ARCHELYN N.
SUMAMPONG ABEL II-A
DREAMLAND BY LEWIS CARROLL
1 When midnight mists are creeping,
2 And all the land is sleeping,
3 Around me tread the mighty dead,
4 And slowly pass away.
5 Lo, warriors, saints, and sages,
6 From out the vanished ages,
7 With solemn pace and reverend face
8 Appear and pass away.
9 The blaze of noonday splendour,
10 The twilight soft and tender,
11 May charm the eye: yet they shall die,
12 Shall die and pass away.
13 But here, in Dreamland’s centre,
14 No spoiler’s hand may enter,
15 These visions fair, this radiance rare,
16 Shall never pass away.
17 I see the shadows falling,
18 The forms of old recalling;
19 Around me tread the mighty dead,
20 And slowly pass away.
I. RHYTHM AND METER (FOOT AND MEASURE)
1 When mid | night mists | are cree |ping, 4 FOOT (IAMBIC TETRAMETER)
2 And all |the land | is sleep |ing, 4 FOOT (IAMBIC TETRAMETER)
3 Around |me tread | the might |y dead, 4 FOOT (IAMBIC TETRAMETER?
4 And slow |ly pass | away. 3 FOOT (IAMBIC TRIMETER)
5 Lo, war |riors, saints, |and sages, 3 FOOT (IAMBIC TRIMETER)
6 From out |the van |ished ages, 3 FOOT (IAMBIC TRIMETER)
7 With sol |emn pace | and rev |erend face 4 FOOT (IAMBIC TETRAMETER)
8 Appear |and pass | away. 3 FOOT (IAMBIC TRIMETER)
9 The blaze | of noon |day splen |dour, 4 FOOT (IAMBIC TETRAMETER)
10 The twi |light soft |and ten |der, 4 FOOT (IAMBIC TETRAMETER)
11 May charm |the eye: |yet they |shall die, 4 FOOT (IAMBIC TETRAMETER)
12 Shall die | and pass |away. 3 FOOT (IAMBIC TRIMETER)
13 But here, | in Dream |land’s cen |tre, 4 FOOT (IAMBIC TETRAMETER)
14 No spoil |er’s hand |may en |ter, 4 FOOT (IAMBIC TETRAMETER)
15 These vi|sions fair, |this ra |diance rare, 4 FOOT (IAMBIC TETRAMETER)
16 Shall nev |er pass | away. 3 FOOT (IAMBIC TRIMETER)
17 I see | the shad |ows fall |ing, 4 FOOT (IAMBIC TETRAMETER)
18 The forms |of old |recall |ing; 4 FOOT (IAMBIC TETRAMETER)
19 Around |me tread |the might |y dead, 4 FOOT (IAMBIC TETRAMETER)
20 And slow |ly pass |away. 3 FOOT (IAMBIC TRIMETER)
II. RHYME
1 When midnight mists are creeping,
2 And all the land is sleeping,
• creeping, sleeping PERFECT RHYME
3 Around me tread the mighty dead,
4 And slowly pass away.
• dead, away IMPERFECT RHYME
5 Lo, warriors, saints, and sages,
6 From out the vanished ages,
• sages, ages PERFECT RHYME
7 With solemn pace and reverend face
8 Appear and pass away.
• face, away IMPERFECT RHYME
9 The blaze of noonday splendour,
10 The twilight soft and tender,
• splendour, tender IMPERFECT RHYME
11 May charm the eye: yet they shall die,
12 Shall die and pass away.
• die, away IMPERFECT RHYME
13 But here, in Dreamland’s centre,
14 No spoiler’s hand may enter,
• centre, enter IMPERFECT RHYME
15 These visions fair, this radiance rare,
16 Shall never pass away.
• rare, away IMPERFECT RHYME
17 I see the shadows falling,
18 The forms of old recalling;
• falling, recalling PERFECT RHYME
19 Around me tread the mighty dead,
20 And slowly pass away.
• dead, away IMPERFECT RHYME
A. ALLITERATION
1 When midnight mists are creeping,
3 Around me tread the mighty dead,
5 Lo, warriors, saints, and sages,
10 The twilight soft and tender,
15 These visions fair, this radiance rare,
B. CONSONANCE
3 Around me tread the mighty dead,
4 And slowly pass away.
5 Lo, warriors, saints, and sages,
7 With solemn pace and reverend face
C. ASSONANCE
3 Around me tread the mighty dead,
4 And slowly pass away.
5 Lo, warriors, saints, and sages,
7 With solemn pace and reverend face
8 Appear and pass away.
9 The blaze of noonday splendour,
11 May charm the eye: yet they shall die,
12 Shall die and pass away.
13 But here, in Dreamland’s centre,
14 No spoiler’s hand may enter,
15 These visions fair, this radiance rare,
16 Shall never pass away.
19 Around me tread the mighty dead,
20 And slowly pass away.
III. RHYME SCHEME
We can say that the Rhyme Scheme of the Poem is AAB CDD, the Rhyme Scheme may be
imperfect if you look at it but every 4 lines, it follows a pattern like AABC and then DDDC,
and the next will be like the first one which is AABC.
1 When midnight mists are creeping, A
2 And all the land is sleeping, A
3 Around me tread the mighty dead, B
4 And slowly pass away. C
5 Lo, warriors, saints, and sages, D
6 From out the vanished ages, D
7 With solemn pace and reverend face D
8 Appear and pass away. C
9 The blaze of noonday splendour, E
10 The twilight soft and tender,E
11 May charm the eye: yet they shall die, F
12 Shall die and pass away. C
13 But here, in Dreamland’s centre, E
14 No spoiler’s hand may enter, E
15 These visions fair, this radiance rare, E
16 Shall never pass away. C
17 I see the shadows falling, A
18 The forms of old recalling; A
19 Around me tread the mighty dead, B
20 And slowly pass away. C
IV. FOREGROUNDED ELEMENTS
This poem seems like a description of escaping reality and going to “Dreamland” or “Wonderland”,
which compared to his other poems and stories, is undeniably sad and more serious. At the beginning it
says its midnight and everyone is sleeping, which means it’s dark, and quiet, and then it mentions “the
mighty dead” around. What stands out the most about reality in this poem is that it seems everything is
doomed, as if things will always end up dying and will never last. After describing reality, it shifts to
elucidating the details of “Dreamland.” It is portrayed as having the “blaze of noonday splendor”, which
means its sunny, bright, and warm, as opposed to the cold and darkness that fills reality. In the dream it
seems as if everything is perfect and nothing in the real world can corrupt or affect it, which is describe
in the phrase “No spoiler’s hand may enter.” You are the only one that can control the dream, it seems
as if it is actually a lucid dream that is used to escape whatever is inescapable and imperfect when you
are awake. Near the end of the poem, it is revealing the process of waking up from the immaculate and
pure dream and returning to the retched world and having to face reality, but looking forward to the
next time to fall asleep and return to “Dreamland”, as if our true self’s are actually living during our
dreams and while we are awake it is just going through the motions.
