The Speaker
The poem is written by Richard Wilbur, but lyric poems are typically understood as utterances of a "speaker" who may or may not be the same as the biographical author of the piece. Here, the speaker relays the information of this event, this angelic visitation, to the reader. He appears to have intimate knowledge of the scene, and is able to quote the man's speech as well as comprehend, without amazement, the angels' behavior.
The Soul
Much of the activity of the poem is accomplished by the soul, which rises from the sleeping body and views the angels, before returning to the sleeping figure. The soul in this case is incorporeal (non-bodily) but posessed of at least some senses, namely sight.
The Angels
No explanation is given for the appearance of the angels; the speaker and soul of the poem seem to take them and their reality for granted. They are benevolent and silent, and they exist in that transitional moment between the end of night and the fullness of dawn, the breaking of which causes the soul to return to earth.
The Man
Once the soul has reentered the sleeping form, they become, conjoined, the man, who wakes with a new sense of charity as a result of the soul's encounter (to which he has access). The man may or may not be a stand-in for the poet; it is useful to imagine versions of the poems where he is and is not, and to see what interpretations flow from those assumptions. (For example, doers Wilbur believe this kind of experience is available to everyone, or was it something special that happened to him?)
