by Francis Quarles (1592 - 1644) and sometimes misattributed to Charles I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland (1600 - 1649)
Translation
Close thine eyes and sleep secure
Language: English  after the English
Close thine eyes and sleep secure, Thy soul is safe, thy body sure; He that guards thee, He [that]1 keeps, [Never]2 slumbers, never sleeps. A quiet conscience, in a quiet breast Has only peace, has only rest: The music and the mirth of kings Are out of tune, unless she sings. Then close thine eyes [in peace and rest]3 secure, No sleep so sweet as thine, no rest so sure.
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)Confirmed with Literary Curiosities and Eccentricities, A Book of Anecdote, Laconic Sayings, and Gems of Thought, in Prose and Verse, ed. by W. A. Clouston. London: Ward, Lock & Tyler, Warwick House, Paternoster Row, E. C., 1876, p. 157, in which it is titled "Last poem of Charles the First" and the note beneath the title says "This poem is given by Nahum Tate, in his Miscellanea Sacra", 1698. The poem is in fact by Francis Quarles.
1 Purcell: "thee"
2 Purcell: "Who never"
3 Plumstead: "and sleep"
The text shown is a variant of another text. [ View differences ]
It is based on
- a text in English by Francis Quarles (1592 - 1644), "A good night", appears in Divine Fancies: digested into epigrammes, meditations, and observations, Book IV, London: M. Flesher, first published 1632 and misattributed to Charles I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland (1600 - 1649)
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Jack Hamilton Beeson (b. 1921), "A good night", 1946 [ soprano and piano ], from Five Songs, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Paul Frederic Bowles (1910 - 1999), "On a quiet conscience", published 1947 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889 - 1960), "Quiet conscience", 1944 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
- by Mary Plumstead (1905 - 1980), "Close thine eyes and sleep secure" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Henry Purcell (1658/9 - 1695), "Close thine eyes and sleep secure", Z. 184 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-05
Line count: 10
Word count: 70