by Lola Ridge (1873 - 1941)
It isn't a dream.
Language: English
It isn't a dream.... It comes again and again.... You hear ivy crying on steeples the flames haven't caught yet and images screaming when they see red light on the lilies on the stained glass window of St. Joseph. The girl with the black eyes holds you tight, and you run... and run past the wild, wild towers... and trees in the gardens tugging at their feet and little frightened dolls shut up in the shops crying... and crying... because no one stops... you spin like a penny thrown out in the street. Then the man clutches her by the hair.... He always clutches her by the hair.... His eyes stick out like spears. You see her pulled-back face and her black, black eyes lit up by the glare.... Then everything goes out. Please God, don't let me dream any more of the girl with the black, black eyes.
About the headline (FAQ)
Confirmed with Lola Ridge, Sun-Up and Other Poems, The Project Gutenberg
Text Authorship:
- by Lola Ridge (1873 - 1941), no title, appears in Sun-Up and Other Poems, in 1. Celia, no. 5, first published 1920 [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 Melissa Dunphy (b. 1980), "It isn't a dream...", 2018, copyright © 2018, first performed 2018 [ ssaa chorus ], from Lola Ridge Songs, no. 4, Mormolyke
Score: Mormolyke [external link]  [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-02-02
Line count: 24
Word count: 149