The Listeners
CBSE Class 8 English (*Poorvi*) – Unit 1 Poem
Poet: Walter de la Mare | Theme: Mystery, Silence, Supernatural
Full Poem Text (NCERT *Poorvi* Extract)
‘Is there anybody there?’ said the Traveller,
Knocking on the moonlit door;
And his horse in the silence champed the grasses
Of the forest’s ferny floor:
And a bird flew up out of the turret,
Above the Traveller’s head:
And he smote upon the door again a second time;
‘Is there anybody there?’ he said.
But no one descended to the Traveller;
No head from the leaf-fringed sill
Leaned over and looked into his grey eyes,
Where he stood perplexed and still.
But only a host of phantom faces
Troubled the silence with their echoes:
Ay, they heard his foot upon the stirrup,
And the bridle-tink in the moonlit road;
And the low-lunged horse stamped, stamped, stamped,
And the shallow waterfall roared;
And the silence surged softly backward,
When the plunging hoofs were gone.
He smote upon the door a third time,
And the silence was answered by silence;
He stood there, and the moonbeams kissed his face,
And the night-wind kissed his hair;
And the Traveller turned in the silence,
And he said, ‘No one hears me, no one is there.’
And the moonlit door stood wide and open,
And the voices of the Listeners
Crept through the shadows and the leaves,
And the whispers of the Listeners
Followed him down the forest track;
And the hoofs of his horse rang out on the road,
And the Listeners did not answer.
And the Traveller rode away into the night,
And the moonlit door stood open wide,
And the Listeners listened in vain,
For the Traveller had gone, and there was no one there.
Download Poem PDF
Knocking on the moonlit door;
And his horse in the silence champed the grasses
Of the forest’s ferny floor:
And a bird flew up out of the turret,
Above the Traveller’s head:
And he smote upon the door again a second time;
‘Is there anybody there?’ he said.
But no one descended to the Traveller;
No head from the leaf-fringed sill
Leaned over and looked into his grey eyes,
Where he stood perplexed and still.
But only a host of phantom faces
Troubled the silence with their echoes:
Ay, they heard his foot upon the stirrup,
And the bridle-tink in the moonlit road;
And the low-lunged horse stamped, stamped, stamped,
And the shallow waterfall roared;
And the silence surged softly backward,
When the plunging hoofs were gone.
He smote upon the door a third time,
And the silence was answered by silence;
He stood there, and the moonbeams kissed his face,
And the night-wind kissed his hair;
And the Traveller turned in the silence,
And he said, ‘No one hears me, no one is there.’
And the moonlit door stood wide and open,
And the voices of the Listeners
Crept through the shadows and the leaves,
And the whispers of the Listeners
Followed him down the forest track;
And the hoofs of his horse rang out on the road,
And the Listeners did not answer.
And the Traveller rode away into the night,
And the moonlit door stood open wide,
And the Listeners listened in vain,
For the Traveller had gone, and there was no one there.
NCERT-Style Textual Exercises (50 Marks)
I. Comprehension Questions
1. Read the extract and answer:
‘Is there anybody there?’ said the Traveller,
Knocking on the moonlit door;
a) Who is speaking? The Traveller
b) What time of day is it? Night (moonlit)
c) Give one word for “hit hard”. smote
‘Is there anybody there?’ said the Traveller,
Knocking on the moonlit door;
a) Who is speaking? The Traveller
b) What time of day is it? Night (moonlit)
c) Give one word for “hit hard”. smote
2. Short Answer (2 marks each):
a) Why did the Traveller knock three times?
He was desperate for an answer / felt urgency.
b) Describe the horse’s actions.
Champed grasses, stamped, plunged away.
a) Why did the Traveller knock three times?
He was desperate for an answer / felt urgency.
b) Describe the horse’s actions.
Champed grasses, stamped, plunged away.
3. Long Answer (5 marks):
Explain the role of “silence” in the poem. Use 3 examples.
Explain the role of “silence” in the poem. Use 3 examples.
II. Poetic Devices
| Device | Example from Poem | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Repetition | ‘Is there anybody there?’ | Builds tension |
| Imagery | moonlit door | Creates eerie setting |
| Onomatopoeia | stamped, stamped, stamped | Mimics horse sound |
| Personification | silence surged softly | Silence as living force |
III. Vocabulary in Context
- Find words meaning:
a) Confused → perplexed
b) Ghostly → phantom - Make sentences:
a) turret:
b) stirrup:
IV. Grammar from Text
- Identify tense: he stood perplexed → Simple Past
- Change to negative: No one descended → No one came down.
Complete Answer Key
I. Comprehension:
1a) The Traveller 1b) Night 1c) smote
2a) He was desperate... 2b) Champed, stamped...
3) Silence is personified... (full model answer in PDF)
II. Poetic Devices:
Repetition: ‘Is there...’ → tension
Imagery: moonlit door → eerie
Onomatopoeia: stamped... → sound
Personification: silence surged → alive
III. Vocabulary:
a) perplexed b) phantom
IV. Grammar:
1) Simple Past 2) No one came down.
Download Key PDF
1a) The Traveller 1b) Night 1c) smote
2a) He was desperate... 2b) Champed, stamped...
3) Silence is personified... (full model answer in PDF)
II. Poetic Devices:
Repetition: ‘Is there...’ → tension
Imagery: moonlit door → eerie
Onomatopoeia: stamped... → sound
Personification: silence surged → alive
III. Vocabulary:
a) perplexed b) phantom
IV. Grammar:
1) Simple Past 2) No one came down.
Extra Study Resources
- 🎨 Mind Map: Traveller → Silence → Phantom Listeners
- 🎭 Role-Play Script: Act the knocking scene
- 📝 50 MCQ Worksheet
- 🎙️ Audio Recitation (1:30 min)
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