Haunted Houses by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Haunted Houses

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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,—

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.

Introduction to the poem

Let me introduce you to this poem. Why does this poem need introduction? It is because there are ghosts in the poem. You must know whether they are real ghosts or not. What is their purpose? Why are they here? You must know the answer to these questions otherwise you may take the poem in a different meaning that is  unintended by the poet. 

Now the first question:- Are there ghosts in the poem? I would answer, "No, practically, there are no ghosts in the poem." I don't think the poet has really seen the ghosts. It is his strong belief that there are ghosts in all the houses of this world. Why does poet think so? He thinks so because he has great love for his home and he doesn't want to go anywhere after leaving his home. Similarly, he thinks that, like him, all those who ever lived in any house, must have had great love for their house and they too would never have thought of leaving their house so they would always like live in their house. That is why even after death they still live in their house or keep visiting their house. Like him, they love the house and don't want to leave the house or they keep visiting the house.

But here, another question comes in our mind. How is it possible that a person is able to live in the house even after his death? 

The poet has another theory. His theory is that our body dies but our soul never dies. A soul may live perpetually or it may get rebirth at some other place. A soul may go to heaven or hell. A soul which wanders after his death is a ghost. That is why the poet believes that all those who ever lived in this house are still here with us in the house. We cannot catch them or touch them. They keep on coming and going, sitting in the chair, walking or lying in bed. They don't harm anyone. We cannot see them but they remain present along with the strangers who are my guests and who have come to pay a visit to me. My guest is sitting at the dining table. He cannot see the ghosts but I can see them. But here again the question comes:- Why is the poet able to see the ghost while the guest cannot see them. The reason is that the poet has such an assumption that those souls must be here because they have great love for the house. Therefore, although the guest cannot see them and he also does not see them but he can very well understand that they are here because they must be here. That is why he says that the stranger at my fireside cannot see the forms I see. On the other hand, the guest does not have such as assumption so he is unaware.

Now read the poem next once again by yourself. I have written the meanings of the difficult words and paraphrase under each stanza.

Stanzawise Important Words Paraphrase of the Poem 

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.

Important Words

A haunted house is one where ghosts live, Phantom= Ghost, errands = a short journey undertaken in order to deliver or collect something, glide = move smoothly in the air

Paraphrase

All the houses where people have lived anytime and died there, are haunted houses. Harmless ghosts come gliding silently, on their visits, in these houses, through open doors. They have such feet that their footsteps make no sound on the floors.

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.

Important Words

Impalpable = that cannot be felt. To and fro= here and there/left and right

Paraphrase

We encounter them at doorways and on stairs. They come and go through hallways. They are like faint impressions in the air. They create a subtle sense of to and fro movement around us.

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.

Important Words

Illuminated = lighted, thronged=crowded, inoffensive= one who doesn’t harm anyone

Paraphrase

Actually, there are more beings at the table than those who were invited by the hosts. The illuminated hall is full of quiet, harmless ghosts, as silent as the pictures on the walls.(There are two types of guests in the house:- 1. Those who are invited and 2. Those who are not invited and are ghosts.)

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.

Important Words Forms= (here) people

Paraphrase

The visitor at my fireside cannot see the forms I see or hear the sounds I hear. He perceives only what is present, while I see all that has been and is, clearly and vividly. (The visitor who is sitting beside the fire can see only the visitor like him but he cannot see the ghosts but I can see both types of visitors.)

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.

Important Words 

Title deed = ownership document, Occupant= One who occupied a home, Grave = place where dead body is buries, stretch their dusty hands= come out from the grave, Mortmain= property occupied by Priest

Paraphrase

We do not own our houses or lands by deeds; previous owners, long forgotten, still reach out from their graves, holding on to their old estates.

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.

Important Words 

Waft = gentle movement of thin air or scent, Ethereal= much thinner than air/airy

Paraphrase

The spirit world surrounds our physical world like an atmosphere, sending everywhere a vital breath or very thin vital air of existence through the dense mists and vapors of our earthly existence.

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.

Important Words 

Equipoise= balance, Instinct = People’s or animals’ typical response to any stimuli/action/ behavior/ scene

Paraphrase

Our lives are balanced by opposing attractions and desires in our mind—the struggle between the instinct for enjoyment and the nobler instinct to aspire.  (The two instincts are the instinct for enjoyment and the nobler instinct that does not want to harm others for our enjoyment. They create struggle in our mind and also provide balance because we weigh good and bad both before taking any decision)

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.

Important Words 

Perturbations= anxiety/ mental uneasiness, perpetual= never ending or destroying, Aspirations= desires/ ambitions, Influence= effect

Paraphrase

These disturbances and constant conflicts between earthly desires and high aspirations are influenced by an unseen star, an undiscovered planet in our sky.(Just like in Astrology, the planets and stars influence our mind and luck)

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,—

Important Words 

Floating = suspended in water or air, Trembling = unsteady, Plank = floorboard, fancies = desires or faculty of imagination

Paraphrase

It is just like the moon casts a bridge of light over the sea from a dark cloud, allowing our imaginations to wander into the realm of mystery and night,

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.

Important Words 

Descend = come down, unsteady = unstable, sway= move or cause to move backward or forward or from side to side, Wander = move without purpose, abyss= a deep bottomless chasm or pit

Paraphrase

Thus, a bridge of light descends from the spirit world, connecting it with our world. Our thoughts wander over this unsteady bridge above the dark abyss.

Stanza wise Explanation and Literary Devices

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.

Explanation

The speaker says that all the houses that were ever inhabited by human beings are haunted houses because the ghosts of these people still live in those houses or they visit these houses. According to the speaker it happens due to the great attachment of human beings to the place where they live. They are not able to shun the attachment from their mind. Therefore, even after death their souls returns to the places they lived and make the homes haunted. These ghosts do not do any harm to any person or thing. They keep on moving silently in the house. They have such feet that don't make a noise. We encounter them everywhere at doors, doorways. They keep on coming and going on errands. They glide without making a noise.

Devices:

Metaphor: Houses are called “haunted,” not in the horror-story sense, but as a metaphor for memory and the lingering presence of the dead.

Imagery: Visual (phantoms gliding through doors) and auditory (feet making no sound).

Personification: Ghosts are given human-like qualities — gliding on errands, moving silently.

Contrast: The usual frightening “phantom” is reimagined as “harmless.”

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.

Explanation

The speaker says that we meet them everywhere, at the doorways, hallways and stairs. They make almost no impressions in the air. We don't feel them except that something very subtle making to and fro movement in the atmosphere. It happens because they are spirits, the airy beings. They come to the places where they feel attachment because they lived there.

Devices:

Alliteration: “Passages they come and go,” “phantoms...passages.”

Imagery: Sensory (impressions on the air, unseen movements).

Oxymoron / paradoxical phrase: “Impalpable impressions” — something you can’t touch still leaves a mark.

Repetition: The idea of movement “come and go” reinforces ghostly restlessness.

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.

Explanation:

Longfellow begins with the idea that when people gather in a house, there are unseen “guests” present — the spirits of the dead. These ghosts are harmless, quiet, and unnoticed, like the silent paintings hanging on the walls. The imagery suggests that the dead are always present, quietly mingling with the living.

Devices:

Simile: Ghosts are “as silent as the pictures on the wall.”

Irony: Tables are “crowded” with guests, yet they are invisible and silent.

Imagery: The glowing hall filled with invisible presences.

Personification: Ghosts presented as dinner “guests.”

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.

Explanation:

Here, the poet contrasts his own perception with that of an ordinary visitor. The visitor sees only the physical world (what is), but the poet perceives the presence of the past — the “forms” and “sounds” of those who once lived. For him, history and memory remain alive, blending with the present.

Devices:

Contrast: The stranger sees only the present (“what is”); the poet sees the past (“all that has been”).

Repetition: “See / see,” “hear / hear” emphasizes the difference in perception.

Alliteration: “He but perceives what is” — soft h- and p-sounds.

Metaphor: Memory/history personified as forms and sounds visible only to the poet.

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.

Explanation:

This stanza reflects on ownership. Though we think we own houses and lands, they belonged to others before us. The dead still, in a sense, “hold” their property from the grave. The phrase “in mortmain” (meaning "dead hand") suggests the dead retain a symbolic claim over what once was theirs, reminding us of the continuity of time and human existence.

Devices:

Metaphor: The dead “stretch their dusty hands” — symbolizing memory’s grip on property.

Imagery: Visual (dusty hands reaching from graves).

Alliteration: “From graves forgotten.”

Legal diction: “Title-deeds,” “mortmain,” “estates” — elevating ghosts into legal claimants.

Irony: The dead still “own” the land though they are gone.

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.

Explanation:

The poet describes the spirit world as a subtle, surrounding presence — like air around the earth. Though unseen, it penetrates the material world. The contrast is between the “misty” and “dense” world of matter and the “ethereal air” of the spirit realm, which is finer, purer, and life-giving.

Devices:

Simile: Spirit-world “floats like an atmosphere.”

Imagery: Atmospheric — mist, vapour, air.

Contrast: Earthly “dense” vapour vs. spirit’s “ethereal air.”

Alliteration: “Wafts…world,” “vital…vapours.”

Metaphor: Spirit as breath of life.

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.

Explanation:

Here, Longfellow speaks of the balance (equipoise) in human life. On one side is the earthly instinct for pleasure and enjoyment; on the other is the higher, spiritual instinct that pushes us toward aspiration and nobility. Human life is shaped by the tension between these two forces.

Devices:

Metaphor: Life as a balance scale (“equipoise”).

Antithesis / contrast: “Instinct that enjoys” vs. “instinct that aspires.”

Alliteration: “Little lives,” “desires…enjoys.”

Personification: Instincts given willpower and struggle.

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.

Explanation:

The conflicts within us — between desire and aspiration — are compared to cosmic influences. Just as planets unseen still exert gravitational force, so too does the spirit world (an “unseen star”) influence our inner struggles. The imagery suggests mysterious forces beyond our understanding guide human life.

Devices:

Metaphor: Human conflicts likened to cosmic disturbances.

Alliteration: “Perturbations…perpetual.”

Symbolism: “Unseen star” = spiritual influence, hidden forces.

Imagery: Astronomical, planetary.

Irony: An “undiscovered planet” exerts influence though invisible — just like the spirit world.

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,—

Explanation:

The moonlight falling on the sea looks like a shimmering bridge. Our imagination walks across this “bridge of light” into mystery and the unknown. This is a metaphor for how human fancy tries to connect the visible, material world with the hidden, spiritual realm.

Devices:

Simile / extended metaphor: Moonlight as a “floating bridge of light” over the sea.

Imagery: Visual (moonlight, sea, cloud).

Personification: The moon “throws” a bridge.

Alliteration: “Floating…fancies.”

Symbolism: Moonlight = imagination guiding us into mystery.

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.

Explanation:

Just as moonlight forms a bridge across the sea, there exists a symbolic bridge connecting the spirit world with the living world. It is fragile and unsteady, swaying like moonlight on water, but across it our thoughts wander, attempting to reach beyond the abyss of death. The image captures the tenuous but real link between life and the afterlife.

Devices:

Extended metaphor (continued): Bridge of light between spirit world and earthly world.

Symbolism: The bridge = imagination / memory / spiritual connection.

Imagery: Visual and tactile (swaying floor, abyss).

Personification: Thoughts “wander” across the bridge.

Contrast: Light bridge vs. dark abyss.

Analysis of Haunted Houses by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem Haunted Houses presents a reflective and comforting view of the presence of spirits in homes. Instead of portraying ghosts as terrifying figures, the poem suggests that they are gentle, lingering presences that connect the past and present. Longfellow conveys the idea that the souls of the departed continue to exist in the places they once inhabited, forming an unbroken link between life and death. The poem is rich in literary devices that enhance its meaning and depth.

Theme and Meaning

The central theme of Haunted Houses is the continuity of life and the presence of the past within the present. Longfellow expresses the belief that spirits of the dead do not vanish but remain as unseen yet watchful presences. This idea aligns with the Romantic notion of spiritualism, memory, and the idea that nature and human existence are deeply interconnected. The poem provides a reassuring perspective on death, suggesting that it does not mark the end but rather a transformation of existence.

Literary Devices

Imagery

Longfellow uses vivid imagery to describe the spirits' presence in the house. Phrases such as "they are there, though unseen by you" and "hovering in the air they linger" create a haunting yet peaceful atmosphere. This imagery allows readers to visualize the spirits as silent, watchful entities that coexist with the living.

Personification

The poet personifies the house itself by giving it an enduring connection to the spirits. The idea that homes can retain the presence of past inhabitants suggests that buildings are more than mere structures—they hold memories and emotions.

Metaphor

The poem metaphorically compares spirits to "tenants" of the house, implying that they still reside there, even if they are unseen. This comparison reinforces the idea that death does not sever one's connection to a place.

Alliteration

Longfellow employs alliteration to create a musical quality in the poem. For example, phrases like "silent and sad" and "hovering in the air" use the repetition of consonant sounds to enhance the poem's rhythm and mood.

Symbolism

The spirits symbolize memory, history, and the continuation of life beyond physical existence. The house itself represents the past, acting as a container for the emotions, experiences, and souls of those who once lived within its walls.

Tone and Mood

The tone of the poem is calm, reflective, and even comforting. Unlike traditional ghost stories that evoke fear, Longfellow's poem suggests a peaceful coexistence between the living and the dead. The mood is nostalgic and contemplative, inviting readers to reflect on the presence of loved ones who have passed away.

Repetition

The poet repeats ideas about the spirits' presence throughout the poem to emphasize their constant existence. Words like "they are there" reinforce the message that the dead remain with us in some form.

Enjambment

The use of enjambment—where sentences or phrases continue beyond a single line—gives the poem a flowing, natural quality. This technique mirrors the idea of spirits seamlessly blending into the spaces they once occupied.

Conclusion

Through the use of various literary devices, Longfellow creates a thought-provoking and emotionally rich poem that challenges traditional views of ghosts. Instead of depicting them as frightening apparitions, he portrays them as gentle, ever-present spirits who continue to watch over their former homes. The poem conveys a sense of comfort, suggesting that the past is never truly gone and that the bonds between the living and the dead remain unbroken.