The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W.B.Yeats|Summary&Analysis
It is a pastoral lyric written by William Butler Yeats. It is written in 1888 and published in 1890. It is a poem of 12 lines. In this poem, the poet has a strong desire to go to the lake isle of Innisfree. He wants to get spiritual peace there. Although the poem is simple yet it gives a deep idea of spiritual peace. In this poem, the poet expresses his deep desire to go to the lake of the isle of Innisfree. he wants to settle there forever. Innisfree is the name of the lake country in Sligo.
This country is full of natural objects like beautiful scenery, birds, flowers, and honeybees, insects. The poet wants to go there for mental peace. The poet has become tired of materialism. Now he wants to go away from it. He wants to go in the lap of nature where he may get peace and joy. The poet is very much impressed with the natural atmosphere of Innisfree that he wants to settle there permanently. The poem has three Quatrains. Thus it is a poem of 12 lines.
Stanza-1
In the first stanza, the poet expresses his deep desire to go to the lake isle of Innisfree. He wants to settle there permanently. Here the poet is so much impressed with the natural beauty of the lake country of Innisfree. He says that he will go there and will build a small hut to stay there. He will build it with clay and twigs. He will also grow beans there in rows and will habitat bees. Honey bees will fill the field of green grass with their humming sound. They will fill the atmosphere with sweet music. Thus the poet wants to live in the atmosphere of natural objects. He wants to enjoy himself in the lap of nature. Because the poet is living in the city life of artificiality. So now he wants to stay away from this materialistic world. Here the poet expresses his love for nature.
Stanza-2
Here the poet is very much impressed with the beauty of nature where the sun shines brightly and birds sing sweet songs. The atmosphere is filled with spiritual peace. The poet wants to live in the natural atmosphere forever and wants to enjoy every moment of this life. The poet is still deeply attached to the lake isle of Innisfree that the memories of that place are still alive in his mind. He remembers everything about that place. The poet says that when he reaches there he will get mental peace there. The poet says that the atmosphere of that place is filled with natural objects. It looks very beautiful.
The time of just before dawn looks very beautiful.The mist and fog just before sunrise look very beautiful and give him spiritual and mental peace. That time seems to the poet divine time because the atmosphere is very peaceful. The birds are singing sweet songs here and there and fill the atmosphere with their melodious music. The chirping of the small insects also makes the atmosphere happy. At noon, The sun shines brightly and throws his rays on the various objects of nature. The flowers of many colours look very beautiful. The valley is filled with the colourful flowers and sweet songs of birds. In the evening, The linnets sing sweet songs and fly here and there. (Linnet is a small bird that sings sweetly). Here in the natural atmosphere, Everybody seems happy. They all enjoy in the lap of nature. This is the reason that the poet wants to settle there forever.
The time of just before dawn looks very beautiful.The mist and fog just before sunrise look very beautiful and give him spiritual and mental peace. That time seems to the poet divine time because the atmosphere is very peaceful. The birds are singing sweet songs here and there and fill the atmosphere with their melodious music. The chirping of the small insects also makes the atmosphere happy. At noon, The sun shines brightly and throws his rays on the various objects of nature. The flowers of many colours look very beautiful. The valley is filled with the colourful flowers and sweet songs of birds. In the evening, The linnets sing sweet songs and fly here and there. (Linnet is a small bird that sings sweetly). Here in the natural atmosphere, Everybody seems happy. They all enjoy in the lap of nature. This is the reason that the poet wants to settle there forever.
Stanza-3
In this stanza, the poet wants to go away from the artificial life of the city. He is living in the age of materialism. Therefore he again wants to go back to the lake isle of Innisfree to get peace. City life is full of tensions and artificiality. So he wants to go away from this type of life. He wants to live a peaceful life in the lap of nature. His mind is still full of memories of the lake isle of Innisfree. He remembers the murmuring sound of the lake and chirping of birds. Whenever he stands alone on the roadside or on the footpath, the memory of the lake fills his heart with happiness and peace. He feels a spiritual peace in his heart.
Thus the poet imagines all the natural things of the lake. His heart is very happy. Thus the poem is simple in style but deep in thought. The poem is an excellent example of sensuous word pictures. This poem fills readers' minds with spiritual peace. The poet has a deep desire for spiritual peace and consolation. The poem is full of beautiful scenes, sights, birds, and flowers. After reading this poem, we feel a deep peace, joy and consolation in our heart.
