When my Dreams Come True

James Whitcomb Riley

1883

I. When my dreams come true -- when my dreams come true --
Shall I lean from out my casement, in the starlight and the dew,

To listen -- smile and listen to the tinkle of the strings
Of the sweet guitar my lover's fingers fondle, as he sings?

And the nude moon slowly, slowly shoulders into view,
Shall I vanish from his vision -- when my dreams come true?

When my dreams come true -- shall the simple gown I wear
Be changed to softest satin, and my maiden-braided hair
Be raveled into flossy mists of rarest, fairest gold,
To be minted into kisses, more than any heart can hold? --
Or "the summer of my tresses" shall my lover liken to
"The fervor of his passion" -- when my dreams come true?

II. When my dreams come true -- I shall bide among the sheaves
Of happy harvest meadows; and the grasses and the leaves
Shall lift and lean between me and the splendor of the sun,
Till the moon swoons into twilight, and the gleaners' work is done --
Save that yet an arm shall bind me, even as the reapers do
The meanest sheaf of harvest -- when my dreams come true.

When my dreams come true! when my dreams come true!

True love in all simplicity is fresh and pure as dew;
The blossom in the blackest mold is kindlier to the eye
Than any lily born of pride that looms against the sky:
And so it is I know my heart will gladly welcome you,
My lowliest of lovers, when my dreams come true.

End of title

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