The Dream: Dear Love, for Nothing Less than Thee
The poem's speaker addresses a beloved whose presence woke him from a dream, insisting that only she, not something lesser, could justify breaking off so happy a dream, since she herself was a subject fit for reason rather than mere fantasy. He tells her she wisely woke him, yet did not truly end the dream but continued it, for thoughts of her are true enough to turn dreams into truths and fables into histories. He bids her enter his arms, reasoning that since she thought it best not to let him dream the whole dream, they should now act out the rest of it together. He recalls that it was her eyes, like lightning or a taper's light, and not any noise, that woke him. At first sight he took her for an angel, since she loves truth, but when he realized she could see into his heart and knew his thoughts beyond what any angel's art could achieve, and knew what he had been dreaming and exactly when excess of joy would wake him, and came to him at that very moment, he concludes it would be profane to think her anything other than simply herself. In the final stanza he observes that her coming to him and staying showed her to be truly herself, but her rising to leave now makes him doubt that she is still the same. He reflects that love is weak wherever fear is as strong as love itself, and that a love is not wholly spirit, pure and brave, if it is mixed with fear, shame, or honour. He compares her to a torch that men light and put out only so that it may be made ready again, suggesting that she deals with him the same way: coming to kindle him, then going only so that she may come again. He resolves that he will dream that hope of her return once more, for otherwise he would die.
By John Donne · First published 1633 · Genre: Metaphysical Poetry, Love Poetry, Dream Literature · 360 words
First lines
Dear love, for nothing less than thee / Would I have broke this happy dream; / It was a theme / For reason, much too strong for fantasy. / Therefore thou waked'st me wisely; yet / My dream thou brokest not, but continued'st it. / Thou art so true that thoughts of thee suffice / To make dreams truths, and fables histories; / Enter these arms, for since thou thought'st it best, / Not to dream all my dream, let's act the rest.
What this Textopian page supports
The Dream: Dear Love, for Nothing Less than Thee is listed on Textopian as a poem by John Donne, dated 1633 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: John Donne
- Date: 1633 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Metaphysical Poetry, Love Poetry, Dream Literature, Lyric Poetry, Philosophical Poetry
- Length: 360 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Dream: Dear Love, for Nothing Less than Thee by John Donne
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Similar titles
- Negative Love by John Donne
- Farewell To Love by John Donne
- Loves Deity by John Donne
- Break Of Day Tis True Tis Day What Though It Be by John Donne
- A Fever by John Donne
- Since She Whom I Loved Hath Paid Her Last Debt by John Donne
Genres
- Metaphysical Poetry — Exemplifies Donne's signature metaphysical style with elaborate intellectual conceits and paradoxes exploring the intersection of physical love and spiritual transcendence.
- Love Poetry — Directly addresses romantic love and desire, with the speaker's entire emotional and intellectual engagement centered on the relationship with the beloved.
- Dream Literature — Structured entirely around the paradox of dreams and waking reality, using the dream as the central metaphorical and thematic organizing principle of the work.
- Lyric Poetry — Expresses personal emotion and subjective inner experience of the speaker regarding love, dreams, and the beloved in the lyric tradition.
Tags
metaphysical poetry · love poetry · romantic devotion · dreamlike imagery · spiritual yearning · poetic conceit · emotional intensity · introspection · transcendence · 17th century literature · lyric verse · unrequited love