The Lake Isle of Innisfree

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

by William Butler Yeats 

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.  

At first glance, Yeats poem seems to be a celebration of rural life, getting away from the stress of the City and living a simple life, uncluttered by the accourtements of modern civilization. But in the final two lines, Yeats reveals that while he desires that lifestyle, the desire is from afar, standing on the roadway on grey pavement. The melancholy of being separated from the country creates the pain and loneliness reflected in the music.  This work was commissioned by The Seraphin Trio of Chicago. Emily Bell, Richard Bell and Chiayi Lee.