A Cradle Song
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.
Commentary
After the last few (mostly) sombre poems, here’s another one on yearning, yet a lot more cheerful. Anyone who’s seen a little one grow up will identify with the feeling of sweet loss when the child lets go of one’s finger and walks on its own.
There’s a more than adequate bio of Yeats with Poem #32.
— Vivek