A Dream
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. Troubled, wildered, and forlorn, Dark, benighted, travel-worn, Over many a tangle spray, All heart-broke, I heard her say: "Oh my children! do they cry, Do they hear their father sigh? Now they look abroad to see, Now return and weep for me." Pitying, I dropped a tear: But I saw a glow-worm near, Who replied, "What wailing wight Calls the watchman of the night? "I am set to light the ground, While the beetle goes his round: Follow now the beetle's hum; Little wanderer, hie thee home!"
A Dream - meaning Summary
Consolation from Small Lights
Blake recounts a compassionate dream in which a lost ant (emmet) laments separation from its family. The speaker feels pity but observes a glow-worm who calmly explains its role as a modest guide for night travelers and directs the ant to follow the beetle home. The poem contrasts human sympathy with small-scale, practical guidance, suggesting consolation and domestic reunion offered by humble, reliable natural agents rather than grand intervention.
Read Complete Analyses
Feel free to be first to leave comment.