'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

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 (b. 1928), "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