Analysis of The Dream

Louise Bogan 1897 (Livermore Falls) – 1970 (New York City)



O God, in the dream the terrible horse began
To paw at the air, and make for me with his blows,
Fear kept for thirty-five years poured through his mane,
And retribution equally old, or nearly, breathed through his nose.

Coward complete, I lay and wept on the ground
When some strong creature appeared, and leapt for the rein.
Another woman, as I lay half in a swound
Leapt in the air, and clutched at the leather and chain.

Give him, she said, something of yours as a charm.
Throw him, she said, some poor thing you alone claim.
No, no, I cried, he hates me; he is out for harm,
And whether I yield or not, it is all the same.

But, like a lion in a legend, when I flung the glove
Pulled from my sweating, my cold right hand;
The terrible beast, that no one may understand,
Came to my side, and put down his head in love.


Scheme XABA CBCB DEDE FGGF
Poetic Form Quatrain 
Metre 110010100101 111010111111 11110111111 001010011101111 10011101101 111100101101 010101111001 100101101001 11111011101 11111111011 111111111111 010111111101 11010001011101 111101111 01001111101 11110111101
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 816
Words 163
Sentences 8
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 39
Words per line (avg) 10
Letters per stanza (avg) 156
Words per stanza (avg) 40
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

48 sec read
147

Louise Bogan

Louise Bogan was an American poet. more…

All Louise Bogan poems | Louise Bogan Books

0 fans

Discuss this Louise Bogan poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Dream" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/26146/the-dream>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    6
    hours
    42
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which author is considered to be Scotland’s national poet?
    A Robert Burns
    B Edwin Morgan
    C Danny Boyle
    D Robert Louis Stevenson