The fire upon the hearth is low
And there is stillness everywhere
And like winged spirits here and there
The firelight's shadows flutter and go
And as the shadows around me creep
A childish voice breaks the gloom
And softly from a further room
Comes: "Now I lay me down to sleep".

Somehow that little prayer
And that sweet voice in my ears
My mind goes back to distant years
And lingers with a dear one there
And as I hear the child's amen
My mother's faith comes back to me
Crouched at her side I seem to be
And mother holds my hands again.

Oh for just an hour in that dear place
For the peace of that dear time
For that childish trust sublime
Just a glimpse of mother's face!
Yet as the moon does the nighttime keep
I do not seem to be alone
Sweet magic of that child's tone
And "Now I lay me down to sleep"!