by Thomas Browne, Sir (1605 - 1682)
The night is come, like to the day
Language: English
The night is come, like to the day, Depart not Thou, great GOD, away. Let not my sins, black as the night, Eclipse the lustre of Thy light: Keep still in my Horizon; for to me The Sun makes not the day, but Thee. Thou, Whose nature cannot sleep, On my temples Centry keep; Guard me 'gainst those watchful foes, Whose eyes are open while mine close. Let no dreams my head infest, But such as Jacob's temples blest. While I do rest, my Soul advance; Make my sleep a holy trance; That I may, my rest being wrought, Awake into some holy thought; And with as active vigour run My course, as doth the nimble Sun. Sleep is a death; O make me try, By sleeping, what it is to die; And as gently lay my head On my grave, as now my bed. However I rest, great GOD, let me Awake again at last with Thee; And thus assur'd, behold I lie Securely, or to awake or die. These are my drowsie days; in vain I do not wake to sleep again: O come that hour, when I shall never Sleep again, but wake for ever.
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Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Browne, Sir (1605 - 1682), no title, appears in Religio Medici, from the Second Part [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 Gordon Crosse (b. 1937), "Prayer: The night is come", op. 17 no. 2 (1966), published 1967, first performed 1966 [ soprano, baritone, mixed chorus, and orchestra ], from Changes - A Nocturnal Cycle, no. 2, London : Oxford University Press [sung text not yet checked]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in English, [adaptation] ; composed by Henry Purcell.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-01-05
Line count: 30
Word count: 198