January 29, 2009 8:14 PM
Suo Gan, Empire of the Sun, Christian Bale
It's the beautiful Welsh lullaby Suo Gan - lyrics here - which was used for the theme in Steven Spielberg's 1987 Empire of the Sun.
If you haven't seen this compelling move - the story of a boy trying to survive on his own during the Japanese occupation of China - you really should. It's one of my top 20. And if you're a lot younger than I, you might not know that it was Christian Bale's first real movie (followed two years later by Henry V).
Here is the trailer - not sure if it does a good job enticing an audience, but the movie is much more than what you see in these few moments:
Sleep my baby, at my breast,
'Tis a mother's arms round you.
Make yourself a snug, warm nest.
Feel my love forever new.
Harm will not meet you in sleep,
Hurt will always pass you by.
Child beloved, always you'll keep,
In sleep gentle, mother's breast nigh.Sleep in peace tonight, sleep,
O sleep gently, what a sight.
A smile I see in slumber deep,
What visions make your face bright?
Are the angels above smiling,
At you in your peaceful rest?
Are you beaming back while in
Peaceful slumber on mother's breast?Do not fear the sound, it's a breeze
Brushing leaves against the door.
Do not dread the murmuring seas,
Lonely waves washing the shore.
Sleep child mine, there's nothing here,
While in slumber at my breast,
Angels smiling, have no fear,
Holy angels guard your rest.
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