| Samuel Waddington, comp. The Sonnets of Europe. 1888. | | | | Sleep | | By Théophile de Viau (1590–1626) |
| | Translated by Edmund Gosse
I’VE kissed thee, sweetheart, in a dream at least, | |
| And though the core of love is in me still, | |
| This joy, that in my sense did softly thrill, | |
| The ardour of my longing hath appeased, | |
| And by this tender strife my spirit, eased, | 5 |
| Can laugh at that sweet theft against thy will, | |
| And, half consoled, I soothe myself, until | |
| I find my heart from all its pain released. | |
| My senses, hushed, begin to fall on sleep, | |
| Slumber, for which two weary nights I weep, | 10 |
| Takes thy dear place at last within mine eyes; | |
| And though so cold he is, as all men vow, | |
| For me he breaks his natural icy guise, | |
| And shows himself more warm and fond than thou. | | | | |
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