“Whate'er thy joys, they vanish with the day:
Whate'er thy griefs, in sleep they fade away,
To sleep! to sleep!
Sleep, mournful heart, and let the past be past:
Sleep, happy soul, all life will sleep at last.”

— Alfred, Lord Tennyson , The Foresters

Song, Act I, Scene ii
The Foresters, Robin Hood and Maid Marion (1892)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Whate'er thy joys, they vanish with the day: Whate'er thy griefs, in sleep they fade away, To sleep! to sleep! Sleep…" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson?

Alfred, Lord Tennyson 213

British poet laureate 1809–1892

Related quotes

“Sleep, sleep, beauty bright,
Dreaming o'er the joys of night.
Sleep, sleep: in thy sleep
Little sorrows sit and weep.”

William Blake A Cradle Song

A Cradle Song, st. 1
1790s, Poems from Blake's Notebook (c. 1791-1792)

“O eyes long laid in happy sleep!
O happy sleep, that lightly fled!
O happy kiss, that woke thy sleep!
O love, thy kiss would wake the dead!”

Alfred, Lord Tennyson The Day-Dream

The Departure, st. 3
The Day-Dream (1842)

“Let not sleep fall upon thy eyes till thou has thrice reviewed the transactions of the past day.”

Pythagoras (-585–-495 BC) ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher

As translated in The Rambler No. 8 http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=Joh1Ram.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=8&division=div1 (14 April 1750) by Samuel Johnson
Let not sleep e'er close thy eyes
Without thou ask thyself: What have I omitted and what done?
Abstain thou if 'tis evil; persevere if good.
As translated by Fabre d'Olivet
Do not let sleep close your tired eyes until you have three times gone over the events of the day. 'What did I do wrong? What did I accomplish? What did I fail to do that I should have done?' Starting from the beginning, go through to the end. Then, reproach yourself for the things you did wrong, and take pleasure in the good things you did.
As quoted in Divine Harmony: The Life and Teachings of Pythagoras by John Strohmeier and Peter Westbrook. (1999)
The Golden Verses
Context: Let not sleep fall upon thy eyes till thou has thrice reviewed the transactions of the past day. Where have I turned aside from rectitude? What have I been doing? What have I left undone, which I ought to have done? Begin thus from the first act, and proceed; and, in conclusion, at the ill which thou hast done, be troubled, and rejoice for the good.