How 'A Dream' offers us visions for living and dying

Carol Forsloff--Sometimes it is from of poetry, that comes from many cultures, that we find the elevated words that bring us ways of inner contemplation, peace, or reason in a sometimes unreasonable world, as William Blake did for us so many years ago, shared in his words and music in this way:

In Blake's words, "A Dream" we find the message that reminds us that even in the more difficult times we find that glow worm near, we find the inner light in dreams or in our waking moments when we contemplate their truths.

"A Dream"

Once a dream did weave a shade
O'er my angel-guarded bed,
That an emmet lost its way
Where 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 wight
Calls 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!'

Blake wrote much religious poetry, but for everyone there are messages deep within the rhythm of his work that remind us of humanitarian ideals.  A writer of the 19th century, the Romantic period that defined his work is not the only age that can embrace it.  For words and artistry combined make Blake one of the world's greatest poets today and every day.

The life of Blake teaches us even more about life itself.  He was a visionary artist, someone much misunderstood during the time he wrote, yet known now for the great work he added to our cache of literature, that folks now know across the world.  His work is taught throughout the English-speaking world, and likely far beyond, as part of the courses in literature almost every student takes.

The concept of near death experiences, that Hollywood portrayed in contemporary movies like Heaven is Real may owe a debt to Blake who claimed he saw the spirit of his brother, who had died from tuberculosis, ascend through the ceiling at the moment of his death.  The event is said to have influenced Blake's work, both poetry and his engraving artistry.

The poem "A Dream" although shorter than some of Blake's other works, makes a great statement in those few words, about visions and how we perhaps can use them to help us find some resolution, even when life is difficult.  That resolution can come at a complex moment, of war, of disease or personal struggles or our understanding and preparation for death.