The speaker says she has smiled through pain and made a little song for someone else to carry away. She will not sing it again, but once the listener knows it, it will keep them brave and strong. The twist comes at the end: although the song was woven from her pain, not a word of it is true. So the comfort she offers is a deliberate fiction, a strong front rather than an honest cry. The mood is quiet and bittersweet—almost gentle on the surface, but with a sting of irony underneath. The speaker seems proud of this small “tour de force,” yet also aware that it costs her something. She gives away courage she may not fully feel, hiding the real hurt behind a tidy, useful lie.
Tour de Force — Summary
Smilingly, out of my pain, I have woven a little song; You may take it away with you. I shall not sing it again, But when you have learned it through It will keep you brave and strong. I wove it out of my pain : There is not a word of it true.