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possibly by Anne Boleyn, Queen of England (1507? - 1536)

O Death, rock me asleep
Language: English 
Death, rock me asleep,
Bring me to quiet rest,
Let pass my weary guiltless [ghost]1
Out of my careful breast.
Toll on, [thou]2 passing bell;
Ring out my doleful knell;
Let thy sound my death tell.
Death doth draw nigh;
There is no remedy.

My pains who can express?
Alas, they are so strong;
My dolour will not suffer strength
My life for to prolong.
Toll on, thou passing bell;
Ring out my doleful knell;
Let thy sound my death tell.
Death doth draw nigh;
There is no remedy.

Alone in prison strong
I wait my destiny.
Woe worth this cruel hap that I
Should taste this misery!
Toll on, thou passing bell;
Ring out my doleful knell;
Let thy sound my death tell.
Death doth draw nigh;
There is no remedy.

Farewell, my pleasure[s]3 past,
Welcome, my present pain!
I feel my torment[s]3 so increase
That life cannot remain.
Cease now, thou passing bell;
Rung is my doleful knell;
For the sound my death doth tell.
Death doth draw nigh;
There is no remedy.

Available sung texts:   ← What is this?

•   J. Edmunds 

J. Edmunds sets stanzas 1, 4

View original text (without footnotes)
1 Edmunds: "soul"
2 Edmunds: "that"
3 omitted by Edmunds

Text Authorship:

  • possibly by Anne Boleyn, Queen of England (1507? - 1536), "O Death, rock me asleep" [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 John Edmunds (1913 - 1986), "O Death, rock me asleep", stanzas 1,4 [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2011-04-26
Line count: 36
Word count: 179

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