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by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 - 1906)

The Dreamer
Language: English 
Temples he built and palaces of air,
  And, with the artist's parent-pride aglow,
  His fancy saw his vague ideals grow
Into creations marvellously fair;

He set his foot upon Fame's nether stair.
  But ah, his dream,—it had entranced him so
  He could not move. He could no farther go;
But paused in joy that he was even there!

He did not wake until one day there gleamed
  Thro' his dark consciousness a light that racked
His being till he rose, alert to act.
But lo! what he had dreamed, the while he dreamed,
  Another, wedding action unto thought,
  Into the living, pulsing world had brought.

Confirmed with Paul Laurence Dunbar, The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar, New York : Dodd, Mead and Company, 1913


Text Authorship:

  • by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 - 1906), "The Dreamer" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Michael John Trotta (b. 1978), "The Dreamer", copyright © 2024 [ satb chorus ], Hampton Roads Music Group
        Publisher: Hampton Roads Music Group [external link]  [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2026-10-11
Line count: 14
Word count: 105

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