"The Lake Isle of Innisfree" by W. B. Yeats: Prompted by Home Sickness

Introduction:

Lough Gill pic. by  Oliver Dixon- geograph.org.uk 

W. B. Yeats was in London when he wrote "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" in 1890. The poem was prompted by a feeling of home sickness. Innisfree is a small island in Lough Gill, County Sligo, Ireland where as a young man Yeats had dreamed of a smooth life close to nature. He was standing on an actual London pavement (the pavements grey) when a jet of Walter in a chemist shop set him dreaming of this island.

A poem of escape:

In a sense this is a poem of escape. The poet wants to go away from the weary world of stress and strain to the peaceful island of Innisfree. The poet wants to go instantly with a heartfelt hyperbolic desire. In there he would build a cottage of clay and wattles and plant the nine bean-rows.  He would also have a hive for honey-bees.  All these suggest a self-sustaining and harmonious life close to nature. Peace and tranquility that he pines for will be enjoyed there:

"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."

Yeats finds solace in the tranquility and peace that Innisfree offers. He describes the peacefulness as something that slowly descends upon him, dropping from the veils of the morning. The sounds of nature, such as the singing cricket, the glimmering midnight, the purple glow of noon, and the wings of the linnet, create a serene atmosphere that contrasts with the noise and busyness of the city:

"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."

The bee loud glade, the evening full of linnet’s wings, and morning to where the cricket sings – all such epithets convey the intensity of the poet’s desire to get away from the pavements gray of the London city. Though Innisfree looms larger than London in the poem, without the pavements gray it would be a poorer stock:

"....

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

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

      I hear it in the deep heart's core."

The opposite and discarded qualities, both of thought and emotion, which can be fused through the efforts of the poetic imagination, are beautifully being drawn here in this poem.

Again, the recurring refrain of "I will arise and go now" emphasizes Yeats' determination to leave his current surroundings and find solace in the natural beauty of Innisfree. He yearns for the sounds of lake water lapping against the shore, which symbolize the call of nature resonating deep within his heart.

A romantic poem:

The young Yeats has the parvenu of the romanticism and his ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’ is saturated with the romantic inclination. In fact he has romanticized the nature. In Innisfee he seeks tranquility and peace miles apart from suffering and pain of the world. He likes to sojourn amidst nature and its hue and smoothness. In this poem he amalgamates universality and personal emotion. Yet Innisfree cabin is alone a realm of imagination and on actual it is a Hill near Sligo. Nine bean rows refer to a kitchen garden which shows simplicity and a desire for home. His London is no place. In his cottage the bee loud glade is soothing music to our ear quite contrary to the voice of men. The message is clear that sights and sounds of nature are conclusive of peace. They aid marvel recreation of a mood.

Conclusion:

In term of its music hymning and nature painting "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" is one of the few modern poems that have so much artistry lavished upon them. This short lyric is indeed a spell of an enchanted atmosphere. R. L. Stevenson has rightly said of it( in a letter dated 14 April 1894, Vailima), “It is so quaint and airy, simple and artful and eloquent to the heart”. Again, "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" is a poignant portrayal of homesickness and the desire for a peaceful sanctuary amidst the chaos of the modern world. It reflects Yeats' longing for a simpler existence and a connection with the natural world that he felt was missing in urban life.

     

Ardhendu De

W B Yeats : a biography with selected poems : Lambirth, Andrew, 1959- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/wbyeatsbiography0000lamb