Epigraph
The unnamed man who cultivates his small plot with contentment.
Dedication
The author, J. H. N., who expresses personal feelings and gratitude.
Verses on Various Occasions
The speaker throughout the poems, reflecting on personal experiences and spiritual insights.
I: Solitude
The narrator reflects on solitude, his birthday, and his spiritual journey, expressing a desire for divine guidance and a constant soul.
II: My Birthday
The speaker, reflecting on his birthday and his relationship with God.
III: Paraphrase of Isaiah 64
The speaker who prays and laments on behalf of Israel.
To F. W. N.
The speaker, reflecting on shared childhood and the bond with Frank, and already enrolled as a champion.
V: Nature and Art
The speaker who rejects human art and longs for nature's living beauty.
Introduction to an Album
The speaker who presents themselves as a harp of many chords, inviting others to contribute.
Snapdragon
The speaker of the poem, a snapdragon flower, reflecting on its humble life.
VIII: The Trance of Time
The speaker reflects on the passage of time and the loss of childhood wonder.
IX: Consolations in Bereavement
The grieving speaker who reflects on the sister's death and finds solace in memory.
A Picture
The narrator mourns and celebrates the life of the departed maiden.
Opusculum
The speaker, a self-described sage, addresses his cousin in a lighthearted tone.
XIII: A Voice from Afar
The implied audience of the poem, the living friends and family of the deceased, who are urged to be blithe and not mourn.
XV: Thanksgiving
The speaker who recounts God's providence and personal afflictions.
Monks
The poet who addresses his cousin and reflects on the monastic life.
XVII: Epiphany-Eve
The narrator speaks in first person plural ('we') and later singular ('I'), offering the poem as a monument and addressing the reader.
XVIII: The Winter Flower
The speaker offers a flower as a birthday gift, reflecting on the contrast between worldly flattery and genuine blessing.
XIX: Kind Remembrances
The speaker who addresses Annie with enduring affection and pious remembrance.
Seeds in the Air
The speaker of the poem, reflecting on the difficulty of summoning poetic inspiration.
XXI: The Pilgrim
The pilgrim who wanders through Dartmoor, bound by a vow to avoid attachment to earthly beauty.
Home
The speaker who roams England and reflects on the vision of the Temple.
XXIII: The Brand of Cain
The speaker who bears the brand of Cain and pleads for redemption.
XXIV: Zeal and Love
The speaker addresses a 'rash scholar' with a warning about the path to love.
Persecution
The child addressed by the Holy Mother, who is hesitant about joining the priest's sacred band.
XXVI: Zeal and Purity
The speaker is addressed directly, urged to wield zeal and the heavenly sword, yet reminded of personal sin.
XXVII: The Gift of Preserverance
The speaker broods over his guilty state and wrestles with doubts, seeking to earn favor through penance.
XXVIII: The Sign of the Cross
The speaker who draws the Holy Sign and experiences renewed courage.
XXIX: Bondage
The speaker who confesses bondage to sin and inability to pray.
XXX: The Scars of Sin
The speaker, who outwardly appears holy but inwardly bears the scars of sin.
XXXI: Angelic Guidance
The speaker who questions the nature of angelic guidance and reflects on his own spiritual state.
XXXII: Substance and Shadow
The speaker who reflects on the nature of perception and the mind's power.
Wanderings
The speaker recounts leaving home and the subsequent disillusionment with worldly pleasures.
XXXIV: The Saint and the Hero
The narrator who hears the saint's praise, meets him, and learns a lesson about humility.
XXXVII: The Isles of the Sirens
The speaker addresses a 'Stranger' and reflects on his own weakness as 'The Man of many woes.'
XXXIX: Memory
The speaker who reflects on memory and anticipates the judgment.
XL: The Haven
The speaker who experiences awe and stillness after a fierce voyage.
XLI: A Word in Season
The speaker who questions how to display God's will and speak the Atoning Name.
XLII: Fair Words
The speaker who delivers the warning about fair words and the need for a serious heart.
XLIV: Moses
The narrator speaks in first person, praying for grace to learn from Moses' example.
XLVI: Jeremiah
The narrator reflects on Jeremiah's cry and contrasts it with the Christian hope for rest.
Penance
The speaker addresses the mortal soul, urging self-judgment and acceptance of suffering as penance.
Christmas Without Christ
The speaker who mourns the absence of Christ during Christmas and warns of future judgment.
Sleeplessness
The speaker who laments human weakness and sleeplessness.
The Witness
The speaker who gives moral instruction on maintaining purity and bearing witness.
LV: Melchizedek
The speaker reflects on the experience of loneliness and the search for divine presence.
LVI: Corcyra
The speaker who sits beneath the olive tree and reflects on the lost city and its people.
Transfiguration
The speaker who observes and reflects on the transfiguration of the saint, moving from ignorance to awe.
Behind the Veil
The speaker who is banished from sacred rest and kneels among the saints.
LIX: Judgment
The speaker who prays for guidance and deliverance from divine judgment.
LX: Sensitiveness
The speaker who reflects on past sensitiveness and present resolve.
Humiliation
The speaker who has experienced both honor and scorn and chooses humility.
A Blight
The speaker whose heart unfolded in spring but now suffers defilement and remorse.
LXVI: Superstition
The speaker declares his intention to fix himself before God in shame, not fearing like the superstitious but trusting in Christ's name.
LXIX: Hope
The speaker reflects on the hope of salvation through the flood typology.
LXXI: Messina
The narrator expresses a yearning heart and sympathetic tears toward the ancient scenes of Messina.
Dreams
The speaker who laments the power of dreams and then rebukes his own heart.
LXXIV: Temptation
The speaker who prays for help in temptation and confesses inner conflict.
Our Future
The speaker reflects on his own life journey and God's gradual revelation.
LXXVII: Taormini
The speaker addresses the reader, reflecting on the experience of traveling and encountering divine beauty.
Sympathy
The speaker who calls upon souls and spirits, expressing personal joy and longing for sympathy.
LXXX: Day-Labourers
The narrator addresses the Christian warrior, urging labor despite mortality.
LXXXI: Warfare
The speaker who addresses the 'man of God' and reflects on the necessity of struggle.
LXXXII: Sacrilege
The speaker who reflects on the Church's state and warns against sacrilege.
LXXXIV: Declension
The speaker who questions the value of striving and reviving dead memories.
The Age to Come
The speaker who searches for truth and faces rejection from reasoners.
LXXXVIII: The Good Samaritan
The speaker expresses personal longing and weariness, finding solace in the Church of Rome.
Reverence
The narrator speaks in first person, expressing personal reverence and awareness of sin.
XC: The Pillar of the Cloud
The speaker who prays for guidance, confesses past pride, and longs for the angelic smiles.
XCIII: Faith Against Sight
The speaker who observes the cycles of history and exhorts the faithful.
XCIV: Desolation
The speaker addresses the reader directly, offering comfort and assurance of God's constant presence.
XCVII: St. Paul
The dreamer who envies the prophets and saints and is visited by St. Paul.
XCVIII: Flowers Without Fruit
The speaker reflects on self-discipline and the value of restrained, purposeful faith.
Vexations
The speaker who bears trials and seeks comfort in faith.
CII: The Wrath to Come
The narrator recounts his personal struggle with the doctrine of hell and his eventual acceptance through Scripture.
CIII: Pusillanimity
The narrator reflects on the human experience of being called to daunting spiritual tasks and the need for courage.
CV: Hora Novissima
The speaker who prays for a Christian death and expresses reliance on God's will.
CVI: Progress of Unbelief
The speaker who observes the autumn of faith and resolves to go out amid the sleet.
Consolation
The speaker who sinks in gloom and fear, seeking reassurance.
CVIII: Uzzah and Obed-Edom
The narrator reflects on the biblical story of Uzzah and Obed-Edom, applying its lesson to the Church.
CIX: The Gift of Tongues
The speaker who observes foreign tongues and laments his own inability to speak.
CX: The Power of Prayer
The narrator reflects on the power of prayer and the path to grace.
Semita Justorum
The speaker reflects on his own spiritual journey and current anticipation of divine guidance.
CXII: The Elements
The speaker who reflects on human knowledge and divine power over the elements.
CXIII: Apostacy
The speaker who reflects on France's past and present spiritual state.
CXV: Separation of Friends
The speaker who mourns and longs for the departed friend to speak.
Morning
The speaker who rises and prays, offering the day as a sacrifice.
CXVIII: Evening
The speaker who confesses to lying and failing to keep the vow.
CXIX: A Hermitage
The speaker who answers the whisper and defends the true meaning of monastic life.
CXXIV: Matins—Sunday
The speaker who calls the faithful to arise and watch.
CXXV: Matins—Monday
The speaker who rises from sleep and leads the prayer.
CXXX: Matins—Saturday
The speaker who offers chants and tears, seeking purification and strength.
CXXXII: Lauds—Sunday
The speaker who leads the prayer and observes the dawn.
Lauds—Thursday
The speaker of the hymn, reflecting on the dawn and the day's service.
CXXXIX: Prime
The suppliant voice praying for guidance and protection.
St. Philip Neri in His Mission
The speaker identifies as Philip's children and Peter's soldiers true, situated in the far North.
Guardian Angel
The speaker who reflects on the guardian angel's constant presence and guidance throughout life.
CLXVIII: The Golden Prison
The speaker who addresses a loved one, asking for prayers after his death.
A Martyr Convert
The speaker who prays for the Lord's descent and recounts the martyr's story.
St. Philip in His Disciples
The speaker who rejects worldly glory and aspires to follow St. Philip's example.
To Edward Caswall
The speaker who observes the pool and reflects on Caswall's verse.
The Two Worlds
The speaker who reflects on the contrast between worldly and divine beauty and offers a poor sacrifice.
§ 3
The soul who addresses the angel and questions the process of judgment.
