by William Henry Davies (1871 - 1940)
How kind is sleep, how merciful
Language: English
How kind is sleep, how merciful: That I last night have seen The happy birds with bosoms pressed Against the leaves so green. Sweet sleep, that made my mind forget My love had gone away; And nevermore I'd touch her soft Warm body, night or day. So, every night deceived by sleep, Let me on roses lie; And leave the thorns of Truth for day, To pierce me till I die.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by William Henry Davies (1871 - 1940), "How kind is sleep, how merciful", appears in The Song of Life and Other Poems, first published 1920 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Richard Roderick-Jones (b. 1947), "How kind is sleep", 1966 [soprano or tenor and piano], from The weeping child [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-15
Line count: 12
Word count: 71