POEM: HAUNTED HOUSES - H.W.

LONGFELLOW
INTRODUCTION:
The poem wants the readers to go deep into the existence of ghosts and their purpose.
They are harmless, unlike the common perception and they have their tasks. The poet
takes the form of a speaker, perhaps a ghost himself who can see ghosts roaming in
the houses where they once lived. He wants to give the indication that the dead remain
with their dwelling places forever. The living world can also think that their beloved
remains with them, maybe as ghosts. Perhaps, those whom we want to remain with us
forever, remain with us as ghosts.

THEME:
The poet wants to convey that ghosts are harmless and they visit their dwelling places
where they once lived as humans. Also, they remain with their beloved, forever.

SUMMARY:
The speaker says that all houses are frequented by ghosts of those who were born
there, lived there and died there. They enter through open doors and do their work
while they move around lightly, without making any noise. The speaker comes across
them at various places in the house – the stairs, the passageway and at the doors. They
cannot be seen or heard but their impressions are there in the air. Even at dinner
parties, there are more attendants than the people invited by the host. These are the
ghosts that are present at the dinner table. Perhaps the speaker is a ghost because he
can see other ghosts while the stranger sitting beside him, next to the fireplace can
only see the present living world. The speaker is one of the ghosts and he says that the
ghosts do not own the houses where they visit but they owned them when they were
alive. Now they are buried and forgotten by their offsprings. So they stretch their
hands to grab their houses back and they do not want to give them away to their
descendents. The world of ghosts is like an atmosphere which is wrapped around the
world of the living. Human life is full of desire to enjoy and achieve, this predicament
gives a balance between input and output. The moonlight is like a bridge which
connects the two worlds. At night time, the moonlight gives us dreams and
imaginations which guide us to do the desired actions during the day.

TITLE ANALYSIS:
The title of the poem ‘Haunted Houses’ is clear. It tells us that the narrator wants to
tell the reader something more about houses that are frequented by ghosts.

SETTING:
The poem is set in such a house that is frequented by ghosts. The poet elaborates that
the previous occupants of the house do not leave it after their death. They want to get
back the ownership of these houses that they once owned.
NARRATIVE STYLE:
The poem is structured with ten quatrains, each stanza consisting of four lines of
almost equal length and arrangement. It abides by the traditional rhyme scheme abab.
While the poem is mostly clear in its expression, the last stanza introduces an element
of mysticism.

Throughout the poem, the poet employs a variety of literary devices to enhance the
poem’s impact. These devices are used effectively to create sensuousness and
emphasis.

Metaphor: It is a comparison in which one set of things is applied to a different set of

The human soul which is immortal has been compared metaphorically to a ‘perpetual
jar /of earthly wants and aspirations high’. The bridge of moonlight from the sky
down to the sea is likened to the mysterious bridge that connects the spirit-world to
the human world.

Simile: It is a direct comparison between two similar things or objects.

Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts,

Alliteration: It refers to the repetition of consonant sounds in nearby words. Many

● Impalpable impressions on the air (‘m’ and ‘p’ sounds)

Personification: It refers to attributing human characteristics to a non-living thing.

In Stanza 9 ‘the moon’ has been personified as a heavenly being :

And as the moon from some dark gate of cloud

Stanza 1:
All houses wherein men have lived and died
Are haunted houses. Through the open doors
The harmless phantoms on their errands glide,
With feet that make no sound upon the floors.

Word meanings:
Haunted: visited by ghosts
Phantoms: ghosts
Errands: tasks
Glide: move lightly and smoothly

EXPLANATION:
The poet says that houses are dwelling places where men are born, they live and then,
they die. He says that these houses are haunted by ghosts. These ghosts enter through
the doors when they remain open. They move so lightly and smoothly that they do not
make any noise. They are harmless ghosts who roam around doing their work.

Stanza 2:
We meet them at the door way, on the stair,
Along the passages they come and go,
Impalpable impressions on the air,
A sense of something moving to and fro.

Word meanings:
Impalpable: something or somebody that cannot be felt physically

EXPLANATION:
He adds that they are present everywhere -at the door, on the stairs and they move
through the passages. They cannot be touched or felt but their impressions remain in
the air. One can feel the movement of something in the air.
Stanza 3:
There are more guests at table than the hosts
Invited; the illuminated hall
Is thronged with quiet, inoffensive ghosts,
As silent as the pictures on the wall.

Word meanings:
Illuminated: lighted
Thronged: crowded
Inoffensive: harmless

EXPLANATION:
He again insists on their presence at the dining table. The number of guests is more
than the host has invited, the ghosts being the uninvited guests. The hall is well lit and
is full of harmless ghosts who are silent. The poet compares them to the paintings on
the wall to say that the ghosts are quiet in a similar manner.

Stanza 4:
The stranger at my fireside cannot see
The forms I see, nor hear the sounds I hear;
He but perceives what is; while unto me
All that has been is visible and clear.

Word meanings:
Forms: shapes
Perceive: see

EXPLANATION:
The poet says that there is a stranger sitting next to him by the fireplace. That person
cannot see these ghostly forms nor can he hear the sounds that the poet can hear. The
stranger can only see the living – the present while the potent can see everything from
the past till date. Here, we get an indication that perhaps, the speaker is a ghost
because he can see other ghosts while the stranger sitting next to him is a human.

Stanza 5:
We have no title-deeds to house or lands;
Owners and occupants of earlier dates
From graves forgotten stretch their dusty hands,
And hold in mortmain still their old estates.
Word meanings:
Title-deeds: legal documents of ownership
Stretch: spread
Hold in mortmain: hold in inalienable possession

EXPLANATION:
The ghosts do not own the houses at present but they owned them in the past, when
they were alive. They are buried in the graves and have been forgotten by their
descendants. From these graves, they stretch out their hands which are full of dust
where they lie. Their dusty hands still want to take over or possess these houses
(properties) which they once owned. They want to possess them and do not want to
give away these to their descendants.

Stanza 6:
The spirit-world around this world of sense
Floats like an atmosphere, and everywhere
Wafts through these earthly mists and vapours dense
A vital breath of more ethereal air.

Word meanings:
World of sense: real world that can be felt by the senses
Wafts: passes lightly
Vital: important
Ethereal air: otherworldly atmosphere

EXPLANATION:
There exists a world of the living. This world is surrounded by a world of the dead or
ghosts. This world of ghosts is similar to the atmosphere which is prevalent
everywhere. The world of the dead mingles lightly with the world of the living
through the mist and dense vapours in the air. This world of the dead is an important
part of the worldly atmosphere.

Stanza 7:
Our little lives are kept in equipoise
By opposite attractions and desires;
The struggle of the instinct that enjoys,
And the more noble instinct that aspires.

Word meanings:
Equipoise: balance
Aspires: desires
Instinct: natural reaction
Noble: good, virtuous

EXPLANATION:
There is a balance in our lives – between the desire to enjoy life and the more virtuous
desire to achieve. So, this dilemma develops a balance in human life.

Stanza 8:
These perturbations, this perpetual jar
Of earthly wants and aspirations high,
Come from the influence of an unseen star,
An undiscovered planet in our sky.

Word meanings:
Perturbations: mental disturbances
Perpetual jar: here, immortal soul
Aspirations: aim, ambition

EXPLANATION:
Human life is full of desires which lead to mental disturbance. We have desires and
ambitions which make us sad. Our human mind and thought process is also controlled
by a mysterious star, an unknown planet in the sky.

Stanza 9:
And as the moon from some dark gate of cloud
Throws o’er the sea a floating bridge of light,
Across whose trembling planks our fancies crowd
Into the realm of mystery and night,-

Word meanings:
Planks: flat pieces of wood
Fancies: imaginations
Realm: region

EXPLANATION:
The moonlight which travels from the moon to the earth is like a bridge of light. It
trembles in the air and at night, during our dreams, it gives us imaginations which are
the guiding factor for our actions.
Stanza 10:
So from the world of spirits there descends
A bridge of light, connecting it with this,
O’er whose unsteady floor, that sways and bends,
Wander our thoughts above the dark abyss.

Word meanings:
Descends: comes down
Unsteady: moving
Sways: moves from side to side
Abyss: bottomless hole or space

EXPLANATION:
This moon light is a connection between the world of spirits and the world of the
living. The bridge trembles and waivers and along with it, our thoughts also travel into
mysterious regions. These great mysterious thoughts and ideas come to our mind in
the form of dreams and guide us towards our actions and deeds.