all that dazzling dawn has put asunder:
you gather a lamb, gather a kid,
gather a child to its mother.
― Sappho
Sleep my little baby-oh
Sleep until you waken
When you wake you'll see the world
If I'm not mistaken...
Kiss a lover
Dance a measure,
Find your name
And buried treasure...
Face your life
Its pain,
Its pleasure,
Leave no path untaken.
― Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book
The above watercolour, titled “Around the Evening Lamp,” was painted by Carl Larsson (1853–1919) in 1900. Doesn't the vase of blooming poppies in the middle of the dining table make an absolutely stunning centrepiece? I thought it was clever to incoirporate the flowers into a twilight painting since poppies have traditionally been associated with sleep and dreams. I found the original work a bit cold (I think it was meant to represent a winter scene) so I warmed up the colours in my digitally enhanced version. If you like, you can download my version as a high-res, printable 9.5” x 11” @ 300 ppi JPEG here.
Digitally enhanced reproductions of public domain fine art are shared under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Since we are exploring themes of rest and sleep, I thought I would include this antique nature-themed lullaby with an illustration of a mother cradling a sleepy child on a porch with the setting sun in the background. Called “In Gold and Purple,” this work was first published in 1888 with words by Marian Fairlamb and music arranged by J. Remington Fairlamb, once an American Consul appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to a post in Zurich. The 8” x 11” @ 300 ppi JPEG of the lullaby can be found without a watermark here.
The sun has sunk to his bed in the west, Bye, baby, bye!
And stars peep out to say “Good-night,”
To dear little baby all robed in white,
My baby whose golden locks shine in the light, Bye, baby, bye!
The trees are chanting a slumber song, Bye, baby, bye!
In time with the brook as it purls along, Bye, baby, bye!
The mother bird gathers its fledgings to rest,
And flutters above them all warm in their nest,
And baby's head lies on mother's breast, Bye, baby, bye!
My baby in slumberland soon will rest, Bye, baby, bye!
With visions in gold and purple blest, Bye, baby, bye!
Where skies are more fair and trees more green
Than anything mortal has ever seen,
But baby the brightest of all, I ween, Bye, baby, bye!
My baby's eyes are closing fast, Bye, baby, bye!
To weary limbs rest has come at last, Bye, baby, bye!
An angel stoops and kisses the face,
And baby smiles with cherubic grace,
And heav'nly light transfigures the place, Bye, baby, bye!
Antique nature lullaby is from my personal collection of ephemera. It can be incorporated into your creative works but is not for resale “as-is.” Credit to FieldandGarden.com appreciated but not required.
