[597] He wishes for the cloths of heaven
Guest poem submitted by Tina George, <Tina_Mary@>:
| He wishes for the cloths of heaven |
Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.
-- William Butler Yeats
|
I simply love this verse...I cannot think of any other lines that better
express my deepest thoughts about the question one so often searches for the
answers to: 'what is love?'
I first came across these lines in a book called "The Charmed Circle", when
I was all of 14 years old... To my young and (as yet) unimpressioned mind,
it spoke of a love so deep, so earnest and so 'giving' that it stayed with
me through the years in the quiet recesses of my mind, echoing gentle
reminders in soft undertones... "Tread softly because you tread on my
dreams"...
The years may have flown by since then and my impressions of love washed in
the many colours of experience... but the spirit of this verse remains.
Tina.
From: amitc <amitc@>
A sublime poem, showing yet again what a genius Yeats was.
What is really amazing is the simplicity of both form and
language. The latter is obvious; not a single word used here
is anything but commonplace.
As for form, note the rhyme scheme... he actually rhymes
'cloths' with 'cloths', 'light' with 'light', 'feet' with
'feet' and 'dreams' with (gasp) 'dreams'! That this didn't
jump out like an eyesore upon reading the poem only goes to
show how well Yeats plays with his words.
The last line is magnificent.
"Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams." Ooh.
--Amit.
http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~amitc
From: "Colin Finnie" <colin.finnie@>
Amitc is right when he points out that this poem is written in
commonplace language.
It is a testament to Yeats' skill that he weaves such words into a cloth
of many colours.
I take issue with Amitc on whether it matters that Yeats' rhymes are
prosaic. The poem is incantatory, as are so many of WB's verses. The
repetition was thus probably wholly intentional.
From: "Coxhill, Paul P" <Paul.Coxhill@>
EOM
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From: "Jennifer Mc Lean" <Jennifermclean@>
i am a fifth year student from donegal studying for my leaving
certificate and i think this poem was amazingly beautiful
From: "Skarabeusz" <chepry@>
First of all - please excuse me my poor English, but it's not my spoken
language. I'm Polish, but poetry (not only Polish - but as well English) is
love of my life - that's why sooner or later I had to find "Aedh wishes"...
What can I say more than you've said before me? The last verse of this
poem... is... one of the greatest moments in my own private history of
poetry... I do not feel that it is about love (at least not only about
love); it is about something more general, maybe human condition in a world
devoid of imaginings...
PS
There is a little mistake in the title - should be "Aedh wishes..." not
"His..." - means the same, but...
From: "fulvia centro" <fulvia2154@>
I am Italian and I met this poem in a movie '84 Charing Cross Road'. I
heard the Italian version and I liked it very much, but I didn't know
which was the poet. Now I am happy to know the original poem.
Fulvia
From: "Maan, Kamaljit" <Kamaljit.Maan@>
I'm not a poetry person, or thought I wasn't, but nothing's moved as much as
this poem. That was until I recited the poem to my girlfriend, her reply was
just as poignant:
" I would never tread on your dreams, I will put them with
mine."
Kind Regards
Kam Maan
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From: "Kanga House" <info@>
How romantic is this!!A guy in my English class really,really liked this
girl also in his class but both were soooooooo shy and would never do
anything about it.Anyway,one day in class he stood up and read out this
poem-the last 2 lines he looked up and said to this girl!!!
Well now they are married!!!
I think this sums up this poem-I so wish someone would read it to me!!!
From: "CARLO BRUSATERRA" <carlo-brusaterra@>
Io vorrei che poteste leggerlo in italiano, come è capitato a me.
From: "Alana Brittain" <capersb@>
Carlo Brusaterra, would like someone to write the poem in italian, 'sono
capitato Carlo ma non so scrivere 'He wishes for the cloths in heaven'
in italiano, mi dispiace.
From: Bjsm2000@
I heard these beautiful words in "84 Charing Cross Road" and had to find the
source. I did, on your site. I always wanted someone to feel that way about
me and recite this to me... No words can do the feeling justice - it is just
the way it is!
Barbara
From: "Karen" <ka@>
No other poem speaks to me like this one does – I first encountered it in
the charming film ’84 Charing Cross Road’, a film I love, and immediately
went out to find a ‘good clean secondhand copy’ of Yeats ala Helene Hanff.
Karen, Australia
From: Jessica Schnell <jks26@>
I really liked this poem, and first heard it in the movie
"Equilibrium." Later I thought it so beautiful I had to look up the rest
of it. Thanks to the poster of this gem!
From: "Win Bissell" <winthropb1@>
In Drumcliff, Co. Sligo, Ireland, in the churchyard where Yeats is buried,
is a life-sized sculpture of a man crouched over a bronze cloth, set in a
marble base. Inscribed in the marble and bronze is this poem. To read it, I
had to step onto the sculpture itself. It is a spectacular and moving piece
of art, and my first introduction to this poet.
From: Scotlynne47@
This poem is the most beautiful I've ever read. I've jsut sent it to my
husband who is serving overseas to let him know my feelings. It has touched me
deeply.
Lynne
Florida, USA
From: "Seamus Quigley" <seamus_quigley@>
I first heard this poem on the film Equilibrium and immediately it spoke to
me in a way that not many poems or song ever have. It seemed to some up
presisely what I felt. it was a very profound moment.
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From: NaomiCFox@
I read this poem to my new husband at my wedding, having heard it recited on
the radio a couple of months earlier and been moved to tears.
I read it again, with my dreams ripped and soiled by muddy footprints, and I
am moved to tears once more.
This is possibly the most beautiful, simple, and meaningful verses I have
ever had the good fortune to hear. It was poignant at my wedding for I knew the
risks I was taking. It is more so now as I sit with my needle and thread trying
to mend my dreams and still longing for the love I still hold for my husband.
From: "Phil Bowles" <phil.bowles@>
Im sorry, but "enwrought" is NOT common language! I have never used it or
heard it used in my life, and im known as a wordsmith! Don't get me wrong,
this is my favourite poem of all time....I have used it many many times. But
im amazed at how anyone can think the word "commonplace" in the same
PARAGRAPH as this masterpiece, let alone the same breath!
From: "Tyra" <twingard@>
I adore this poem. Like Many others I heard it first in the movie 84
Charing Cross Road. I read early in this sight that someone had an
italian version of the poem. God, what I wouldn't do to see it written
in "Italiano" If you have a version would you lay it on us!
Peace, Ty
From: Brian Kiser <bek1@>
From: "Julia Butters" <gaffersgal@>
This is one of the most beautiful poems I have ever heard. I too, heard
it in the movie "84 Charing Cross Road". It richly describes how life
should be for all of us. Now, I feel moved to read more of this poetry!
Julie
From: Wannaseearainbow@
Hello,
I am watching the movie 84 Charing Cross Road and while I am watching and
listening, did a search and found this thread with the actual poem here.
Funny how many others have done a similar search because of this wonderful
movie.
_wannaseearainbow@ (mailto:wannaseearainbow@aol.com)
Laura
From: McKay Bartholomew A A1C 12 MDSS/SGSAR <Bartholomew.McKay@>
I looked up this poem because, like most of us who have written here, I saw
the movie Equilibrium (which by the way is the greatest movie ever partly
because of this poem). I know this has been said time and time again but
this is the greatest poem EVER. I didn't go to Yale or Princeton so I cant
tell you the syntax and devices Yeats used to form this masterpeice but i
can say that it has alot more meaning that just love. Not saying anything
against love but that just seems like the easy way out of finding the ture
meaning to this poem. It can be taken in many different ways. The first
and most obvious is love (duh), but because of some of my experiences I
believe that he is talking to this God through this verse. He wants to be
able to lay the greatest of cloths made of the most untouchable of resources
to worship or just show his appreciation and love for god, but can only lay
forword his dreams because that's the only thing he has. One thing I have
found out over the few years that I have been looking at poetry is that the
Poet, in this case WB Yeats, may have a meaning and an agenda of their own
when they write a poem but it only matters what it means you. And as for
common language, I dont agree with that comment, just because he doesn't use
big words doesn't mean it common language. Small words make big sentences
especially when put together so craftfully.
Bartholomew M. USAF
From: "frida magnusson" <magnusson-frida@>
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<body><div style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><P>I was, for a couple of seconds, completely paralyzed the first time I read this poem. It was while reading a wonderful novel by John Irving, Widow for a year, where one of the characters recites these lines to his love. I couldn't help myself from crying. To many people this poem is an expression of how much you love someone, but I feel it's more about the fear of loving someone. 'Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.' Saying: I have given you everything I have, my soul, my dreams, my heart... don't break it. As honest as it gets.</P>
<P> </P>
<P>/Frida</P></br></div></body></html>
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From: keith.mccabe@ Mon Jan 16 05:48:39 2006
He is repenting, the poem is an act of contrition, 'We look through a
dark glass blindly', to see the error in ourselves, the evil that lurks
within. The answer is in the title, he wishes for the cloths of Heaven,
to cloth himself in righteousness, of light, the love reference is the
love of the Almighty in repentance. To dip our vesture in the blood of
the lamb . . The vesture of heaven, to end living in darkness and to
live in the light, to be born again in spirit. Sadly, in the modern
decadent age, so many dreams are destroyed my the hidden evil disguised
as the lamb (internally and externally), and not giving love a chance,
people must change before nations can.