The White Birds

from Words: The World of W.B. Yeats, volume 1 by The Winter Tree

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lyrics

THE WHITE BIRDS (1892) William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)

I would that we were, my beloved, white birds on the foam of the sea!
We tire of the flame of the meteor, before it can fade and flee;
And the flame of the blue star of twilight, hung low on the rim of the sky,
Has awakened in our hearts, my beloved, a sadness that may not die.

A weariness comes from those dreamers, dew-dabbled, the lily and rose;
Ah, dream not of them, my beloved, the flame of the meteor that goes,
Or the flame of the blue star that lingers hung low in the fall of the dew:
For I would we were changed to white birds on the wandering foam: I and you!
I am haunted by numberless islands, and many a Danaan shore,
Where Time would surely forget us, and Sorrow come near us no more;
Soon far from the rose and the lily, and fret of the flames would we be,
Were we only white birds, my beloved, buoyed out on the foam of the sea!

credits

from Words: The World of W.B. Yeats, volume 1, released March 18, 2022
Andrew Laitres: vocals, acoustic guitars, keyboards
Robert MacPartland: upright bass

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The Winter Tree Brattleboro, Vermont

THE WINTER TREE (formerly MAGUS) is a band formed by composer/multi-instrumentalist Andrew Laitres in 1985 after a 4 year stint on the regional cover band circuit. Andrew wanted to focus his time and talents on creating original compositions.

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