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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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