Grade IX

Lesson 4. The Lake Isle of Innisfree

- William Butler Yeats

Poetry

Soul of the poem

The poem dreams of escaping the busy streets of London. He remembers Innisfree as a

perfect little island that would supply all his needs. This poem explores his longing for the peace

and tranquillity of Innisfree where he spent a lot of time as a boy.

The poet describes Innisfree as a simple, natural environment where he will build a cabin

and live alone. He dreams of living on beans and honey which he will cultivate himself. He

imagines finding harmony on the island. He dreams of living in a delightful climate there and

listening to the songbirds at dusk. He decided to leave the busy streets of London and settle in

Innisfree. He is obsessed with the sound of lake water. He wishes to escape to a beautiful place

with wonderful light and colour.

NCERT Questions

Thinking About the Poem

I. 1. What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:

i. The three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I);

ii. What he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza II);

iii. What he hears in his “heart’s core” even when he is far away from Innisfree (stanza

III).

i. (a) The poet wants to build a small cabin of clay and wattles.

(b) He wants to plant nine rows of beans.

(c) He wants to keep honey beehive.

ii. (a) He hears the cricket’s song.

(b) He holds linnets flying in the sky.

(c) He sees glimmering midnight and glowing rooms.

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 iii. When the poet is far away from Innisfree he hears the sound of the lake water

washing the shore in his “heart’s core”.

2. By now you may have concluded that Innisfree is a simple, natural place, full of beauty

and peace. How does the poet contrast it with where he now stands? (Read stanza III).

The poet contrasts the clay and wattle made cabin, bee-loud glade, morning with dews and

cricket songs, midnight with glimmer, noon with purple glow, evenings with linnet’s wings, lake

water lapping with low sounds by the shore etc.

3. Do you think Innisfree is only a place, or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss

the place of his boyhood days?

Innisfree represents poet’s state of mind. The poet wishes to escape to Innisfree as it is

more peaceful than where he is now-the city. Innisfree is representative of what the poet

considers an ideal place to live, which is devoid of the restless humdrum of his life.

Yes, the poet actually misses the place of his boyhood days. Even when he is away from

Innisfree, he recalls the sound of the lake water washing the shore.

II. 1. Look at the words the poet uses to describe what he sees and hears at Innisfree

i. Bee-loud glade

ii. Evenings full of the linnet’s wings

iii. Lake water lapping with low sounds

What picture do these words create in your mind?

i. These words bring to mind the image of buzzing bees.

ii. These words bring up the image of linnets flying across an evening sky.

iii. These words evoke not only the image but also the soft sound of a lake’s water washing

the shore.

2. Look at these words:

….peace comes dropping slow

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

What do these words mean to you? What do you think “comes dropping sloe…from the

veils of the morning”? What does “to where the cricket sings” mean?

The given lines indicate that peace of mind can be slowly acquired from the natural

surroundings. It is peace that “comes dropping slow…from the veils of the morning”. The

phrase “to where the cricket sings” indicates a peaceful place where one can hear the vibrant

sounds of nature sounds such as the songs of the cricket at the time of dawn.

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 Solved Question Bank

Reference-to-Context Questions

Q. Read the following extracts carefully and answer the questions that follow:

1. 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 honeybee,

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

a. The poet has a desire to go to _________.

Innisfree

b. There, at Innisfree, he wants to _________ of clay and small sticks.

Build a small cabin/room

c. There the poet wants his surroundings to be peaceful with the buzzing of bees.

True

d. __________ in the above stanza refers to ‘an open space’.

‘Glade’

2. 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. In the morning, peace comes dropping from the ________.

Veils

b. Early in the morning peace is also felt when the cricket _________.

Sings

c. He will get peace in the noon time because of the shining starts.

False

d. _________ in the above stanza means ‘something which is shining’.

‘Glimmer’

3. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow

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

a. ‘There’ in the above lines refers to __________.

Innisfree

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 b. At that place, the poet finds ultimate ________.

Peace

c. The poet feels that he will experience ‘peace’ in the lap of nature.

True

d. __________ in the above lines means the same as ‘face covering’.

‘Veils’

4. I will arise, and go now, for always night and day

I hear the lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,

I hear it in deep heart’s core.

a. The poet hears the low sounds of _________ its shore.

Lake water lapping

b. The figure of speech in line 2 is _______.

Alliteration

c. The low sound attracts him towards the lake.

True

d. The word ____________ in the stanza means the same as ‘striking’.

‘lapping’

Short Answer Type Questions

1. Write three things that the poet would like to do when he goes back to Innisfree.

Innisfree is a perfect little island that provides everything desired by the poet. The poet

will build a small cabin of clay and fence. He will have nine rows of beans. He will also have a

hive for the honeybees.

2. What does the poet hear in his ‘heart’s core’ even when he is far away from Innisfree?

The poet is far away from the Island of Innisfree in London. He hears the lake water lapping

the shore with low sounds in his heart’s core.

3. Where shall the poet go and why?

The poet shall go to Innisfree. Innisfree is a quiet, natural place, full of beauty. He is fed up

with the chaotic life in the city. He wants to lead a peaceful life in the lap of nature.

Innisfree is an ideal place for him, so he wants to go there.

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4. How shall the poet live on the Island of Innisfree?

The poet will go to Innisfree in the lap of nature. He will build a small cabin there. He shall

have nine rows of beans and a hive of bees. He will survive on the beans and the honey

cultivated by himself.

5. How is the ‘roadway in London’ different from the Lake Isle of Innisfree?

The roadway in London is dull and grey. But there is nature’s beauty all round in the Isle of

Innisfree. The poet kinds beautiful scenes all around. He hears the sweet sounds of the lake

water.

6. “I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree.” Where does the poet want to go and

why?

The poet wants to go to Innisfree which is a perfect island. The poet wants to go there

because it will provide him with everything that he desire. He will get peace there.

7. “Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee.” Where does the poet

wish to go? What does he want to do there?

The poet wants to go to Innisfree. He wants to grow nine rows of beans there and have a

hive for honeybee. He wishes to enjoy peaceful moments at Innisfree.

8. “And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow.” Where will the

poet have some peace? How?

The poet shall have some peace at Innisfree. He is the poet of nature. He shall enjoy the

natural beauty. The songs of cricket, the row of beans and the beehives shall be a source of

joy for him.

9. “Midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet’s

The poet would enjoy his mornings, evenings and midnights in the lap of nature. The midnight

would look glimmering like the glowing of the glow-worms and starts. He would enjoy his

evenings watching the colourful wings of the flying linnets.

10. How will the poet enjoy his stay ‘night and day’ at Innisfree?

The poet is fascinated by the beauty and peace at the Innisfree. He finds it an ideal place.

He shall hear the lake water lapping the shore with low sounds. At night, he shall look and

enjoy the glimmer. He shall enjoy seeing the moon glow purple. His stay at Innisfree will be

joyful.

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11. How does the poet miss the Isle of Innisfree?

The poet spent his boyhood at his mother’s home place which was the location for his

dreamplace, Innisfree. He keeps on hearing the sound of the waves. He feels as if that sound

is calling him. He wants to escape the city and settle there in a peaceful environment. He

misses Innisfree badly.

12. ‘Lake water lapping with low sounds.’ Example.

The poet wants to go to Innisfree, an ideal peaceful island. He celebrates the beauty of

place. I hear the lake water lapping with sounds by shore. This expression describes the

beautiful natural environment in Isle of Innisfree.

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