Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
The work contrasts extravagant, celestial beauty with the speaker’s humble reality. It employs the metaphor of richly embroidered cloths to symbolize an idealized, luxurious love filled with diverse qualities of light and darkness. Although the speaker imagines presenting these magnificent offerings to a cherished other, he admits that his only possession is his inner world of dreams. These dreams, though intangible, are imbued with deep emotion and personal vulnerability. The act of laying these dreams at the beloved’s feet signifies both a heartfelt offering and a plea for gentle handling, emphasizing that such inner treasures are delicate and easily marred. The poem explores themes of aspiration versus material limitation, the significance of emotional generosity, and the inherent risk in exposing one’s inner self to another.
By W.B. Yeats · First published 1899 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Symbolist Poetry · 89 words
First lines
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.
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Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven is listed on Textopian as a poem by W.B. Yeats, dated 1899 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: W.B. Yeats
- Date: 1899 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Symbolist Poetry, Modern Poetry
- Length: 89 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
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Genres
- Lyric Poetry — Expresses intimate emotions and personal reflections in a musical and concise form.
- Romantic Poetry — Centers on themes of love, longing, and the idealization of beauty present in the vivid imagery.
- Symbolist Poetry — Utilizes symbolic imagery such as the embroidered cloths to evoke abstract concepts of dreams and desire.
- Modern Poetry — Demonstrates a break from traditional structures while blending personal sentiment with innovative visual expression.
Tags
poetry · love · romance · dreamlike · yearning · aspiration · mysticism · imagery · beauty · delicacy · subtlety · ethereal