Behind the Arras: A Book of the Unseen

In Short

A speaker explores an old house filled with mysterious tattered memories, ghostly companions, and a persistent, daunting presence called the Red Wolf. Through the evocative language of music, nature, and art, the collection reflects on mortality, cosmic harmony, and the persistence of beauty. It has lasted because of its lush, musical exploration of universal grief and spiritual resilience, blending vivid natural imagery with profound metaphysical inquiry into human existence and the ultimate peace of the natural world.

The Story

The speaker starts inside an old house, roaming its rooms, observing strange faces, the marvellous tapestry, and the viewless tide of the world-ghost. He encounters various phantom cronies with distinct aims and struggles with the haunting presence of a foul dwarf-like creature, the Red Wolf of Despair, who guards the door. He feeds this fear, cursing it yet keeping it close, anticipating the bright spring day when he can destroy it. In "The Moondial," an ancient dial marks the oblivion of time, recording the deep griefs and joys of lovers past like Lilith and Helen, while a river in "The Face in the Stream" reflects a lost self from a greener youth. The voyage shifts outward with "The Cruise of the Galleon" and "A Song Before Sailing," where the speaker answers the call of a dark captain and a cold wind to leave the grime of time behind. Poems like "The Crimson House" and "Beyond the Gamut" deepen the philosophical reach, introducing a mysterious lodger named Spiritus who plays an Amati violin, weaving discord into harmony, and teaching that evil is merely ignorance of laws while good is impetus toward God. The creator figures Hack and Hew—one blind, one dumb—fashion the stars, sea, and man under God's calm will, serving first as gods and then as men to toil toward a vaster plan. The collection rushes forward like "The Night Express" driven by God, passes the sleepy rhythm of "The Dustman" who scatters drowsy dust at twilight, and contemplates the quiet sleep of "The Sleepers" by the carnations. Finally, at "At the Granite Gate" and "Exit Anima," the speaker passes beyond the narrow door, dropping the human guise and leaving the ghostly house behind. Realizing that Beauty is the true master, the soul sheds its earthly fear to fly like a sea-bird into the vast unknown, achieving a tranquil unity with the silence and peace of God.

How It Unfolds

• Roaming the ghostly halls: The speaker wanders through the spacious rooms of an old house, observing strange faces peering from windows, shifting tapestries, and the viewless tide of the world-ghost. He interacts with phantom cronies and listens closely to the persistent, dauntless breath of time moving through the ghostly corridors.
• Confronting the Red Wolf: A foul, hunchbacked dwarf squats at the threshold day and night, whispering a constant, haunting warning of the gaunt red wolf of despair. The speaker loathes yet houses this disruptive creature, waiting patiently for the bright spring day when he can cast it out forever.
• Sailing beyond the port: Feeling old and sick at heart with the choking grime and pestilence of passing time, the speaker answers the cold wind of the dead men's feet. He prepares to abandon the empty streets, heed the call of the dark captain, and embark on a final voyage across the deep.
• Listening to the violin: A mysterious lodger named Spiritus plays an Amati violin with masterly skill, evoking deep emotional tides, cosmic harmony, and the magical resolution of discord into beauty. Through the music, the speaker confronts the fundamental nature of good, evil, and the soul's vast, enduring journey.
• Reaching the granite gate: The speaker approaches the final edge of mortal existence, where sorrow knocks too late and grief is overdue. Shedding all earthly fears and human disguises, the soul steps bravely through the granite gate into the tranquil, luminous expanse of God.

The People

The collection features several central figures and symbolic entities that drive its spiritual inquiry. The Speaker is a weary yet curious dweller in the house of life, wishing to rid himself of fear while seeking deeper truth. He is tormented by the Red Wolf and its squalid companion, a foul, hunchbacked dwarf who squats by the door muttering of despair; the speaker loathes this creature as his own kin, ultimately resolving to crush it when spring arrives. Spiritus, the mysterious Lodger, plays an Amati violin with peerless mastery, converting life's discords into a grand orchestral harmony and teaching that evil is merely ignorance of laws. Hack and Hew are the divine brothers—one blind, the other dumb—who fashioned the stars, the sea, and human flesh under God's direction, shifting from divine creators to laboring men who toil toward a vaster plan. Finally, figures like Lilith and Helen emerge across the ages to populate the background of the ancient moondial, representing the eternal continuity of human joy, sorrow, and desire. Through these encounters, the speaker evolves from a fearful tenant into a liberated soul ready to merge with the tranquility of God.

In Its Own Voice

Describing his strange dwelling place, the speaker reflects on the shifting tapestries and ghostly presences that inhabit the rooms with him.

I like the old house tolerably well, Where I must dwell Like a familiar gnome;

Addressing the haunting companion of despair at his threshold, the speaker expresses his complex mix of loathing and endurance.

I loathe him, yet he lives; as God lets Satan live, I suffer him to slumber at my door,

Contemplating the eternal nature of human toil and artistic creation under the divine will, the poem recalls the mythical builders.

Hack and Hew were the sons of God In the earlier earth than now;

What It's Really About

The book explores the complex interplay between human consciousness, cosmic order, and the spiritual dimensions of art and nature. It investigates how sensory experiences—sound, color, and rhythm—serve as gateways to a deeper reality where physical existence is merely a habitat for the spirit. Underneath the plot of wandering and haunting lies a philosophical inquiry into the problem of evil, arguing that suffering and discord are not permanent flaws, but temporary dissonances waiting to be resolved into divine harmony. Ultimately, it is about the reconciliation of the soul with mortality, suggesting that love and beauty are the only enduring truths capable of transcending dust and time.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate lush, musical nineteenth-century poetry filled with rich natural symbolism and deep metaphysical reflection will find much to love here. Reading it feels like walking through a drafty, twilight-lit mansion where every shadow hums with ancient memory and emotional resonance. The collection captures the delicate boundary between fear and transcendence, offering a soothing yet challenging meditation on human grief and spiritual awakening. Modern readers should be prepared for its dense, allegorical Victorian phrasing and occasional archaic vocabulary, which demand a patient, attentive ear rather than a casual glance. Yet those who persist are rewarded with passages of stunning lyrical beauty that capture the quiet majesty of the natural world. What stays with you long after closing the book is the haunting cadence of its music—the sense of a vast, unseen orchestra playing just beyond the walls, reminding us that our fleeting lives are part of a larger, enduring symphony of wonder and peace.