May 31 2024
Yeats – 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 honeybee,
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.
— from The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats, by William Butler Yeats
/ Image by hideraldo dwight leitao /
A few days ago I was standing beneath a tree covered in late spring blossoms. Standing there enveloped in the perfumed shade, I slowed down enough to hear the hum of the bees who were contentedly at work among the tree’s flowers. As I listened more deeply, the the beesong surrounded me until it seemed as if I felt it vibrating within my body.
I thought of this poem by Yeats and his bee-loud glade… a portrait of peace.
I love the rhythms of this poem. To really appreciate it, you need to say it aloud and slowly. Let it roll off the tongue.
Yeats paints with his words, running them together like brushstrokes in watercolor.
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.
What stands out more is how Yeats awakens our sense of hearing against a background of silence:
…the bee-loud glade.
…where the cricket sings
I hear the lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore
And finally–
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.
To me, this is a poem about quiet, slowing down, and listening with all our senses.
In the beauty of this rustic scene, we discover something of the eternal in the sounds and rhythms of the world around us.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow
Recommended Books: William Butler Yeats
 |
 |
|
|
|
| The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse | Holy Fire: Nine Visionary Poets and the Quest for Enlightenment | The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats | Byzantium | The Secret Rose |
| More Books >> | ||||
|
William Butler Yeats
Ireland (1865 – 1939) Timeline |
Good to enjoy this poem again and again.
It has has inspired me for many years with my bean rows and bees.
I also passed a sycamore in late spring thick with buzzing, several different species of bees, hoverflys and wasps.
Thank You, Ivan, for this beautiful poem by Yeats. His words describing the natural
world and the stillness required to hear, and the line ‘And I shall have some peace
there, for peace comes dropping slow.’ So meaningful to me.