Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting with you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
And, in parting with you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep - while I weep!
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep - while I weep!
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
"A Dream within a Dream" was one of a number of poems completed by Edgar Allan Poe in the last year of his life. This poem was a product of the last burst of inspiration that came before his final, desperate spiral towards a mysterious death. It speaks of loss, anger, frustration, disappointment and unfulfilled desire. It also speaks of bitterness and resignation: Poe was resigned "to the moaning of the groaning of the bells."
Originally, I chose this poem to work with because I could simply understand it slightly more than the others that were on the list from Design Studio. But after putting more thought into it, I realized the poem struck a nerve. In this story, Poe seems to be struggling to find resolution and a purpose in life, a quest that many people (myself included) stumble upon at some point in their lives.
"A Dream within a Dream" was partially an amalgam of earlier fragments and ideas; yet in its final form, the poem retains a completeness that perfectly reflects Poe's ultimate state of mind. The poem, written in two stanzas, can read almost as an epitaph.
When Poe speaks of the "grains of golden sand," he may possibly be comparing them to opportunities of life that fritter away. Poe weeps with frustration over life's irony and may also be weeping for his dead wife. There is a cry for clarity and meaning when he shouts out to God. Poe wants meaning but can only feel hopelessness. The last two lines of the poem presents Poe's final question: Is there nothing real or meaningful? There must be meaning in life; yet all he can see is despair, and he has given up looking.
Originally, I chose this poem to work with because I could simply understand it slightly more than the others that were on the list from Design Studio. But after putting more thought into it, I realized the poem struck a nerve. In this story, Poe seems to be struggling to find resolution and a purpose in life, a quest that many people (myself included) stumble upon at some point in their lives.
"A Dream within a Dream" was partially an amalgam of earlier fragments and ideas; yet in its final form, the poem retains a completeness that perfectly reflects Poe's ultimate state of mind. The poem, written in two stanzas, can read almost as an epitaph.
When Poe speaks of the "grains of golden sand," he may possibly be comparing them to opportunities of life that fritter away. Poe weeps with frustration over life's irony and may also be weeping for his dead wife. There is a cry for clarity and meaning when he shouts out to God. Poe wants meaning but can only feel hopelessness. The last two lines of the poem presents Poe's final question: Is there nothing real or meaningful? There must be meaning in life; yet all he can see is despair, and he has given up looking.
No comments:
Post a Comment