Public-domain source text

The Cloak, the Boat, and the Shoes

by W. B. Yeats

From Standard Ebooks · standardebooks/w-b-yeats_poetry

“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.”

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This is a source transcription from Standard Ebooks, published in Past Poetry’s public-domain archive without line-by-line editorial notes. Public-domain source edition. Availability can vary by territory.

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