Serenade

AH, sweet! thou little knowest how
I wake, and passionate watches keep;
And yet while I address thee now,
Me thinks thou smilest in thy sleep.
‘Tis sweet enough to make me weep
That tender thought of love and thee,
That while the world is hushed so deep
Thy soul’s perhaps awake to me.

Sleep on, sleep on, sweet bride of sleep,
With golden visions for thy dower,
While I this midnight vigil keep,
And bless thee in thy silent bower;
To me ’tis sweeter than the power
Of sleep, and fairy dreams unfurled,
That I alone, at this still hour,
In patient love outwatch the world.