The Listeners by Walter de la Mare — Cheat Sheet


📘 1. Poem Overview

  • Title: The Listeners

  • Poet: Walter de la Mare

  • Published: 1912

  • Tone: Mysterious, eerie, haunting

  • Theme: Mystery, supernatural, loneliness, unanswered questions

The poem tells about a travellers who knocks on a ghostly house’s door but receives no answer — only silence and strange listeners.

📝 2. Structure

  • 3 stanzas

  • Each stanza has 8 lines (octets)

  • Rhyme scheme: Mostly ABCB

  • Rhythm is steady but suspenseful

The poem’s style builds a spooky, quiet atmosphere.

✏️ 3. Simple Summary

A travellers comes to a lonely house at night and calls out. No one answers, but the house seems alive with invisible listeners — ghosts or spirits. The poem leaves you wondering who these listeners are and what they want.

🎯 4. Main Themes

👻 a. Mystery & Supernatural

The poem creates an eerie feeling with unseen listeners and silence.

🌌 b. Loneliness & Isolation

The travellers is alone, searching but left unheard.

❓ c. Unanswered Questions

We never learn who the listeners are or what happens next.

🔍 5. Key Lines

“Is there anybody there?”
➡️ The traveller’s repeated question, showing his hope and doubt.

“And no one stirred the whole night through; / Though only one was there.”
➡️ The silence is powerful and strange.

“For he suddenly smote on the door, / And lifted his knocker, and stepped into the hall…”
➡️ Shows the traveller’s boldness but also his isolation.

📚 6. Literary Devices

Device Example Effect
Repetition “Is there anybody there?” Builds suspense and mystery
Alliteration “stood listening in the quiet of the moonlight” Creates soft, eerie sounds
Imagery “shadows of the forest” Visualizes dark, spooky setting
Personification The house as alive, having “listeners” Adds supernatural feeling
Rhyme ABCB rhyme scheme Keeps flow smooth and haunting

🧠 7. Tone & Mood

  • Tone: Quiet, mysterious, haunting

  • Mood: Eerie, suspenseful, lonely

The poem makes you feel like you’re in a ghost story.

🧩 8. Sample Questions

  • Who do you think the listeners are?

  • Why does the traveller knock so loudly?

  • How does the poem create a spooky mood?

  • What might the silence represent?

🎓 9. Why This Poem Matters

  • It’s a great example of how to build atmosphere with simple words

  • Explores themes of isolation and the supernatural

  • Encourages imagination and open interpretation

🌟 Final Message

“Some questions have no answers — but the silence itself tells a story.”

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