Two Songs of Poe, II. A Dream Within A Dream by Bradley S. Green published on 2014-10-04T19:31:19Z Two Songs of Poe is based on two poems by Edgar Allan Poe: Bridal Ballad and A Dream within a Dream. Bridal Ballad was written in 1837 and depicts a woman struggling to convince herself that she is happy, though she has married a man she does not love. In her attempts to proclaim her happiness, her thoughts frequently turn to a lover who died “in the battle down the dell;” and, though her “golden token” should be representative her happiness, it continuously reminds her of what she has lost. In each movement, though the music follows the drama of the text, the rhythms and phrase lengths intentionally go against the rhythmic structure presented by the text. This is done to represent the deteriorating mental stability of the speaker and her detachment from reality. A Dream within a Dream Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow-- You are not wrong, who deem That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flow away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream. I stand amid the roar Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand Grains of the golden sand-- How few! yet how they creep Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep--while I weep! O God! can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp? O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave? Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream? Genre poe