But evil things, in robes of sorrow, Assailed the monarch's high estate; (Ah, let us mourn, for never morrow Shall dawn upon him desolate!) And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed, Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Dreams are the eraser dust I blow off my page._x000D_ _x000D_ They fade into the emptiness, another dark gray day._x000D_ _x000D_ Dreams are only memories of the plans I had back then._x000D_ _x000D_ Dreams are eraser dust and now I use a pen.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the fleeting nature of dreams and how they can fade away, leaving us with only memories of our past aspirations.
In this quote, Edgar Allan Poe uses a metaphor to illustrate the ephemeral quality of dreams, suggesting that they are like eraser dust that can be easily wiped away, leaving behind only the emptiness of unfulfilled plans. This highlights the idea that while dreams may have once held significance, they can often dissipate into nothingness, urging us to act on our aspirations with determination and clarity, rather than letting them fade into mere memories.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech about pursuing one's goals, this quote can illustrate the importance of taking action.
More from Edgar Allan Poe
All quotes →Most writers - poets in especial - prefer having it understood that they compose by a species of fine frenzy - an ecstatic intuition - and would positively shudder at letting the public take a peep behind the scenes.
...the agony of my soul found vent in one loud, long and final scream of despair.
Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best have gone to their eternal rest.
I could have clasped the red walls to my bosom as a garment of eternal peace. "Death," I said, "any death but that of the pit!" Fool! might I have not known that into the pit it was the object of the burning iron to urge me?
In our endeavors to recall to memory something long forgotten, we often find ourselves upon the very verge of remembrance, without being able, in the end, to remember.
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