"The Dreams of My Heart" — Summary

Sara Teasdale’s short lyric is spoken by someone who accepts that almost nothing lasts. Desires, ambitions, and passing thoughts drift away; the speaker says plainly, “Nothing stays with me long.” Against that impermanence, one thing has been steady since childhood: music, or perhaps poetry itself, described as “the deep solace of song.” That comfort is not just pleasant—it feels essential. The second half imagines losing it, and the speaker’s response is extreme but quiet: if song ever leaves, life would no longer feel worth holding. The wish is not for dramatic escape, but to be placed among “things whose tunes are played out and forgotten,” like yesterday’s rain. The mood is tender and melancholic, grateful for one lasting source of peace while aware of how much else fades.