I dreamed that one had died in a strange place
  Near no accustomed hand;
And they had nailed the boards above her face,
  The peasants of that land,
And, wond'ring, planted by her solitude
  A cypress and a yew:
I came, and wrote upon a cross of wood,
  Man had no more to do:
"She was more beautiful than thy first love,
  This lady by the trees:"
And gazed upon the mournful stars above,
  And heard the mournful breeze.

First published in National Observer, December 1891, revised 1895

Composition:

Set to music by Rebecca Clarke (1886 - 1979), "A dream", 1926, published 1928 [ voice and piano ]

Text Authorship:

• by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), "An epitaph"

See other settings of this text.

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

• FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Une épitaphe", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 79