Last Night I Had a Dream
– Antonio Machado (translated by Alan Trueblood)
Last night I had a dream–
a blessed illusion it was–
I dreamt of a fountain flowing
deep down in my heart.
Water, by what hidden channels
have you come, tell me, to me,
welling up with new life
I never tasted before?
Last night I had a dream–
a blessed illusion it was–
I dreamt of a hive at work
deep down in my heart.
Within were the golden bees
straining out the bitter past
to make sweet-tasting honey,
and white honeycomb.
Last night I had a dream–
a blessed illusion it was–
I dreamt of a hot sun shining
deep down in my heart.
The heat was in the scorching
as from a fiery hearth;
the sun in the light it shed
and the tears it brought to the eyes.
Last night I had a dream–
a blessed illusion it was–
I dreamed it was God I’d found
deep down in my heart.
A big thank you to Alison McGhee for generously curating these beautiful poems.
For more information on Antonio Machado, please click here.
Condofire 