Dymer was C.S. Lewis’s 1926 narrative poem about a fictional young ruler.
Lewis published Dymer under the name Clive Hamilton, the same pseudonym he had used for Spirits in Bondage. The poem tells the story of Dymer, a young man whose violent and rebellious life unfolds in a strange, symbolic world. Its themes include desire, guilt, rebellion, and transformation.
The work appeared during Lewis’s early literary period, before he became widely known for Christian apologetics and children’s fantasy. Its style and imagery show the influence of epic poetry and mythology, while also reflecting Lewis’s interest in moral and spiritual questions.
Dymer is often confused with The Pilgrim’s Regress, Lewis’s first published book after his conversion to Christianity. The Pilgrim’s Regress appeared in 1933 and is an allegorical prose work, whereas Dymer is a verse narrative from Lewis’s earlier, more skeptical period.