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 sentry 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; oh! make me try, By sleeping, what it is to die. And as gently lay my head On my grave, as now my bed. Howe'er I rest, great God, let me Awake again at last with thee. And thus assured, behold I lie Securely, or to wake or die. These are my drowsy days; in vain I do now wake to sleep again: Oh! come that hour, when I shall never Sleep again, but wake for ever. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...AGAINST HOPE by ABRAHAM COWLEY OH, SWEET CONTENT by WILLIAM HENRY DAVIES ODE SUNG IN THE TOWN HALL, CONCORD, JULY 4, 1857 by RALPH WALDO EMERSON DO YOU FEAR THE WIND? by HAMLIN GARLAND TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED MASTER WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE by BEN JONSON ON A CHILD by WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR PSALM 29. AFFERTE DOMINO by OLD TESTAMENT BIBLE THE NEW WORLD; TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES by LAURENCE BINYON |