Cloths of Heaven
Introduction
The speaker in Yeats’ poem declares he would take the beautiful ‘golden and silver light’ of the sky and present it to his beloved to demonstrate his immense devotion. However, he acknowledges that he is ‘poor’ so he offers his precious ‘dreams’ instead.
Yeats wrote this romantic poem for Maud Gonne, a woman he loved dearly but she never returned the same affections. Since it is impossible to give some the universe as a token of your affection, perhaps the poet realises he will never be good enough for her.
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.
Metaphors
Sometimes writers will define an object or thing in terms of something else. This technique is known as a metaphor. For example, in the opening line, Yeats begins to describe the heavens as “embroidered cloths”. Since the sky is not actually a beautiful blanket, this image is an obvious metaphor.
In your own words, explain how the poet extends the comparison in the lines that follow. Look closely at the “golden and silver light” and then “the blues and the dim and the dark cloths”.
Repetition
A good way to emphasise a particular idea or point is to repeat it over and over again. This technique is known as repetition. Read through the poem and count the number of times Yeats uses the words cloths, dreams, tread, feet and light.
There are many reasons why the poet decided to limit the range of words and their sounds, such as the rhythm and tone they help to create.
Read the poem aloud until you are comfortable with the language and then try reading the lines using a range of different emotions. How do you think the speaker feels when he is declaring his love for the girl?
Comprehension Questions
- Yeats mentions the cloth is “embroidered”. Why do you think he wanted to emphasise this detail?
- Following on from the previous question, suggest why the poet chose to describe the light as “golden and silver”.
- How does the writer want the reader to react to his description of sky’s beautiful colours and light in lines three and four?
- Why does the speaker want to “spread the cloths under” his beloved’s “feet”?
- However, why is the speaker unable to give her the heavens as a present?
- Look at the final three lines. What does the poet offer his beloved instead?
- How do you think Yeats feels at the end of the poem? Is he excited, scared, confident or sad?
