Duparc was a master at setting a mood, particularly moods of melancholy

or sensuality. This song is a prime example of the latter. The lover

watches Phidyle sleep, and anticipates her awakening. The metaphor of

awakening to sexuality is quite close to the surface, unsurprisingly,

though the most that is mentioned is a kiss and a smile.

The quiet, steady chords of the piano and rather hushed vocal lines set

the almost sopoforic tone, as the singer describes the grass itself as

"soft in sleep, " rise to an enraptured description of the scented breeze

and the flowers, return to the tender sensuality of the refrain, "rest,

o Phidyle, " and then bursts into confident anticipation as the lover imagines

the noontime sun giving way to the afternoon, Phidyle awakening, and awarding

"your most beautiful smile and your best kist, rewarding me for the

wait."

© All Music Guide