A child recalls a funny dream just after waking

What Did I Dream?

What did I dream?
I do not know;
The fragments fly like chaff.
Yet strange my mind
Was tickled so,
I cannot help but laugh.

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Meaning

This short verse ponders the fleeting, elusive quality of dreams after waking—the “fragments” escape our grasp, yet the emotional joy or amusement they bring lingers. The rhyme gently captures the universal experience of trying to remember a dream that made an emotional impact but whose details vanish. It’s intended to comfort or amuse small children about the strange nature of dreams.

Origin

Found in 19th and early 20th-century children’s poetry anthologies and nursery rhyme collections. Sometimes credited to anonymous tradition; in rare cases, it appears as “What did I dream last night?” with various endings.

Time Period

It first appeared in print from the late 1800s onward, but may derive from earlier oral tradition about the mystery and delight of dreams.

Why It Became Popular

Its charming brevity and gentle tone make it easy to remember and recite, especially for children who might wake with the curious feeling of a half-remembered dream. The verse validates this sensation as normal and almost magical.

Structure and Style

Meter: Gentle, lyric
Rhyme Scheme: ABCCBA
Line Count: Six
Style Notes: Reflective, comforting, playful

Themes

The wonder and mystery of dreams
Memory and forgetfulness
Childhood curiosity
Simple joy

Language Notes

The metaphor of dream fragments “flying like chaff” is evocative, and the gentle closing line evokes the lingering happiness of an amusing dream, even when its specifics have faded.

Moral or Lesson

Celebrates the whimsical, fleeting nature of dreams; reassures children that it’s common to lose the details but keep the feeling.

Historical or Cultural Notes

Less widely known than many classic nursery rhymes, this verse endures as a gentle, poetic reminder of the subtle magic of sleep and dreaming—a theme found throughout English and American children’s poetry from the Victorian period onwards.

Notable Variants

Alternate endings (“I cannot help but smile,” etc.) exist, but the theme of elusive, pleasant dreams remains constant.

Appearances in Media or Literature

Appears sporadically in children’s poetry anthologies and select nursery rhyme compilations.

Suggested Activities

Dream Journaling: Encourage children to draw or describe their dreams upon waking.
Memory Game: Practice retelling imaginative stories and talk about which details “fly away.”
Creative Writing: Compose new rhymes about dreams and what might be found there.
Mood Drawing: Illustrate the feeling of a forgotten dream that left them smiling.

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