The Man Who Never Was : Last night I dreamed……

Last night I dreamed……

Could someone please give me the poem that opens this film, I believe it starts..Last night I dreamed.... and ends with....I dreamed that man was me.

many thanks
Neil

Re: Last night I dreamed……

This line is from the Ballad of Otterburn and refers to a battle or border war that took place between England and Scotland in 1388.

Here is a quotation from Wikipedia:

"Partly fought in moonlight, it was a victory for the Scots, led by James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas over Harry Hotspur, son of the Earl of Northumberland. Douglas was killed in the battle, though his victory added to the prestige of his house, foremost among the border fighters of Scotland."

In the ballad Douglas foresees his death, and this is what the lines refer to.

Hope this helps,

Ted

Re: Last night I dreamed……

Perhaps what you're referring to isn't a poem at all but the opening line from Daphne DuMaurier's Rebecca which begins "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderly again." It was also in the Hitchcock movie where the character said "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderly again." I think it was a direct quotation from the book. In the paperback edition, the novel begins with the words "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderly again."

dreamed/dreamt

What the hell is up with two authors tinking it's 'dreamed' instead of 'dreamt?' I can understand soemone writing in 1138 (things change), but what gives?

Re: Last night I dreamed……

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch161.htm

That is a link to the entire selection. if you search for the phrase exactly, it'll be faster for you. Hope that helps !

Re: Last night I dreamed……

Sorry it took so long but I only read your request this morning.


The Man Who Never Was


Last night I dreamed a deadly dream
Beyond the Isle of Skye;
I saw a dead man win a fight --
And I thought that man was I.

Best wishes

Re: Last night I dreamed……/ Question

THESE ARE "BORROWS" FROM FROM THE LINE "QUESTION" AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS BOARD Reduced spacing, but otherwise the origional author's exact thoughts/posts.
THANK YOU: "RUNESTONE_TOMBRAIDER" and "GUY-115"; both are 2004 postings.
========================================================================
Question
by runestone_tombraider (Sun Jan 18 2004 19:21:27) Ignore this User | Report Abuse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On behalf of my father, who likes this movie, I was wondering if anyone knew where this came from. It was quoted in the movie:

"Last night I dreamed a deadly dream
Beyond the Isle of Skye
I saw a dead man win a fight
And I think that man was I"

It was credited as from Tennyson?? Anyone know which poem this is from?? Please help...

"I'm Richard the Lionheart, pleased to meet you. No, wait, I'm Charlemagne! No..."
===========================================================================
Re: Question
by guy-115 (Wed Mar 10 2004 12:06:00) Ignore this User | Report Abuse

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Its from a ballad called "The Battle of Otterbourne". I think its by Lesley Nelson Burns, not sure on that last point though. Hope it helps.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Vademecum..."

Re: Last night I dreamed……

The line is actually:
'But I have dreamed a dreary dream,
Beyond the Isle of Skye;
I saw a dead man win a fight,
And I think that man was I.'

It is taken from the ballad "The Battle of Otterburn," that appears in Volume III of The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, edited by Francis James Child. These volumes are in the public domain.

The entire rather lengthy ballad appears here:
http://www.mostly-medieval.com/explore/otterburn.htm
Top