The Cloak, The Boat And The Shoes

William Butler Yeats 1865 (Sandymount) – 1939 (Menton)



'What do you make so fair and bright?'

'I make the cloak of Sorrow:
O lovely to see in all men's sight
Shall be the cloak of Sorrow,
In all men's sight.'

'What do you build with sails for flight?'

'I build a boat for Sorrow:
O swift on the seas all day and night
Saileth the rover Sorrow,
All day and night.'

What do you weave with wool so white?'

'I weave the shoes of Sorrow:
Soundless shall be the footfall light
In all men's ears of Sorrow,
Sudden and light.'

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

29 sec read
424

Quick analysis:

Scheme A BABA A BABA A BABA
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 457
Words 100
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 1, 4, 1, 4, 1, 4

William Butler Yeats

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. more…

All William Butler Yeats poems | William Butler Yeats Books

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