The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W.B. Yeats

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.

Theme(s)

• Homesick
• Longing for peace
• To return to nature
• Isolation / loneliness
• Renewal
• Nature

Poetic Techniques

• Assonance
• Onomatopoeia
• Repetition
• Sibilance
• Alliteration

Rhyme + Structure

• Consists of 3 quatrains (stanzas of 4 lines)
• Rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF

Tone + Mood

• Determined, the opening line are a personal commitment repeated, “I will arise now” creates sense of urgency
• Hopefully, that the poet will escape two current city life and create a peaceful life on Innisfree

Imagery

• Nature: bee loud glade, moonlights all a glimmer
• Single cabin nestled against the natural landscape of Sligo

Symbolism

The place the poet is thinking about could be a reference to heaven and his ideal place to go to in death

Quotes

• “I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree”
• “live alone in the bee-loud glade”
• “While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey”