A Dream - Sonnet

By Christina Georgina Rossetti

Sonnet
    Once in a dream (for once I dreamed of you)         We stood together in an open field;         Above our heads two swift-winged pigeons wheeled,     Sporting at ease and courting full in view.     When loftier still a broadening darkness flew,         Down-swooping, and a ravenous hawk revealed;         Too weak to fight, too fond to fly, they yield;     So farewell life and love and pleasures new.     Then as their plumes fell fluttering to the ground,         Their snow-white plumage flecked with crimson drops,         I wept, and thought I turned towards you to weep:         But you were gone; while rustling hedgerow tops     Bent in a wind which bore to me a sound         Of far-off piteous bleat of lambs and sheep.

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Poem Details

Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain
Analysis & Notes:
This poem by John Clare, a nature poet of the Romantic era, explores the fragility of love and the inevitability of loss through a vividly realized dream sequence. Structured as a single, unrhymed quatorzain with a clear volta in the tenth line, the poem blends the lyrical intensity of a Petrarchan sonnet with the raw emotionalism of Clare’s rustic voice. The opening lines evoke a serene pastoral scene, where the speaker and a beloved stand in an open field, watched by courting pigeons a moment of fleeting harmony. The volta introduces a violent disruption: a hawk swoops down, preying on the pigeons, symbolizing the sudden, devastating intrusion of mortality. The imagery shifts from delicate whiteness to bloodstained plumage, mirroring the speaker’s grief. The final lines deepen the sense of abandonment as the beloved vanishes, leaving only the mournful cries of sheep, a sound that underscores the poem’s elegiac tone. Clare’s use of enjambment and irregular meter mirrors the unpredictable turns of fate, while the absence of rhyme lends a stark, unadorned realism to the speaker’s sorrow. The poem’s power lies in its ability to condense a universal experience of loss into a single, haunting moment. [/B_INST]

Understanding the Sonnet

The sonnet is one of the most enduring and celebrated forms of poetry, known for its strict structure and profound themes. With a history spanning centuries, sonnets have been used to explore love, beauty, politics, and mortality, all within the confines of just 14 lines.

Sonnets are characterized by their precise form and rhyme scheme, which vary depending on the type of sonnet. Here’s a closer look:

  • Shakespearean (English) Sonnet: Composed of three quatrains followed by a final couplet, with a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. This form often builds a complex argument or narrative, culminating in a powerful closing statement.
  • Petrarchan (Italian) Sonnet: Divided into an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines), with a typical rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA for the octave, followed by various patterns in the sestet such as CDECDE or CDCDCD. The octave usually presents a problem, with the sestet providing a resolution.
  • Meter: Sonnets are traditionally written in iambic pentameter, which gives the poem a rhythmic and melodic quality that enhances its emotional impact.

The sonnet’s enduring appeal lies in its ability to condense complex emotions and ideas into a small but potent package, making it a favorite form for poets seeking to explore profound themes with precision and elegance.