The I’m Tired Quote of the Day

  Many of you know that I am a classical guitarist. Classical guitar has been my earliest and most important passion. Today, I realized that after posting many “I’m Tired Quotes of the Day”, I realized that I have been neglecting a really important work in the guitar world. The piece of music, I am referring to is “Nocturnal” by Benjamin Britten. It is based on a English Lute Song by John Dowland entitled “Come Heavy Sleep”. I urge you to check out both the Nocturnal, and Come Heavy Sleep. Both works are amazingly beautiful.

Here are the lyrics to Come Heavy Sleep,

Come, heavy Sleep the image of true Death;
And close up these my weary weeping eyes:
Whose spring of tears doth stop my vital breath,
And tears my heart with Sorrow’s sigh-swoll’n cries:
Come and possess my tired thought-worn soul,
That living dies, till thou on me be stole.

Come shadow of my end, and shape of rest,
Allied to Death, child to his black-fac’d Night:
Come thou and charm these rebels in my breast,
Whose waking fancies do my mind affright.
O come sweet Sleep; come or I die for ever:
Come ere my last sleep comes, or come never.

OK, it’s a little darker than my usual quote of the day. But if you listen to either the Nocturnal, or the original lute song, you will realize just how incredible it is. I heard a little rumor that Sting recorded this piece, on his english lute song album….I say rumor, only because I won’t purchase this cd – in my opinion Sting should stick to what Sting does best….and not mess with music from the Renaissance period.

**picture source – www.kipar.org