He bids his Beloved be at Peace | Michael Robartes Bids his Beloved be at Peace | I hear the Shadowy Horses, their long manes a-shake

by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)

I hear the Shadowy Horses, their long...

Language: English

Our translations: FRE ITA

I hear the Shadowy Horses, their long manes a-shake,
Their hoofs heavy with tumult, their eyes glimmering white;
The North unfolds above them clinging, creeping night,
The East her hidden joy before the morning break,
The West weeps in pale dew and sighs passing away,
The South is pouring down roses of crimson fire:
O vanity of Sleep, Hope, Dream, endless Desire,
The Horses of Disaster plunge in the heavy clay:
Beloved, let your eyes half close, and your heart beat
Over my heart, and your hair fall over my breast,
Drowning love's lonely hour in deep twilight of rest,
And hiding their tossing manes and their tumultuous feet.

About the headline (FAQ)

Confirmed with W. B. Yeats, Later Poems, Macmillan and Co., London, 1926, page 19.

Text Authorship:

by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), title 1: "Michael Robartes bids his Beloved be at Peace", title 2: "He bids his Beloved be at Peace", appears in The Wind among the reeds, first published 1899 [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 Sidney Homer (1864 - 1953), "Michael Robartes Bids his Beloved be at Peace", op. 17 (Four Songs) no. 3 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Kevin Puts (b. 1972), "He Bids His Beloved Be at Peace" [ bass-baritone, flute, violin, cello, piano ], from In at the Eye, no. 3 [sung text not yet checked]

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

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2007-06-14
Line count: 12
Word count: 109