Once a dream did weave a shadeO'er my angel-guarded bed,That an emmet lost its wayWhere on grass methought I lay. Troubled, wildered, and forlorn,Dark, benighted, travel-worn,Over many a tangle spray,All heart-broke, I heard her say: "Oh my children! do they cry,Do they hear their father sigh?Now they look abroad to see,Now return and weep for me." Pitying, I dropped a tear:But I saw a glow-worm near,Who replied, "What wailing wightCalls the watchman of the night? "I am set to light the ground,While the beetle goes his round:Follow now the beetle's hum;Little wanderer, hie thee home!"

The work and its creator

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Creator: William Blake
Nationality / cultural background: English
Work / edition: Before 1827

Historical public-domain poem. Verse and line breaks retained.

In the source: A DREAM

Selected for the Brief on 8 Sep 2026. This date records our selection, rather than when the work was created.