Classic and Contemporary Poetry
TO SLEEP AND TO FORGET, by JOHN LAWSON STODDARD Poet's Biography First Line: To sleep and to forget, -- o blessed guerdon! Last Line: To sleep and to forget. Subject(s): Death; Grief; Night; Sleep; Dead, The; Sorrow; Sadness; Bedtime | ||||||||
To sleep and to forget, -- O blessed guerdon! The day is waning, and the night draws near; My failing heart grows weary of its burden; Why should I therefore hesitate or fear To sleep and to forget? Though bright my skies with transient gleams of gladness, And sweet the breath of many a summer sea, Yet, under all, a haunting note of sadness Forever lures me in its minor key To sleep and to forget. Of petty souls whose joy is defamation, Of malice, envy, cruelty, and greed Each day supplies its sickening revelation, And makes imperative my spirit's need To sleep and to forget. Let others bravely plan for death's to-morrow, And crave fresh progress toward a higher goal! Appalled by Earth's long tragedy of sorrow, I humbly ask one favor for my soul, When this life's sun is set, -- To sleep and to forget. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE BREATH OF NIGHT by RANDALL JARRELL HOODED NIGHT by ROBINSON JEFFERS NIGHT WITHOUT SLEEP by ROBINSON JEFFERS WORKING OUTSIDE AT NIGHT by DENIS JOHNSON POEM TO TAKE BACK THE NIGHT by JUNE JORDAN COOL DARK ODE by DONALD JUSTICE POEM TO BE READ AT 3 A.M by DONALD JUSTICE ROUND ABOUT MIDNIGHT by BOB KAUFMAN A MAY MONODY by JOHN LAWSON STODDARD |
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