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I made my song a coat Covered with embroideries Out of old mythologies From heel to throat; But the fools caught it, Wore it in the world's eyes As though they'd wrought it. Song, let them take it For there's more enterprise In walking naked.
About the headline (FAQ)
First published in Poetry, Chicago, May 1914Confirmed with W. B. Yeats, Later Poems, Macmillan and Co., London, 1926, page 233.
Authorship
- by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), "A coat", appears in Responsibilities and Other Poems [author's text checked 2 times 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 Ruth Schonthal (1924 - 2006), "I made my song a coat", 1949 [ mezzo-soprano and piano ], from Nine Lyric Dramatic Songs, no. 6, Furore Edition [sung text not yet checked]
- by James Walter Wilson (b. 1922), "The coat", op. 54 no. ? [ soprano, unaccompanied ], from Upon Silence [sung text not yet checked]
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 text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-09-21
Line count: 10
Word count: 45
J'ai fait de ma chanson un manteau Couvert de broderies Tirées de vieilles mythologies, Des pieds à la tête Mais les fous s'en sont saisi, Ils l'ont porté à la vue du monde Comme s'ils l'avaient fabriqué. Chanson, qu'ils le prennent Car il y a plus d'audace À marcher nu.
About the headline (FAQ)
Translation of title "A coat" = "Un manteau"Authorship
- Translation from English to French (Français) copyright © 2015 by Pierre Mathé, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
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- a text in English by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), "A coat", appears in Responsibilities and Other Poems
This text was added to the website: 2015-12-27
Line count: 10
Word count: 50