The lake isle of innisfree

complete analysis of the poem

2. AboutWilliamButlerYeatsWilliamButler
Yeats,morecommonlyknownas,W.B.Yeats,wasborn
inDublin,Irelandin1865.HewaseducatedinLondon
andwasaninstrumentalfigureinthedefiningyears
ofthe19thcentury.Yeatswrotebothpoetryand
plays,hisearlyplayswerefocusedmainlyon
interpretingIrishlegendsandhisownpersonal
spiritualbeliefs.Laterinhislife,after1910,his
worktookaturn,becomingmoreexperimentaland
poetical.HewouldwintheNobelPrizeforLiterature
in1923.Duringthelast16yearsofhislife,from
1923-1939,Yeatspublishedanumberofvolumesof
poetry,containingwhatisnowconsideredhisbest
work.DuringthedecadeinwhichYeatswrote,The
LakeIsleofInnisfree,Irelandwasinthemidstof
significantfinancialstruggles.Itispossiblethat
Yeatscasthimselfasthespeakerinthispoem;
consideringthatInnisfreeisanactualplace,on
LoughGillinCountySligo,WesternIreland,andthat
whenhewasaboyYeats’familyvisitedCountySligo.

3. 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 grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.
The Lake Isle of Innisfree

4. Form
Thispoemcontainsfourquatrains(a
quatrainisa4linestanza)
ThispoemalsocontainsaRhymeScheme
(arhymeschemeoccurswhenthereisa
definitepatternofendrhymeswithina
poem)
Thispoemisalyricpoem(richinmusical
devicesandexpressingemotion)
ItisNOTafreeversepoembecauseit
containsadefiniterhymescheme

6. 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.
Thespeakerbeginsbytellingthereaderofhisintentions,
hewill,“ariseandgonow,”totheisleofInnisfree.Inthis
firstline,theword“go”isrepeatedtwice,theYeatsmade
thischoicetoprovidespecialemphasisontheimportance
ofthespeaker’saction.Thespeakerisdetermined,he
must,andwill,gotoInnisfree.Thesecondlineprovides
additionaldetailsastowhatheisgoingtodowhenhegets
there.Heplanstocreatea“small”homeforhimself.The
useoftheword“small”inthislinegivestheimpression
thatheisgoingtobetheonlyonelivinginthehouse,
withoutanyfamilyorrelationsofanykind.Heplansto
buildthecabinfromclayandwattles(sticksandrods).
Oncehe’slivinginhissmallcabin,hedreamsofhaving
“nine”rowsofbeanplantsandahiveforpresumably,
manyhoneybees,asinthenextline,theglade(orsmall
clearinginaforest),isfilledwiththeirsound.

7. 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.
Thesecondquatrain,providesthereaderwiththe
reasoningbehindhisdesiretotraveltoInnisfree:tofind
somepeace.Thisstanzaalsocontainsthe
importantmetaphoricalrelationshipthatYeatssetsup
betweenthenotionofpeaceandnature.Hedescribes
peaceas“droppingslow,”“fromtheveilsof…morning
to…thecricket[s].”Yeatsrelatespeacetomorningdew.In
thegladehewillbesurroundedbyit,fromtheleaveson
thetrees,tothegrassontheground,“wherethecricket
sings.”Continuingon,thepoetdescribesthreemoretimes
ofdayandthemagicalqualitiestheypossessonthelake
isleofInnisfree.Theimagerycallsupsequencesthat
furtheremphasizetheimportanceofthedaydreamtothe
speaker,midnight“glimmer[s],”noontimeglowspurple,
andtheeveningisfullofthebeatingof“linnet’swings”(a
smallbrownandgrayfinch,withareddish-brownbreast).

8. 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 grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.
Itisatthispointinthepoemthatthespeakershakes
himselfoutofhisdaydreaminwhichhehas
describedthescenesonthelakeisleofInnisfree,and
beginstoaddresstherealworld.Onceagainhestates
heisgoingtoleavefortheisle,reinforcingthe
importanceoftheotherusesof“go”inthefirst
quatrain.Thisconstantrepetitionoftheactionof
leavinghishometocreateanewone,presentsthe
questionof,isheactuallyevergoingtogo?Hasthis
dreambeensomethingheisnowgoingtorealizeor
doesitonlyexistinhismind?Thesequestionsremain
pertinentasthepoemconcludes.

9. Yeatscontinuesthestanzabytellingthereaderthatthespeakerhears
thewaterlappingattheshorealldayandnight.Thisdreamhas
becomeamantra,itisanobsessionthathascometohaunthim,andit
isnomoreprevalentthanwhenhe“stand[s]ontheroadway,oron
thepavementsgrey.”Itisnowevidentthatthespeakeriswishingto
escapeaworldthatisantitheticaltohisideasofpeaceandhappiness.
Itseemsthatthespeakerlivesinacity,oratleastsomewherein
whichheissurroundedbyroadsandpavements,bothofwhichare
not classical manifestations of nature.
Thepoemconcludesonaverysombernote.Thepoem’slastline,“I
hearitinthedeepheart’score”referstothesoundsofthewaves
lappingontheshore.ThehauntingimagesofthelakeisleofInnisfree
areheardnotinhisheadbutinhisheart.Thereaderisleftwith
unansweredquestionsregardingtherealityofthespeaker’splanto,
“gonow,andgotoInnisfree.”Willthespeakerevermakeitfromhis
currenthometothepeaceheneedstoachievehappiness?Orwillhe
remaininhiscityortown,stuckinafantasydaydreamhewillnever
realize?

10. Words to know
arise-to occur as a result from a particular situation / wake up and
go
cabin-a small house or shelter
clay-a type of heavy, sticky earth that becomes hard when it is
baked and is used to make things such as pots and bricks
wattles-sticks twisted together as a material formaking fences,
walls
hive-a structure made for bees to live in
bee-loud glade-a small open area of grass in a wood or forest
peace-a situation or a period of time in which there is no war or
violence in a country
veils-a thin layer that stops one from seeing something
glimmer-a faint unsteady light
linnet-a small brown and grey bird of the FINCH family

11. lapping-touching something gently and regularly, often
making a soft sound
shore-the land along the edge of the sea or ocean
roadway-a road or the part of a road used by vehicles
pavements-a flat part of the side of a road for people to
walk on
grey-having the colour of smoke or ashes
core-the most important or central part of something
desires-strong wishes in a person to do something
urge-a strong desire or drive to do something
expectation-believe that something wouldhappen, hope
for something
optimistic-a positive feeling that things would turn out well
paradise-a sanctuary or place where one can find peace and
harmony
determination-a drive to do something to achieve a goal
natural heritage-the natural environment, the environment
that we inherit

12. Themes of The Poem
Thethemeofthepoemrelatestothegeneralideaorideasrunning
throughoutthepoem.Apoemmayhaveoneormorethemedependingon
thesubjectofthepoemthepersonadealswithandtheexperiencesthe
personaundergoesandinnerdesiresofthepersona.Thereareseveral
themesinthepoem"TheLakeIsleofInnisfree".
Thethemesare:
1.Theneedforpeaceandquiet
2.Theneedforpreservationofnature
3.Theinnerdriveforfreedomandharmony
4.Tobepartandparcelofnature
5.Toappreciatenature'swonders
6.Toescapethehustleandbustleofcitylife
7.Tobeforward-lookingorhavingavisioninlife

13. 1.Rhyme Scheme: abab
2.Alliteration: The repetition of a consonant
sound in two or more closely placed
words is called alliteration. The instances
of alliteration in the poem are –
a.‘hive’, ‘honey bee’ -‘h’ sound is repeated;
b.‘lake’, ‘lapping’, ‘low’ -‘l’ sound is repeated
•Repetition: ‘I will arise and go now’ is
repeated in stanza 1 and 3
•Personification: morning is personified
•Metaphor: clouds are compared to veils