Poem by William Butler Yeats

The Cloak, the Boat and the Shoes

'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.'

1. The Mask
2. These Are the Clouds
3. The Wild Swans at Coole
4. Upon a House Shaken by the Land Agitation
5. A Friend's Illness

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