'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.'

About the headline (FAQ)

First published in Dublin University Review, March 1885, revised 1895

Text Authorship:

• by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), "Voices" [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

• by (Robert) Ernest Bryson (1867 - 1942), "The cloak, the boat, and the shoes", <<1927 [ chorus and orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
• by Walter Butler , "The cloak, the boat, and the shoes", published <<1940 [ voice and orchestra ], from Four Irish Lyrics [sung text not yet checked]
• by Stanley Grill (b. 1953), "The Cloak, the Boat, and the Shoes", copyright © 2002 [ soprano and strings ], from Two Sad Songs, no. 2, confirmed with an online score [sung text checked 1 time]
• by Ben Moore (b. 1960), "The cloak, the boat, and the shoes" [ medium-high voice and piano ], from 14 Songs, no. 13, G. Schirmer [sung text not yet checked]
• by Raymond Warren (1928 - 2025), "The cloak, the boat, and the shoes", 1959 [ SSATB chorus a cappella ], from Irish Madrigals [sung text not yet checked]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2004-06-14
Line count: 15
Word count: 92