\u2018Tis morning now, yet silently I stand,
\nUplift the curtain with a weary hand,
\nLook out while darkness overspreads the way,
\nAnd long for day.<\/p>\n
Calm peace is frighted with my mood to-night,
\nNor visits my dull chamber with her light,
\nTo guide my senses into her sweet rest
\nAnd leave me blest.<\/p>\n
Long hours since the city rocked and sung
\nItself to slumber: only the stars swung
\nAloft their torches in the midnight skies
\nWith watchful eyes.<\/p>\n
No sound awakes; I, even, breathe no sigh,
\nNor hear a single footstep passing by;
\nYet I am not alone, for now I feel
\nA presence steal<\/p>\n
Within my chamber walls; I turn to see
\nThe sweetest guest that courts humanity;
\nWith subtle, slow enchantment draws she near,
\nAnd Sleep is here.<\/p>\n
What care I for the olive branch of Peace?
\nKind Sleep will bring a thrice-distilled release,
\nNepenthes, that alone her mystic hand
\nCan understand.<\/p>\n
And so she bends, this welcome sorceress,
\nTo crown my fasting with her light caress.
\nAh, sure my pain will vanish at the bliss
\nOf her warm kiss.<\/p>\n
But still my duty lies in self-denial;
\nI must refuse sweet Sleep, although the trial
\nWill reawaken all my depth of pain.
\nSo once again<\/p>\n
I lift the curtain with a weary hand,
\nWith more than sorrow, silently I stand,
\nLook out while darkness overspreads the way,
\nAnd long for day.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo, Sleep,\u201d I say, \u201cbefore the darkness die,
\nTo one who needs you even more than I,
\nFor I can bear my part alone, but he
\nHas need of thee.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis poor tired eyes in vain have sought relief,
\nHis heart more tired still, with all its grief;
\nHis pain is deep, while mine is vague and dim,
\nGo thou to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen thou hast fanned him with thy drowsy wings,
\nAnd laid thy lips upon the pulsing strings
\nThat in his soul with fret and fever burn,
\nTo me return.\u201d<\/p>\n
She goes. The air within the quiet street
\nReverberates to the passing of her feet;
\nI watch her take her passage through the gloom
\nTo your dear home.<\/p>\n
Beloved, would you knew how sweet to me
\nIs this denial, and how fervently
\nI pray that Sleep may lift you to her breast,
\nAnd give you rest\u2014<\/p>\n
A privilege that she alone can claim.
\nWould that my heart could comfort you the same,
\nBut in the censer Sleep is swinging high,
\nAll sorrows die.<\/p>\n
She comes not back, yet all my miseries
\nWane at the thought of your calm sleeping eyes\u2014
\nWane, as I hear the early matin bell
\nThe dawn foretell.<\/p>\n
And so, dear heart, still silently I stand,
\nUplift the curtain with a weary hand,
\nThe long, long night has bitter been and lone,
\nBut now \u2019tis gone.<\/p>\n
Dawn lights her candles in the East once more,
\nAnd darkness flees her chariot before;
\nThe Lenten morning breaks with holy ray,
\nAnd it is day!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":251,"menu_order":24,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-110","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":3,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/251"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/110\/revisions\/111"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/3"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/110\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=110"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=110"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/flintandfeather\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}