A Dream Poem by William Blake

A Dream

Rating: 3.2


Once a dream did weave a shade
O'er my angel-guarded bed,
That an emmet lost its way
Where on grass methought I lay.

Troubled, wildered, and forlorn,
Dark, benighted, travel-worn,
Over many a tangle spray,
All heart-broke, I heard her say:

'Oh my children! do they cry,
Do they hear their father sigh?
Now they look abroad to see,
Now return and weep for me.'

Pitying, I dropped a tear:
But I saw a glow-worm near,
Who replied, 'What wailing wight
Calls the watchman of the night?

'I am set to light the ground,
While the beetle goes his round:
Follow now the beetle's hum;
Little wanderer, hie thee home! '

Wednesday, May 9, 2001
Topic(s) of this poem: dream
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Dennis Green 17 August 2011

Blake's ability to blend rhyme into the simple narrative is what gives his work so much power & beauty. It lodges inside the heart, making the human associations so compelling & profound.

52 30 Reply
X X 22 February 2008

first of blakes poems i have read and im not dissapointed.

29 36 Reply
Edowaye Omorogbe 08 March 2008

great job...................................................... that was really good

28 37 Reply
Perfection Is Flawed 02 September 2005

It's a really beautiful poem, especially the way he wrote 'O'er my angel-guarded bed', and I found out that an emmet is actually an ant, so she was lost in such a big world, and probably felt quite hopeless.

28 36 Reply
Blue angel Florida 20 August 2007

Old Language Amazing to read...

22 40 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 19 December 2023

FOUR: Blake taught his wife to read and write because, before this, she was an illiterate person

0 0 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 19 December 2023

THREE: the main theme is separation and loneliness, but it also touches on the theme of hope and reunion

0 0 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 19 December 2023

TWO: The poem is a compassionate and thoughtful portrayal of the natural world through the personified story of an ant. The ant is lost and trying to find her way back to her children and their father.

0 0 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 19 December 2023

ONE: the relationship between the individual and the community isolated from the community and feels that he does not belong. The dreamer is also frustrated with the community and feels that it is not meeting his needs.

0 0 Reply
Dr Dillip K Swain 08 August 2021

Troubled, wildered and forlorn... greatly expressed!

0 0 Reply
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