Robert William Chambers:
(Brooklyn (New York), 26 May 1865 – New York, 16 December 1933).
American writer and illustrator.
What dreams we have dreamed, and what visions we have seen, lying idly with half-shut eyes in some greenwood shaw, sheltering from July’s noonday sun.
The sentence describes a moment of ‘quiet summer daydreaming’:
– someone lies in the shade of a green forest;
– protected from the bright midday sun of July;
– with half-closed eyes, somewhere between waking and sleeping;
– while thoughts, dreams, and visions arise freely.
The meaning is therefore: ‘in silence, nature, and tranquility, the imagination is given free rein’. The quote evokes an atmosphere of relaxation, musing, and dreamily enjoying the summer.
📚 Origin:
The quote is originally in English and reads approximately:
> “What dreams we have dreamed, and what visions we have seen, while we lay with half-closed eyes in some green wood-shade, sheltered from the noonday sun of July.”
The origin is usually linked to the work:
> “The Book of Days: A Miscellany of Popular Antiquities in Connection with the Calendar”
> published in 1864
It contains descriptions of months, seasons, folk customs, and literary reflections. The passage belongs to the atmosphere of “July,” summer, nature, and reverie.
✍️ Author:
The author most likely associated with this quote is:
> Robert Chambers
> Scottish writer, publisher, and compiler
> 1802–1871
Sometimes Jerome K. Jerome is also mentioned, but that seems less likely as the original author. His well-known “Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow” appeared later, in 1886, whereas Chambers’ “The Book of Days” dates back to 1864.
