The Lake Isle of Innisfree is a beautiful lyric by W.13 Yeats. In this poem, the poet says that he is fed up with his present life. He will go to Innisfree, the land of his childhood. He will make there a small cabin with mud and wood. He will grow bean plants and have a beehive and live there alone.
The poet says that he will have complete peace of mind at Innisfree land. the lie will enjoy the sweet weather in the morning time. Innisfree land glimmers at midnight becomes purple at noon and full of small sparrows in the evening. The poet says that he will go there forever and enjoy the beauty of nature all through his life. He will hear the lapping sound of the lake’s water and he will hear this sound in the deep heart’s core.
Summary(2):
William
Butler Yeats spent most of part of his life in Dublin and London. But
as a young boy, he had frequently spent his summers on the Isle of
Innisfree, a tiny uninhabited island within the Lake Lough Gill in
County Sligo in northwestern Ireland. Later when he lived in a crowded
and noisy city, he felt a strong desire to go back to the Isle of
Innisfree.
In
the first quatrain, the poet describes how he would live in Innisfree.
The opening line suggests his determination to go there. This is
followed by his plan to be away from the restless life of cities and
lead a very calm and simple life all by himself. He will make a small
cottage of clay and sticks and grow his own beans on a small piece of
land in Innisfree. He will have honey from his own hive. The poet has a
deep longing to lead the life in the lap of nature listening to the
music of the bees.
In
the second quatrain, the poet gives some glimpses of the life that he
expects to find in Innisfree. In such a place, he will find peace. The
pace of life will be slower and Nature will take over. He will thus
breathe calmness in the morning and enjoy the brilliance of the
midnight. The purple-colored light of noon, as well as the flying birds
in the evening, will he delightful experiences for him. The magical
qualities of day and night in Innisfree are the reasons that he wants to
go there.
In
the third and the last quatrain, the poet reiterates the need to
fulfill his desire. It is strengthened by his memories of the waves of
Lake producing mild music while striking against the shore. His longing
is further increased when he contrasts life in cities with that in the
natural surroundings. Standing on the pavement or a roadway amidst
traffic and crowds, he yearns for the idyllic island and listens to the
music of the waves deep in his heart. His desire to escape urban life
becomes an obsession in this quatrain and Innisfree lurks in his heart
as a symbol of peace and happiness.
Value Points
- The poet has the desire to spend some time in the Lake Isle of Innisfree.
- He wants to build a small cabin made of clay and fence and to pass his time there.
- He will have the opportunity to hear the songs of crickets there.
- He will enjoy the songs of flying linnet in the evening.
- He also wants to feel the waves of lake water striking the shore.
- His purpose is to spend some precious time in the lap of nature.
- The poet wants to enjoy the beauty and charm of Innisfree.
Useful Expressions
- … And live alone in the bee-loud glade — The poet will live in the natural surroundings with the honey bees humming all around.
- … bee-loud glade — A green place where the honey bees hum over.
- … come dropping slow/Dropping from the veils of the morning — peace comes slowly from everywhere when morning sets in.
- … to where the cricket sings — The cricket sings happily and greets the morning.
- … evenings full of the linnet’s wings — The linnets sitting in the tree flutter and fly, they create a pleasant sound.
- … lake water lapping with low sounds — The lake water striking the shore creates a pleasant murmuring sound.
