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| NIGHT has on the earth descended, | |
| All around is silence deep, | |
| Sleep, my darling, I am with thee; | |
| Sleep a calm and peaceful sleep. | |
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| I no lullabies shall sing thee; | 5 |
| Songs are at an end to-night; | |
| Sleep in peace, oh, sleep on sweetly, | |
| Long as sleep thou canst, my light. | |
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| In our native fields aforetime, | |
| Wondrous songs we used to sing, | 10 |
| Improvising them in gardens | |
| Turning green with early spring. | |
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| Where grew daffodils and myrtles, | |
| Stately palms upreared their heights, | |
| Cypress trees spread wide their branches, | 15 |
| Splendid roses blossomed bright. | |
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| But those notes are hushed and silenced; | |
| Ruined now our Zion lies; | |
| Mourning sounds instead of singing; | |
| Yea, for songs we hear but sighs. | 20 |
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| All thou needs must know, my darling, | |
| Of thy nation’s piteous plight, | |
| Thou wilt learn and weep for sorrow, | |
| As thy mother weeps to-night. | |
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| But why now in vain disturb thee? | 25 |
| Let thy tranquil slumber last, | |
| Until over thee, my dearest, | |
| The dark day of rain hath passed! | |
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| To the school, my son, I’ll lead thee | |
| By the hand; there thou shalt learn | 30 |
| All our Bible and our knowledge. | |
| Wondrous pearls thou wilt discern— | |
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| Pearls of wisdom in our Talmud, | |
| Gems our sages’ lore affords; | |
| Thou shalt taste of prayer’s first sweetness | 35 |
| And the charm of God’s great words. | |
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| Ne’er forget thou art a Hebrew! | |
| Little son, remember well, | |
| Even to the grave, the stories | |
| That thy mother used to tell! | 40 |
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