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By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule-
From a wild clime that lieth, sublime,
Out of SPACE- out of TIME.
Bottomless vales and boundless floods,
And chasms, and caves, and Titan woods,
With forms that no man can discover
For the tears that drip all over;
Mountains toppling evermore
Into seas without a shore;
Seas that restlessly aspire,
Surging, unto skies of fire;
Lakes that endlessly outspread
Their lone waters- lone and dead,-
Their still waters- still and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily.
By the lakes that thus outspread
Their lone waters, lone and dead,-
Their sad waters, sad and chilly
With the snows of the lolling lily,-
By the mountains- near the river
Murmuring lowly, murmuring ever,-
By the grey woods,- by the swamp
Where the toad and the newt encamp-
By the dismal tarns and pools
Where dwell the Ghouls,-
By each spot the most unholy-
In each nook most melancholy-
There the traveller meets aghast
Sheeted Memories of the Past-
Shrouded forms that start and sigh
As they pass the wanderer by-
White-robed forms of friends long given,
In agony, to the Earth- and Heaven.
For the heart whose woes are legion
'Tis a peaceful, soothing region-
For the spirit that walks in shadow
'Tis- oh, 'tis an Eldorado!
But the traveller, travelling through it,
May not- dare not openly view it!
Never its mysteries are exposed
To the weak human eye unclosed;
So wills its King, who hath forbid
The uplifting of the fringed lid;
And thus the sad Soul that here passes
Beholds it but through darkened glasses.
By a route obscure and lonely,
Haunted by ill angels only,
Where an Eidolon, named NIGHT,
On a black throne reigns upright,
I have wandered home but newly
From this ultimate dim Thule.
Edgar Allan Poe
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Read poems about / on: sad, lonely, river, fire, heaven, home, night, angel, water, sky, memory, friend
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Comments about this poem (Dreamland
by
Edgar Allan Poe
) |
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comments about this poem (Dreamland by
Edgar Allan Poe
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Anthony Foster
(7/1/2009 5:11:00 PM) |
The horror of a nightmare O such fear,
To awake in such sweet relief that its just a dream,
O no banish the fear of sleep lest I dream,
Just give me a talent of rhyme such as yours.
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Michael Pruchnicki
(7/1/2009 2:05:00 PM) |
The speaker in DREAMLAND invites us on a tour of 'ultimate dim Thule' by way of the phantom guide who leads us into the domain of NIGHT, which we reach by 'a route obscure and lonely'! In other words, we fall asleep and dream about the dim images that come out of our unconscious. Like most dreams, we understand the images we see and the 'Sheeted Memories of the Past' through darkened glasses - we see things not as they are in waking life, but imperfectly and with eyelids shut. Truly, dreams are 'Out of space - out of Time'! Everything is ruled by the phantom King of NIGHT! Like Dante descending into Hades, we are confused and have little understanding at first, but gradually upon awakening, the dreamer realizes that he has been granted entry to Eldorado, a place rich in golden imagery that he can make use of in his poetry.
Respect the poet and trust his insight if you wish to understand the poem. Dante came back from his imaginary journey through Hades and Purgatory aware of his own shortcomings to achieve salvation in Paradise, Poe does it in shorter length but with the same valiant spirit!
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Michael Harmon
(7/1/2009 12:22:00 PM) |
Poe was an important American writer. Please be assured I believe that. He rightfully belongs in anthologies, and deserves to be remembered. As with many teenagers, I loved Poe and was enthralled with his poems and stories.
Today, I still admire his stories, his philosophy of poetry, and a couple of his poems ('To Helen', 'The Raven', and perhaps another) . He was an immature person who chose, in some ways, to lead a tragic life. And though he may still influence my work somehow, I have decided to leave his poetry behind, and do not consciously use him as a poetic model.
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Kevin Straw
(7/1/2009 4:50:00 AM) |
“route” implies a mapped way to somewhere – does this not conflict with “obscure, and lonely”?
“And chasms, and caves, and Titan woods, ” = does he need the “and” repeated here?
“For the tears that drip all over…” Is this not a bit comical?
“the lolling lily” – lilies do not “loll” – Poe has got the “ll”” in “still and chilly” fixed in his mind and is reluctant to let it go.
I wonder is there is any point in the repetition of “There lone waters…lolling lily…”?
“And thus the sad Soul that here passes/Beholds it but through darkened glasses.” – I do not like “darkened glasses – too mundane an image –would not the lines read better as: “And thus the sad Souls that here pass/Behold it but through darkened glass.” – thus reminding one of St Pauls “Through a glass darkly”?
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Louis McCormick
(8/27/2007 6:21:00 PM) |
This is Poe's best poem. Mad, bad and dangerous to know, he was a true original. Dream on, Edgar! !
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Dimitris(Jimmy) Psachos
(7/1/2007 4:09:00 AM) |
Expressive and insightful imagery of a twisted, paradise-like(?) situation, where the hostile/friend juxtaposition lurks in every corner.....for the dead indeed? ? ? The mind of mr Poe is a most illuminating environment to explore, what a genius....
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Jeffrey Philip Clegg
(7/1/2005 8:08:00 PM) |
I think EAP must've done his share of laudunum. I want some too! !
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