Author: Madison Julius Cawein

---

    Vast are its halls, as vast the halls and lone
    Where DEATH stalks listening to the wind and rain;
    And dark that house, where I shall meet again
    My long-dead Sin in some dread way unknown;
    For I have dreamed of stairs of haunted stone,
    And spectre footsteps I have fled in vain;
    And windows glaring with a blood-red stain,
    And horrible eyes, that burn me to the bone,
    Within a face that looks as that black night
    It looked when deep I dug for it a grave, - 
    The dagger wound above the brow, the thin
    Blood trickling down slantwise the ghastly white; - 
    And I have dreamed not even GOD can save
    Me and my soul from that risen Sin.

---

Type of Poem: Sonnet

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This poem is a vivid exploration of guilt, remorse, and fear, using the motif of a haunting to convey an internal struggle. The poet sets the scene within a vast, lonely, and dark house - a metaphor for the mind or conscience, burdened with a "long-dead Sin." The use of capitalization serves to personify Death and Sin, stressing their significance and omnipresence.

The tone is ominous and somber, filled with dread and impending doom. The poet employs vivid, chilling imagery to create a sense of horror—"spectre footsteps," "windows glaring with a blood-red stain," and "horrible eyes." There is a compelling use of enjambment, creating a continuous flow of thoughts that mirrors the relentless haunting of the speaker's guilt. The final lines reveal the speaker's belief in their inability to be saved, even by divine intervention, reinforcing the depth of their remorse and the power of their past actions. The poem ends on a note of despair, leaving a lasting impression of the consuming nature of guilt and the destructive power of past sins.