The dream-ship

Eugene Field 1850 (St. Louis) – 1895 (Chicago)



When the world is fast asleep,
   Along the midnight skies--
As though it were a wandering cloud--
   The ghostly dream-ship flies.

An angel stands at the dream-ship's helm,
   An angel stands at the prow,
And an angel stands at the dream-ship's side
   With a rue-wreath on her brow.

The other angels, silver-crowned,
   Pilot and helmsman are,
And the angel with the wreath of rue
   Tosseth the dreams afar.

The dreams they fall on rich and poor;
   They fall on young and old;
And some are dreams of poverty,
   And some are dreams of gold.

And some are dreams that thrill with joy,
   And some that melt to tears;
Some are dreams of the dawn of love,
   And some of the old dead years.

On rich and poor alike they fall,
   Alike on young and old,
Bringing to slumbering earth their joys
   And sorrows manifold.

The friendless youth in them shall do
   The deeds of mighty men,
And drooping age shall feel the grace
   Of buoyant youth again.

The king shall be a beggarman--
   The pauper be a king--
In that revenge or recompense
   The dream-ship dreams do bring.

So ever downward float the dreams
   That are for all and me,
And there is never mortal man
   Can solve that mystery.

But ever onward in its course
   Along the haunted skies--
As though it were a cloud astray--
   The ghostly dream-ship flies.

Two angels with their silver crowns
   Pilot and helmsman are,
And an angel with a wreath of rue
   Tosseth the dreams afar.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 01, 2023

1:17 min read
238

Quick analysis:

Scheme xaxA xbxb xCdC xefe xxxx xexe dgxg ghxh xfxf xaxA xCdC
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,406
Words 255
Stanzas 11
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Eugene Field

Eugene Field, Sr. was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays. more…

All Eugene Field poems | Eugene Field Books

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