The Lake Isle of Innisfree

 

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

Introduction to the Poem

The Lake Isle of Innisfree is a three stanza poem, each quatrain made up of three long lines and one short. The rhyme scheme is abab and all end rhymes are full. It is a lyrical and poem of nature written by William Butler Yeats. The poem paints his thought of retiring to the solitude of nature where he can have peace of mind.

Summary

Through this poem, the poet expresses his deep desire and longing to spend his time in Innisfree where he had already lived when he was a boy. This Place, as he claims is full of peace and tranquility.  This poem shows that the poet is a biophilic (one who loves nature) and wants to shun living in cities and be close to the wilderness and enjoy its beauty and peace there.

In the first stanza, the poet explains that how he will spend his life in Innisfree. There he will make a small hut of clay and wattles sticks. He will also grow vegetables and will tame honeybee

In the second stanza, the poet mentions that when it is twilight and the veil of the darkness still covers the sky and the surrounding area and the insect cricket is singing there, he gets peace out of that.  The twinkling stars in the sky also gives him immense pleasure. Not only this, but also he gets lots of peace when he watches his surrounding which seem to be painted purplish because of sunshine falling on it in the noon.

In the third stanza, the poet reiterates his determination to go to Innisfree for good as he is very nostalgic about that place.  While he is standing on the roadway he could still feel and hear in the depth of his heart the lapping sound produced by the lake-water while hitting the shore. 

Poetic Devices:

 

Rhyme scheme: abab

Assonance: The sound of ‘o’ is repeated in the following lines:

 

                      I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree

                        Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings

 

Allusion: veils is used to refer to darkness at the time of daybreak

 

Repetition: and word ‘hear’ is repeated in the last stanza

 

Consonance: I hear the lake water …..by the shore

                        And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

 

Imagery: The poet tried to create an image of his dwelling place in the island.

 

Additional questions:

 

a.    Why do you think the poet wants to go to the lake isle of Innisfree?

b.    Mention some actions that the poet would do there?

c.    How would the poet get peace there?

d.    The poet wants to live in a perfect harmony with the nature in the island. Substantiate the statement by giving some examples from the poem.

e.    Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:

 

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 evenings full of the linnet’s wings.

 

(a)  Where does the poet get peace from?

(b)  Explain the term ‘veils of the morning’.

(c)  What is glimmer referred to in the extract?

(d)  What does the poet mean by ‘purple glow’?

(e)  Find and write the poetic device(s) used  in the stanza.