He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven - meaning Summary
A Vulnerable Love Offering
The speaker addresses a beloved, imagining extravagant gifts — the heavens' "embroidered cloths" — but admits poverty and offers only his dreams. The poem compresses desire, humility, and vulnerability into a brief plea: the speaker lays down his inner life for the loved one and asks gentle treatment. Its emotional force comes from the contrast between grand fantasy and the fragile reality of what he can actually give.
Read Complete AnalysesHad 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.
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