Sleep by Charles Peguy
Sleep by Charles Peguy
-translated by Julian Green
I don't like the man who doesn't sleep, says God.
Sleep is the friend of man.
Sleep is the friend of God.
Sleep is perhaps the most beautiful thing I have created.
And I myself rested on the 7th day.
He whose heart is pure, sleeps. And he who sleeps has a pure heart.
That is the great secret of being as indefatigable as a child.
Of having that strength in the legs that a child has.
Those new legs, those new souls,
And to begin afresh every morning, ever new.
Like young hope, new hope.
But they tell me that there are men
Who work well and sleep badly.
Who don't sleep. What a lack of confidence in me.
It is almost more serious than if they worked badly and slept well.
Than if they did not work but slept, because laziness
Is not a greater a greater sin than unrest.
It is not even so great a sin as unrest.
And despair and lack of confidence in me.
I am not talking, says God, about those men
Who don't work and don't sleep.
Those men are sinners to be sure. They have what they deserve.
Great sinners. It's thier fault for not working.
I am talking about those who work and don't sleep.
I pity them.I am talking about those who work and who, in this,
Obey my commandment, poor children.
And who on the other hand lack courage, lack confidence and don't sleep.
I pity them. I have it against them. A little. They won't trust me.
Like the child who innocently lies inhis mother's arms, thus do they not lie
Innocently in the arms of my Providence.
They have the courage to work. They lack the courage to be idle.
They have enough virtue to work. They haven't enough virtue to be idle.
To strech out. To rest. To Sleep.
Poor people, they don't know what is good.
They look after thier buisness very well during the day.
But they haven't enough confidence in me to let me look after it during one night.
He who doesn't sleep in unfaithful to Hope.
And it is the greatest infidelity.
Because it is the infidelity to the greatest Faith.
Poor children, they conduct their buisness with wisdom during the day.
But when evening comes, they can't make up their minds,
They can't be resigned to trust my wisdom for the space of one night.
With the conduct and the governing of their buisness.
As if I was not capable, if you please, of looking after it a little.
Or watching over it.
Of governing and conducting, and all that kind of stuf.
I have a great deal more buisness to look after, poor people,
I govern creation, maybe that is more difficult.
You might perhaps, and no harm done, leave your buisness in my hands, O wise men.
Maybe I am just as wise as you are.
You might perhaps leave it to me for the space of one night.
While you are asleep.
At last
And in the next morning you might find in not too badly damaged perhaps.
The next morning it might not be any worse perhaps.
I may yet be capable of attending to it a little. I am talking of those who work.
And those who obey my commandment.
And don't sleep in this.
Refuse all that is good in my creation,
Sleep, all the good that i have created,
And also refuse such a good
Such a beautiful commandment.
Poor children, they follow human wisdom.
Human wisdom says Don't put of until tommorrow
What can be done the very same day.
But I tell you that he that he who knows how to put of until tommorrow
Is the most agreeable to God.
He who sleeps like a child
Is also he who sleeps like my darling Hope.
And I tell you Put off until tommorrow
Those worries and those troubles which are gnawing at you today
And might very well devour you today.
Put off until tommorrow those sobs that choke you
When you see todays unhappiness.
Those sobs which rise up and strangle you.
Put off until tommorrow those tears which fill your eyes and your head,
Flooding you rolling down your cheeks, those tears which stream down your cheeks.
Because between now and tommorrow, Maybe I God, will have passed by your way.
Human wisdom says: Woe to the man who puts off what he has to do until tommorrow.
And I say Blessed, blessed is the man who puts off what he has to do until tommorrow.
Blessed is he who puts off. That is to say Blessed is he who hopes. And who sleeps.
-translated by Julian Green
I don't like the man who doesn't sleep, says God.
Sleep is the friend of man.
Sleep is the friend of God.
Sleep is perhaps the most beautiful thing I have created.
And I myself rested on the 7th day.
He whose heart is pure, sleeps. And he who sleeps has a pure heart.
That is the great secret of being as indefatigable as a child.
Of having that strength in the legs that a child has.
Those new legs, those new souls,
And to begin afresh every morning, ever new.
Like young hope, new hope.
But they tell me that there are men
Who work well and sleep badly.
Who don't sleep. What a lack of confidence in me.
It is almost more serious than if they worked badly and slept well.
Than if they did not work but slept, because laziness
Is not a greater a greater sin than unrest.
It is not even so great a sin as unrest.
And despair and lack of confidence in me.
I am not talking, says God, about those men
Who don't work and don't sleep.
Those men are sinners to be sure. They have what they deserve.
Great sinners. It's thier fault for not working.
I am talking about those who work and don't sleep.
I pity them.I am talking about those who work and who, in this,
Obey my commandment, poor children.
And who on the other hand lack courage, lack confidence and don't sleep.
I pity them. I have it against them. A little. They won't trust me.
Like the child who innocently lies inhis mother's arms, thus do they not lie
Innocently in the arms of my Providence.
They have the courage to work. They lack the courage to be idle.
They have enough virtue to work. They haven't enough virtue to be idle.
To strech out. To rest. To Sleep.
Poor people, they don't know what is good.
They look after thier buisness very well during the day.
But they haven't enough confidence in me to let me look after it during one night.
He who doesn't sleep in unfaithful to Hope.
And it is the greatest infidelity.
Because it is the infidelity to the greatest Faith.
Poor children, they conduct their buisness with wisdom during the day.
But when evening comes, they can't make up their minds,
They can't be resigned to trust my wisdom for the space of one night.
With the conduct and the governing of their buisness.
As if I was not capable, if you please, of looking after it a little.
Or watching over it.
Of governing and conducting, and all that kind of stuf.
I have a great deal more buisness to look after, poor people,
I govern creation, maybe that is more difficult.
You might perhaps, and no harm done, leave your buisness in my hands, O wise men.
Maybe I am just as wise as you are.
You might perhaps leave it to me for the space of one night.
While you are asleep.
At last
And in the next morning you might find in not too badly damaged perhaps.
The next morning it might not be any worse perhaps.
I may yet be capable of attending to it a little. I am talking of those who work.
And those who obey my commandment.
And don't sleep in this.
Refuse all that is good in my creation,
Sleep, all the good that i have created,
And also refuse such a good
Such a beautiful commandment.
Poor children, they follow human wisdom.
Human wisdom says Don't put of until tommorrow
What can be done the very same day.
But I tell you that he that he who knows how to put of until tommorrow
Is the most agreeable to God.
He who sleeps like a child
Is also he who sleeps like my darling Hope.
And I tell you Put off until tommorrow
Those worries and those troubles which are gnawing at you today
And might very well devour you today.
Put off until tommorrow those sobs that choke you
When you see todays unhappiness.
Those sobs which rise up and strangle you.
Put off until tommorrow those tears which fill your eyes and your head,
Flooding you rolling down your cheeks, those tears which stream down your cheeks.
Because between now and tommorrow, Maybe I God, will have passed by your way.
Human wisdom says: Woe to the man who puts off what he has to do until tommorrow.
And I say Blessed, blessed is the man who puts off what he has to do until tommorrow.
Blessed is he who puts off. That is to say Blessed is he who hopes. And who sleeps.