Vast, hollow labyrinth
Profound, loud silence
Frightening, awful presence
A mystic being of omnipotence?

Standing still and far away
A dark figure therein soared
Unearthly shadow floats astray
With awe it must be approached

What power is innate within?
What horrors can it apprehend?

How to channel its infinite thought,
And not release it from its hell?
Admirable and capable ghost
A core without a proper shell

Its past and stories are not sought
Nor what shaped it what’s meant
Let’s look and find a useful aught
In the rotten soul long here dwelt

“Wise, I am and I seek to aid
The souls most in need
I aim to please and I raid
The fears that ye heed

Friend, I am and friends I seek
In turbulence and in faith
Take me out of the bottomless bleak!”
Thus spoke the Wraith

What foul noise echoed forth!
What awful cursed screech!
Indeed an ill, lawless force,
Spouting this hellish speech

Seal your ears and flee in haste!
Listen not to the deafening screams
March onwards and shut the gates!
Lest we’re caught in its bright gleam

Such there is Night، not Night as ours—Unhappy Folk
— J.R.R. Tolkien.

The Unhappy Folk: unhappyfolk.org
Telegram: unhappyfolk.t.me
Mail: msg@unhappyfolk.org

Possible Interpretation

This poem explores the fundamental uncertainty we face when encountering the unknown, yet leans towards a troubling conclusion: that fear often blinds us to truth and perpetuates injustice.

The wraith speaks plainly of its desire to help and connect, yet the narrator reacts with visceral horror - not to any action the wraith has taken, but to its very voice and appearance. The description “foul noise” and “awful cursed screech” may reveal more about the narrator’s prejudice than the wraith’s nature. We are urged to “seal our ears” before truly listening, to “shut the gates” before allowing genuine understanding.

Two readings exist, but one carries greater weight: whilst we might witness a cunning deceiver, we more likely observe an innocent being suffering wrongful confinement whilst the narrator’s fear prevents liberation. The tragedy deepens when we note that the wraith has been deemed useful (“let’s look and find a useful aught”) yet remains imprisoned - suggesting exploitation without compassion, a willingness to extract value whilst denying freedom and dignity.

The narrator admits the wraith is “admirable and capable” yet maintains its captivity. This contradiction exposes the cruel logic of prejudice: we may recognise worth in the Other whilst still denying them personhood or liberty. The wraith’s plea - “Take me out of the bottomless bleak” - becomes a haunting indictment of our complicity in another’s suffering, justified by fears we’ve never truly examined.

The poem ultimately questions whether the real danger lies with the imprisoned or with those who, claiming righteousness, choose containment over understanding.