A chant of love for England, and other poems

Chapter 37: A LULLABY

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About This Book

A collection of poems ranging from patriotic and wartime tributes to intimate lyrics, ballads, and sonnets. Several pieces honor soldiers and examine sacrifice, grief, and courage; narrative poems recall naval engagements and coastal life, sometimes with dramatic rescues and moral reckonings. Shorter lyrics and flower fancies evoke nature, music, and memory, while portraits and character sketches capture theatrical and historical personae. The volume alternates public declamation with domestic tenderness, using formal verse, melodic diction, and varied moods to explore duty, loss, beauty, and the persistence of cultural and personal ideals.

A LULLABY

Now while rest the happy herds,

And in folds the fleecy sheep,

All the boughs are full of birds,

Crowding, sound asleep.

Sleep, sleep, sleep,

Under the fair, fair flocks of stars

That roam all night and know no bars,

Sleep, sweet, sleep!

Now if we an Owl could ride,—

Yes, an Owl with yellow eyes,

Globy lanterns, clear and wide,

Flaming while he flies,—

We should see the pretty things,

Pretty little sleepy souls!

All their heads beneath their wings,

Blind with sleep as moles!

Sleep, sleep, sleep,

Under the wild, winged winds that fly

All night long across the sky,

Sleep, sweet, sleep!