A transmission study edition

English ↔ Semaphore

A Dream Within a Dream · sent with two flags

Edition: complete · built from the standard two-flag alphabet · unreviewed project draft

Flag semaphore spells words by holding two flags at set angles, one held position for each letter. Ships still use it alongside one another at sea. Here the whole poem is drawn in flag positions, and the signaller on the right will send it to you letter by letter.

Read the poem in flags ↓ Learn the alphabet ↓

Signal station

Ready · 24 lines queued

Speed 1×

Drawn as you see the signaller, facing you: their right hand is on your left. Flags are red and yellow, as used at sea.

486letters, each one held position

85different words to practise

Ethe most-sent letter, 62 times

8directions each flag can point

Part one / The poem

The poem, line by line

Every letter of Poe's poem as a flag position. Punctuation has no semaphore sign and is left out; the gap between words is the rest position. Select a line number for its study note, or ▶ to watch it sent.

Hide the letters under the flags

Line	English · source	Semaphore · flag positions	Send
	Take this kiss upon the brow!	TAKE THIS KISS UPON THE BROW
	And, in parting from you now,	AND IN PARTING FROM YOU NOW
	Thus much let me avow —	THUS MUCH LET ME AVOW
	You are not wrong, who deem	YOU ARE NOT WRONG WHO DEEM
	That my days have been a dream;	THAT MY DAYS HAVE BEEN A DREAM
	Yet if hope has flown away	YET IF HOPE HAS FLOWN AWAY
	In a night, or in a day,	IN A NIGHT OR IN A DAY
	In a vision, or in none,	IN A VISION OR IN NONE
	Is it therefore the less gone?	IS IT THEREFORE THE LESS GONE
	All that we see or seem	ALL THAT WE SEE OR SEEM
	Is but a dream within a dream.	IS BUT A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM
	I stand amid the roar	I STAND AMID THE ROAR
	Of a surf-tormented shore,	OF A SURF-TORMENTED SHORE
	And I hold within my hand	AND I HOLD WITHIN MY HAND
	Grains of the golden sand —	GRAINS OF THE GOLDEN SAND
	How few! yet how they creep	HOW FEW YET HOW THEY CREEP
	Through my fingers to the deep,	THROUGH MY FINGERS TO THE DEEP
	While I weep — while I weep!	WHILE I WEEP WHILE I WEEP
	O God! Can I not grasp	O GOD CAN I NOT GRASP
	Them with a tighter clasp?	THEM WITH A TIGHTER CLASP
	O God! can I not save	O GOD CAN I NOT SAVE
	One from the pitiless wave?	ONE FROM THE PITILESS WAVE
	Is all that we see or seem	IS ALL THAT WE SEE OR SEEM
	But a dream within a dream?	BUT A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM

Part two / Learn the alphabet

Seven circles, twenty-six letters.

Each flag points in one of eight directions. In the first circle one arm stays down while the other moves round: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. In each later circle one arm is held at a fixed position while the other moves. Six letters bring a flag across the body. Select a letter to see it on the signaller; the count is how often the poem uses it.

Circle 1 A B C D E F G
Circle 2 H I K L M N
Circle 3 O P Q R S
Circle 4 T U Y + a n n u l
Circle 5 n u m e r a l s + J V
Circle 6 W X
Circle 7 Z

Rest and space

Both flags down, crossed in front of the legs.

Numerals follow

Left flag high, right flag straight up. The letters A–I and K then read as 1–9 and 0.

Letters follow

The J sign, sent after numbers to switch back to letters.

Annul

Left flag low, right flag high: cancel the last signal.

Practice

Read the flags

A letter from the poem is shown on the signaller. Pick the letter it spells.

0 of 0 correct

Practice with every word

Every word of the poem

All 85 different words, in the order they first appear. Read the flags, then reveal the word.

Semaphore → English

How to practise

Read each flag pair as a clock: where is each hand?
Name the circle first, then the letter inside it.
Reveal, then stand and make the word yourself, arms straight.
Send a whole line to a friend across a room and have them write it down.

See the full word list (85 words)

Take		line 1 · 1×
this		line 1 · 1×
kiss		line 1 · 1×
upon		line 1 · 1×
the		line 1 · 6×
brow		line 1 · 1×
And		line 2 · 2×
in		line 2 · 5×
parting		line 2 · 1×
from		line 2 · 2×
you		line 2 · 2×
now		line 2 · 1×
Thus		line 3 · 1×
much		line 3 · 1×
let		line 3 · 1×
me		line 3 · 1×
avow		line 3 · 1×
are		line 4 · 1×
not		line 4 · 3×
wrong		line 4 · 1×
who		line 4 · 1×
deem		line 4 · 1×
That		line 5 · 3×
my		line 5 · 3×
days		line 5 · 1×
have		line 5 · 1×
been		line 5 · 1×
a		line 5 · 10×
dream		line 5 · 5×
Yet		line 6 · 2×
if		line 6 · 1×
hope		line 6 · 1×
has		line 6 · 1×
flown		line 6 · 1×
away		line 6 · 1×
night		line 7 · 1×
or		line 7 · 4×
day		line 7 · 1×
vision		line 8 · 1×
none		line 8 · 1×
Is		line 9 · 3×
it		line 9 · 1×
therefore		line 9 · 1×
less		line 9 · 1×
gone		line 9 · 1×
All		line 10 · 2×
we		line 10 · 2×
see		line 10 · 2×
seem		line 10 · 2×
but		line 11 · 2×
within		line 11 · 3×
I		line 12 · 6×
stand		line 12 · 1×
amid		line 12 · 1×
roar		line 12 · 1×
Of		line 13 · 2×
surf-tormented		line 13 · 1×
shore		line 13 · 1×
hold		line 14 · 1×
hand		line 14 · 1×
Grains		line 15 · 1×
golden		line 15 · 1×
sand		line 15 · 1×
How		line 16 · 2×
few		line 16 · 1×
they		line 16 · 1×
creep		line 16 · 1×
Through		line 17 · 1×
fingers		line 17 · 1×
to		line 17 · 1×
deep		line 17 · 1×
While		line 18 · 2×
weep		line 18 · 2×
O		line 19 · 2×
God		line 19 · 2×
Can		line 19 · 2×
grasp		line 19 · 1×
Them		line 20 · 1×
with		line 20 · 1×
tighter		line 20 · 1×
clasp		line 20 · 1×
save		line 21 · 1×
One		line 22 · 1×
pitiless		line 22 · 1×
wave		line 22 · 1×

Background

From towers to flags

Chappe's towers

Claude Chappe built a network of signal towers with pivoting arms in France from 1792, and coined the word semaphore in 1801, from Greek for "sign-bearer". The electric telegraph replaced the tower lines about half a century later.

Flags at sea

In the 19th century navies adopted the idea with hand-held flags in place of mechanical arms. At sea the flags are red and yellow; on land they are white and blue. It is still used during underway replenishment, when two ships sail side by side.

N and D

In 1958 the designer Gerald Holtom combined the semaphore letters N and D, for Nuclear Disarmament, inside a circle for the march to Aldermaston. The emblem became the worldwide peace symbol. Find N and D in the alphabet above.

Add your voice

Send the poem with real flags.

Film yourself sending a line or the whole poem in semaphore, from the front and in daylight, and offer it to the project. Scouts, sea cadets and signallers especially welcome.

Prepare a video →See the Morse edition ↗

Sources