Cradle Song

William Blake 1757 (Soho) – 1827 (London)



Sleep, sleep, beauty bright,
Dreaming in the joys of night;
Sleep, sleep; in thy sleep
Little sorrows sit and weep.

Sweet babe, in thy face
Soft desires I can trace,
Secret joys and secret smiles,
Little pretty infant wiles.

As thy softest limbs I feel
Smiles as of the morning steal
O'er thy cheek, and o'er thy breast
Where thy little heart doth rest.

O the cunning wiles that creep
In thy little heart asleep!
When thy little heart doth wake,
Then the dreadful night shall break.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 23, 2023

27 sec read
581

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABB CCDD EEFF BBGG
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 475
Words 89
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4

William Blake

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

All William Blake poems | William Blake Books

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