Gentle stories for sleep. Old tales from the public domain, retold softly and read slowly in a calm British voice, with a quiet music bed underneath.
Each episode brings three stories, about forty minutes in all, and once a week the whole three-hour programme plays in one sitting.
There is nothing to follow and nothing to remember. If you drift off in the middle of a story, the story has done its work.
Every story has its own page at https://somnusrest.com, and the full three-hour programmes are on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@SomnusZenRest.
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
The Silver River and the Bridge of Wings · lantern light | gentle stories for sleep
Each of these tales turns gently from effort toward acceptance, showing how patience, humility and letting go open the way to quiet peace.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Silver River and the Bridge of Wings
2. The Harp That Waited in the Valley
3. The Mended Bowl in the Dewy Garden
From the Somnus programme "Lantern Light: Gentle Old Tales from China, Japan and Korea".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
16 Oct 2026
The Valley That Listened · lantern light | gentle stories for sleep
Each of these stories turns on the same soft act of noticing, whether of a great creature crossing the fields, a reflection on still water, or a single flower in the grey light before dawn.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Valley That Listened
2. The Moon on the Lotus Pond
3. One Stem in the Grey Light
From the Somnus programme "Lantern Light: Gentle Old Tales from China, Japan and Korea".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
14 Oct 2026
The Stranger in the Bronze · lantern light | gentle stories for sleep
Each of these tales follows a quiet turning, from seeing oneself truly, to serving another without reward, to loving gently while letting go.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Stranger in the Bronze
2. The Red Thread and the Moonlit Courtyard
3. The Willow That Learned to Bend
From the Somnus programme "Lantern Light: Gentle Old Tales from China, Japan and Korea".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
12 Oct 2026
The Brothers Who Traded Hands · lantern light | gentle stories for sleep
Each of these stories moves gently toward acceptance, showing how patience, humour and simple kindness can turn ordinary lives into something quietly abundant.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Brothers Who Traded Hands
2. Flour on the Sleeve
3. The Farmer Who Left a Bowl for the Bullfrog
From the Somnus programme "Lantern Light: Gentle Old Tales from China, Japan and Korea".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
11 Oct 2026
Lantern Light | full programme, 3 hours
The whole programme in one sitting: 15 stories, 3 hours, with the same welcome and the same gentle gaps as the Somnus programme.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Dokkaebi Who Turned the Sandals Around
2. The Child Who Came Down the Water Stair
3. The Fog That Would Not Lift
4. The Brothers Who Traded Hands
5. Flour on the Sleeve
6. The Farmer Who Left a Bowl for the Bullfrog
7. The Stranger in the Bronze
8. The Red Thread and the Moonlit Courtyard
9. The Willow That Learned to Bend
10. The Valley That Listened
11. The Moon on the Lotus Pond
12. One Stem in the Grey Light
13. The Silver River and the Bridge of Wings
14. The Harp That Waited in the Valley
15. The Mended Bowl in the Dewy Garden
From the Somnus programme "Lantern Light: Gentle Old Tales from China, Japan and Korea".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
9 Oct 2026
The Dokkaebi Who Turned the Sandals Around · lantern light | gentle stories for sleep
Each of these tales shows how good things arrive quietly, through patience and gentleness rather than force, and how ease follows a willing, open hand.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Dokkaebi Who Turned the Sandals Around
2. The Child Who Came Down the Water Stair
3. The Fog That Would Not Lift
From the Somnus programme "Lantern Light: Gentle Old Tales from China, Japan and Korea".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
7 Oct 2026
The Young Gull and the Net-Mender · by the water | gentle stories for sleep
Each story turns toward a gentle order that holds things together, whether in a village of nets, a night of reunion, or a pond kept quiet company by rain.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Young Gull and the Net-Mender
2. The Bridge of Joy Birds
3. The Hermit, the Heron, and the Gentle Rain
From the Somnus programme "By the Water: Gentle Stories of Rivers, Shores and Wells".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
5 Oct 2026
The Kestrel on the Clock Tower · by the water | gentle stories for sleep
Each story turns quietly toward belonging, showing how creatures and hearts alike find their place by patience, by joining in, and by simply staying near.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Kestrel on the Clock Tower
2. The Bird Who Would Not Dig the Stream
3. The Twin Pines and the Moon-Road
From the Somnus programme "By the Water: Gentle Stories of Rivers, Shores and Wells".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
4 Oct 2026
By the Water | full programme, 3 hours
The whole programme in one sitting: 15 stories, 3 hours, with the same welcome and the same gentle gaps as the Somnus programme.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Riverside Inn and the Evening Song
2. The Fountain in the Beech Wood
3. The Well That Remembers Every Face
4. The Child the River Brought
5. The Queen Who Remembered How to Laugh
6. The Ship That Is Always Coming
7. The Feather Robe in the Pine
8. The Fish Who Chose Another Water
9. The Wise Angler and the Small Fish of the Morning River
10. The Kestrel on the Clock Tower
11. The Bird Who Would Not Dig the Stream
12. The Twin Pines and the Moon-Road
13. The Young Gull and the Net-Mender
14. The Bridge of Joy Birds
15. The Hermit, the Heron, and the Gentle Rain
From the Somnus programme "By the Water: Gentle Stories of Rivers, Shores and Wells".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
2 Oct 2026
The Feather Robe in the Pine · by the water | gentle stories for sleep
Each story unfolds beside water, where trust, patience and quiet wisdom show that release, gentleness and belonging carry us further than struggle ever could.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Feather Robe in the Pine
2. The Fish Who Chose Another Water
3. The Wise Angler and the Small Fish of the Morning River
From the Somnus programme "By the Water: Gentle Stories of Rivers, Shores and Wells".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
30 Sept 2026
The Child the River Brought · by the water | gentle stories for sleep
Each of these stories turns to water for its patience, showing how quiet trust, shared laughter, and steady waiting reveal what has been true all along.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Child the River Brought
2. The Queen Who Remembered How to Laugh
3. The Ship That Is Always Coming
From the Somnus programme "By the Water: Gentle Stories of Rivers, Shores and Wells".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
28 Sept 2026
The Riverside Inn and the Evening Song · by the water | gentle stories for sleep
These three stories move gently from simple contentment beside the water to the quiet kindness and humility found at a forest well.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Riverside Inn and the Evening Song
2. The Fountain in the Beech Wood
3. The Well That Remembers Every Face
From the Somnus programme "By the Water: Gentle Stories of Rivers, Shores and Wells".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
27 Sept 2026
The Meadow at First Light · creatures great and small | gentle stories for sleep
Each of these stories turns on a small act of patience or courtesy, showing how attention and kindness, freely given, quietly shape the world around us.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Meadow at First Light
2. The Willow and the Slow Morning
3. The Parsee, the Rhinoceros, and the Cake Left Cooling in the Sun
From the Somnus programme "Creatures Great and Small: Gentle Animal Tales for Deep Sleep".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
27 Sept 2026
Creatures Great and Small | full programme, 3 hours
The whole programme in one sitting: 15 stories, 3 hours, with the same welcome and the same gentle gaps as the Somnus programme.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Meadow at First Light
2. The Willow and the Slow Morning
3. The Parsee, the Rhinoceros, and the Cake Left Cooling in the Sun
4. The Road of Small Kindnesses
5. The Monkey, the Tortoise, and the Heron at Dawn
6. The Piebald Horses of the Wide Grass
7. The Moonlit Meadow and the Patient Hill
8. The Note the Rain Rewrote
9. The Girl Who Watched the Mountains
10. The Ember and the Wheel of Fire
11. The Ribbon of Birds Above the Valley
12. The Two Frogs and the Hill Between
13. The Old Woman, the Little Pig, and the Long Kindness of the Lane
14. The Meadow of Small Kingdoms
15. The Hawk That Climbed on Nothing
From the Somnus programme "Creatures Great and Small: Gentle Animal Tales for Deep Sleep".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
27 Sept 2026
The Road of Small Kindnesses · creatures great and small | gentle stories for sleep
Each story turns gently on what is given freely and returned in kind, showing how loyalty, small acts of care, and simple difference are quietly worth cherishing.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Road of Small Kindnesses
2. The Monkey, the Tortoise, and the Heron at Dawn
3. The Piebald Horses of the Wide Grass
From the Somnus programme "Creatures Great and Small: Gentle Animal Tales for Deep Sleep".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
27 Sept 2026
The Moonlit Meadow and the Patient Hill · creatures great and small | gentle stories for sleep
Each story turns on the same quiet idea, that patience, honesty, and attention to small things reveal a wonder already present in ordinary life.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Moonlit Meadow and the Patient Hill
2. The Note the Rain Rewrote
3. The Girl Who Watched the Mountains
From the Somnus programme "Creatures Great and Small: Gentle Animal Tales for Deep Sleep".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
27 Sept 2026
The Ember and the Wheel of Fire · creatures great and small | gentle stories for sleep
These three stories share a quiet attention to how small shifts in temper, understanding, and viewpoint can bring a wider sense of peace.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Ember and the Wheel of Fire
2. The Ribbon of Birds Above the Valley
3. The Two Frogs and the Hill Between
From the Somnus programme "Creatures Great and Small: Gentle Animal Tales for Deep Sleep".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
27 Sept 2026
The Old Woman, the Little Pig, and the Long Kindness of the Lane · creatures great and small | gentle stories for sleep
Each story moves gently from small, patient attention toward a larger pattern, showing how kindness, order and mystery all rest quietly within the same watchful stillness.
Tonight's stories:
1. The Old Woman, the Little Pig, and the Long Kindness of the Lane
2. The Meadow of Small Kingdoms
3. The Hawk That Climbed on Nothing
From the Somnus programme "Creatures Great and Small: Gentle Animal Tales for Deep Sleep".
No adverts, no interruptions: the stories run one after another with a gentle music bed between them, and the music fades to silence at the end.
The narration is a synthetic voice, chosen and checked by ear. The stories are retold from old, public-domain tales.
Contact Somnus Rest: Gentle Stories for Sleep
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