Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ELEGY: 10. THE DREAME, by JOHN DONNE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ELEGY: 10. THE DREAME, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Image of her whom I love, more than she
Last Line: Mad with much heart, then ideott with none.
Variant Title(s): The Dream (image Of Her)
Subject(s): Sleep


Image of her whom I love, more than she,
Whose faire impression in my faithfull heart,
Makes mee her Medall, and makes her love mee,
As Kings do coynes, to which their stamps impart
The value: goe, and take my heart from hence,
Which now is growne too great and good for me:
Honours oppresse weake spirits, and our sense
Strong objects dull; the more, the lesse wee see.
When you are gone, and Reason gone with you,
Then Fantasie is Queene and Soule, and all;
She can present joyes meaner then you do;
Convenient, and more proportionall.
So, if I dreame I have you, I have you,
For, all our joyes are but fantasticall.
And so I scape the paine, for paine is true;
And sleepe which locks up sense, doth lock out all.
After a such fruition I shall wake,
And, but the waking, nothing shall repent;
And shall to love more thankfull Sonnets make,
Then if more honour, teares, and paines were spent.
But dearest heart, and dearer image stay;
Alas, true joyes at best are dreame enough;
Though you stay here you passe too fast away:
For even at first lifes Taper is a snuffe.
Fill'd with her love, may I be rather grown
Mad with much heart, then ideott with none.





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