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The Harlequin of Dreams.

By Sidney Lanier

Topics: classic

Swift, through some trap mine eyes have never found,     Dim-panelled in the painted scene of Sleep,     Thou, giant Harlequin of Dreams, dost leap     Upon my spirit's stage. Then Sight and Sound,     Then Space and Time, then Language, Mete and Bound,     And all familiar Forms that firmly keep     Man's reason in the road, change faces, peep     Betwixt the legs and mock the daily round.     Yet thou canst more than mock: sometimes my tears     At midnight break through bounden lids - a sign     Thou hast a heart: and oft thy little leaven     Of dream-taught wisdom works me bettered years.     In one night witch, saint, trickster, fool divine,     I think thou'rt Jester at the Court of Heaven!     Baltimore, 1878.

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"Swift, through some trap mine eyes have never found,..."

This evocative piece by Sidney Lanier, titled "The Harlequin of Dreams.", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Sidney Lanier

"Swift, through some trap mine eyes have never foun..." by Sidney Lanier

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Sidney Lanier

About Sidney Lanier

Sidney Lanier (1842–1881) was an American poet and musician whose poems—including "The Marshes of Glynn" and "Song of the Chattahoochee"—are known for their musical quality and celebration of the Southern landscape.

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