The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-09-29
THE cHILD's Ev'NING PRAYER

THE CHILD'S Ev'NING PRAYER.
"Who that has lived through years of
careless gayety, or sorrow, or crime, has
forgotten that little prayer, so often MUIR
INJURED at the mothers knee:
Now lay me down to sleep,
pray the Lord my soul to keep;
If should die before wake,
l pray the Lord my soul to take.
The origin of this stanza it is difficnIt
to trace. 1t appeared in the New Eng
land Primer more than four score years
ago, and WINS probably then as many
years older, although some have ascribed
it to DIR. Watts. Mr.. Tower. in his pic
torial Reader mentions rs fact related
of J. @. Adams, that during his long life,
he never retired to bed without repeating
the above prayer of his childhood. which,
learned from a mothers lips, he had been
early taught to lisp. The prevailing SEN
timent, so sublimely simple, however
ehildishly expressed, SO affected some
poet of later days, as to originate one of
the most toucing little poems in our Ian
guage. The name of the author is not
now remembered; but the beautiful pro-
duction ought to be immortalized by gen
eral republication every year."
The dreamy night draws nigh;
Soft airs delicious breathe of mingled flowers,
Aud on the wings of slumber creep the hours;
The moon is high =
See yonder tiny cot.
The lattice decked with vines-a tremulous ray,
Steals out to where the silver moonbeams lay,
Yet pales them not
Within, two holy eyes,
Two little hands clasped softly, and brow
Where thought sits busy. weaving garlands now
of Joy and sighs
For the swift coming years
Two rosy lips with innocent worship part -
bist be thou saint-or skeptic if thou art
Thou must have ears =;
Now lay me down to sleep,
l pray the Lord my soul TO keep;
And if die before wake.
- I pray the Lord my soul TO take"
Doth it not noiseless open
The very foodgates of the heart, and make
a better man of thee tor her sweet sake,
Who with strong hope,
Her sweet task ne'er forgot
To whisper. Now I lay me" DER and DER,
AS then didst kneel upon the sanded floor
Forget them not
From many festive hall
Where flashing light and flushing glances vie,
And, robed in splendor. mirth makes revelry-
Soft voices call
On the light-hearted throngs,
Tosweep the harp strings and join the dance,
The careless girl starts lightly, as percbance
Amid the songs,
The merry laugh. the jest,
Come to her vision songs of long ago,
When by her snowy couch she murmured low,
Before her rest.
That single infants prayer;
Once more at home, she lays her Jewels by,
Throws back the curls that shade her heavy eye.
And kneelirg there
With quivering lip and sigh,
81. rings,
The golden coronet from her brow, and filings
OIL And filings the baables by;
Nor doth she thoughtless dare
To seek her rest, till she hath asked of Heaven
That all her sins thro' Christ may be forgiven
Then comes the prayer
Now lay me down TO sleep,
] pray the Lord nay soul to keep;
If should die before l wake,
I pray the Lord my soul TO take
The warrior on the field,
After the battle, pillowing his head
Perhaps upon fallen comrade dead,
Scorns not to yield,
To the sweet memories ofhis childhood hour,
when fame was bartered for crimson fower:-
The statesman gray,
His massive brow all hung with laurel leaves,
Forgets his honors. while his memory weaves
4 picture ofthat home, mid woods and streams.
Where hoary mountains caught the suns first
beams
A cabin rude, the wide fields glistening,
The cattle yoked, and mutely listening.
Tho farmers TOLL the farmers fare, and best
OF earthly luxuries. the farmers rest -
Eut hank soft voice steals upon his heart
"Now say your prayer, my son, before We part"
And, clasping his great hands-a child once
Upon his breast. forgetting LIES long war
Thus hear him pray =
"Eow lay me down 10 sleep,
Ipray the Lord my soul to keep,
If should die before wake.
] pray the Lord my saul to take"
UsEEuLNEss.-Blessed are they who
see the day of glory, but more blessed arc
they who contribute Tots approach.