Draft in the author’s style. This poem was written for Poet of Blossom to sit beside the author’s own readings, and is waiting for the author’s review. The commentary is a working draft too.
Sleep now, my love, the day is spent, the lamps are burning low,
Let every weight you carried drift like the river's evening flow.
I will guard the door of dreaming with the patience of the sea,
And hum a tune too soft for ears but sweet enough for me.
Your breath is like a metronome for all my restless thought,
And every rising, falling calm is the peace that love has brought.
The stars have joined my watching and the moon has dimmed her flame,
For they know the sleeping heart is dear, and I know it by name.
Tomorrow will bring troubles, but tonight there are none here,
Just the two of us in the hush and the loving atmosphere.
Sleep now, my love, and dream of all the mornings yet to be,
For I will be beside you when you wake and open your eyes to me.
Poet of Blossom · Hear it on the channel ↗
Commentary
This lullaby is addressed to a lover, not a child. It offers what tired people most want at night, a watchful presence and permission to let go.
The speaker tells the beloved to sleep, “the lamps are burning low,” and to let every weight “drift like the river’s evening flow.” The speaker promises to “guard the door of dreaming with the patience of the sea” and to hum “a tune too soft for ears.”
The beloved’s breath is “like a metronome for all my restless thought,” and the stars and moon join the vigil. “Tomorrow will bring troubles, but tonight there are none here.” The last stanza promises to be “beside you when you wake.”