Lullaby for a Godson

 

Sleep, New One, beloved New One.

Fold the blue mist of your eyes

Into the blue mist of your soul,

And show your soul this other,

The outer face of Mother,

You sought as a turnsole

Seeks in morning skies

The kind rays of the sun.

 

Sleep, Little One, lovely Little One.

Child, if you are not divine

Then divine we’ll never know.

Small and pure, a perfect whole,

You are the image of your soul.

Sleep.  Promised milk will flow

And honeyed sun will shine.

Sleep until the day’s begun.

 

Sleep has found the quiet birds

Folded in the moonlit trees,

Closed the round eye of the squirrel,

Whispering her motherese;

The groundhog in its secret den

Sleep has found with perfect ease;

She’s combed the dark and golden hives,

Hushing all their honeybees;

And sleep will come to you my love,

Just as she has slumbered these.

 

You’re asleep in our Eden, First One,

With all the soft happy animals

We evolved to give you joy;

     Stars turn to a delicate melody

   In the crib-light we said let there be.

Even our serpent is a smiling toy

With a red velvet tongue: no one falls

Except to sleep in our Eden, Loved One.