Beautiful Dreamer

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Stephen C. Foster (1826-1864)

Beautiful Dreamer Serenade

1Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
2Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
3Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
4Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd a way!

5Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
6List while I woo thee with soft melody;
7Gone are the cares of life's busy throng, --
8Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
9Beautiful dreamer awake unto me!

10Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea
11Mermaids are chaunting the wild lorelie;
12Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
13Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.

14Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
15E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
16Then will all clouds of sorrow depart, --
17Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
18Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

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Online text copyright © 2003, Ian Lancashire for the Department of English, University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.

Original text: Beautiful Dreamer, "the last song ever written" by Stephen C. Foster. Composed but a few days previous to his death (New York: W. A. Pond, 1864). Facsimile in Stephen Foster, Household Songs, Earlier American Music 12, introduction by H. Wiley Hitchcock (New York: Da Capo Press, 1973): 89-93. M780.82 E13 no. 12 Toronto Metro Public Reference Library.
First publication date: 1864
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: RPO 1998.
Recent editing: 1: 2002/4/27

Composition date: 1864
Rhyme: aabb ababb

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Other poems by Stephen C. Foster

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