THE angels are stooping
Above your bed;
They weary of trooping
With the whimpering dead.
God's laughing in Heaven
To see you so good;
The Sailing Seven
Are gay with His mood.
I sigh that kiss you,
For I must own
That I shall miss you
When you have grown.
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Speaking as a dad...,
...there is no sadness here at all. Perhaps melancholy. The joy is the life ahead. The melancholy is that a beautiful moment cannot be preserved. -
I love this poem. I don't agree that the poet is feeling sad that he won't see the child grow - he is feeling sad that the child must grow and change. This is a natural feeling for parents - newborn babies tug at the heart in a very special way.
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I sight that kiss you
From guest MKnue (contact)
I have a collection of Yeats. In this collection the last stanza is "I kiss you and kiss you, My pigeon, my own. Ah! How I shall miss you When you are grown." Is this a change from the original or vice-versa?
Either way, this is a lovely poem.
MOD MESSAGE
The words of this poem have been checked with many printed texts and all appear to match the words shown here.
Alas many singers have modified Yeats' work to fit their own composition. Perhaps this is the case here. -
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hmmm... I should research the source of my collection. I have to admit, I like the "pigeon" lines!
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W. B. Yeats Is Radical
From guest KebFeeks (contact)
I'm doing my senior analytical research paper on him and I chose this piece as on of 3 to study upon. He's da bomb for sure. -
From guest LunaFan (contact)
"I sigh that kiss you" = I, who is kissing you, sigh. This is a common way of placing the relative clause in Yeatsian poems. -
I sigh that kiss you?
From guest Chris (contact)
What does this line mean? I understand what Yeats means but the line as it stands is nonsensical. It looks as if there's a word missing - am I right? Love the poem, by the way. -
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The poem stands correctly.
I have checked numerous sources and each one reads as the poem above.
It is a lovely poem, just for a moment the character is looking at a new born child in all it's innocence and feels so sad that he will not see the child grow. the 'Sailing Seven' are angels sent by God to watch over the child as they have been with the dead for too long.
A beautiful story
Von
Oldpoetry
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"The Sailing Seven"
From guest Beth Green (contact)
This is not a typo. The "sailing Seven" is a refernece to the Pleiades. This is a seven star star-cluster in the constellation Taurus. In Ancient Greece the stars in this star group were named after the seven daughters of Atlas. The name Pleiades most likely comes from Ancient Greek mariners, because in the Mediterranean, these stars are most visable during the seven sailing months. In mythology, the seven sister were immortal nymphs. -
I believe it's Shining Seven, Perhaps, refering to the Seven Seas as a mirror
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What is the reference to "The Sailing Seven"?
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This is a very melodious rhyme...I don’t know whether those angles miss me or not but I miss them immensely when I go to my bed ..Childhood is simply the most amazing period of one's life.
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Made me think of how wonderful it must be to have children....lovely this one
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This reminds me of how I was always told to never grow up, because life was a lot harder. Now that I am older, I should have listened better. After reading this, I have a new outlook on things today.
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This was rather sad yet made me smile.
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I don't think there are better words than, sweet and gentle, for this easy, soft piece. I'd love to hear this in a true Irish accent, no other tone could do a poem such as this real justice.
Andrew
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