Sweet dreams, form a shade [O'er]1 my lovely infant's 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, mother's [smiles]2, All the livelong night [beguiles]3. Sweet moans, dovelike sighs, Chase not slumber from [thy]4 eyes! Sweet [moans]5, sweeter [smiles]2, All the dovelike moans [beguiles]3. Sleep, sleep, happy child: All creation slept and smiled. Sleep, sleep, happy sleep, While o'er thee [thy]6 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 and earth to peace beguiles.
2 Sange
Song Cycle by Helmer Nørgaard (b. 1923)
1. Cradle song  [sung text not yet checked]
Language: English
Text Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "A Cradle Song", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Innocence, no. 11, first published 1789
See other settings of this text.
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Blake: The Complete Poems, ed. by W. H. Stevenson, Third Edition, Routledge, 2007, pages 61-62.
1 Carmichael: "Round"2 Baxter, Moore, Thomas: "smile"
3 Baxter, Moore, Thomas: "beguile"
4 Baxter, Carmichael, Moore, Thomas: "thine"
5 Baxter, Carmichael, Moore, Thomas: "moans"
6 Baxter: "doth"
Researcher for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
2. Spring  [sung text not yet checked]
Language: English
Sound the Flute! Now [it's]1 mute. Birds delight Day and Night. Nightingale In the dale, Lark in Sky, 2 Merrily, Merrily Merrily to welcome in the Year. Little Boy, Full of Joy; Little Girl, Sweet and small. Cock does crow, So do you. Merry voice Infant noise Merrily Merrily to welcome in the Year. Little Lamb Here I am, Come and [lick My white neck]3. Let me pull Your soft Wool. Let me kiss Your soft face. Merrily Merrily [we]4 welcome in the Year.
Text Authorship:
- by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "Spring", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Innocence, no. 15, first published 1789
See other settings of this text.
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with William Blake, Songs of Innocence, 1789.
1 MacNutt: "'tis"2 Dougherty adds: "Out of sight"
3 MacNutt: "play/ Hours away"
4 MacNutt: "to"
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Garrett Medlock [Guest Editor]
Total word count: 250