GOOD NIGHT
Sleep softly my old love
my beauty in the dark
night is a dream we have
as you know as you know
night is a dream you know
an old love in the dark
around you as you go
without end as you know
in the night where you go
sleep softly my old love
without end in the dark
in the love that you know
– W.S. Merwin, from his Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Shadow of Sirius (2008, Copper Canyon Press). Used by permission of the publishers.
Copyright © 2008 by W. S. Merwin.
To browse through our archive of previously posted Poems of the Week, click here.
To support the preservation of W.S. Merwin’s legacy and our efforts to preserve his living legacy for future generations, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to The Merwin Conservancy.
Featured photo by Mark Hillary used under Creative Commons license CC BY 2.0.
