The Listeners

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since October 2006.

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Walter de la Mare. (Discuss)

"The Listeners" is a poem written in 1912 by Walter de la Mare, a famous British poet of the 19th and 20th centuries.

It seems to tell the story of a mysterious man coming to a house in the night on horseback, and trying to deliver a message. Nobody is there but the "Listeners" named in the title, who seem to be merely spectral. They hear his voice and he senses them, asking the listeners to "tell them I came and no-one answered". At the end he leaves on his horse and the scene is silent once more.

Who is the 'Traveller'? Why was he there? Why did 'they' Listen? Were they waiting for the 'Traveller' to release them from their eternal vigil?