A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

2/24/22, 8:40 AM A Dream within a Dream by Edgar Allan Poe - Poem Analysis
E — Edgar Allan Poe
A Dream within a Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

Published in 1849, ‘A Dream Within a Dream’ by Edgar Allan
Poe examines the subtleties of time. His speaker delves into
our perception of it and its effects.
‘A Dream Within a Dream’ by Edgar Allan Poe describes how a speaker experiences
depths of dispiritedness and despair. As the poem is dissected for evaluating the mood,
motivation, and inherent upheavals his life underwent. Traumatized by those events, the
poet embarks on this dreary poetic masterpiece. He may not be the initiator of this
conception, as many philosophers have puzzled over this notion for centuries.
According to philosophers, it is referred to as “dream argument” and “dream
hypothesis”.
According to the poet, this world and all existing life is an illusion of sorts as reality
doesn’t exist. This notion was first asserted by Greek philosopher Plato in his treatise,
‘Theaetetus’ as well as Aristotle in his ‘Metaphysics’. More so, Rene Descartes also
revitalized this theory in his publication “Meditations on First Philosophy”.
https://poemanalysis.com/edgar-allan-poe/a-dream-within-a-dream/ 1/24
A Dream within a Dream
Edgar Allan Poe
Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow —
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand —
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep — while I weep!
O God! Can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
Explore A Dream within a Dream

1 Summary
2 Meaning
3 Structure
4 Poetic Devices
5 Themes
6 Symbolism
7 Tone
8 Detailed Analysis
9 Historical Context
10 FAQs
11 Similar Poetry
Summary
In ‘A Dream within a Dream,’ Edgar Allan Poe implies that time is slipping away
from the grasp of human beings a la sand on the beach, indicating that our
existence is at the end inconsequent or a mere abstraction.
In the first stanza, the narrator demands a farewell kiss on the brow. Although the kiss
indicates the parting of ways, it’s usually a melancholic ending in the case of Poe. As
luck would have it, the narrator seems to be parting ways with his significant other
permanently.
While they part their respective ways, the narrator affirms that her notion was correct all
along; his days with her were just a dream. The narrator realizes the fact afterward as
they part their ways. He is in awe as to how time flew which they spent together. It was
a la trance state, a dreamy affair that ended abruptly for the narrator.
As a result, he wonders if this time was measurable quality or just a figment of his
imagination. It seems that the narrator has come to terms with the hard reality of life
and beginning to learn the ropes.
As the poem ends, the poet asks only one question to the reader – what if the reader
wakes up and realizes that all that he has gone through, the good and the bad, was
nothing but a dream within another? If readers have heard of the saying – what if we
wake up and realize that we were just dreaming, all this while – then they surely
understand this poem in a much better way. What if we open our eyes and realize that
we had just been dreaming, all this while, and the reality begins after we wake up?
Meaning
‘A Dream within a Dream’ is purely a melancholic poem. It’s about the hope,
hopelessness, and helplessness of man in general. As the poet agonizingly contends
that humans have to make compromises.
The first half deals with Edgar Allan Poe’s loss of his beloved. Crestfallen with pain and
bleeding profusely, he deems the time spent with his fiancée a la fairytale. The gloomy
mood reflects the poet’s real-life affairs as his fiancée is taken away from her, leaving
him to pick up the pieces.
Struggling with time, loss, and helplessness, the poet comes to terms with reality
knocking on his door. For him, he feels he has been betrayed by time, watching
indifferently as he recovers from one loss to another.
As the poet embarks on his emotional tirade, he expresses his undying love for his wife.
Her loss has torn him apart, as he attempts to cope with the pain. He still wonders if all
of his experiences were in actuality real or a figment of his subconscious.
In the second stanza, the poet stands on sea-shore, grasping sand. The “roaring waves”
are analogous to his continuous pain and “golden sand” refers to his wife which
regardless of how tightly he clasps, seems to weasel out from his grip. He lets out a sigh
of desperation, seeking God’s help in his hour of misery. He speculates whether all of
his life was just a dream after all.
Structure
The poem consists of 24-verses, divided into 2-stanzas one of 11 lines and one
consisting of 13. In totality, it has 9 couplets and 2 triplets. The initial stanza commences
with a triplet, followed by couplets.
Rhyme Scheme
The rhyme scheme in this poem is also different. The entire scheme can be
encapsulated as AAABBCCDDEE FFGGHHHIIJJKK. The entirety of the poem acts as
couplets. More so, twice, in two stanzas, three verses seem to rhyme, giving the entire
poem some balance.
The poet has used a hypothetical fantasy in this poem to create a deep impact on the
mind of the readers. To depict the confusion between the dream and reality, the poet
has used a changing rhyme pattern in the poem. Due to this changing rhyme pattern,
the readers get an illusionary or dreamy effect while reading this poem. Besides, it
confuses them to such an extent that they imagine whether they are really in a dream or
reality.
Meter
On the whole, the poem’s meter alters considerably. It is a juxtaposition of iambic
tetrameter and anapests strewn into one poem. As a result, it gives the poem a dreamy/
hazy effect. Things take a drastic turn as is the case with dreams.
The poetic form is slightly erratic. Each verse in this poem consists of three feet. An
iamb is a dominant foot as a result. One such verse where it is used is as follows:
“ How few!/ Yet how/ they creep
On a similar footing, other verses are constructed in this mannerism. Edgar Allan Poe
was in a rather anapestic mood, as numerous instances are found in this poem.
Poetic Devices
Edgar Allan Poe uses several literary devices that make the speaker’s thoughts more
appealing and heart-touching. To begin with, there is a rhetorical exclamation at the
very first line. In the following lines, readers can find the use of enjambment. This device
helps the writer to internally connect the lines. For example, the lines, “You are not
wrong, who deem/ That my days have been a dream.”
The following line contains a metaphor. Here, the poet compares dreams to the bygone
days. Just after this line, readers can find the use of personification. The poet invests
“hope” with the idea of flying, comparing it to a bird or any other winged creature.
The seventh and eighth lines of this stanza begin in the same pattern. This device is
called anaphora. There is another device, a rhetorical question, in the next line. The last
line of this section contains a palilogy.
Poe uses metaphor and personification in the second stanza too. He metaphorically
compares the “sand” to “time” and “deep” to “ocean”. Besides, there are repetitions of
sounds in the first few lines. For example, the line, “Of a surf-tormented shore” contains
a repetition of the “s” sound. It is called alliteration.
Likewise, some more literary devices make this section more impassioned than the
previous one. The rhetorically charged lines depict how the speaker feels after being
aware of the fact that all that he sees is nothing but “a dream within a dream.”
Themes
This poem is far different from all the poems of its time; Poe explores the themes of life
and dream in a very different way. He takes the readers to the land of dreams, to the
land of fantasies, and the land of hopes. No matter how sad people are in their lives,
they know that there is only one place where they can keep their hopes high –
dreamland.
Let’s have a look at the important themes used in this piece.

Dream. This poem revolves around the strong theme of dreaming within a
dream, which is quite a hypothetical concept. It makes the reader distinguish
between reality as well as fantasy. Reality is what one lives in; a dream is
something that he dwells in.
When one dreams, there is no stress in his or her mind. Even if it is a bad dream
or a nightmare, we know that the period is going to end, and it surely does. If
someone is depressed in his life, he must know that even that specific period is
going to come to an end, someday. There is absolutely nothing that stays forever
in life. All we have to do is just “wait” for the right time of happiness to come to
us.
Death. In ‘A Dream Within A Dream’, one of the important themes is death. It is
metaphorically described as the waves crashing against the sands of the shore.
Just like a wave has ups and downs, so does the life of an individual; the wave is
nothing but time, which is ‘pitiless’ or harsh; time keeps running at its pace,
without waiting for anyone. No matter which phase of our lives we want to hold
on to it, whether it is good or bad, we just can’t do so, since it is not even in the
hands of God to stop or pause time.
Astral Traveling. Deep down inside, the poem may also present the theme of
astral projection or astral traveling, wherein the dreamer has out-of-body
experiences. The dreamer floats near the shore and tries to gather all the wisdom
he wishes to, in the face of sands.
Symbolism
Poe’s poem, ‘A Dream Within a Dream’ contains some important symbols. Firstly, the
word, “kiss” is a symbol of love and affection. It’s a kind of parting gift that the speaker
is giving to his beloved. The most important symbol of this piece is “dream”. The poet
uses the word in its literal sense as well as in a symbolic manner. According to the
speaker, his life seems to be a dream that is a part of another dream. So, what he thinks
of life or how he wishes to lead life is nothing but a vision, his mind’s creation.
This word also seems a symbol of love or the lady whom he loved. So, the “dream” is a
symbolic reference to his life. It is also giving a hint to the nature of his relationship. Like
a dream, their relationship was momentary and ended abruptly. As it was a vision worth
living in again, he feels lonely after waking up in reality.
The second stanza contains some important symbols too. For instance, the “shore” is a
symbol for the speaker himself. While the waves are compared to the love of the lady.
No matter how refreshing it seemed at first hand, at the end of the day, the waves were
responsible for the shore’s distress. The “sand” is another symbol used here. It
represents the time that can not be held or stored.
Tone
Throughout this piece, the tone of the speaker who is a victim of unrequited love is
depressing, low, emphatic, monotonic, and pessimistic. It paints a gloomy picture
depicting a speaker standing alone on a shore and watching how the sun of his life is
setting down gradually.
In the first stanza, the tone is direct, elusive, and pensive. The first few lines begin in a
manner that seems the speaker is imagining how the relationship ended. The last two
lines are emotive enough to raise the question, “Is life a dream within a dream?” The
poet modulates the tone in this manner for making each line more thought-provoking
to the readers.
The tone of the second stanza does not differ from the first one. There is only one
difference and it can be seen in the line, “While I weep — while I weep!” From this line, it
becomes clear to readers that the poetic person is completely heartbroken now. That’s
why he alludes to the last resort, God for his inabilities. The ending of this section has a
difference too. Previously, his voice was sad and his tone was cold. But, here he is asking
a question helplessly. This helplessness can be felt in his tone.
Detailed Analysis
Stanza One
“ Take this kiss upon the brow!
Yet if hope has flown away
All that we see or seem
The speaker opens the poem, ‘A Dream Within a Dream,’ by kissing the forehead of the
dreamer, who had been dreaming for so long. It is time for the poet to bid farewell to
the dreamer, for now, it is time for the dreamer to wake up from the dream within the
dream.
Let’s closely analyze all the lines from the first stanza.
Lines 1–5
“ Take this kiss upon the brow!
As indicative, the narrator seems unready to part ways, it just feels too disorienting. He
wonders about hope and its premises. What part does hope play in this romantic
entanglement?
In case, hope goes out of the window, then it’s curtains for a relationship. Whether it’s
day or night, when hope is gone, all is gone with it. He deems that as long as hope
remains, even a dream may seem akin to reality. As the significant other walks away, the
romantic entanglement seems like a fairytale of sorts to him. In essence, the woman
could be a dream for him. A dream long lost and fading as time passes.
Lines 6–9
“ Yet if hope has flown away
“Yet, if the hope has flown away” depicts the depression of the dreamer. He has,
probably, gone through a hard time in his life and all that the poet wishes to do gives
some more hope to the dreamer. The poet says that he is always there to protect the
dreamer and inspire him by stating that this dream, the hard time, would also go and he
will wake up to see a better dream in his life.
Through these lines, the poet depicts how “hope” like a winged creature flown away
from the speaker’s life. It seems as if he has failed to tame the wild “hope”. He does not
know whether it faded away within a night or day. It can also be possible he was having
a vision of hope. In reality, it does not exist at all in his life. For this speaker, he is
extremely depressed about his condition.
He says, “Is it therefore the less gone?” The answer is no. According to the speaker what
has gone from his life is not a loss that happens often. Such loss occurs in grave times.
And the speaker is going through this phase when the light of hope extinguishes itself
by being afraid of the depressing clasps of misfortune.
Lines 10–11
“ All that we see or seem
In the concluding lines, the poet has finally come to terms with reality. He feels that the
woman hit the nail on the head when he asserted that his life was just a dream or quasi-
reality. Stepping out from the tunnel vision of the poem, this also applies to every
individual.
The poet then brings the central theme of the poem in the concluding lines. He
contends that all human existence is just a part of an elaborate dream encapsulated into
a compartmentalized dream.
The interpretation is open-ended as the following assertions can be derived.
Firstly, all human sensory experiences are simply a hallucination experienced by humans,
a figment of their imaginations and illusions.
Secondly, if a human is to break from the secondary dream, he’s still trapped in a
primary dream.
Finally, what signifies reality and dreams? How can he differ from both? These are the
questions that readers have to answer while going through the poem.
Stanza Two
“ I stand amid the roar
O God! Can I not grasp
The speaker has changed the setting slightly in the next stanza. He imagines himself
standing on a sun-lit shore, bathing in the warm sunlight. As he stands on the beach, he
scoops up some sand in his palm. He creates some splendid imagery by artificially
constructing sea waves striking the shore loudly. The air is loud with surfs bashing the
coastline; the poet has bigger fish to fry. Whether the poet is actually on a sea-shore or
creating imagery is of inconsequence here, due to the larger picture in view.
Lines 1–7
“ I stand amid the roar
The speaker says that he is standing on a shore, which is probably another dream. As he
stands on the shore, he picks up the shimmering golden particles from the sands. The
more he tries to hold the particles in his hand, the more they slip. By this statement, the
poet means the more he tries to control time, the more it slips away from his hands. Just
like people don’t realize the time when they are dreaming, they don’t realize what
things they miss when they are living.
The poet seems to be weeping about time and its nonchalant behavior towards men on
the whole. As he holds a grain of sand in his hand, it weasels its way out eventually,
leaving the poet high and dry.
As the adage goes, time and tide wait for none, the poet seems helpless, at the mercy of
time. He weeps in anguish and sorrow. Now he seems to be appealing to God to stop
time for a moment to savor the moment in all its glory. He could be alluding to the
woman he once had in his life, about to abandon him. The “sands” could be an allusion
to the woman.
The roaring surfs can be a representation of reality which whips hard on the poet’s
dreamy landscape. As a result, no matter how hard he tries, he eventually relinquishes
the sand from his clasp. Regardless of his attempts, reality wins in the end, dragging him
out of his self-created utopia.
Lines 8–13
“ O God! Can I not grasp
In the following lines, the speaker states that he tries to hold on to the particles of sand,
to save at least a few of them from the waves, but he is just not able to, no matter how
much he prays to his God. It is when he realizes that it is nothing, but a dream within a
dream that he is living.
In hindsight, the poet could mean that life is an ongoing process of people or things
incoming and outgoing. Nothing is permanent be it happiness or sorrow.
The speaker is full of hope, despite his shortcomings. In the initial stanza, he asserted
the theory as humans encapsulated into a dream-like state. Now he poses it as a
question to readers. He wonders about the time lost and why the woman part ways with
him. He continues to wonder if all his sensory experiences were just imaginative at best.
Historical Context
In actuality, ‘A Dream within a Dream’ is a revision of his earlier published poem
‘Imitation’ in 1827 found in Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry collection “Tamerlane and Other
Poems”. This poem was published in the year 1849.
Two events could become the catalysts for this poem. His fiancée was sent away from
Poe when the secret of engagement was divulged. He accumulated a debt of $2,500 in
gambling, as a result, his father withdrew him from school. This chain of occurrences
could have triggered the melancholia and resentment obvious in the poem itself. On
the other hand, the poem could be a product of pure musing, too.
Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most popular 19th-century American poets. He was a
writer and editor as well as a literary critic. He was quite famous for the kinds of short
stories he wrote. The plots that he had invented were quite different from the writers of
his time. Poe’s poems and stories often surrounded mysterious concepts of the dark
culture. He was one of the first writers, who practiced writing short stories under the
roofs of Romanticism.
FAQs
What is the message of ‘A Dream Within a Dream’?
Through this poem, Edgar Allan Poe gives a depressing message regarding the mental
state of a heartbroken speaker. He loved a girl with whom he had a brief relationship.
The abrupt ending of the love story has a deeper impact on his mind. That’s why he
feels all that he got in life is nothing but “a dream within a dream.”
What type of poem is ‘A Dream Within a Dream‘?

This poem is told from the perspective of a first-person speaker. It is a lyric poem about
the speaker’s depressed condition. However, the tone of the poem resembles that of an
elegy. It also has some elements of confessional poetry too.
What was “a dream” all about in the poem, ‘A Dream Within a Dream’?
In his poem, the word, “dream” can be decoded in several ways. First of all, it refers to
the imaginary world which does not last long. The speaker compares his beloved to a
dream metaphorically. The phrase, “a dream” is a part of another dream that does not
have a fixed meaning in the text, but the underlying idea remains the same.
What is the mood in ‘A Dream Within a Dream’?

The mood of the poem, ‘A Dream Within a Dream’ is thoroughly sad, depressing, and
monotonous. Being marooned from the joys of life, the speaker’s life has turned out to
be an enclosed space without any sign of light. His mood reflects this hopelessness and
loneliness.
Who has said, “All that we see or seem/ Is but a dream within a dream”?
In ‘A Dream Within a Dream,’ Edgar Allan Poe’s poetic persona or the poem’s speaker
says, “All that we see or seem/ Is but a dream within a dream.” These lines appear at the
end of each stanza and they form a refrain.
What is the meaning of “all that we see or seem/ But a dream within a dream”?
These lines, “all that we see or seem/ But a dream within a dream” have a deeper
meaning that is associated with the idea of existentialism. To understand the meaning of
these lines, readers have to feel how a person going through a series of misfortunes
feels. Such a speaker is present in this poem. He feels as if what is there, in reality, is
nothing but a dream. Not only a dream, but it is also a part of another vision. As the
pleasant phases of his life quickly flee away, he thinks all that he loves is like a dream,
pacing farther from him. That’s why he thinks what he sees is a dream. And those
dreams occur within another “dream” that is compared to his life.
Similar Poetry
Here is a list of some important poems that tap on similar kinds of themes present in
Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, ‘A Dream Within a Dream’.
Dream Land by Christina Rossetti – It’s one of the best-known poems of Christina
Rossetti. This poem describes a woman’s escape from the pain and physicality of
the real world and her journey into a deeply meditative state of peace. Explore
more Christina Rossetti poetry.
I Dream’d in a Dream by Walt Whitman – It’s one of the popular poems of Walt
Whitman. This poem depicts a speaker’s dream of a Utopia world in which love is
the reference point for all directions and actions. Read more poems of Walt
Whitman.
Life is but a Dream by Lewis Carroll – This poem represents the logical and
illogical aspects of Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” It stands as a
tribute to the work as well as its readers. Explore more poetry from Lewis Carroll.
The Dream by John Donne – It’s one of the best John Donne poems. This poem
explores how a speaker dreams about his beloved and the lines record his
realization. Read more poems of John Donne.
You can also read about these incredible poems on dreams and the best-loved poems
of Edgar Allan Poe.
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2/24/22, 8:40 AM A Dream within a Dream by Edgar Allan Poe - Poem Analysis

E — Edgar Allan Poe

A Dream within a Dream

Edgar Allan Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow —

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand —

How few! yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep,

While I weep — while I weep!

O God! Can I not grasp

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

Explore A Dream within a Dream

“ How few!/ Yet how/ they creep

Let’s have a look at the important themes used in this piece.

“ Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow —

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

“ Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow —

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

“ Yet if hope has flown away

Is it therefore the less gone?

“ All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

The interpretation is open-ended as the following assertions can be derived.

“ I stand amid the roar

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand —

How few! yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep,

While I weep — while I weep!

O God! Can I not grasp

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

“ I stand amid the roar

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand —