I wear a cloak of laughter Lest anyone should see My dress of sorrow underneath And stop to pity me. I wear a cloak of laughter Lest anyone should guess That what is hid beneath it Is less than happiness. . . . But, ah, what does it matter To you who are so wise? My cloak falls tattered at my feet Before your tender eyes. For cloaks to cover sorrow Are meant for stranger folk; One cannot hide away from friends Beneath a laughing cloak. Oh, futile cloak of laughter, How frail you are and thin! Love looks through you so easily And sees the grief within. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TO R. B. by GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS AN ECHO FROM WILLOW-WOOD by CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI JAMES BARR AMES by HARRY RANDOLPH BLYTHE MYSTERY: 1 by ANNE MILLAY BREMER THE RABBI'S VISION by FRANCES BROWNE AMY'S CRUELTY by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING |