SLEEP
In this
poem sleep is personified. Personification in poetry seems a natural
function of the imagination, making an idea or in this case a state
of being seem more "concrete". This is probably because our
imagination relates most easily to a "person". Indeed
language itself contains a lot hidden "personification"-
rivers, for instance, "run" have a "bed" and even
a "head" and a "mouth".
The poem is
in four stanzas of eight lines each with a rhyme scheme- ABABCDCD.
Each line is a catalectic trochaic tetrameter which sounds very
impressive but it simple means four feet (tetrameter) of trochees -
STRESSED syllable followed by an unstressed one- Going
with
last golden
glowing.
Catalectic simply refers to the loss of one short syllable at the end
of the line- in other words "cut off" by the largely single
syllable rhymes (or "male" rhymes-
who knows why they are called that!)
SLEEP
Down
wide vastness of the west,
Going
with last golden glowing,
Now
proud sun sinks to its rest;
In
the dusk the grey is growing.
Light
is leaving. Day is done.
Wheeling
flocks of far birds fly;
Back
to leafy trees they come
Over
twilight's fading sky.
Then
unseen another flies
Down
new evening's dark paths-
Sleep,
with deep dream in her eyes,
Following
a trail of stars.
Gently
she spreads sleepy sighs,
With
her cloak of deep, dark hues:
Feather-soft
on heavy eyes,
Roses,
violets, and blues.
Angel Sleep, with wings of night,
Over
creatures of the day,
Sweeps
past fields of dying light,
Spiriting
bright sight away.
Over
shadow scenes she glides,
Over
all the darkened earth,
Where
the silent owl swift-rides
And
night's quietness has its birth.
"Peace
and rest and rest and peace,"
Softly
sing her lullabies,
"Let
the worn-out day now cease;
Calmly
close your weary eyes.
Fly
with me to lands of dreams,
Ride
the pathways of the deep,
Till
you wake with day's new beams;
Rise
anew refreshed from sleep."
