by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)

The Cloak, the Boat, and the Shoes
 (Sung text for setting by S. Grill)
 Matches original text
Language: English 
'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.'
First published in Dublin University Review, March 1885, revised 1895

Composition:

    Set to music 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

Text Authorship:

See other settings of this text.


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

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