If there were dreams to sell,
What would you buy?
Some cost a passing bell;
Some a light sigh,
That shakes from Life's fresh crown
Only a rose-leaf down.
If there were dreams to sell.
Merry and sad to tell,
And the crier rang the bell,
What would you buy?
A cottage lone and still,
With bowers nigh,
Shadowy, my woes to still,
Until I die.
Such pearl from Life's fresh crown
Fain would I shake me down.
Were dreams to have at will,
This would best heal my ill,
This would I buy.
But there were dreams to sell
Ill didst thou but;
Life is a dream, they tell,
Waking, to die.
Dreaming a dream to prize,
Is wishing ghosts to rise;
And, if I had the spell
To call the buried well,
Which one would I?
If there are ghosts to raise,
What shall I call,
Out of hell’s murky haze,
Heaven’s blue pall?
Raise my loved long-lost boy
To lead me to his joy. –
There are no ghosts to raise;
Out of death lead no ways;
Vain is the call
Know’st thou not ghosts to sue,
No love thou hast.
Else lie, as I will do,
And breathe thy last.
So out of Life’s fresh crown
Fall like a rose-leaf down.
Thus are the ghosts to woo;
Thus are all dreams made true,
Ever to last.
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Sweetly said, from the poet of old...
From guest Melodies (contact)
Enjoyed, most truly, and I do relish the old language herein. *happy* -
From guest malmadre (contact)
I love the old world dialect used in the poem, and I guess that was the style of the day and the area. My favorite section is "A cottage lone and still, With bowers nigh, Shadowy, my woes to still, Until I die." .....This would best heal my ill, This would I buy. I would be interested in buying a dream of this kind if the price wasn't so dear. -
From guest malmadre (contact)
The dialect used is so regal and of another time when gentlemen made the best use of words. I really like the idea of the one dream he would purchase being the peaceful cottage to dwell in until death. This is a dream that I also would buy. -
From guest Lady Ireland. (contact)
it one of those poems that we must disect and understand. i found the netaphor interesting and love the emotion in it. -
From guest JM Kenyon (contact)
I think life is the pursuit of dreams, they are the spark that ignites the will to want more... they are the promise that if we walk longer, work harder, cry from somewhere deeper... that the path of dreams come true will open wider, draw closer, reward us more... where one dream dies another is born until death either delivers or denies them all... A bit for my brain to chew on... ~Genie~ -
Life is a dream
From guest malmadre (contact)
A dreamless sleep is like an uneventful life. Some people live more fully within their dreams than in reality. I welcome them all the bad along with the good. Was it Shakespeare who said "to sleep perchance to dream" -
From guest artis (contact)
To simply purchase your dreams, to own them and use them daily. To bring back a long lost love, and hold her in your arms, or your mom who has been gone for what seems ages, to chat with again, hug, laugh and cry with. To use your dreams gained to make your business a success from the mire of its failure, like you used to dream it would be, To end war! What bells would ring out across the world over that, while soldiers would leap and women weep with joy. I like this poem because it touches on the essence of our souls, our dreams, and how valuable they are to us. What price could possibly be set for such wealth. Perhaps heaven is where all of our dreams of purity will be realized. Who knows. Perhaps Poet Beddoes has found his dreams.~~Artis -
Very interesting write
From guest Jim Hasler (contact)
I loved the form of which I was unfamiliar but the words, thoughts and emotions all resonated within me as I read this poem from the past. Jim -
Ah! I was drawn here by a compliment to my work, comparing it to this...well, it truly is high praise.
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I really love the feel of this poem, all the different ways dreams are put into perspective... although, I'm not sure what I'd buy haha! Good job!
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I like the spin this poem puts on dreams. I never thought of putting it that way. *Smiles* *waves dream coupon*. I agree with Johnny Wheeler, Dreams are quite the carte blanche subjects for poems. I tend to imagine a white room, like on the Matrix, where my worlds arrive with a blink.
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Great work done on this piece. Dreams are an ideal subject for poetry...the ideas are endless. I may try to attempt this..although trying to capture a style is 'different' than anything I've ever written. I may hade eluded to a style unaware in some of my work, but to knowingly 'create' a piece is a bit different! I shall give it my best!
~~~Johnny Wheeler~~~ -
Ohhhh I really liked this poem. It seems nearly light and happy and stuff but has a slightly darker undermeaning to it. It's very also very deep
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This poem flows quite nicely though some parts of it must be reread to be understood more clearly. This is a wonderful concept, nonetheless, and he expresses it well with his varying use of rhyme schemes.
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This is as it flows from his spirit...he is questioning seriously what dreams he would rather have, instead of those that pass through during long nights and heavy steaming thoughts
i enjoyed this, not only because of his classic vernacular and style but the message sent through from this...i will attempt to imitate, but cannot give any guarantees....
i would prefer if he was alive, i would very much have enjoyed to converse with him about this topic perhaps more in depth...
excellent thoughts -
GUILTY
woah just like woah i mean man..... woah i like it. dude doesnt care cause hes dead and stuff but i like it. -
I read this yesterday but decided to put off commenting until I read it again. What I read into this is that the past cannot be relived, the dead cannot be revived, and that the only meeting with those who have passed will be once we have died too. So dream as much as you want, even with the best of them, nothing in the past will change, nor will your present woes if all you do is dream. I like the flow and the well established tone. Phrases like 'shadowy, my woes to still until I die' are telling of the deep despair of the writer. I liked this poem very much.
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great write- very pretty. i like the 'old words' (old english...? the sound like it anyways) the dream idea and buying/selling dreams is very unique! beautiful poem!
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This is sort of a poingnant write that the writer has a passion of grasping the dream to achieve in a way to point out that dreams can never be bought and sold, it sure does ponder many thoughts within, and i certainly like the feeling of old style of this one, it sure beats the heck out of me, trying to figure, Rena or ~TC~
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I'm really only commenting on this so that I can enter a contest on allpoetry.com... This isn't my normal style of poetry. However, it does have a particular beauty to it that most poetry written in the present does not—maybe it's how the words flow, or the phrasing, I'm not sure. I do like it, though.
~Blessed Be~
~Sakhmet~ -
Okay.
I took this apart and found some common structure and theme threads due to the form which consisted of MOSTLY 6-4-6-4 in the upper portion and variated to a strand of 6's to resolve to the second line's rhyme of each stanza at the end.Rhyme scheme to ABAB-CCDDD-B .
Beddoes' philosophical take on life in the *hope-wish-dream scheme* becomes apparent of his own due to some personal loss. This humbled him and dwindles his hopes and dreams to a minimum of wanting better health, physically or/and mentally, while wagering the trust or hope of the life after death -be it resurrecting or mortal end with no hope to go on after.
I'm sad due to his last two stanzas being rather despondant, and unsure of the yank it has on him. It divides his desires and beliefs and probably resolves to the latter of where the soul goes, but not without continuing with the 'hopeful' thread of a DREAM. Thus....leaving an interpretation open to the reader.
I'm finished now
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EXCELLENT.
Yes..A different feel, like..It's old, but, revived. I love this poem. It makes you ponder about things longer than you normally would -
good
Sure has a different feel to it then anything done today { by no means Iam knocking today's writings } has simplified it a bit for all of us, I do like some 17th century stuff though...i.e John Donne
Regards
Reenie -
Love it. ..but need to read again.I'm going to my parents and will take a print of it. I'll be back. It sounds nearly contemporary in approach.Who'd have thought of comparing something's price to what it's worth back THEN?? Hmnmmm.
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Quite interesting. I'm going to go read it a second time to make sure I understand it, but i did get parts and the ones i got were very interesting!
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Very well written. Like the classical feel to it and the premise, of course.
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amazing how poetry has evolved and simplified in sorts....
nice
ty for sharing
Tamara -
Great example of old time writting! Really enjoyed your randition!
Thanks -
I rather like this ability to time travel with Old POetry.
~Von~ -
grrrrrrrrrrrrr8
hmm...it's very logical that i will reading this poetry for second time after 40 or 50 years, but guess to process such i have to join college without givin' "A-Levels"...
hmm...it is gr8! -
ohh this reminds of an old film called the Governess with Deborah Kerr.. a scary lil ghostie number it was but a great story.. really enjoyed this stroll into OP..
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