A poem to send, hear, and decode
English ↔ Morse
A Dream Within a Dream · A transmission study edition
Morse edition · Published in this project
Poe's 1849 poem, sent in International Morse Code as standardized by the ITU. Press Transmit to hear and see it keyed letter by letter, then learn the code from its own words: read it line by line, tap it out on a practice key, and build a small vocabulary.
The full poem as dots and dashes, with a credit line and draft status.
Signal lamp · International Morse
STANDBYPart one / The poem
The poem, line by line
Each line of Poe's text sits beside its Morse transmission. Select a numbered line to see a study note, or press ▶ to send that line through the lamp.
| Take this kiss upon the brow! | – ·– –·– · – ···· ·· ··· –·– ·· ··· ··· ··– ·––· ––– –· – ···· · –··· ·–· ––– ·–– –·–·–– | ||
| And, in parting from you now, | ·– –· –·· ––··–– ·· –· ·––· ·– ·–· – ·· –· ––· ··–· ·–· ––– –– –·–– ––– ··– –· ––– ·–– ––··–– | ||
| Thus much let me avow — | – ···· ··– ··· –– ··– –·–· ···· ·–·· · – –– · ·– ···– ––– ·–– –···– | ||
| You are not wrong, who deem | –·–– ––– ··– ·– ·–· · –· ––– – ·–– ·–· ––– –· ––· ––··–– ·–– ···· ––– –·· · · –– | ||
| That my days have been a dream; | – ···· ·– – –– –·–– –·· ·– –·–– ··· ···· ·– ···– · –··· · · –· ·– –·· ·–· · ·– –– –·–·–· | ||
| Yet if hope has flown away | –·–– · – ·· ··–· ···· ––– ·––· · ···· ·– ··· ··–· ·–·· ––– ·–– –· ·– ·–– ·– –·–– | ||
| In a night, or in a day, | ·· –· ·– –· ·· ––· ···· – ––··–– ––– ·–· ·· –· ·– –·· ·– –·–– ––··–– | ||
| In a vision, or in none, | ·· –· ·– ···– ·· ··· ·· ––– –· ––··–– ––– ·–· ·· –· –· ––– –· · ––··–– | ||
| Is it therefore the less gone? | ·· ··· ·· – – ···· · ·–· · ··–· ––– ·–· · – ···· · ·–·· · ··· ··· ––· ––– –· · ··––·· | ||
| All that we see or seem | ·– ·–·· ·–·· – ···· ·– – ·–– · ··· · · ––– ·–· ··· · · –– | ||
| Is but a dream within a dream. | ·· ··· –··· ··– – ·– –·· ·–· · ·– –– ·–– ·· – ···· ·· –· ·– –·· ·–· · ·– –– ·–·–·– | ||
| I stand amid the roar | ·· ··· – ·– –· –·· ·– –– ·· –·· – ···· · ·–· ––– ·– ·–· | ||
| Of a surf-tormented shore, | ––– ··–· ·– ··· ··– ·–· ··–· –····– – ––– ·–· –– · –· – · –·· ··· ···· ––– ·–· · ––··–– | ||
| And I hold within my hand | ·– –· –·· ·· ···· ––– ·–·· –·· ·–– ·· – ···· ·· –· –– –·–– ···· ·– –· –·· | ||
| Grains of the golden sand — | ––· ·–· ·– ·· –· ··· ––– ··–· – ···· · ––· ––– ·–·· –·· · –· ··· ·– –· –·· –···– | ||
| How few! yet how they creep | ···· ––– ·–– ··–· · ·–– –·–·–– –·–– · – ···· ––– ·–– – ···· · –·–– –·–· ·–· · · ·––· | ||
| Through my fingers to the deep, | – ···· ·–· ––– ··– ––· ···· –– –·–– ··–· ·· –· ––· · ·–· ··· – ––– – ···· · –·· · · ·––· ––··–– | ||
| While I weep — while I weep! | ·–– ···· ·· ·–·· · ·· ·–– · · ·––· –···– ·–– ···· ·· ·–·· · ·· ·–– · · ·––· –·–·–– | ||
| O God! Can I not grasp | ––– ––· ––– –·· –·–·–– –·–· ·– –· ·· –· ––– – ––· ·–· ·– ··· ·––· | ||
| Them with a tighter clasp? | – ···· · –– ·–– ·· – ···· ·– – ·· ––· ···· – · ·–· –·–· ·–·· ·– ··· ·––· ··––·· | ||
| O God! can I not save | ––– ––· ––– –·· –·–·–– –·–· ·– –· ·· –· ––– – ··· ·– ···– · | ||
| One from the pitiless wave? | ––– –· · ··–· ·–· ––– –– – ···· · ·––· ·· – ·· ·–·· · ··· ··· ·–– ·– ···– · ··––·· | ||
| Is all that we see or seem | ·· ··· ·– ·–·· ·–·· – ···· ·– – ·–– · ··· · · ––– ·–· ··· · · –– | ||
| But a dream within a dream? | –··· ··– – ·– –·· ·–· · ·– –– ·–– ·· – ···· ·· –· ·– –·· ·–· · ·– –– ··––·· |
Part two / Learn with the poem
From hearing to understanding.
Learn the code from the letters this poem actually uses, practice by ear and by hand, and go at your own pace.
Learn the code
Every character in the poem
Select a character to hear it. The bar shows how often it appears in the poem.How the timing works
A dot lasts one unit and a dash three. Parts of one letter are one unit apart, letters three, and words seven. "D" (–··) then "R" (·–·) is shown above. Speed is measured with the word PARIS, which takes exactly 50 units, so at 20 words per minute one unit is 60 milliseconds. The Farnsworth control stretches only the gaps, so you hear each letter at full speed with more time to think between them.
Read and write
Translate anything
Type English to get Morse, or paste dots and dashes (use / or three spaces between words) to read them back.
Tap it yourself
Hold the key (or press and hold the space bar while the key is focused). A short press is a dot, a long one a dash. Pause to end a letter; pause longer to end a word. Try the first word of the poem: – ·– –·–
Your timing is judged against the character speed set on the signal lamp.
Practice in either direction
Build a small vocabulary
How to practice
- Read or hear the code and say the word before you reveal it.
- Find the word in the poem above and play its line.
- Switch direction and tap the word on the practice key.
- Send it in a sentence of your own with the translator.
These are study prompts, not a timed test. Speed comes after accuracy.
Hear another hand
Listen and watch
A fist for the poem.
No reviewed recording by a human operator is available yet. The lamp above is machine-keyed; a recording on a straight key or a bug would give the poem an operator's own rhythm, the "fist."
Prepare an audio transmission →See the signal.
Future recordings may include a signal lamp, a heliograph or flag readings, with operator credits and a transcript.
Prepare a video transmission →Add your voice
Contribute to the poem.
Recordings and editions in any language or signal system, from American Morse to semaphore and Braille, are reviewed for editorial quality and permissions, and credit is kept. The Spanish edition is the first published translation in this collection.