The Poetry Corner

The Cloak, The Boat, And The Shoes

By William Butler Yeats

"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."