Analysis of A Cradle Song

William Blake 1757 (Soho) – 1827 (London)



Sweet dreams form a shade,
O'er my lovely infants head.
Sweet dreams of pleasant streams,
By happy silent moony beams

Sweet sleep with soft down.
Weave thy brows an infant crown.
Sweet sleep Angel mild,
Hover o'er my happy child.

Sweet smiles in the night,
Hover over my delight.
Sweet smiles Mothers smiles,
All the livelong night beguiles.

Sweet moans, dovelike sighs,
Chase not slumber from thy eyes,
Sweet moans, sweeter smiles,
All the dovelike moans beguiles.

Sleep sleep happy child,
All creation slept and smil'd.
Sleep sleep, happy sleep.
While o'er thee thy mother weep

Sweet babe in thy face,
Holy image I can trace.
Sweet babe once like thee.
Thy maker lay and wept for me

Wept for me for thee for all,
When he was an infant small.
Thou his image ever see.
Heavenly face that smiles on thee,

Smiles on thee on me on all,
Who became an infant small,
Infant smiles are His own smiles,
Heaven & earth to peace beguiles.


Scheme XXAA BBCC DDEA FFEA CCGG HHII JJII JJEA
Poetic Form Quatrain  (75%)
Metre 11101 10110101 111101 1101011 11111 1111101 11101 10101101 11001 1010101 11101 10111 1111 1110111 11101 10111 11101 1010101 11101 11011101 11011 1010111 11111 11010111 1111111 1111101 1110101 10011111 1111111 1011101 1011111 101111
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 909
Words 168
Sentences 15
Stanzas 8
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 91
Words per stanza (avg) 21
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 13, 2023

51 sec read
189

William Blake

William Blake was an English poet, painter and printmaker. more…

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