Analysis of On Dreaming
I often wonder with a grin
What imagery my dreams might show:
I blanket deep, pull covers in,
And ponder how my dreams will go ...
For in the haunt of last night's tale
A dreadful cavern opened wide,
And in a frenzy dogs of hell
Were barking savagely inside.
The night before a citrus-breeze
Swept softly through a perfumed glade
Where goddesses sang songs of ease
As I indulged a Willow's shade.
In yet another dream I slept
And dreamed a dream within a dream,
And when I 'woke' I strangely wept,
As nothing seemed as it should seem.
I even dreamed of you, dear friend—
Two poets meeting at the mall.
You shared a line of verse you penned
Which read: "I seldom dream at all" ...
Oh, would that I could dreamless sleep
Untouched by random ills and bliss,
And enter into ever deep
Your tranquil state of dreamlessness.
For here in slumber now I lie,
And wonder what my dreams will be.
Perhaps I'll dream that you and I
Will meet and read more poetry.
Scheme | ABAB XCXC DEDE FGFG HIHI JXJD KLKL |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Quatrain |
Metre | 11010101 11001111 11011100 01011111 10011111 01010101 00010111 01010001 01010101 11010011 11001111 1101011 01010111 01010101 01111101 11011111 11011111 11010101 11011111 11110111 1111111 01110101 01001101 110111 11010111 01011111 01111101 11011100 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 959 |
Words | 199 |
Sentences | 9 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Lines Amount | 28 |
Letters per line (avg) | 26 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 105 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 26 |
About this poem
A reflection on the unpredictability that they engender, this poem expresses a desire to be only with those who we love if we must of necessity dream; or, to bask in the dreamless, nirvana-like state which transcends the nervous anticipation of ‘what dreams may come’.
Font size:
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"On Dreaming" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 5 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/168295/on-dreaming>.
Discuss this John W. May poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In