The Dreame
Deare love, for nothing lesse then theeWould I have broke this happy dreame,It was a theameFor reason, much too strong for phantasie,Therefore thou wakd'st me wisely; yetMy Dreame thou brok'st not, but continued'st it,Thou art so truth, that thoughts of thee suffice,To make dreames truths; and fables histories;Enter these armes, for since thou thoughtst it best,Not to dreame all my dreame, let's act the rest.
As lightning, or a Tapers light,Thine eyes, and not thy noise wak'd mee;Yet I thought thee(For thou lovest truth) an Angell, at first sight,But when I saw thou sawest my heart,And knew'st my thoughts, beyond an Angels art,When thou knew'st what I dreamt, when thou knew'st whenExcesse of joy would wake me, and cam'st then,I must confesse, it could not chuse but beeProphane, to thinke thee any thing but thee.
Comming and staying show'd thee, thee,But rising makes me doubt, that now,Thou art not thou.That love is weake, where feare's as strong as hee;'Tis not all spirit, pure, and brave,If mixture it of Feare, Shame, Honor, have.Perchance as torches which must ready bee,Men light and put out, so thou deal'st with mee,Thou cam'st to kindle, goest to come; Then IWill dreame that hope againe, but else would die.
Words in this poem
- deare
- variant of Dere, v. t. & n.
- broke v. i.
- To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
- suffice v. i.
- To be enough, or sufficient; to meet the need (of anything); to be equal to the end proposed; to be adequate. [OE. suffisen, OF. soufire, F. suffire (cf. suffisant, p.pr.), L. sufficere to put under, to substitute, to avail for, to suffice; sub under + facere to make. Se]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Dreame is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of John Donne, Volume 1 (of 2) Edited from the Old Editions and Numerous Manuscripts, Project Gutenberg ebook #48688; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: John Donne, The Dreame, in Poems (1633), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #48688, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/donne-poems/the-dreame.html, id L19856.
Form and metre
The Dreame is 30 lines in 3 stanzas of 10 lines each. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%). 97% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.6 syllables. 3 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 25% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 -AA-----BB thee · dreameA · theameA · phantasie · yet · it · suffice · histories · bestB · restB
- 2 ABBACCDDBB lightA · meeB · theeB · sightA · heartC · artC · whenD · thenD · beeB · theeB
- 3 ABBACCAADD theeA · nowB · thouB · heeA · braveC · haveC · beeA · meeA · iD · dieD
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Deare love, for nothing lesse then thee | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Would I have broke this happy dreame, | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| It was a theame | 4 | ···· |
| For reason, much too strong for phantasie, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Therefore thou wakd'st me wisely; yet | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| My Dreame thou brok'st not, but continued'st it, | 10 | ·········· |
| Thou art so truth, that thoughts of thee suffice, | 10 | ········˘/ |
| To make dreames truths; and fables histories; | 10 | ·····/˘/˘˘ |
| Enter these armes, for since thou thoughtst it best, | 10 | /˘········ |
| Not to dreame all my dreame, let's act the rest. | 10 | ·········· |
| As lightning, or a Tapers light, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘· |
| Thine eyes, and not thy noise wak'd mee; | 8 | ········ |
| Yet I thought thee | 4 | ···· |
| (For thou lovest truth) an Angell, at first sight, | 11 | ······/˘··· |
| But when I saw thou sawest my heart, | 9 | ········· |
| And knew'st my thoughts, beyond an Angels art, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| When thou knew'st what I dreamt, when thou knew'st when | 10 | ·········· |
| Excesse of joy would wake me, and cam'st then, | 10 | ·········· |
| I must confesse, it could not chuse but bee | 10 | ·········· |
| Prophane, to thinke thee any thing but thee. | 10 | ˘/···/˘··· |
| Comming and staying show'd thee, thee, | 8 | /˘·/˘··· |
| But rising makes me doubt, that now, | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Thou art not thou. | 4 | ···· |
| That love is weake, where feare's as strong as hee; | 10 | ·········· |
| 'Tis not all spirit, pure, and brave, | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| If mixture it of Feare, Shame, Honor, have. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Perchance as torches which must ready bee, | 10 | ˘/·/˘··/˘· |
| Men light and put out, so thou deal'st with mee, | 10 | ·········· |
| Thou cam'st to kindle, goest to come; Then I | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Will dreame that hope againe, but else would die. | 10 | ·········· |
Notes from the edition 11
Herbert Grierson's record of the readings of the early editions and manuscripts, from his Poems of John Donne (Oxford, 1912; Project Gutenberg #48688).
- Stanza 1, line 6 brok'st ... continued'st] breakest ... continuest 1669, A25, C, P, S
- Stanza 1, line 7 so truth, 1633, A18, D, H49, L74, Lec, N, TC: so true, 1635-69, A25, B, C, Cy, O'F, P, S. See note
- Stanza 1, line 10 act] doe A25, B, Cy, D, H49, L74, Lec, O'F, P, S, S96
- Stanza 2, line 4 an Angell,] but an Angell, A18, D, H49, L74, Lec, N, TC
- Stanza 2, line 6 thoughts,] om. comma Grolier and Chambers. See Note
- Stanza 2, line 8 then thou knew'st when 1669
- Stanza 2, line 9 must] doe A18, A25, B, Cy, D, H49, Lec, N, O'F, P, TC
- Stanza 2, line 10 Prophane,] Profaness A18, D, H49, L74, Lec, N, S96, TC
- Stanza 3, line 4 feare's as strong 1635-54, A18, D, H49, L74, Lec, TCC: feares are strong 1669, B, Cy, O'F, P, S, S96: feare is strong, N, TCD
- Stanza 3, line 6 have. 1669: have; 1633-54
- Stanza 3, line 9 cam'st] com'st 1669
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