This song, with its heavy, clinging eroticism, is one of the most

sensual of all vocal compositions. The voice and piano create a

perfect partnership in setting the mood, and the result is astonishingly

vivid.

"On a pale lily, my heart sleeps, in a sleep as sweet as death. Exquisite

death, death perfumed with the breath of my beloved...on your pale

breast, my heart sleeps, in a sleep as sweet as death."

The vocal lines are soft and almost monotonous, lying above the equally

soft chords of the accompaniment. The rhythms are slow and sensual,

and the sense of soft, languid movements is highly erotic. The song

ends with one last, long chord from the accompaniment, held until it

is barely audible.

© All Music Guide