All Through the Night
(Ar Hyd Y Nos)
Version 1
Music File
Barry Taylor

Information
Lyrics
The ancient Welsh folk song, Ar Hyd y Nos. It was first published under that name by Bardd y Brenin (Edward Jones) in Musical Relicks of the Welsh Bards(1784).* The first English lyrics were possibly written by Amelia Opie and was sung to an English setting, "Here beneath a willow weepeth poor Mary Ann." Those lyrics were eventually replaced by Harold Boulton's now familiar lyrics.

There is another set of lyrics at All Through the Night (2).

Sleep my child and peace attend thee,
All through the night
Guardian angels God will send thee,
All through the night
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping
Hill and vale in slumber sleeping,
I my loving vigil keeping
All through the night.

While the moon her watch is keeping
All through the night
While the weary world is sleeping
All through the night
O'er they spirit gently stealing
Visions of delight revealing
Breathes a pure and holy feeling
All through the night.

Love, to thee my thoughts are turning
All through the night
All for thee my heart is yearning,
All through the night.
Though sad fate our lives may sever
Parting will not last forever,
There's a hope that leaves me never,
All through the night.

Lyrics in Welsh
*From a Digital Tradition forum thread on the history of children's songs, citing Canu'r Bobl by Huw Williams.