by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)
My mother dandled me and sang
Language: English
My mother dandled me and sang, "How young it is, how young!" And made a golden cradle That on a willow swung. "He went away," my mother sang, "When I was brought to bed," And all the while her needle pulled The gold and silver thread. She pulled the thread and bit the thread And made a golden gown, And wept because she had dreamt that I Was born to wear a crown. "When she was got," my mother sang, "I heard a sea-mew cry, And saw a flake of the yellow foam That dropped upon my thigh." How therefore could she help but braid The gold into my hair, And dream that I should carry The golden top of care?
About the headline (FAQ)
First published in Poetry, Chicago, May 1914, revised 1916Text Authorship:
- by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), "The Player Queen: Song from an Unfinished Play" [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 John Alden Carpenter (1876 - 1951), "The Player Queen", published 1915. [voice and piano] [text not verified]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-20
Line count: 20
Word count: 121