Nor do I regret his flight,

More alert my spirits rise,

And my heart is free and light.

Nature silent all around,

Not a single witness near;

God as soon as sought is found;

And the flame of love burns clear.

Interruption, all day long,

Checks the current of my joys;

Creatures press me with a throng,

And perplex me with their noise.

Undisturbed I muse all night,

On the first Eternal Fair;

Nothing there obstructs delight,

Love is renovated there.

Life, with its perpetual stir,

Proves a foe to love and me;

Fresh entanglements occur --

Comes the night, and sets me free.

Never more, sweet sleep, suspend

My enjoyments, always new:

Leave me to possess my friend;

Other eyes and hearts subdue.

Hush the world, that I may wake

To the taste of pure delights;

Oh the pleasures I partake --

God, the partner of my nights!

David, for the selfsame cause,

Night preferred to busy day;

Hearts whom heavenly beauty draws,

Wish the glaring sun away.

Sleep, self-lovers, is for you --

Souls that love celestial know

Fairer scenes by night can view

Than the sun could ever show.