A Dream Within a Dream Summary

The poem opens with the speaker peaceing out on his ladylove. He kisses her and tells her she is not wrong in saying that all his days have been a dream. In fact, before he splits, he outright says that all he sees and seems is but a dream within a dream.

In the next stanza, the speaker's standing on a loud beach, watching golden grains of sand slip through his fingers. In a classic emo moment, he cries out to God, wishing he could hold on to the sand with a tighter grip (why? Who knows). The poem concludes with the speaker unsure about whether or not everything he sees and seems is just a dream within a dream. We know buddy, beach trips are stressful.