THE LAKE ISLE OF INNISFREE
W. B. YEATES
The central idea of the poem is a longing for peace and greenery and all that is natural. Throughout the three short quatrains, the poem explores the speaker’s longing for the peace and tranquility ofInnisfree while residing in an urban setting. The poet wishes to escape the noise of city life and live a carefree life in the lap of nature.
Stanza 1
The poet expresses his ardent desire to go to Innisfree, a small island in Ireland. He plans to build a small, simple cabin for himself, made of clay and wattles. He will have a little bean garden and a honeybee hive. He wants to live alone in peace with nature, with the buzzing of the bees all around him and enjoy the slow pace of country living.
Stanza 2
The second stanza vividly describes the beauty of Innisfree. He shall have peace there, which will come slowly dropping from the morning’s veil. There will be peace all around with the cricket’s singing, glimmer of midnight and the purple glow of noon. The fluttering sounds of the linnet’s wings in the evening highlights the charm of living in a natural place.
Stanza 3
In the last stanza, the speaker reiterates his longing to go to Innisfree. All day and all night he hears the water lapping against the shore. Even though he lives in a city with paved roads, deep down inside he is drawn to the rural sounds of Innisfree. The poet yearns to return to the island of Innisfree because of the peace and quiet it affords. Literary Devices
Imagery
The poet uses both visual and auditory imagery to describe the beauty of the place
Eg: - bee-loud glade
Water lapping with low sounds on the shore
Veils of the morning
Midnight’s all a glimmer
Noon a purple glow
Repetition
Eg: - I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree
Alliteration
Eg: - lake water lapping with low
I. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
1. I will rise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
a) What kind of place is Innisfree?
b) Why is the word ‘go’ repeated in the above lines?
c) What does the poet plan to do after going to Iinnisfree?
2. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow
a) Where is the poet going to find peace?
b) Why is the poet looking for peace?
c) What does the poet mean by ‘dropping slow’?
II. Answer the following questions in 30-40 words.
1. What does the poet find so attractive about Innisfree?
2. What sound is the poet looking forward to hear in Innisfree?
3. How does the poet describe midnight, noon and evening?
4. How are the pavements different from the lake isle of Innisfree?
5. Explain: ‘I hear it in the deep heart’s core’.
III. Answer the following question in 120-150 words.
1. What powerful thoughts and feelings are conveyed in the poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree?"
Please click on below link to downloadCBSE Class 9 English The Late Isle of Innisfree Worksheet
