Here we are all, by day; by night we're hurled
 By dreams, each one, into a several world.

Epigrams, even more than other poems, demand an absolute perfection of design and execution if they are to work at all. One syllable out of place, and the entire effect is ruined… conversely, the very best examples of the genre seem to have lasted forever, so naturally do the words, sounds and meanings fit together. Herrick’s couplet on dreams falls in the latter category¹.

Technical mastery apart, I like epigrams (whether they be by Horace or Hafiz, Blake or Basho) for the same reason I like haiku and other minimalistic forms of verse - so much of the interpretation is left to the reader; the poetry expands in the mind’s eye. Again, Herrick’s poem is an excellent example thereof: the image of being “hurled” (no other word will do) into “several worlds” by dreams offers limitless possibilities to the reader willing to explore its depths…

— Thomas

Minstrels Links

The Minstrels archive, The Wondering Minstrels, has the following poems by Robert Herrick:

Delight in Disorder, Poem #332
The Night Piece, to Julia, Poem #398
The Hag, Poem #593

The second poem above has a brief biography, and links to some other of his pieces.