A Song From The Player Queen

by William Butler Yeats — a poem card from Justes Mots

A mother's song-prayer over her infant, weaving golden thread and dreams of greatness while the child's father is absent. The poem blends folklore imagery with maternal aspiration and melancholy. It speaks to mothers' complicated hopes for their children and the bittersweet nature of nurturing.

My mother dandled me and sang,
'How young it is, how young!'
And made a golden cradle
That on a willow swung.

'He went away,' my mother sang,
'When I was brought to bed,'
And all the while her needle pulled…

Themes: love · new-baby · wedding · friendship