Analysis of A Dream
Thomas Parnell 1679 (Dublin) – 1718
Just when ye dead of night began to fail
& boding visions senceless dreams expell
Methought a matron stood beside my bed
Upon her face a wondrous sweetness playd
& pointed Glorys dressd the modest visions head
my tongue grew speechless & my eyes were fixt
by silent fear with admiration mixt
She to my lips a living coal apply's
perhaps from some well pleasing sacrifice
then thus she said while I more courage found
to bear her sight & hear ye heav'nly sound
from the bright realms my vot'ries have I came
saints are my vot'ries Piety my name
Oft do I come but often am dispisd
happy were all if all my favour prizd
now my best offers to yr soul I give
Accept these offers O be mine & live
Ile teach you how to pray for wt you want
& when I teach you God yr prayr will grant
Ile teach you your redeemer to rehearse
& glide in flames of love along yr verse
Lett other men describe wth flowing lines
How Damon courts or Amarillis shines
But for your subject chuse a theme divine
fames their reward while heaven it self is thine
& then since Angells sing of nought below
they'le sing like men but like an angell you
Be thou my bard (& as these words she said
She powrd a sacred unction on my head
then thus proceeded) Be thy muse thy Zeal
dare to be good & all my Joys reveal
if Drunkards to their Deity apply
A short contentment & a fleeting Joy
Apply to me true peace & lasting bliss
I should not dress in weaker charms yn his
New-paint ye love yt hov'ring over beds
from purple wings his guilty pleasures sheds
his bow be sable sable be the darts
but tingd with endless flame to scorch our hearts
his bones without the sanguin stream or vital parts
But above all employ thy utmost powr
on love Divine twill need it all & more
Oh boundless Goodness to poor mankind shown
tell but the fact, lett rhetorick alone,
no colours can become it like its own.
Draw a Descending Jesus from ye sky
Make the great being in a manger ly
Of men despisd of men he came to save
pursu'd afflicted to ye very grave
Make ye great being cheerfully submitt
& me like Mary weeping at his feet
Much have I said & more woud tell you yet
but raptures smother what I woud repeat
My thoughts grow giddy while I strive to sound
the height & depth of love wthout a bound
My God I cannot comprehend thy wayes
but what I cannot comprehend Ile prayse
& then With raptures in her mouth she fled
the Cloud (for on a cloud she seemd to tread)
its curles unfolded & around her spread
My downy rest the warmth of fancy broke
& when my thoughts grew settled thus I spoke
Ah Gracious Lord make all my dreams like this
& make mine innocence compose my bliss
When reason lyes Asleep & leaves to reign
May my good Angell my passions restrain
Or I must wake to find upon my breast
the gaudy forms more deep yn ere imprest
they'le make my reason's victorys in vain
& make my former habits mine again
Thus if the snake wch hardly moves the tail
to shun the conqu'ring season takes a cell
if nature in a sleep a skin prepare
give him more strength & make him look more fair
He finds his robe is changd fm what he wore
He proudly shoots along ye sunny shore
& hunts the man fm whom he fled before.
Scheme | AABBBBBCCDDEEBBXXXXCCCCFFXXBBGGHXCCCCCCCIIJJJHHKKBLXLDDCC BBBMM CCNNXBNXAXIIIII |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1111110111 110111 101010111 0101010101 1011010101 111101101 110110101 111101011 011111010 1111111101 11011111 101111111 111110011 111111011 100111111 1111011111 011101111 1111111111 111111111 11111101 101110111 1101011101 1101111 1110110101 11011101111 11111101 10111111101 111111111 110101111 1101011111 111111101 1101110001 010100101 011111101 1111010111 111111101 1101110101 1111010101 11110111101 11010111101 101101111 110111111 1101011111 11011101 111011111 1001010111 1011000101 111111111 0101011101 111101001 111010111 111111111 111011101 1111011111 01111101 111100111 111100111 11100111 0111011111 110100101 1101011101 111110111 1101111111 111000111 110101111 1111011001 1111110111 010111111 10111101 111010101 1101110101 110110101 1100010101 111111111 11111111111 1101011101 1011111101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 3,083 |
Words | 620 |
Sentences | 3 |
Stanzas | 3 |
Stanza Lengths | 57, 5, 15 |
Lines Amount | 77 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 830 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 206 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 3:09 min read
- 113 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Dream" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/36974/a-dream>.
Discuss this Thomas Parnell 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