The Lake Isle of Innisfree

by William Butler 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.

About the Poem

Historical Context

Written in 1888 and published in 1890, "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" reflects Yeats' longing for the simplicity and peace of rural Ireland. Innisfree is a small uninhabited island in Lough Gill, County Sligo, Ireland, where Yeats spent much of his childhood.

Personal Interpretation

This poem speaks to the universal human desire to escape the complexities of modern life and return to nature. The speaker's yearning for Innisfree represents not just a physical place, but a state of mind—one of peace, simplicity, and harmony with the natural world.

The repetition of "I will arise and go now" emphasizes the urgency of this longing, while the sensory details—the "bee-loud glade," the "cricket sings," and the "lake water lapping"—create a vivid contrast to the "pavements grey" of urban life.

About William Butler Yeats

W.B. Yeats (1865-1939) was an Irish poet, playwright, and politician. He was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature and a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival. Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923.

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