"The Lake Isle of Innisfree" is a poem by W.B. Yeats that describes the speaker's longing to escape the chaos of modern life and find peace in a simple life on the island of Innisfree. The poem is composed of three quatrains with an ABAB rhyme scheme.
In the first stanza, the speaker declares his intention to leave the city and build a small cabin on Innisfree. He imagines himself living alone in the quiet of the island, surrounded by nature. He plans to plant nine bean rows and keep a hive for honeybees, suggesting a simple and self-sufficient life.
The second stanza describes the peace that the speaker hopes to find on the island. He believes that he will find peace in the sound of the morning, the cricket's song, the glimmer of midnight, the purple glow of noon, and the wings of the linnet in the evening. The speaker imagines that the peace will come slowly, dropping from the morning veils and settling in the island's natural sounds.
In the final stanza, the speaker repeats his desire to go to Innisfree. He explains that he hears the sound of the lake water lapping at the shore even when he is in the city. This sound represents the call of nature and the deep longing that the speaker feels to escape from the noise of the city and find solace in a more simple and peaceful way of life.
Overall, the poem expresses the speaker's desire for a simpler life, where he can escape from the noise and chaos of modern society and find peace in nature. It is a yearning for a more primal and authentic way of life that is not corrupted by the trappings of civilization. The poem's emphasis on the beauty of nature and the solace that it can bring continues to resonate with readers today.
