 | The select poems of Dr. Thomas Dunn English (exclusive of the "Battle lyrics") |  |
MY PLACE IN DREAM-LAND.
I have a farm in Dream-land—
I've owned it many a year,
Although with want and hunger
I struggle often here.
There are the greenest meadows,
Where sunlight ever plays,
And there are fertile orchards,
And fields of waving maize;
And there are lowing cattle,
And views of distant hills,
And paths through wood and coppice
By sweetly singing rills.
Oh! pleasant farm in Dream-land!
I've owned it many a year,
Although with want and hunger
I struggle often here.
There are the greenest meadows,
Where sunlight ever plays,
And there are fertile orchards,
And fields of waving maize;
And there are lowing cattle,
And views of distant hills,
And paths through wood and coppice
By sweetly singing rills.
Oh! pleasant farm in Dream-land!
I have a house in Dream-land,
A mansion new and gay,
Though lodging in the garret
Of a tenement-house to-day;
A house with forty chambers,
Each with a downy bed,
Where curtains deck the casements,
And carpets hush the tread;
A table spread with silver,
A gallery filled with books,
And in the spacious kitchen
At least a dozen cooks.
Oh! mansion brave in Dream-land!
A mansion new and gay,
Though lodging in the garret
Of a tenement-house to-day;
A house with forty chambers,
Each with a downy bed,
Where curtains deck the casements,
And carpets hush the tread;
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A gallery filled with books,
And in the spacious kitchen
At least a dozen cooks.
Oh! mansion brave in Dream-land!
I have a ship in Dream-land,
That sails the Mystic Sea,
With pearls and spices laden,
Brought from the East for me;
All fine things in its cargo
That man could wish to own,
The spoils of every nation,
And these are mine alone.
Its sails are azure satin,
Its masts are ivory white,
And all time it is sailing,
Sailing by day and night.
Oh! stately ship in Dream-land!
That sails the Mystic Sea,
With pearls and spices laden,
Brought from the East for me;
All fine things in its cargo
That man could wish to own,
The spoils of every nation,
And these are mine alone.
Its sails are azure satin,
Its masts are ivory white,
And all time it is sailing,
Sailing by day and night.
Oh! stately ship in Dream-land!
I have a friend in Dream-land,
He left me long ago;
Amid the roar of battle
He fell before the foe.
He took with him the tokens
Of many a pleasant time,
When we were friends together,
And both in manhood's prime.
And there he dwells in Dream-land,
And plainly I can see
He tarries with impatience,
Waiting so long for me.
Oh! absent friend in Dream-land!
He left me long ago;
Amid the roar of battle
He fell before the foe.
He took with him the tokens
Of many a pleasant time,
When we were friends together,
And both in manhood's prime.
And there he dwells in Dream-land,
And plainly I can see
He tarries with impatience,
Waiting so long for me.
Oh! absent friend in Dream-land!
Some of these days to Dream-land
In that good ship I'll sail;
To see that farm in Dream-land
I'll journey without fail;
And in that house in Dream-land
I'll sit the live-long day,
And with my friend in Dream-land
Pass all the time away.
Fill, winds, those sails of satin
Now on the Mystic Sea,
That to the port of Dream-land
The ship may carry me!
Oh! days to come in Dream-land!
In that good ship I'll sail;
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I'll journey without fail;
And in that house in Dream-land
I'll sit the live-long day,
And with my friend in Dream-land
Pass all the time away.
Fill, winds, those sails of satin
Now on the Mystic Sea,
That to the port of Dream-land
The ship may carry me!
Oh! days to come in Dream-land!
| The select poems of Dr. Thomas Dunn English (exclusive of the "Battle lyrics") | |