“A Dream” Summary

“A Dream” Themes

• 

  Guidance, Protection, and Compassion

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “A Dream”

• Lines 1-4

  Once a dream did weave a shade
  O'er my angel-guarded bed,
  That an emmet lost its way
  Where on grass methought I lay.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 5-8

  Troubled, wildered, and forlorn,
  Dark, benighted, travel-worn,
  Over many a tangle spray,
  All heart-broke, I heard her say:

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 9-12

  "Oh my children! do they cry,
  Do they hear their father sigh?
  Now they look abroad to see,
  Now return and weep for me."

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 13-16

  Pitying, I dropped a tear:
  But I saw a glow-worm near,
  Who replied, "What wailing wight
  Calls the watchman of the night?

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 17-20

  "I am set to light the ground,
  While the beetle goes his round:
  Follow now the beetle's hum;
  Little wanderer, hie thee home!"

  

  

  

  

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“A Dream” Symbols

• 

  Darkness and Light

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“A Dream” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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• Assonance

  

  

  

  

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• Imagery

  

  

  

  

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• Caesura

  

  

  

  

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• Anthropomorphism

  

  

  

  

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• End-Stopped Line

  

  

  

  

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• Parallelism

  

  

  

  

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“A Dream” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• O'er
• Emmet
• Methought
• Wildered
• Forlorn
• Benighted
• Travel-worn
• Many a tangle spray
• Heart-broke
• Glow-worm
• Wight
• Goes his round
• Hie thee home

• • See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “A Dream”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“A Dream” Speaker

“A Dream” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “A Dream”

More “A Dream” Resources

• External Resources

  • A Reading of the Poem — Listen to the poem read aloud.

  • The Poem Illuminated — See the poem in its original form: a hand-engraved, illuminated print made by Blake himself.

  • A Short Biography — Learn more about Blake's life and work via the Poetry Foundation.

  • Songs of Innocence and Experience — Take a look at images of the first edition of Songs of Innocence and Experience, the lavishly illustrated collection this poem comes from.

  • Blake's Legacy — Read author Philip Pullman's reflection on Blake's continuing influence.

  • Blake's Printing Method — A look at Blake's print-making process and how it relates to his poetry and visual art. 

• LitCharts on Other Poems by William Blake

  • Ah! Sun-flower

  • A Poison Tree

  • Earth's Answer

  • Holy Thursday (Songs of Experience)

  • Holy Thursday (Songs of Innocence)

  • Infant Joy

  • Infant Sorrow

  • Introduction (Songs of Innocence)

  • London

  • Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)

  • Nurse's Song (Songs of Innocence)

  • The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience)

  • The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Innocence)

  • The Clod and the Pebble

  • The Divine Image

  • The Ecchoing Green

  • The Fly

  • The Garden of Love

  • The Human Abstract

  • The Lamb

  • The Little Black Boy

  • The Little Vagabond

  • The School Boy

  • The Sick Rose

  • The Tyger

  • To Autumn

  • To the Evening Star