Dream Poem by James Whitcomb Riley

Dream

Rating: 3.1


Because her eyes were far too deep
And holy for a laugh to leap
Across the brink where sorrow tried
To drown within the amber tide;
Because the looks, whose ripples kissed
The trembling lids through tender mist,
Were dazzled with a radiant gleam--
Because of this I called her 'Dream.'

Because the roses growing wild
About her features when she smiled
Were ever dewed with tears that fell
With tenderness ineffable;
Because her lips might spill a kiss
That, dripping in a world like this,
Would tincture death's myrrh-bitter stream
To sweetness--so I called her 'Dream.'

Because I could not understand
The magic touches of a hand
That seemed, beneath her strange control,
To smooth the plumage of the soul
And calm it, till, with folded wings,
It half forgot its flutterings,
And, nestled in her palm, did seem
To trill a song that called her 'Dream.'

Because I saw her, in a sleep
As dark and desolate and deep
And fleeting as the taunting night
That flings a vision of delight
To some lorn martyr as he lies
In slumber ere the day he dies--
Because she vanished like a gleam
Of glory, do I call her 'Dream.'

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Seamus O Brian 13 August 2017

A skillfully woven tapestry of praise for a mysterious and intriguing subject. Interestingly, there is no real mention of physical beauty here, yet this reader is left with the sense that I have been in the presence of a deep and significant beauty far transcending physical features.

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Susan Williams 13 August 2017

Ah... I missed that. Well done, Seamus.

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Susan Williams 13 August 2017

That is how to refrain- - repeat but with a difference until you harrow your readers' souls.

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Edward Kofi Louis 13 August 2017

Nestled in her palm! Thanks for sharing.

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Adrian Flett 13 August 2018

A wonderful weave of fantasy made vibrant by the rhyme and rhythm

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Rich Tassinari 13 August 2019

Is she a dream? I think not. But, is she in reality someone who is as a dream come true? I think so. Did her life and death inspire the poem? I think so. And a way to react to a loved one's death with a testimonial to her instead of pity for oneself for the loss.

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Ruta Mohapatra 13 August 2019

Such beautiful poetry! Rich, flowing and glowing!

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Kenneth Maswabi 13 August 2019

It is a beautiful poem full of beautiful words...thank you.

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Ratnakar Mandlik 13 August 2019

Embodiment of celestial beauty that visited like a fairy in dream and her refined features, majestic looks and tenderness in her movements compels to call her a celestial dream Great captivating poem. Well deserved modern poem of the Day.

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Aniruddha Pathak 13 August 2019

Because she vanished like a gleam Of glory, do I call her 'Dream.'.... What a lovely piece written so well! Thank God, it is a Modern Poem, but not so modern, the kind of stuff seen now so often.

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James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley

Greenfield, Indiana
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