| William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Georgian Verse. 1909. | | | | A Cradle Song | | By William Blake (1757–1827) |
| | | SWEET dreams, form a shade | |
| O’er my lovely infant’s head; | |
| Sweet dreams of pleasant streams | |
| By happy, silent, moony beams. | |
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| Sweet sleep, with soft down | 5 |
| Weave thy brows an infant crown. | |
| Sweet sleep, Angel mild, | |
| Hover o’er my happy child. | |
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| Sweet smiles, in the night | |
| Hover over my delight; | 10 |
| Sweet smiles, mother’s smiles, | |
| All the livelong night beguiles. | |
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| Sweet moans, dovelike sighs, | |
| Chase not slumber from thy eyes. | |
| Sweet moans, sweeter smiles, | 15 |
| All the dovelike moans beguiles. | |
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| Sleep, sleep, happy child, | |
| All creation slept and smil’d; | |
| Sleep, sleep, happy sleep, | |
| While o’er thee thy mother weep. | 20 |
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| Sweet babe, in thy face | |
| Holy image I can trace. | |
| Sweet babe, once like thee, | |
| Thy maker lay and wept for me. | |
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| Wept for me, for thee, for all, | 25 |
| When He was an infant small. | |
| Thou His image ever see, | |
| Heavenly face that smiles on thee, | |
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| Smiles on thee, on me, on all; | |
| Who became an infant small. | 30 |
| Infant smiles are His own smiles; | |
| Heaven and earth to peace beguiles. | | | | |
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