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Zaqarbal · 03-22-2010, 11:24 PM

I'm not into Philosophy, but as far as I know, the idea that "life is a dream" is very old. I remember, at least, two great literary references: Pedro Calderón de la Barca and Edgar Allan Poe.

All of we Hispanophones with a high-school degree know the classic Life is a Dream (Calderón, 1635). And specially Segismundo's soliloquy (Act II), which some of us have even memorized:

We live, while we see the sun,
Where life and dreams are as one;
And living has taught me this,
Man dreams the life that is his,
Until his living is done.
The king dreams he is king, and he lives
In the deceit of a king,
Commanding and governing;
And all the praise he receives
Is written in wind, and leaves
A little dust on the way
When death ends all with a breath.
Where then is the gain of a throne,
That shall perish and not be known
In the other dream that is death?
Dreams the rich man of riches and fears,
The fears that his riches breed;
The poor man dreams of his need,
And all his sorrows and tears;
Dreams he that prospers with years,
Dreams he that feigns and foregoes,
Dreams he that rails on his foes;
And in all the world, I see,
Man dreams whatever he be,
And his own dream no man knows.
And I too dream and behold,
I dream I am bound with chains,
And I dreamed that these present pains
Were fortunate ways of old.
What is life? a tale that is told;
What is life? a frenzy extreme,
A shadow of things that seem;
And the greatest good is but small,
That all life is a dream to all,
And that dreams themselves are a dream.

(Symons' translation)

Obviously, rhyme has been "lost in translation", but I think the meaning remains (anyway, you can listen to the original here).

Regarding Poe, he wrote the poem entitled A Dream Within a Dream in 1849:

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow—
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand—
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep—while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

03-22-2010, 11:24 PM	#82 (permalink)
Zaqarbal Music Addict Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Spain Posts: 824	I'm not into Philosophy, but as far as I know, the idea that "life is a dream" is very old. I remember, at least, two great literary references: Pedro Calderón de la Barca and Edgar Allan Poe. All of we Hispanophones with a high-school degree know the classic *Life is a Dream* (Calderón, 1635). And specially Segismundo's soliloquy (Act II), which some of us have even memorized: We live, while we see the sun, Where life and dreams are as one; And living has taught me this, Man dreams the life that is his, Until his living is done. The king dreams he is king, and he lives In the deceit of a king, Commanding and governing; And all the praise he receives Is written in wind, and leaves A little dust on the way When death ends all with a breath. Where then is the gain of a throne, That shall perish and not be known In the other dream that is death? Dreams the rich man of riches and fears, The fears that his riches breed; The poor man dreams of his need, And all his sorrows and tears; Dreams he that prospers with years, Dreams he that feigns and foregoes, Dreams he that rails on his foes; And in all the world, I see, Man dreams whatever he be, And his own dream no man knows. And I too dream and behold, I dream I am bound with chains, And I dreamed that these present pains Were fortunate ways of old. What is life? a tale that is told; What is life? a frenzy extreme, A shadow of things that seem; And the greatest good is but small, That all life is a dream to all, And that dreams themselves are a dream. (Symons' translation) Obviously, rhyme has been "lost in translation", but I think the meaning remains (anyway, you can listen to the original here). Regarding Poe, he wrote the poem entitled *A Dream Within a Dream* in 1849: Take this kiss upon the brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus much let me avow— You are not wrong, who deem That my days have been a dream; Yet if hope has flown away In a night, or in a day, In a vision, or in none, Is it therefore the less gone? All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream. I stand amid the roar Of a surf-tormented shore, And I hold within my hand Grains of the golden sand— How few! yet how they creep Through my fingers to the deep, While I weep—while I weep! O God! can I not grasp Them with a tighter clasp? O God! can I not save One from the pitiless wave? Is all that we see or seem But a dream within a dream? __________________ "Lullabies for adults / crossed by the years / carry the flower of disappointment / tattooed in their gloomy melodies."