Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900.

By Emma HartWillard

52 Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep

ROCKED in the cradle of the deep

I lay me down in peace to sleep;

Secure I rest upon the wave,

For thou, O Lord! hast power to save.

I know thou wilt not slight my call,

For Thou dost mark the sparrow’s fall;

And calm and peaceful shall I sleep,

Rocked in the cradle of the deep.

When in the dead of night I lie

And gaze upon the trackless sky,

The star-bespangled heavenly scroll,

The boundless waters as they roll,—

I feel thy wondrous power to save

From perils of the stormy wave:

Rocked in the cradle of the deep,

I calmly rest and soundly sleep.

And such the trust that still were mine,

Though stormy winds swept o’er the brine,

Or though the tempest’s fiery breath

Roused me from sleep to wreck and death.

In ocean cave, still safe with Thee

The germ of immortality!

And calm and peaceful shall I sleep,

Rocked in the cradle of the deep.