Thursday, February 10, 2011

Dreams Kill

Dream tonight of peacock tails,
Diamond fields and spouter whales.
Ills are many, blessings few,
But dreams tonight will shelter you.

Let the vampire's creaking wing
Hide the stars while banshees sing;
Let the ghouls gorge all night long;
Dreams will keep you safe and strong.

Skeletons with poison teeth,
Risen from the world beneath,
Ogre, troll, and loup-garou,
Bloody wraith who looks like you,

Shadow on the window shade,
Harpies in a midnight raid,
Goblins seeking tender prey,
Dreams will chase them all away.

Dreams are like a magic cloak
Woven by the fairy folk,
Covering from top to toe,
Keeping you from winds and woe.

And should the Angel come this night
To fetch your soul away from light,
Cross yourself, and face the wall:
Dreams will help you not at all.

— Thomas Pynchon, Dreams

2 comments:

Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax! said...

That's the double-edgest poem I've ever read.

The creepiest bit is the bloody wraith with my face. I shall decide to take the last verse as humour . . . though I'm not sure . . .

Hmm!

Lucy

Michael said...

actually I guess Pynchon was quoting Herman Melville, from Benito Cereno. pretty cool poem