Haunted Houses
~ H.W Longfellow (1807-1882)
Rhyme Scheme- ABAB
Summery-
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. 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. 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.
Stanza Analysis-
1st Stanza
The poet says that houses where people who once lived and died are haunted houses, not only
the ones which are deserted or abandoned. These houses are visited 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/ tasks (errands).
2nd Stanza
He adds that they are present everywhere -at the door, on the stairs and they move through the
passages. However, to us they are just “impalpable impressions on the air”-They cannot be
touched or seen, but their impressions remain, and can be sensed as movement of something
in the air, to and fro. They cannot be felt physically.
~ H.W Longfellow (1807-1882)
Rhyme Scheme- ABAB
Summery-
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. 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. 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.
Stanza Analysis-
1st Stanza
The poet says that houses where people who once lived and died are haunted houses, not only
the ones which are deserted or abandoned. These houses are visited 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/ tasks (errands).
2nd Stanza
He adds that they are present everywhere -at the door, on the stairs and they move through the
passages. However, to us they are just “impalpable impressions on the air”-They cannot be
touched or seen, but their impressions remain, and can be sensed as movement of something
in the air, to and fro. They cannot be felt physically.
