by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)
'What do you make so fair and bright?'
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.'
About the headline (FAQ)
First published in Dublin University Review, March 1885, revised 1895Authorship
- 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