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The Annotated Edition

SICILIAN LULLABY by Eugene Field

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

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A parent or caregiver gently sings a bedtime song to a little one, encouraging them to hush, dream, and sleep—always inviting them to return.

Poet
Eugene Field
Themes
faith, love, mortality
The PoemFull text

SICILIAN LULLABY

Eugene Field

Hush, little one, and fold your hands; The sun hath set, the moon is high; The sea is singing to the sands, And wakeful posies are beguiled By many a fairy lullaby: Hush, little child, my little child! Dream, little one, and in your dreams Float upward from this lowly place,-- Float out on mellow, misty streams To lands where bideth Mary mild, And let her kiss thy little face, You little child, my little child! Sleep, little one, and take thy rest, With angels bending over thee,-- Sleep sweetly on that Father's breast Whom our dear Christ hath reconciled; But stay not there,--come back to me, O little child, my little child!

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A parent or caregiver gently sings a bedtime song to a little one, encouraging them to hush, dream, and sleep—always inviting them to return. Each verse guides the child through the different stages of night: calming down, drifting into dreams, and finally resting under God's watchful care, ending with a heartfelt request not to stay away for too long.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Hush, little one, and fold your hands; / The sun hath set, the moon is high;

    Editor's note

    The opening stanza paints a picture of nightfall. The speaker gently advises the child to be still and fold their hands — a gesture that signifies both prayer and rest. Nature participates in this moment: the sea serenades the sand, and even the flowers ("wakeful posies") are being gently lulled to sleep by fairy songs. The entire world is settling down along with the child.

  2. Dream, little one, and in your dreams / Float upward from this lowly place,--

    Editor's note

    Now the speaker invites the child into dreams. The image of floating "upward" on "mellow, misty streams" gives sleep a gentle, almost weightless quality. The destination is a place where the Virgin Mary is ready to kiss the child's face — a profoundly Catholic image of divine tenderness. Here, sleep transforms into a kind of blessed journey, not merely unconsciousness.

  3. Sleep, little one, and take thy rest, / With angels bending over thee,--

    Editor's note

    The final stanza captures the poem's emotional core. The child is entrusted to God's care — specifically on the "Father's breast" that Christ makes accessible. Yet, the speaker shifts with a heartfelt, human request: *come back to me*. After two stanzas of surrendering the child to heaven, the parent struggles to let go. That last line — "O little child, my little child!" — embodies the love and quiet anxiety of a parent observing a sleeping child.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

Tender and loving, yet tinged with a subtle anxiety underneath. The poem seems serene at first — with soft rhythms and gentle imagery — but the final stanza exposes a parent's true fear of losing their child, even to heaven. It's a lullaby that cares deeply, making it hard to feel completely at ease.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

Folded hands
Both a sign of sleep and of prayer. The child is getting ready for rest and for a connection with the divine at the same time.
Misty streams
The dreaming mind floats between the waking world and something beyond it. The mist blurs the boundary, making it feel gentle and safe instead of scary.
Mary mild
The Virgin Mary embodies the ideal gentle caregiver — a celestial reflection of the earthly parent who sings a soothing lullaby. Her kiss on the child's face resonates with the love the parent wishes to share.
Father's breast
God is like a resting place, made accessible through Christ. It evokes a sense of complete safety—yet the speaker tells the child not to linger there, which speaks volumes about the nature of parental love.
Angels bending over
Heavenly watchers who take the place of a parent during sleep. They also bear a subtle hint of mortality — angels are present at both cradles and deathbeds.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Eugene Field wrote this poem in the late 19th century, a time when many American families faced the reality of child mortality. Known as the "poet of childhood," Field experienced the loss of his own children and often reflected on the delicate, invaluable nature of young life. The poem incorporates Catholic imagery — including the Virgin Mary, the Father's breast, and Christ's reconciliation — which resonated with American readers of various denominations at the time. Lullabies have a long-standing tradition of intertwining parental grief with comfort, and Field follows that tradition closely. The Sicilian setting suggested in the title is more about creating an atmosphere than providing specific details, conjuring a warm Mediterranean world filled with sea, moonlight, and deep religious devotion — a dreamlike backdrop for a poem that ultimately explores the universal fear of loving something so small and fragile.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

Not in any literal sense. Sicily acts as a mood—sun-warmed, Catholic, ancient, and a bit surreal. Field uses it to set the poem apart from everyday American life, giving it a timeless, folk-song feel. The actual setting is just a child's bedside at night.

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