"To all, to each, a fair good-night, and pleasing dreams, and slumbers light"
About this Quote
Walter Scott’s line, “To all, to each, a fair good-night, and pleasing dreams, and slumbers light,” carries a gentle, universal benediction, a wish that extends warmly beyond the poet’s immediate circle. The phrase “To all, to each” emphasizes inclusivity, no one is left out. Every individual, regardless of rank or relationship, is wrapped in the blanket of Scott’s compassionate sentiment. The succession of the words “fair good-night” signals more than just a routine farewell; it signals a hope for peace, comfort, and contentment as day transitions into night.
Moving through the phrase, “and pleasing dreams, and slumbers light,” Scott invokes the intangible realm of sleep, a time when the cares of the waking world briefly dissolve. “Pleasing dreams” are not simply idle fantasies, but blessings, affirmations that the subconscious might be visited by gentle thoughts rather than troubled ones. It’s an emotional safeguard offered to all, shielding recipients from nightly worries or subconscious fears.
With “slumbers light,” the poet conjures images of resting deeply yet peacefully, free from distress or nightmarish interruption. Light slumber in this context is restful but not burdened, a state of physical and mental ease. The rhythm and wording suggest a parent’s good-night to a beloved child, yet Scott’s language is deliberately expansive, aiming this deep kindness outward to a larger community. There’s a sense of universal goodwill and hope for renewal that sleep can bring after the fatigue and struggles of the day.
Scott’s words may close an evening or chapter with finality, but they do so gently, offering reassurance and a promise of better things in the realm of dreams. Such a wish transcends mere politeness; it encapsulates a profound empathy, a longing for communal peace that is timeless and humanly resonant.
More details
About the Author