A Dream
By William Allingham
- John Noh :D
I heard the dogs howl in the moonlight night;
I went to the window to see the sight;
All the Dead that ever I knew
Going one by one and two by two.
On they pass'd, and on they pass'd;
Townsfellows all, from first to last;
Born in the moonlight of the lane,
Quench'd in the heavy shadow again.
Schoolmates, marching as when they play'd
At soldiers once - but now more staid;
Those were the strangest sight to me
Who were drown'd, I knew, in the awful sea.
Straight and handsome folk, bent and weak, too;
Some that I loved, and gasp'd to speak to;
Some but a day in their churchyard bed;
Some that I had not known were dead.
A long, long crowd - where each seem'd lonely,
Yet of them all there was one, one only,
Raised a head or look'd my way;
She linger'd a moment - she might not stay.
How long since I saw that fair pale face!
Ah! Mother dear! might I only place
My head on thy breast, a moment to rest,
While thy hand on my tearful cheek were prest!
On, on, a moving bridge they made
Across the moon-stream, from shade to shade,
Young and old, women and men;
Many long-forgot, but remembered then,
And first there came a bitter laughter;
A sound of tears a moment after;
And then a music so lofty and gay,
That eve morning, day by day,
I strive to recall it if I may.
William Allingham’s Background
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Was born in Ballyshannon, Country Donegal, Ireland
Son of the manager of a local bank
( Father of English Decent )
Until 1870 Allingham worked in a custom-home of his
native town and held posts in Ireland and England
After retiring, he became a sub-editor of Fraser’s
Magazine (1874 – 1879)
Marrid Helen Paterson
Died at Hampstead in 1889
Known to have produced excellent lyrical and descriptive poetry
‘His verse is clear, fresh, and graceful.’
After Death
(influences on pop culture)
• The opening lines of his famous poem, The Fairies, (Up the airy mountain)
was quoted in the beginning of – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factoryby the character, The Tinker.
• Hellboy the corpse: ‘Down the rushy glen’
• Don’t Look in the Basement: ‘We daren’t go a-hunting’
• Supergirl comic book: ‘For fear of little men'
Themes
• Religion? – as the poem is about ‘dead’ the poet may
believe in afterlife? Or spirituality?
• Life and Death – straight forward as the poem is about the
poet dreaming and visualising dead people
• Love – The poets reunion with his beloved mother
• Self-Healing – The poet is looking back at his dream/vision
which gives him a little bit of comfort and ease
Analysis of Poem
‘I Heard the dogs howl in the moonlight light’
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Dogs which are ancestors of wolves also howl at the moon like them. From
the 1500’s people started believe that dogs howling at the moon was
foreshadowing paranormal events or evil as dogs are known to have a 6th
sense for paranormal activity ( dead people rising ). The dogs and their
behaviour are metaphoric as not only do they catch the poets attention,
but they also show their genetic behaviours which is to howl which
represent communication with others, can in this case it is the dead.
‘Going one by one and two by two.’
- Immediately it reminds you of a military march or a group of soldiers that
are prepared for action. It may also mean ‘two by two’ may be couples
have met after both passing away. The phrase seems like they are
commanded to march to a certain destination.
Analysis of Poem
‘ On they passed, and on they passed’
-The repetition of the words show the poet emphasizing the size of the dead
crowd that the poet can view while looking out of his window.
‘Townsfellows all, from first to last’
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This is a very strange as this shows also people he does not know have
appeared in his ‘dream’, and not just family and friends. The brain cannot
form human faces/figures which haven’t been seen and remembered in
the brain.
‘Born in the moonlight of the lane’
- The word ‘born’ shows they have been destined to do something, and in this
situation is seems like they are following a path that has been lit and set
up for them to follow even through the darkness of the world (moonlight).
‘Light leading the way’
Analysis of Poem
‘Who were drowned, I knew, in the awful sea.’
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This may mean multiple different meanings: tragic deaths? People who die
in sin? (religious reference) By how the poet says ‘I knew’ seems like it was
a personal experience.
‘Yet of them all there was one, one only,’
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This shows out of the ‘zombies’ that are walking like they are controlled,
there is someone who is standing out of the crowd. Someone that plays a
very important role in the poets life. The comma and repetition of the
word ‘one’ creates suspense anxiety.
‘Raised a head or looked my way’
- There is something different about this person as it stood out from the
crowd, as it was the only one who moved differently. This also supports
the idea that this person is significant compared to the others.
Analysis of Poem
‘ She lingered a moment, - she might not stay’
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The poets mother shows hesitation but breaks her ‘born role of following
the lane’ to see her son for the first time and maybe the last since her
departure into the other side. This shows the strong connection of the
relationship between mother and son.
‘ My Head on thy breast, a moment to rest,’
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The tone seems nothing more and nothing less than a moment of
happiness. A mother – child connection is said to be the most powerful
bond of life and the poet feels this connection one more time. He wants a
moment to rest to savour the moment and wants that moment for life.
‘While thy hand on my tearful cheek were pressed!’
- The exclamation mark shows how grateful and surprised he is as it feels like
reality and his mixed emotions are also shown through his ‘tearful cheek;.
Analysis of Poem
‘And then a music so lofty and gay,’
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The comma shows the poet looking back and thinking about his dream.
The ‘music so lofty and gay’ shows his emotions as his spirits are elevated
and full of pure happiness to remember and experience a moment with
his loved mother once again even though it was a dream. Music is the
metaphor used as it represents the moment and memory can now be
played back over and over again.
‘ I strive to recall it if I may.’
- The full-stop shows the end of the stanza and the poem in this case. This
final line is straight forward but also very meaningful as the poet is clearly
trying to say he will try to remember the dream and the moment with his
mother for as long as he can remember ‘if I may’.
Summary
- Even though William Allingham uses gothic and evil symbols he still manages
to produce the poem into the complete opposite, something that is heart
warming, graceful and touching. The tone throughout the whole poem is
not surprised as maybe he knows it is a dream or maybe he is just
fascinated to see such an event occurring before his eyes. The poem’s
theme and mood is completely changed when he spots his mother in the
crowd and this is when the first sign of emotion presents itself. The last
two stanzas are outcasts from the rest of the poem because not only does
it show how loss can impact someone but also how such an event can
make someone so vulnerable and change the vibe completely. Nearly all
the time people ignore dreams saying ‘It was just a dream’ but to the
narrator this is a significant experience and ‘strive to recall’ the dream
everyday rather than ignore it.
• Have fun at tournament week :D