The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W. B. Yeats

Full Text

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.

Overview

Yeats imagines a simple island retreat where peace descends through sound and light, contrasting urban life with inward longing.

Line-by-Line Analysis

Lines 1-4

The speaker vows to build a modest cabin and live close to nature.

Lines 5-8

Peace is described as a slow, sensory atmosphere of dawn, noon, and evening.

Lines 9-12

Even in the city, the speaker hears the island in memory and desire.

Themes

• Escape
• Nature
• Longing
• Memory
• Solitude

Literary Devices

Imagery

bee-loud glade — Sound and sight create a vivid pastoral scene.

Repetition

I will arise and go now — Signals resolve and recurring desire.

Historical Context

Yeats wrote the poem after glimpsing a fountain in London, which triggered his longing for the Irish countryside.