Come, sweet sleep, refresh me!

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by Christian Felix Weisse (1726 - 1804)

Translation © by Sharon Krebs

Komm, süßer Schlaf, erquicke mich!

Language: German (Deutsch)

Our translations: ENG

Komm, süßer Schlaf, erquicke mich!
Mein müdes Auge sehnet sich
Der Ruhe zu genießen,
Komm, sanft es zuzuschließen. 

Wie aber, Freund, o schlößest du 
Von nun an es auf ewig zu,
Und diese Augenlieder
Säh'n nie den Morgen wieder?

So weiß ich, daß ein schöner' Licht 
Einst meinen Schlummer unterbricht,
Das ewig, ewig glänzt 
Und keine Nacht begrenzet.

About the headline (FAQ)

View text with all available footnotes

Confirmed with G. Fr. Heinbisch & J.L. Ludwig (eds.), Viertes Sprach- und Lesebuch. Ein Sprach- und Lesebuch für höhere Lehranstalten und Familien, Bamberg: Verlag der Buchner'schen Buchhandlung, 1852, page 75.

Note for stanza 2, line 3, word 3 ("Augenlieder"): [sic] Contemporary spelling would be "Augenlider".

Text Authorship:

by Christian Felix Weisse (1726 - 1804), "An den Schlaf" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

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Research team for this page: Sharon Krebs [Senior Associate Editor], Harry Joelson

This text was added to the website: 2008-01-30
Line count: 12
Word count: 61

Come, sweet sleep, refresh me!

NOTE: the footnotes have been removed from this text; return to general view

Language: English after the German (Deutsch)

Come, sweet sleep, refresh me!
My weary eyes yearn
To enjoy rest,
Come to close them gently.

But what, friend, oh, if you were to
Close them now forever,
And these eyelids would never
Again see the morning?

Then I would know that a more beautiful light
Would someday interrupt my slumber,
A light that shines eternally, eternally
And is not bounded by any night.

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Translations of titles:
"An den Schlaf" = "Addressed to sleep"
"Nachtgedanke" = "Nighttime thought"

Text Authorship:

Translation from German (Deutsch) to English copyright © 2025 by Sharon Krebs, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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Based on:

a text in German (Deutsch) by Christian Felix Weisse (1726 - 1804), "An den Schlaf"
- Go to the text page.

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This text was added to the website: 2025-05-23
Line count: 12
Word count: 67