'He Giveth His Beloved Sleep'

"He Giveth His Beloved Sleep" by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a lyrical poem written during the late 19th century. This poetic work reflects on themes of peace, love, and the solace found in divine gifts, particularly focusing on the comfort of sleep as a profound blessing. The poem can be considered part of the broader genre of religious or spiritual poetry, exploring the emotional and psychological states of the human experience. In this poem, Browning meditates on the nature of sleep as a gift from God, contrasting the tranquility it offers against the chaos and sorrow of earthly existence. She portrays sleep as a serene refuge from the struggles and noises of life, urging a deep acceptance of this divine provision. The speaker expresses a desire for a peaceful ending, encouraging loved ones to embrace the comforting notion that God grants eternal rest to His beloved. The imagery throughout evokes a sense of calmness, reinforcing the idea that sleep is both a necessary and cherished aspect of life, offering respite amidst life's challenges. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Elizabeth Barrett Browning was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime and frequently anthologised after her death. Her work received renewed attention following the feminist scholarship of the 1970s and 1980s, and greater recognition of women writers in English. Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabeth Barrett wrote poetry from the age of eleven. Her mother's collection of her poems forms one of the largest extant collections of juvenilia by any English writer. At 15, she became ill, suffering intense head and spinal pain for the rest of her life. Later in life, she also developed lung problems, possibly tuberculosis. She took laudanum for the pain from an early age, which is likely to have contributed to her frail health.