A Cradle Song | A cradle song | Sweet dreams, form a shade

Sweet dreams, form a shade

Language: English

Sweet dreams, form a shade
O'er my lovely infant's head,
Sweet dreams of pleasant streams,
By happy, silent, moony beams.

Sweet Sleep, with soft down
Weave thy brows an infant crown;
Sweet Sleep, angel mild,
Hover o'er my happy child.

Sweet smiles, in the night
Hover over my delight.
Sweet smiles, mother's smiles,
All the livelong night beguiles.

Sweet moans, dovelike sighs,
Chase not slumber from thy eyes!
Sweet moans, sweeter smiles,
All the dovelike moans beguiles.

Sleep, sleep, happy child:
All creation slept and smiled.
Sleep, sleep, happy sleep,
While o'er thee thy mother weep.

Sweet babe, in thy face
Holy image I can trace;
Sweet babe, once like thee
Thy maker lay and wept for me,

Wept for me, for thee, for all,
When he was an infant small.
Thou his image ever see,
Heavenly face that smiles on thee --

Smiles on thee, on me, on all,
Who became an infant small,
Infant smiles are his own smiles;
Heaven and earth to peace beguiles.

M. Carmichael sets stanzas 1-5
D. Thomas sets stanzas 1-4, 5:1-2

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Confirmed with Blake: The Complete Poems, ed. by W. H. Stevenson, Third Edition, Routledge, 2007, pages 61-62.

Text Authorship:

by William Blake (1757 - 1827), "A Cradle Song", appears in Songs of Innocence and Experience, in Songs of Innocence, no. 11, first published 1789 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Ruth Bampton (b. 1902), "Lullabye", published c1948 [sung text not yet checked]
by Garth Baxter (b. 1946), "A cradle song" [ voice and guitar ], from Two Songs of Reflection, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Jacques (Jacob) Blumenthal (1829 - 1908), "Cradle song", published 1883 [ SATB chorus and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 5, partson [sung text not yet checked]
by William Bolcom (b. 1938), "A cradle song", 1956-81 [ solo voices, chorus, orchestra ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
by Harriet Hallock (Mrs. Harold A.) Bolz , "Cradle song" [sung text not yet checked]
by Allen Stephen Brings (b. 1934), "A Cradle Song", 1954, orchestrated 1959, note: the sung text begins on stanza 2 [sung text not yet checked]
by Christopher Roland Brown (b. 1943), "Cradle song", 1962 [ soprano, clarinet and piano ], from Three Songs of Innocence, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
by John Callis Brydson (b. 1900), "A cradle song", published 1938 [ SSA chorus with piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by James Henry Baseden Butt (b. 1929), "A cradle song", op. 60 no. 5, published 1980, from Five William Blake Songs, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
by Vincent Henry Palmer Caillard, Sir (1856 - 1930), "A cradle song", published 1891 [ voice and piano ], from The Songs of Innocence of William Blake, no. 11, London : Novello, Ewer & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
by Mary Grant Carmichael (1851 - 1935), "Cradle song", published 1889, stanzas 1-5 [ voice and piano ], from Four Songs, no. 4, London: J. & J. Hopkinson ; possibly published 1887 in Songs of the Stream [sung text checked 1 time]
by Elizabeth Penn Sprague Coolidge (Mrs. Frederick Shurtleff Coolidge) (1864 - 1953), "A cradle song", 19-?? [ voice, piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
by Ronald Corp (b. 1951), "A cradle song", published c1984 [ SS chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Robert Elwood Crane (b. 1919), "A cradle song", published c1954 [ SATB chorus a cappella ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Norman Curtis (b. 1933), "A cradle song", c1959 [ voice and piano ], from William Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
by (Henry) Walford Davies, Sir (1869 - 1941), "A cradle song", op. 4 no. 2, published 1900 [ SSA chorus and piano ], from Four Songs of Innocence, no. 2, London: Novello [sung text not yet checked]
by Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927), "Sweet dreams, form a shade ", 1988, published 1991, first performed 1988 [ SATB chorus and brass (three trumpets, three trombones) or piano ], from A Feast for Christmas, no. 4, Charlene Archibeque Choral Series, Santa Barbara Music Publishing [sung text not yet checked]
by John Henry Diercks (b. 1927), "Sweet babe", published c1962 [ voice and piano ], from About a Lamb : Four Poems by Blake, no. 3, Bryn Mawr : Tritone Press (Presser) [sung text not yet checked]
by Angela Diller (1877 - 1968), "Sweet dreams, form a shade", published 1910 [ voice and piano ], NY : M. Witmark [sung text not yet checked]
by Frederick Thomas Durrant (1895 - ?), "The Infant Christ", published c1939 [ unison chorus and piano ], London : Stainer & Bell [sung text not yet checked]
by Donato D. Fornuto (b. 1931), "A cradle song", published c1973 [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence and Experience, no. 3, NY : Harold Branch Music Publishing Co. [sung text not yet checked]
by John Frandsen (b. 1956), "A cradle song ", 1984 [ soprano and guitar ], from Songs of Innocence I, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
by Ossip (or Iosef) Salomonovich Gabrilovich (1878 - 1936), "Cradle song", published 1917 [ voice and piano ], NY : G. Schirmer [sung text not yet checked]
by William Henry Gill (flourished 1890), "Sweet dreams : a Cradle Song", published 1892 [ SSA trio and piano ], London : Novello, Ewer & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
by Philip Gordon (1894 - 1983), "Cradle song", published c1966 [ SATB chorus and piano ], NY : Mills Music (Belwin-Mills) [sung text not yet checked]
by Ole Carsten Green (b. 1922), "A cradle song", op. 27b no. 10 (1973) [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 10 [sung text not yet checked]
by Margo Lynn Greene (b. 1948), "A cradle song", 1972 [ mezzo-soprano and orchestra ], from Five Songs for Mezzo-Soprano and Orchestra, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
by Christian Victor Hely-Hutchinson (1901 - 1947), "Cradle song", published c1932 [ women's or boys' chorus and piano or strings ], from The Echoing Green and Other Songs, from Blake's Songs of Innocence, no. 6, London : Elkin & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
by Arthur Hinton (1869 - 1941), "A cradle song ", op. 19 no. 3, published 1903? [ medium voice and piano ], from Four Songs from William Blake, no. 3, London : Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
by Joseph Holbrooke (1878 - 1958), "Cradle song", op. 130 no. 9 (1934), from Songs of Innocence, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
by Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934), "Cradle song", op. 16 no. 5 (1904), first performed 1904? [ soprano and piano ], from Six Songs, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
by Amy Elise Horrocks (1867 - 1919), "Sweet dreams (Cradle song)", published 1900 [ duet for soprano and alto with piano ], London : Augener [sung text not yet checked]
by Helen C. Howarth , "Cradle song", published c1909 [ medium voice and piano ], from 7 songs of William Blake, no. 2, London ; New York : Breitkopf & Härtel [sung text not yet checked]
by Peter John Hurford (b. 1930), "Blake's cradle song", published c1976 [ SS chorus and keyboard ], Eastwood, Essex, England : Basil Ramsey (Roberton) [sung text not yet checked]
by Herbert Reynolds Inch (1904 - 1988), "Cradle song", published c1960 [ SSA chorus a cappella ], NY : Dow Publishers [sung text not yet checked]
by John (Nicholson) Ireland (1879 - 1962), "A cradle song", published c1914 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], London: Stainer & Bell [sung text not yet checked]
by (John) Michael Jacques (b. 1944), "A cradle song", 1966 [ soprano voices and piano with optional accompaniment for strings, 2 clarinets, and piano ], from Six Songs of Innocence, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
by Ben Johnston (b. 1926), "A cradle song", 1975 [ soprano, clarinet, oboe, flute, viola, and contrabass ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]
by (Herbert) Kelsey Jones (b. 1922), "Cradle song", 1961 [ soprano, piano, and chamber orchestra ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
by Theron Kirk (1919 - 1999), "Lullaby", published c1974 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Four William Blake Songs, no. 3, Park Ridge, IL : Pallma Music Co. (Kjos) [sung text not yet checked]
by James J. Klingler , "A cradle song", c1974 [sung text not yet checked]
by Dorothy Hill Klotzman , "Sweet dreams", published c1967 [ 2-part chorus a cappella ], from Poetical Sketches, no. 2, NY : Mercury Music Corp. [sung text not yet checked]
by Karl Richard Korte (b. 1928), "A cradle song ", 1961, published c1966 [ SSA chorus and piano? ], from Four Blake Songs, no. 3, Boston : E. C. Schirmer [sung text not yet checked]
by Richard Bamford Lane (1933 - 2004), "A cradle song", 1974, first performed 1974 [ SSA chorus and strings ], from Some Songs of Innocence, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
by André Laporte (b. 1931), "A cradle song ", 1979, published c1983 [ SSSS chorus a cappella ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 6, Kontich, Belgium : De notenboom [sung text not yet checked]
by Christopher Kaye Le Fleming (b. 1908), "Finale : Cradle song", op. 5 no. 17, published c1933 [ soprano, alto, unison chorus, 2-part chorus, piano, and strings ], from The Echoing Green , no. 17, London : J. W. Chester (Marks) [sung text not yet checked]
by Carl G. Linner , "A cradle song", c1922 [ voice and piano ], unpublished [sung text not yet checked]
by Charles Harford Lloyd (1849 - 1919), "Sweet dreams, form a shade", published 1916 [ high voice and piano ], London : J. Williams [sung text not yet checked]
by Ernest Viviani Lubin (1916 - 1977), "A cradle song ", published c1945 [ high voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 2, NY : G. Schirmer [sung text not yet checked]
by Clarence Lucas (1866 - 1947), "Cradle song", published c1945 [ SATB chorus and piano ], London : Ascherberg, Hopwood & Crew [sung text not yet checked]
by Charles T. Maclary , "A cradle song ", published 1941 [ unison or 2-part treble chorus a cappella ], from Nine Happy Songs, from Songs of Innocence of William Blake, no. 7, Philadelphia : Elkan-Vogel Co. [sung text not yet checked]
by Philip Moore (b. 1943), "Cradle song" [sung text checked 1 time]
by William S. Nagle (d. 1988), "Sweet dreams, form a shade ", published c1939 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], Philadelphia : Oliver Ditson Co. [sung text not yet checked]
by Helmer Nørgaard (b. 1923), "Cradle song", op. 20 no. 1 (1959) [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from 2 Sange, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
by Roxanna Panufnik (b. 1968), "A Cradle Song" [ mixed chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Donald Patriquin (b. 1938), "A cradle song", 1984 [ SSAA chorus, harp, and flute ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
by Frederick B. Prentice , "Sweet dreams", published c1969 [ SATB chorus ], Waco, TX : Sacred Songs [sung text not yet checked]
by Ellen Raskin (1928 - 1984), "A cradle song", published 1966 [ voice and piano or guitar ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 11, Garden City, NY : Doubleday [sung text not yet checked]
by Geraldine Dorothy Rasmussen (b. 1925?6), "A cradle song", 1970, published c1973, Fort Lauderdale, FL : Press Time Co. [sung text not yet checked]
by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "Sweet Dreams, Form a Shade", op. 473 (1956) [sung text not yet checked]
by Katherine Louise Richards , "A cradle song", c1925 [sung text not yet checked]
by Enid Dorothy Richardson (b. 1905), "Blake's cradle song", 1964, first performed 1964 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Richard Roderick-Jones (b. 1947), "A cradle song ", 1967-8 [ soprano, SSA chorus, and orchestra ], from cantata Songs of Innocence, no. 4 [sung text not yet checked]
by Landon Ronald, Sir (1873 - 1938), "A cradle song", published c1916, 1944 [ voice and piano ], from Four Songs of Innocence, no. 3, London : Enoch & Sons; NY : G. Ricordi [sung text not yet checked]
by Sven-David Sandström (b. 1942), "A cradle song ", 1978, published c1980 [ double mixed chorus a cappella ], Stockholm : Nordiska Musikförlaget (Edition Wilhelm Hansen) [sung text not yet checked]
by Paul Schwartz (1907 - 1999), "A cradle song", 196-? [ voice and piano ], from Blake Songs, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
by David Stanley Smith (1877 - 1949), "A cradle song ", op. 15 (Four Songs for a Medium Voice, with Piano Accompaniment) no. 1, published c1906 [ medium voice and piano ], NY : G. Schirmer [sung text not yet checked]
by Johannes Somary (b. 1935), "Cradle song", 1973, first performed 1974 [ duet for soprano and baritone with piano ], from Six Songs of Innocence, no. 5 [sung text not yet checked]
by Masters van Someren-Godfery (d. 1947), "A cradle song ", published c1952 [ voice and piano ], from Six Blake Songs, no. 4, London : Augener [sung text not yet checked]
by Ronald Stevenson (b. 1928), "A cradle song", 1948-50, rev. 1965 [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 11, another version exists for voice, flute, and string quintet (composed 1966-71) [sung text not yet checked]
by Dorothy Wauchope Stewart , "Cradle song", published c1926 [ unison and 2-part treble chorus ], from Eight Songs of Innocence, no. 7, London : H. W. F. Deane & Sons, The Year Book Press [sung text not yet checked]
by John Austin Sykes (1909 - 1962), "A cradle song", 1935-6, first performed 1975 [ voice and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 9 [sung text not yet checked]
by David Evan Thomas (b. 1958), "Sweet dreams, form a shade", 1995, stanzas 1-4, 5:1-2 [ medium voice, piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
by Lester Trimble (b. 1923), "A cradle song ", published c1967 [ SSAA chorus with optional organ or piano ], NY : C. F. Peters [sung text not yet checked]
by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958), "Blake's cradle song", published c1928 [ unison chorus and piano or organ ], London : Oxford University Press ; in The Oxford Book of Carols, ed. Percy Dearmer et al. [sung text not yet checked]
by Ernest Walker (1870 - 1949), "A cradle song ", op. 7 no. 3, published 1898 [ SS chorus or SA chorus and piano ], from Songs of Innocence, no. 3, London : J. Williams [sung text not yet checked]
by Felix Harold White (1884 - 1945), "Sleep, happy child", published c1925 [ voice and piano ], London : Boosey & Co. [sung text not yet checked]
by Maude Valérie White (1855 - 1937), "Cradle song: Sweet dreams, form a shade ", published c1892 [ SA chorus (or solo voice, omitting second part) and piano ], from Twelve Songs for Children, no. 3, London : Boosey & Co. [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 32
Word count: 166

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