The pleasure of an afternoon nap
Is double that of sleep at night hours.
This is especially true for hot
And stifling summertime, but not
For the other three seasons.
It’s not because I’m favouring summer
Most of all, but just because
A summer day is twice as long
As a winter day, and a summer night
Is not equal to half of a winter night.
If we rest only at night in a hot summer,
That means we are spending only
One-quarter of our time in recovering
And three-quarters in working so far.
How can a man’s energy last long
Under such an arrangement? Yes,
The summer heat is intensive and
Naturally brings about fatigue.
It is as natural to have a snooze in fatigue
As to eat when hungry or to drink
When thirsty. This is the soundest
Of all hygiene. After the midday meal,
We have to wait a while until the food
Is digested and then pace near a couch.
We shouldn’t have the idea
Of being determined to sleep,
For if we sleep with that idea, the sleep
Is not sweet. We should first attend
To something and before the thing
Is properly done, a drowsiness comes
Over us, and some spirits of the dreamland
Come to lull and beckon us, and we arrive
At the fairy place without any effort
Or consciousness of our own mind.
I like a line from an ancient quatrain,
Which says, "My hands when weary throw
The book away and my midday nap
Is healthy prolonged.” When you hold
A book in your hand, you have no idea
Of going to sleep, and when
You throw it away, you have no idea
Of doing any reading. That’s why
You do it instinctively, without any effort.
This can be treated as the alpha and omega
Of the art of sleeping, and what’s more
Important, the art of doing things easy
And effortlessly. When we know the art
Of sleeping as is briefly described here,
We may then truly be named ‘civilized people’
Who follow the forgotten by many today
The priceless idea of ‘naturalness.’
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Sandie