The contemplative voice of the poem, an observer who visits the cemetery and reflects on its inhabitants. Deeply moved by the history of the Jewish diaspora, the speaker considers the persecution, forced exile, and enduring faith of the Jewish people. The speaker struggles to reconcile a progressive sympathy for the oppressed with a fatalistic view of history and the permanence of death.

The deceased Jewish people buried in the Newport cemetery represent both the local Sephardic immigrants and the broader Jewish diaspora. Historically driven from their European homelands by Christian persecution and forced to live in segregated quarters, these sleepers carry the weight of a long, painful history. They endure in the speaker's mind as proud, unbroken figures who maintain a deep connection to their ancient traditions despite their displacement.

The divine force in the cemetery, characterized by the speaker as an invisible hand. This force actively nurtures the resting places of the deceased, scattering bounty like summer rain to keep the physical graves and the spiritual memory of the dead eternally green.

The biblical prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt. The speaker compares the ancient stones in the Newport cemetery to the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments that Moses angrily threw down the mountain, connecting the local graves to ancient scripture.

A biblical figure and concubine of Abraham who was exiled into the desert with her child. The speaker uses her as a direct symbol to describe the Jewish immigrants who were forced from their European homes and sent into a desolate, frightening exile.

The biblical son of Hagar who was cast out into the desert. In the poem, he represents the displaced and persecuted Jewish people who traveled across the vast, desolate ocean to seek refuge in Newport.

A historical Jewish settler from Brazil who originally acquired the burial ground in Newport. He recognized the possibilities of religious tolerance in Rhode Island and helped persuade others from Barbados to migrate there, establishing the foundation for the community the speaker observes.