The Lake Isle of Innisfree

I. 1. What kind of place is Innisfree? Think about:
(i) the three things the poet wants to do when he goes back there (stanza I);

Ans: (a) The poet wants to build a small cabin of clay and wattles.

(b) He wants to plant nine rows of beans.

(c) He wants to keep honey bees hive.

(ii) what he hears and sees there and its effect on him (stanza II);

Ans: (a) He hears the cricket’s song.

(b) He holds linnets flying in the sky.

(c) He sees glimmering midnight and glowing rooms.

(iii) what he hears in his “heart’s core” even when he is far away from

(stanza III).

Ans: When the poet is far away from Innisfree he hears the sound of the lake water washing the shore in his “heart’s core”.

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2.  By  now you may have concluded that Innisfree is a simple, natural place, full of beauty and peace. How does the poet contrast it with where he now stands

(Read stanza III).

Ans: The poet contrasts the clay and wattle made cabin, bee loud glade, morning with dews and crickets songs, midnight with glimmer, noon with purple glow, evenings with linnet’s songs lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore etc.

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3. Do you think Innisfree is only a place, or a state of mind? Does the poet actually miss the place of his boyhood days?

Ans: Although Innisfree is the poet’s boyhood haunt, it also represents his state of mind. The poet wishes to escape to Innisfree as it is more peaceful than where he is now−the city. Innisfree is representative of what the poet considers an ideal place to live, which is devoid of the restless humdrum of his life.
Yes, the poet actually misses the place of his boyhood days. Even when he is away from Innisfree , he recalls the sound of the lake water washing the shore.

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II. 1. Look at the words the poet uses to describe what he sees and hears at Innisfree
(i) Bee-loud glade
(ii) Evenings full of the linnet’s wings
(iii) Lake water lapping with low sounds
What pictures do these words create in your mind?

Ans: (i) These words bring to our minds the image of buzzing bees.

(ii) These words bring up the image of linnets flying across an evening sky.

(iii) These words evoke not only the image but also the soft sound of a lake’s water washing the shore.

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2. Look at these words:
…peace comes dropping slow
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings
What do these words mean to you? What do you think “comes dropping slow…from the veils of the morning”? What does “to where the cricket sings” mean?

Ans: The given lines indicate that peace of mind can be slowly acquired from the natural surroundings.

It is peace that “comes dropping slow…from the veils of the morning”.

The phrase “to where the cricket sings” indicates a peaceful place where one can hear the

vibrant sounds of nature− sounds such as the songs of the crickets at the time of dawn.