The Listeners — Walter de la Mare
Class: 7th Std | Type: Poem | Syllabus: SCERT New Syllabus
About the Poet
Walter de la Mare (1873–1956) was an English poet, short story writer and novelist. He is best known for his works for children. The Listeners is said to be his most famous poem. His works often explore themes of mystery, imagination, dreams and the supernatural. He had a remarkable ability to blur the line between the real and the unreal in his writing.
The Poem
'Is there anybody there?' said the Traveller,
Knocking on the moonlit door;
And his horse in the silence champed the grasses
Of the forest's ferny floor:
And a bird flew up out of the turret,
Above the Traveller's head:
And he smote upon the door again a second time;
'Is there anybody there?' he said.But no one descended to the Traveller;
No head from the leaf-fringed sill
Leaned over and looked into his grey eyes,
Where he stood perplexed and still.
But only a host of phantom listeners
That dwelt in the lone house then
Stood listening in the quiet of the moonlight
To that voice from the world of men:
Stood thronging the faint moonbeams on the dark stair,
That goes down to the empty hall,
Hearkening in an air stirred and shaken
By the lonely Traveller's call.
Summary and Analysis
The poem describes a mysterious scene in which a lone Traveller arrives on horseback at a house in a moonlit forest. He knocks on the door and calls out, asking if anyone is there. No living person answers him. A bird flies out of the turret, startled by his presence, and his horse quietly grazes on the ferns below.
Although no one comes to the door, the house is not truly empty. Inside, a 'host of phantom listeners' — ghostly, supernatural beings — stand silently on the dark staircase and in the empty hall. They hear the Traveller's voice but do not respond. The Traveller stands outside, confused and still, sensing an eerie presence but receiving no reply.
The poem leaves many questions unanswered: Who is the Traveller? Why has he come? What promise might he be keeping? Who are the phantom listeners? This deliberate ambiguity is what makes the poem so haunting and memorable. It creates an atmosphere of mystery and the supernatural, leaving the reader to imagine the backstory.
Glossary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Champed | Bit and chewed upon noisily |
| Ferny | Consisting of flowerless plants (ferns) |
| Turret | A small tower that projects from the wall of a building |
| Smote | Knocked loudly |
| Sill | A horizontal piece of timber beneath a window or a door |
| Perplexed | Confused |
| Phantom | A ghost or supernatural being |
| Thronging | Crowding together in large numbers |
| Hearkening | Listening attentively |
| Dwelt | Lived or resided |
Literary Devices
| Device | Example | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Alliteration | 'forest's ferny floor' | Repetition of the 'f' sound creates a soft, eerie atmosphere |
| Alliteration | 'stood still' | Repetition of the 'st' sound emphasises the Traveller's motionless confusion |
| Imagery | 'Knocking on the moonlit door' | Visual imagery that sets a mysterious, night-time scene |
| Imagery | 'thronging the faint moonbeams on the dark stair' | Creates a vivid picture of ghostly figures crowding the staircase in pale moonlight |
| Personification | 'an air stirred and shaken' | The air is given human-like qualities of being disturbed by the Traveller's call |
| Contrast | 'the world of men' vs. the phantom listeners | Highlights the divide between the living world and the supernatural world |
| Rhyme Scheme | door/floor, head/said, sill/still, then/men, stair/hall | The poem uses an irregular rhyme scheme (roughly ABAB) that contributes to its musical yet unsettling quality |
| Repetition | 'Is there anybody there?' | Repeated question emphasises the Traveller's desperation and the silence he receives in return |
Themes
- Mystery and the Unknown: The poem is built around unanswered questions — who the Traveller is, why he came, and who the listeners are — creating a powerful sense of mystery.
- Loneliness and Isolation: The Traveller is described as 'lonely,' standing alone in the moonlit forest with no living person to respond to him.
- The Supernatural: The 'phantom listeners' who dwell in the house represent the ghostly, otherworldly presence that inhabits the place.
- Silence and Communication: Despite the Traveller's repeated calls, he receives no answer. The poem explores the gap between the desire to communicate and the inability to connect.
- The Contrast Between the Living and the Dead: The Traveller represents 'the world of men' (the living), while the phantoms represent the world of the dead or the supernatural, and the two cannot interact.