The Cry of the Dreamer
John Boyle O'Reilly 1844 (Dowth) – 1890 (Boston)
I am tired of planning and toiling
In the crowded hives of men;
Heart-weary of building and spoiling,
And spoiling and building again.
And I long for the dear old river,
Where I dreamed my youth away;
For a dreamer lives forever,
And a toiler dies in a day.
I am sick of the showy seeming
Of a life that is half a lie;
Of the faces lined with scheming
In the throng that hurries by.
From the sleepless thoughts' endeavour,
I would go where the children play;
For a dreamer lives forever,
And a thinker dies in a day.
I can feel no pride, but pity
For the burdens the rich endure;
There is nothing sweet in the city
But the patient lives of the poor.
Oh, the little hands too skillful,
And the child-mind choked with weeds!
The daughter's heart grown willful,
And the father's heart that bleeds!
No, no! from the street's rude bustle,
From the trophies of mart and stage,
I would fly to the woods' low rustle
And the meadows' kindly page.
Let me dream as of old by the river,
And be loved for the dream alway;
For a dreamer lives forever,
And a toiler dies in a day.
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:03 min read
- 123 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ababcdCD aeaecdCd fxfxghgh gigicdCD |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 1,042 |
Words | 207 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 8, 8, 8, 8 |
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"The Cry of the Dreamer" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/22048/the-cry-of-the-dreamer>.
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