I wander by the edge 
Of this desolate lake 
Where wind cries in the sedge:
Until the axle break 
That keeps the stars in their round, 
And hands hurl in the deep 
The banners of East and West. 
And the girdle of light is unbound, 
Your breast will not lie by the breast
Of your beloved in sleep.

Note: first published in Dome, May 1898 as one of the "Aodh to Dectora. Three Songs", revised 1899, revised 1906.

Composition:

Set to music by Lowell Liebermann (b. 1961), "He Hears The Cry Of The Sedge", op. 40 no. 3 (1993) [ tenor, flute, string quartet, and piano ], from A Poet to His Beloved, no. 3

Text Authorship:

• by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), title 1: "Aedh hears the Cry of the Sedge", title 2: "He hears the Cry of the Sedge", appears in The Wind among the reeds, first published 1899

See other settings of this text.

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

• FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2015, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: David K. Smythe

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 10
Word count: 58