Buy Together. Sweet babe, in thy face Soft desires I can trace, Secret joys and secret smiles, Little pretty infant wiles. includes optional Organ part to replace Choir 2 . Blake was educated at Henry Pars Drawing School. [3], Criticism, scholarship, and in popular culture, Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion, The Four and Twenty Elders Casting their Crowns before the Divine Throne, The Wood of the Self-Murderers: The Harpies and the Suicides, The Works of William Blake: Poetic, Symbolic and Critical, Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Cradle_Song&oldid=1000596805, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 January 2021, at 20:25. Weave thy brows an infant crown. God's laughing in Heaven To see you so good; The Sailing Seven Are gay with His mood. Little sorrows sit and weep. Page one of Blake's plate of A Cradle Song. Sweet sleep, Angel mild, Hover o’er my happy child. “A Cradle Song” is one of the 19 poems of “Songs of Innocence”, a William Blake’s work which was printed for the first time in 1789. I sigh that kiss you, For I must own That I shall miss you When you have grown. A Cradle Song by William Blake | Summary & Analysis - The poem A Cradle Song by William Blake is about a mother's unconditional love as well as fear for her baby child. She mentions how earth and heaven are in complete harmony and at peace, thanks to the sufferings of Jesus, who bore it all for us. Sweet dreams form a shade, O'er my lovely infants head. International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, He is well-known for his superb poetry contribution, https://poemanalysis.com/william-blake/a-cradle-song/. William Butler Yeats 1865 (Sandymount) – 1939 (Menton) THE angels are stooping Above your bed; They weary of trooping With the whimpering dead. 1757–1827 490. In “A Cradle Song”, a mother sings to her child, asking the infant to stay asleep. Blake was born in London on November 28, 1757. So, through the meaning of this word, it is quite clear that the child is a deceptive form of Jesus Christ who was born for human welfare. Come softly within. Sleep, sleep, happy child, Sweet sleep, Angel mild, Hover o'er my happy child. Please log in again. Sweet moans, dovelike sighs, Sweet babe, in thy face. Lyrics by William Blake Music by Edward Caine. Sign up to unveil the best kept secrets in poetry. This way, she forgets the reason for her weeping. When the mother thinks of these sorrows and sufferings waiting for her child in the future, she also thinks of Jesus, who too bore sufferings for you, me and us, and so to say for the all human race. Not only the people around Blake then understood him, but even today in the twentieth-century many artist and readers appreciate his greatness and his great poetry contribution that he made to the poetry world. The poem is part of Blake’s Songs of Innocence and certainly has the feel of a sweet, childhood lullaby. When she sees the infant smiling, she sees Jesus smiling at her and the world. A key theme in “A Cradle Song” is the mother's love for her child. He uses imagery throughout Songs of Innocence. 'A Cradle Song' is a lullaby. She makes the infant seem angelic by the way she describes the child. This poem was written in such a way that people all around the globe could understand that we all have mutual feelings when it comes to the love of a mother and a father toward his/her children. Sweet dreams form a shade O'er my lovely infant's head; Sweet dreams of pleasant streams By happy, silent, moony beams. The speaker concludes by mentioning that the savior wept for him and for all and because of that there is peace as his smiles cover all of the people in heaven and on earth. A Cradle Song. From Blake’s Songs of Innocence. In A Charm of Lullabies, Benjamin Britten sets "A Cradle Song" to music alongside four other poems. The structure of the poem is interesting; the first four stanzas each begin with the word “sweet” which is repeated in the third line, but moves from “Sweet dreams” to “Sweet sleep” to “Sweet moans”, probably suggesting a progression from the world of innocence to experience, although the mother is wishing the world of experience away from her infant. The sixth piece from Songs of Innocence collection, A Cradle Song aims to compliment the deep beauty of the text. -The speaker asks for her infant to have Cradle Song. However, there was hardly anyone who could understand him, and this is a very common thing to be seen in genius people. After a month of gothic and macabre reading, I decided to go for the extreme opposite today and read William Blake’s “A Cradle Song” (posted above). Reviews There are no reviews yet. When a human being comes on this earth, he/she comes with his/her own suffering and happiness. This made the lullaby Cradle Song very popular again overnight. She notes how she can trace His (Christ's) holy image on her baby. A Cradle Song. With Dorothea Wieck, Evelyn Venable, Guy Standing, Louise Dresser. It shows a mother's concern over the child's journey from innocence to experience. Mavourneen is going From me and from you, Where Mary will fold him With mantle of blue! [1] Songs of Innocence includes poems about children and the clash between the corruption of the world and the innocence of youth. The speaker then starts talking about how he can trace a holy image over the child’s face and tells the story of how once an infant, most probably Jesus Christ, was born and wept for the child to live. Obviously, this poem has a touch of maternal affection and tenderness. “A Cradle Song” follows a couplet structure where each pair of lines rhyme. William Blake - 1757-1827. There are famous artists that have claimed that they were inspired by William Blake, including Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and The Beatles, Bono and U2, Led Zeppelin, and many more. [1] He claimed that in a dream his brother Robert taught him the printing method that he used in Songs of Innocence and other illuminated works. Artist. A Cradle Song. Sweet sleep, with soft down: 5: Weave thy brows an infant crown. the cunning wiles that creep . Perc with Soprano Solo or SATB, Org, Perc Duration 4’30. However, the way he has presented his child poetry, it shows his mature point of view not only toward life but children, as well. Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. Sweet dreams, form a shade O’er my lovely infant’s head; Sweet dreams of pleasant streams By happy, silent, moony beams. The mother uses the word “sweet” ten times in the poem. Sweet sleep with soft down Weave thy brows an infant crown. She says though you have your own suffering to bear in future, but you have to face all of them as it is already destined by the Almighty God for you. Sweet Sleep, with soft down Weave thy brows an infant crown. She says, “She can see sweet face of Jesus in her child’s face; she can even trace the holy image of Jesus Christ.” The Christ was also born like you, he wept for all of us, but he also saved all of us. The mother asks her child to sleep through the night. juxtaposition of 'heaven', 'peace' to 'beguiles' giving an ambiguity. The mother tells the baby to sleep as she cries, representing how the mother is aware of the sinful world her baby will grow up and eventually die in. He then starts to formulate the spells he would need to heal the baby with the help of Saphira.Once he and Saphira are satisfied with their spells, he begins to utter them in the form of a song. He is well-known for his superb poetry contribution, and some of his famous works include; ‘Nurse’s Song,’ ‘The Lamb‘, ‘A Poison Tree‘, ‘A Cradle Song‘, and a lot more that are still imprinted in the minds of poetry lovers. Apart from the musical cadence and the AABB rhyming scheme, Blake also employs alliteration, especially the “ess” sound, which invokes a feeling of a soft “shhh” as the mother calms her child, or of gentle breezes outside a window as one sway unsteadily on the brink of sleep. Poem Analysis, https://poemanalysis.com/william-blake/a-cradle-song/. Beguile means charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way. The mother has faith that her infant will be okay even when she can no longer protect her, but it still saddens her to not be able to shield her from the world. At the end of the poem, she states how heaven and earth are at peace and have harmony when she sees her baby smile. He is the one who writes our glees and sorrows. Cradle Song is a beautiful lullaby written by Thomas Dekker and was first time published in 1603. Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. The mother can trace the image of Christ mirrored in her child’s face. Yeats stands over the cradle of an infant, noting that the angels, sick of the dead, are also there. Parts from this popular lullaby is used in the Beatles' song Golden Slumber. The mother can find out the “Holy image” in her baby’s face and discovers in her child’s cries the crying of the Savior for all humanity. In the poem, Black has associated the child with Christ, a metaphor that he often employs in his almost all poems from Songs of Innocence. Page two of Blake's plate of A Cradle Song. Buy Study Guide. O, men from the fields! Essentially a lullaby, the ‘song’ aims to create a sense of sweetness and calm with its rocking piano figurations and flowing melody. $7.95. The 32-line poem is divided into 8 stanzas of 4 lines each. This is an impressive and sophisticated debut from Swedish singer and composer Joel Nilson. This lullaby is mainly a simple song of a mother, who enjoys her baby’s restful sound and expressions. God is pleased in heaven, as are the "Sailing Seven" to see such a well-behaved infant. Each stanza follows an "AABB" rhyme scheme. Tread softly, softly O men coming in! This is made clear when she says, “Sweet moans, dovelike sighs, Chase not slumber from thy eyes.”. The poem, ‘A Cradle Song’ is part of Blake’s Songs of Innocence and undoubtedly it possesses the feel of a sweet, childhood lullaby. Tread softly, softly O men coming in! Sweet sleep Angel mild, Hover o'er my happy child. Sweet Sleep, Angel mild, Hover o'er my happy child. A Cradle Song. for SAATBB unaccompanied This touching piece sets Yeats' beautiful words describing the love of a parent for their child. Be the first to review “A Cradle Song (SATB, SSAATTBB (/Org), Perc)” Cancel reply. William Blake 1794 Sleep, sleep, beauty bright, Dreaming o'er the joys of night; Sleep, sleep, in thy sleep. The login page will open in a new tab. Yeats: The Rose Summary and Analysis of A Cradle Song. Sweet dreams of pleasant streams. William Blake was born on November 28, 1757, and died on August 12, 1827. Sleep, sleep, beauty bright, Dreaming in the joys of night; Sleep, sleep; in thy sleep Little sorrows sit and weep. We recommend purchasing A Cradle Song with Successful Warmups - Book 1. The mother even longs that the ‘dovelike moans’ must be calmed. In the above two stanzas, the mother sings her child to sleep. If truly said, for giggles and kicks, I read part of it aloud in a sing-song tone of voice, and it really sounded like a song that a mother normally sings while rocking her infant to sleep. Similar titles: A Cradle Song. Mavourneen is going From me and from you, Where Mary will fold him With mantle of blue! 1919. In all, it can be said that ‘A Cradle Song’ is a Romantic poem, which is just about a mother’s love toward her baby. From reek of the smoke And cold of the floor And the peering of things Across the half-door. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. Thinking Question: Stanza Phrases First Stanza: -Moonlight is shining on the mother and her infant, while she sings her baby to sleep. The speaker (a mother) in the poem encourages the infant to sleep as nothing but sweet dreams and smiles hover over him in his sleep. Through his poetry, Blake wants to assert that Christ was born for all of us, and he had ‘Wept for me for thee for all, /When he was an infant small.’ Through the verse like ‘Heavenly face that smiles on thee, /Smiles on thee on me on all, /Who became an infant small, Blake wants to express God’s love toward all human race. Lyrics. Sweet sleep with soft down. Having gone through these lines, I can perceive that mother, staring at her child, is very well aware of the fact that her child is fated to grow up, suffer the pains and pangs of his part, and then will die. O men from the fields, Come gently within. Sheet Music will be available Spring 2021. To create the home of poetry, we fund this through advertising, Please help us help you by disabling your ad blocker, Discover and learn about the greatest poetry ever straight to your inbox. 'A Cradle Song' William Blake Stanza 4 Stanza 3 'His' in capitals referring to God, and is talking about how God is seen in us all to begin with before we commit our human sins. Though the repeated, structurally careless use of 'beguiles' may be felt monotonous, it is a rhythmic piece with a religious colour. A Cradle Song. Sweet smiles Mothers smiles, The repetition of ‘Sweet’ at the beginning of many of the poem’s stanzas (or perhaps we should say, the song’s verses) helps to create a soothing effect. In the third verse, the poet talks about the mother and the happy sleeping child. Just as she smiles on her baby, Jesus Christ also smiles at him. The mother, who is personified as Virgin here, concludes by tracing that, as the mother is beguiled by the baby’s smiles, so beguiles the smiles of the infant Christ “Heaven & Earth to peace.” It’s only as a result of the process of incarnation that God succeeds in restoring a sinful, damaged world to a situation of childlike innocence. Sweet dreams, form a shade O'er my lovely infant's head. She claims how Jesus wept for all and wept for her. William was a huge supporter of the French Revolution, and his poetry and artwork almost showed his political, social, and religious beliefs. While writing this poem, Blake drew from the image of a mother sitting over her infant while the baby is in her crib falling sleep. A Cradle Song : SWEET dreams, form a shade: O’er my lovely infant’s head; Sweet dreams of pleasant streams: By happy, silent, moony beams. "A Cradle Song by William Blake". A Cradle Song. Infant [child] - For Blake the idea of the child had specific associations with Christ, which he expected his contemporaries to recognise. Thus, the theme of the poem is not just parental care, but it also talks about the relationship between the human perspective of God and the way People avoid, or approach, the co-existence of ‘woe and joy’ in human life. 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