by Alfred Noyes (1880 - 1958)
Sleep, little baby, I love thee
Language: English
Sleep, little baby, I love thee; Sleep, little king, I am bending above thee! How should I know what to sing Here in my arms as I sing thee to sleep? Hushaby low, rockaby so. Kings may have wonderful jewels to bring, Mother has only a kiss for her king! Why should my singing so make me to weep? Only to know that I love thee, I love thee, Love thee, my little one, sleep.
About the headline (FAQ)
Text Authorship:
- by Alfred Noyes (1880 - 1958), no title, appears in Forty Singing Seamen and Other Poems, in Slumber Songs of the Madonna, first published 1907 [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 Samuel Barber (1910 - 1981), "A slumber song of the Madonna", published 1925. [voice and organ] [text not verified]
- by Michael (Dewar) Head (1900 - 1976), "A slumber song of the Madonna", 1921, published 1921. [mezzo-soprano or alto and piano] [text not verified]
- by J. Frederick Keel (1871 - 1954), "Slumber Song of the Madonna", published 1913. [text not verified]
- by Colin Moncrieff Campbell Taylor (1881 - 1973), "Sleep little baby", published 1910. [soprano and SSAA chorus a cappella] [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-04-22
Line count: 10
Word count: 75