The Lake Isle of Innisfree - W.B. Yeats
An Ode to Nature’s Solace and Quiet Yearnings
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.
W.B. Yeats’s “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” reflects a yearning for escape from urban life into the calming embrace of nature. The speaker imagines building a humble cabin, tending bean rows, and listening to the murmuring bees, all far removed from the hustle of city streets. The poem’s sensory details—rustling insects, tranquil waters, and a gentle glow at midday—cultivate a serene world that soothes the soul.
In this imagined paradise, time slows down, and each moment unfolds softly, unburdened by the pressures of modern existence. Even the act of “arising and going” is purposeful, underlining both resolve and longing. Yeats contrasts this nurturing natural landscape with the “pavements gray” of everyday life, suggesting that true peace comes from reconnecting with the rhythms of the earth. Ultimately, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” conveys that we can carry traces of this tranquility within us, allowing memory and imagination to restore our sense of balance, even when physically distant from nature.
Key points
1. Nature offers a profound refuge from urban stress.
2. Sensory details deepen the poem’s restful atmosphere.
3. The speaker’s longing highlights the transformative power of imagination.
4. Inner peace can be sustained by remembering nature’s gentle rhythms.