Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, WHEN CHILDREN SLEEP, by LEON GAUTIER


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

WHEN CHILDREN SLEEP, by             Poem Explanation        
First Line: When cradled by their mothers' side
Last Line: Their angels visit them no more.
Subject(s): Children; Innocence; Sin; Sleep; Childhood


When cradled by their mothers' side,
The babes repose in slumber deep,
Dream not they constantly abide
On earth while seemingly asleep.

Ah! no; at times the angels come
And bear them in their arms away,
Far off to Heav'n—their fitting home—
And teach the darlings how to play.

And when the mother's loving eyes
Between the snowy curtains peep,
To watch the baby as he lies
At midnight, wrapt in balmy sleep:

The angels swiftly downward go
To lay him in his dainty cot,
And near the cradle whisper low,
Though the fond mother hears them not.

And then the years in rapid flight,
Like dreams of ecstasy pass by,
And half those days of pure delight
Are spent by infants in the sky.

But when alas! sin's lurid stain
Hath tarnished souls so white before
The children bound to earth remain—
Their angels visit them no more.





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