, pleading for sustenance and ultimately for the hunger itself to remain.
New Year’s Eve: A Waking Dream
The narrator recounts the dreamlike vision of the two brothers on New Year's Eve.
From North Wales: To the Mother
The speaker narrates the journey and the acquired knowledge of nature, addressing the mother figure.
Come to Me
The speaker who prays and wrestles with doubt.
A Fear
The speaker who voices the fear of losing connection with the earth and its beauty.
The Lost House
The narrator who runs from the house and experiences the loss and restoration of the vision of the father.
The Goal
Addressed as 'thou' in the line 'Wilt thou find thyself or friend.'
Oh That a Wind
The solitary speaker who laments being alone and whose heart has grown weary.
A Vision of St. Eligius
The speaker who is blown about, drenched in dews, and cries out to God.
Of the Son of Man
The poetic voice reflecting on Nature, Art, and the mission of Christ, expressing personal honor for Nature and theological insight.
A Song-Sermon
The speaker who longs for the grave and hopes for God's call.
Words in the Night
The narrator who wakes at midnight and hears their heart speaking.
Sabbath Bells
The speaker who rejoices in the Sabbath bells.
Fighting
The speaker who witnesses the spiritual struggle and is borne upward after the victory.
After the Fashion of an Old Emblem
The speaker who moves from cellar labor to garret waiting, embodying a shift from striving to receptivity.
Quiet Dead!
The speaker who questions the dead and receives their quiet reply.
Let Your Light So Shine
The speaker who describes his own spiritual struggle and plea for his light to shine.
The Souls’ Rising
The narrator who addresses a brother and describes the vision of souls rising through the storm.
To an Autograph-Hunter
The speaker who refuses to give his name and directs the seeker toward self-discovery.
Second Sight
The speaker who experiences the transformation of winter into a garden of beauty through second sight.
With a Copy of “In Memoriam”
The speaker who addresses the friend and reflects on the poem's meaning.
When the Storm Was Proudest
The narrator who experiences the storm, hears the natural world, and waits for the return of a lost glory.
Not Understood
The speaker who wrestles with the incomprehensible nature of existence.
Hom. Il. V 403
The speaker addresses the reader directly, offering moral and spiritual counsel.
The Dawn
The speaker who addresses the dawn and expresses spiritual and existential struggle.
Galileo
The speaker reflects on Galileo's pain and his own relationship with Truth.
Subsidy
The pilgrim addressed as 'thou' who chooses the difficult path of truth.
The Prophet
The speaker who calls upon the prophet.
Spoken of Several Philosophers
The speaker who protests against being treated as a passive receptacle for philosophical systems.
Nature a Moral Power
The speaker who reflects on nature's moral power and the inner strength it imparts.
To June
The speaker who addresses June as a truant and commands it to return to its studies.
On a Midge
The speaker who addresses the midge and the philosophers.
Steadfast
The speaker who gazes upon the stone and waterfall, seeking to be wrecked and quenched in the whirl of time.
Provision
The speaker who observes the storm and resolves to use the moment for spiritual fortification.
First Sight of the Sea
The speaker who recalls the childhood memory of first seeing the sea.
On the Source of the Arve
The speaker addresses the river directly, observing its struggle and freedom.
Confidence
The speaker addresses a hopeless soul, urging trust in the earth's cycles.
Fate
The speaker who experiences being thrust out and driven through desolate passages, reflecting on fate and anguish.
Unrest
The speaker who lies resting but mourns the world's unrest.
My Two Geniuses
The speaker who describes his two geniuses and his struggle to reconcile them.
Sudden Calm
The speaker who experiences the internal bellowing and then the calm dream of sailing toward eternity.
Thou Also
The narrator addresses the reader directly, accusing them of complicity in sin.
The Aurora Borealis
The speaker who experiences the aurora borealis and feels their soul ascend.
The Human
The speaker who addresses humanity directly, expressing love and commitment despite sin.
Written on a Stormy Night
The speaker who confronts the storm and finds inner peace.
Reverence Waking Hope
The speaker who feels a power compelling him to address the grey man.
Born of Water
The narrator who stands among the stars and witnesses the transformation of the barren orb.
To a Thunder-Cloud
The speaker who addresses the thunder-cloud and reflects on its lesson.
Sun and Moon
The speaker who awakens and reflects on the sun and moon.
Doubt Heralding Vision
The narrator sits by a brook, receives the doubt, and is granted a vision.
Life of Death?
The reflective voice questioning the nature of death and eternity.
Lost and Found
The speaker who searches and finds the lost friend within.
Truth, Not Form!
The narrator who seeks truth beyond outward forms.
God in Growth
The speaker who resolves to act and create, but is humbled by the angel's revelation.
Power
The speaker who reflects on the nature of power and addresses 'my brothers'.
Death: Yes, There Is One Who Makes Us All Lay Down
The narrator who observes and reflects on Death's universal power.
That Holy Thing
The speaker who laments human expectations and acknowledges God's secret coming.
What Man Is There of You?
The speaker who questions his own faith and compares himself to a flawed father.
O Wind of God
The speaker who prays for the Wind of God to transform and purify.
One with Nature
The speaker who claims fellowship with nature and reflects on divine majesty in the human heart.
A Year Song
The speaker who addresses the heart throughout the poem.
Song: Why Do the Houses Stand
The speaker who questions why houses stand when their builders are gone.
For Where Your Treasure Is, There Will Your Heart Be Also
The narrator describes the miser's deathbed scene and his post-mortem realization.
Song-Sermon: Lord, What Is Man
The speaker who reflects on humanity's place before God.
Shadows
The speaker who reflects on the shadowy nature of existence and prays for God's light.
A Winter Prayer
The speaker, a soul in distress, pleading for God's presence and comfort.
Song of a Poor Pilgrim
The pilgrim speaker who addresses God directly, reflecting on the purpose of thorns and suffering.
An Evening Prayer
The speaker who prays for rest and peace.
Song-Sermon: Mercy to Thee, O Lord, Belongs
The speaker who confesses human wrongdoing and appeals to divine mercy.
Rondel: I Do Not Know Thy Final Will
The speaker who confesses ignorance of God's final will and reflects on divine mercy and love.
December 23, 1879
The speaker who laments being shut out from poetic houses and later finds hope in being held in God's nest.
Song-Prayer
The speaker who longs for the vision of God's face.
Sunday, December 28, 1879
The narrator expresses a dim, vague shrinking and spiritual unease, reflecting on his dependence on God.
Song-Sermon: In His Arms Thy Silly Lamb
The speaker addressing the dam and describing the lamb's experience.
The Donkey in the Cart to the Horse in the Carriage
The donkey narrator speaks in first person, addressing the horse.
Cottage Songs
The child narrator who observes, questions, and prays through the daily chores.
I: By the Cradle
The narrator speaking to the baby, likely an older sibling or caretaker.
II: Sweeping the Floor
The child narrator who sweeps the floor and contemplates the story of God sweeping for a shilling.
IV: Drawing Water
The narrator draws water, reflects on its origin, and prays for the divine well to rise within.
Song: I Was Very Cold
The speaker who experiences coldness and then emotional warming.
An Improvisation
The speaker observes the night sky and reflects on the divine in nature.
Equity
The speaker addresses the heart directly, offering counsel to forgive and trust in divine restoration.
The Consoler
The speaker who contemplates the engraving and expresses devotion to Christ.
To ⸻
The speaker who cannot write old verses and instead urges listening to Nature's song.
To a Sister
The speaker who addresses the sister with encouragement and blessing.
Contrition
The penitent speaker, a man ashamed and broken, crying out from the gulf.
Russell Gurney
The speaker addressing the departed friend.
To Aubrey de Vere
The speaker who addresses Aubrey de Vere, reflecting on their shared spiritual journey.
Written for One in Sore Pain
The speaker who cries out as a lost lamb, stumbling and weeping, yet following as best they can.
Christmas, 1884
The speaker who expresses personal lack of Christmas glee and finds fulfillment in Christ's coming.
A Song for Christmas
The narrator speaks in first person, expressing sorrow and the resolve to find freedom and reunion through song.
To My Aging Friends
The speaker addresses aging friends, reflecting on love, aging, and the approach of death.
The Old Castle
Narrator of the poem, describing the brother's actions and the children's rescue.
Christmas Prayer
The speaker whose heart is cold, poor, and low, seeking divine indwelling.
Rondel
The speaker who follows their own funeral train, reflecting on death with detachment and eventual gladness.
A Prayer: When I Look Back Upon My Life Nigh Spent
The speaker who looks back on life, repents of follies and love's shortcomings, and prays for restoration.
Home from the Wars
The speaker, a tattered soldier returning home from war.
God; Not Gift
The speaker is the first-person narrator who laments his spiritual emptiness and yearns for God's presence.
To Any Friend
The speaker who humbly addresses a friend and reflects on their own unworthiness.
Winter Song
The narrator reflects on a past parting and the lingering memory of a brief romantic encounter.
At My Window After Sunset
The speaker who sends his soul out over the sea and contemplates his own mortality.
To-Morrow
The narrator speaks of 'my to-morrow' and addresses God's tomorrow.
Love Is Home
The speaker who thanks Love and expresses the longing to return home.
Waiting: I Waited for the Master
The speaker who waits faithfully for the Master through darkness and daylight.
Our Ship
The speaker who longs for the ship's arrival and addresses a 'thee'.
My Heart Thy Lark
The speaker who questions their own heart and addresses God as Father.
Two in One
The speaker who addresses the beloved and reflects on their unity.
Bedtime
The narrator addresses the children and then includes themselves among the 'elder ones' who wait for the Father.
A Prayer: Thou Who Mad’st the Mighty Clock
The speaker of the prayer, seeking to align their will with divine order.
Reciprocity
The narrator recounts the story of the woman's faith and love.
This World
The speaker who contemplates the nature of the world and God's purposes.
Saint Peter
The speaker who addresses Peter and then prays for steadfast faith.
After Thomas Kemp
The speaker who exhorts the reader to pursue humility, love, and obedience, and to avoid intellectual pride.
To E. G., Dedicating a Book
The speaker who dedicates the book and offers encouragement.
To G. M. T.
The speaker addresses the sister figure with comfort and assurance.
A Mammon-Marriage
The narrator describes the scene of the Mammon-marriage.
A Song in the Night: A Brown Bird Sang on a Blossomy Tree
The listener who is comforted by the bird's song and falls asleep.
The Clock of the Universe
The voice of the poem, observing the cosmic clock and expressing longing for divine reunion.
The Thorn in the Flesh
The speaker who discovers the worm within and endures the trial.
In the Night
The speaker who hears the Master's call and struggles with doubt and self-worth.
Life-Weary
The speaker addresses the life-weary traveler, urging them to see the open door and gracious forms.
Travellers’ Song
The narrator speaks of the journey homeward, addressing 'girls and boys' and reflecting on the passage of time and emotion.
Coming
The speaker who watches and waits for God's coming, keeping hand on the latch.
A Song in the Night: I Would I Were an Angel Strong
The speaker who longs for transformation and prays to the Father.
De Profundis
The speaker who prays for self-renunciation and resurrection from the 'coffin' of mortal life.
Blind Sorrow
The speaker who expresses deep sorrow and loneliness.
Angels
The narrator speaks from a first-person perspective, noting the angels' presence in their own house.
The Father’s Worshippers
The speaker who identifies with the weeping and praying worshippers.
Waiting: Lie, Little Cow, and Chew Thy Cud
The speaker who counsels the soul to wait for God.
Lost but Safe
The narrator describes the lost child's experience.
Much and More
The speaker addressing the heart, urging deeper love for the divine.
A Prisoner
The imprisoned speaker who cries out for release from the decaying house.
To One Unsatisfied
The speaker addressing the unsatisfied one.
To My God
The speaker who wakes and finds they have been forgetting God.
Triolet
The speaker who calls for men to praise the Lord.
To the Life Eternal
The speaker who pours out their soul in search of the divine.
Forgiveness
The child who struggles with the sum and returns to God in tears.
Dejection
The speaker who expresses deep sorrow and longing for divine connection.
Appeal
The speaker who questions and appeals to God.
Mother Nature
The narrator observes and describes Mother Nature's ceaseless activity and nightly vigil.
King Cole
The narrator who tells the story of King Cole's transformation.
Said and Did
The narrator observes and condemns the hypocrisy of those who fail to live up to the ideals they admire.
Dr. Doddridge's Dog
The speaker who addresses the dog, reflects on creation, and expresses faith in God's plan.
A Make-Believe
The narrator who imagines being a rabbit and then returns to being a boy.
Chapter companion notes
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