Editor's note
Ranking is generated by Storgy's classification model, which scores each poem's thematic depth on this subject relative to the rest of the corpus. The list is re-indexed weekly as new poems enter the public-domain corpus.
Best poems about — Storgy
Dreams.
Twenty-five poems, ranked.
25 of the finest public-domain poems about dreams, ranked by thematic depth. Scored by Storgy's classification model against the rest of the corpus, and re-indexed weekly as new works enter the canon.
The leading three
01
A Dream Within a Dream
Edgar Allan Poe · 1849
“Poe's speaker bids farewell to a loved one, confessing that his entire life has felt like a fleeting dream—unreal and escaping him. In the second part, he stand…”
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02
He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
W. B. Yeats · 1899
“A speaker expresses his love by saying that if he had the wealth, he would lay the sparkling fabric of the night sky at their feet as a gift. Since he has nothi…”
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03
Nippon
Alfred Noyes · 1907
“Alfred Noyes imagines his journey across the Pacific to Japan, depicting it as a land of enchanting beauty—cherry blossoms, lantern-lit rivers, and the revered…”
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The complete index
- 04
Mowing
Robert Frost · 1913
A farmer mows a field by himself, taking in the soft sound of his scythe cutting through the grass, and wonders what it might be "saying." The poem suggests that genuine, hands-on…
- 05
After Apple-Picking
Robert Frost · 1914
A weary apple-picker wraps up his harvest and starts to drift off, but this poem goes beyond just fruit and tiredness. Frost captures the entire apple-picking experience — the sore…
- 06
Disillusionment of Ten O'Clock
Wallace Stevens · 1915
A neighborhood full of people is settling down for the night in plain white nightgowns, and Stevens feels let down by the dullness of their lives. In those houses, nobody will drea…
- 07
At Baia
H. D. · 1921
A speaker envisions the dream that a faraway, unreachable beloved *should* have sent — a bundle of orchids accompanied by a note expressing love — but never did. The entire poem ex…
- 08
Agro Dolce
James Russell Lowell
A middle-aged man sits by his fireplace on a windy night, listening to the chimneys of his old house "talk" about the big dreams he had as a young man that never quite materialized…
- 09
Aladdin
James Russell Lowell
A poor boy, armed only with his imagination, creates magnificent dream-worlds in his mind, and that inner richness feels more than sufficient. Years later, he finds himself wealthy…
- 10
A Love Song
D. H. Lawrence
A speaker talks to a lover who isn’t there, confessing that the details of their presence have blurred over time—their voice, their gaze—but seeing apple blossoms illuminated by mo…
- 11
A Rhine-Land Drinking Song
Eugene Field
A lively drinking song that playfully uses three well-known philosophical metaphors for life — a flower, a journey, and a dream — as reasons to raise a glass. Field isn't trying to…
- 12
Asia, Alone
Percy Bysshe Shelley
This scene is from Shelley's verse drama *Prometheus Unbound*, featuring Asia—a goddess and the beloved of the chained Titan Prometheus—who waits anxiously for her sister Panthea t…
- 13
Atropos
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In this brief poem, the speaker calls out to Atropos — one of the three Fates in Greek mythology — urging her to stop luring a serious, forward-thinking individual and instead dire…
- 14
Beautiful Dreamer
Stephen Foster
Beautiful Dreamer is a soothing lullaby by Stephen Foster, composed during the final years of his life. The song gently urges a sleeping loved one to awaken to a serene and beautif…
- 15
Castles in Spain
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Longfellow reflects on the romantic dreams of Spain he held as a young man — the knights, the Moors, the sun-drenched cities — and confesses that he truly fell in love with a fanta…
- 16
Chaucer
John Keats
A young Keats wonders what the most beautiful and peaceful things in the world are, then replies: Sleep, and above Sleep, Poetry itself. This poem reveals his ambition — he aims to…
- 17
Child and Mother
Eugene Field
A young child invites his mother to join him in a magical dreamland, where they can forget the small struggles of everyday life. In this dream world, the child takes on the role of…
- 18
Chorus of Dreams from the Gate of Horn
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This poem envisions the instant Pandora's box is opened, unleashing all the world's evils into the atmosphere. Every form of suffering — illness, anguish, insanity — bursts forth a…
- 19
Chorus of Dreams from the Ivory Gate
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This poem captures the tense moment right before Pandora opens her legendary box — referred to here as a chest — by voicing the dream-spirits that slip through the Ivory Gate to pl…
- 20
Chrysaor
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
A single evening star glimmers over the ocean, reflecting the figure of Chrysaor, the golden-sworded character from Greek mythology who emerged from the sea. The poem shifts betwee…
- 21
Copies exist in the Harvard manuscript book, amongst the Boscombe
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A dreamer strolls through an unexpected, enchanting spring landscape, collecting a bunch of lovely flowers — only to find out at the last moment that there's no one to share them w…
- 22
Dream Deferred
Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes poses a straightforward yet powerful question: what happens to a dream that you keep delaying? Through a quick succession of vivid images, he implies that an unfulf…
- 23
Dutch Lullaby
Eugene Field
A parent sings a child to sleep by telling the story of three little figures — Wynken, Blynken, and Nod — who sail through the night sky in a wooden shoe, fishing for stars. As the…
- 24
Eldorado
Edgar Allan Poe
A knight dedicates his entire life to the pursuit of Eldorado, the mythical city of gold, yet he never discovers it. As he reaches old age and feels weary, he questions a mysteriou…
- 25
Fact or Fancy?
James Russell Lowell
A man wakes up, still groggy, and hears a cuckoo. At first, he assumes it’s the mechanical cuckoo clock from his city bedroom, but soon realizes it’s a real bird singing outside. A…
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