McGuffey's Sixth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XLVIII · Part 5: Lessons XXXVII-XLVIII: Faith, ambition and character

54. "He Giveth His Beloved Sleep" (Elizabeth B. Browning)

Goal: Your student reads a reflective poem on a Bible verse and explains its main thought.

⏱ About 30 minutes · 7 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗

You'll need

  • The book, or the scan beside this guide
  • A notebook and pen
  • A dictionary

What's in the book

An author note on Elizabeth Barrett Browning, then her poem on the verse "He giveth his beloved sleep" (Psalm 127:2).

The lesson, step by step

  1. Words and meanings

    Before reading, find these words in the selection and look up any your student does not know: psalmist, inward, surpassing.

  2. About the author

    The book says Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1809-1861) was born in London, married the poet Robert Browning in 1846, lived mostly in Italy and died in Florence. It names her "Essay on Mind," written at sixteen, "Lady Geraldine's Courtship" and "Aurora Leigh," calls her one of the ablest women poets, and notes her deep sympathy with suffering.

  3. Read it aloud

    Read the opening together:

    Of all the thoughts of God that are

    Borne inward unto souls afar,

    Along the Psalmist's music deep,

    Now tell me if that any is,

    Your student reads the whole poem slowly. It ends:

    'He giveth his beloved, sleep.'

  4. Talk about it

    SayWhich "thought of God" does the poet think is the tenderest of all?

    SayWhat things do people strive for, that the poem sets beside the gift of sleep?

    SayWhy might sleep be a fitting picture for God's care, and for death?

    SayWhich stanza did you like best?

  5. Tell it back

    Your student explains the poem's main thought in a few sentences.

  6. Copywork and memory

    Copy and learn the first four lines.

  7. Write (optional)

    Write a paragraph on a simple gift (sleep, bread, a friend) that we forget to be thankful for.

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