Marianne's Dream by Percy Bysshe Shelley
A lady accepts a Dream's offer to reveal hidden things and sees a black anchor suspended in the sky, then two magnificent mountain cities threatened by fire. A flood carries her on a plank to a sculptured gate, where wonder overcomes her fear and the figures seem to move. When the mountains crack, the Dream lifts her from the water; she wakes convinced that sleep can show sights as clear and true as waking vision.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Narrative Poetry, Dream Literature, Fantasy Poetry · 1,549 words
First lines
1.
A pale Dream came to a Lady fair, / And said, A boon, a boon, I pray! / I know the secrets of the air, / And things are lost in the glare of day, / Which I can make the sleeping see, / If they will put their trust in me.
Genres
- Narrative Poetry — Rhymed stanzas follow the lady from accepting the Dream's offer through successive dangers to her awakening.
- Dream Literature — The lady's visions unfold during sleep, and she wakes believing that dreams can reveal sights as true as those seen while awake.
- Fantasy Poetry — A winged Dream, a floating anchor, impossible mountain cities, and moving sculptures inhabit the lady's sleeping vision.
Tags
dreams · fire · floods · sculpture · fear · awakening
What this Textopian page supports
Marianne's Dream is listed on Textopian as a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Narrative Poetry, Dream Literature, Fantasy Poetry
- Length: 1,549 words
- Structure: 1 section, 46 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for Marianne's Dream by Percy Bysshe Shelley
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