Summary & Question-answers of The Poem:4- The Lake Isle of Innisfree with the concerned video

The Lake Isle of Innisfree Summary The poet is reminded of his past, his boyhood, when he visited the peaceful Lake Isle of Innisfree. He wants to go there and says that he will live there all alone. He wants to build a small cabin with clay and wattles. He would grow beans and get a honeybee hive for honey to survive on.The poet describes the peaceful natural surroundings of the lake. He says that the scene of the cloudy mornings, the shining stars, the glowing Sun and birds flying in the sky give him peace. He feels relaxed to hear the pleasant sound of the cricket’s song.The poet feels the urgency to go to the lake Isle of Innisfree. In the depth of his heart, he can hear the sound of the lake waters hitting the shore. It is as if the lake is calling him. He hears the sound everywhere – either on the crowded roads or the grey – coloured pavements of the city in which he lives. This indicates that he wants to escape from the artificial life of the city into the peaceful surroundings of nature. 

Questions and Answers

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);

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

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

A.

(i) The three things that the poet wants to do when he goes to Innisfree are as follows –

a) he wants to build a small cabin with clay and wattles.

b) he wants to plant nine rows of beans.

c) he wants to keep a honeybee hive.

(ii) The poet sees the cloudy morning which looks like the sky is wearing a veil. He hears the song of the cricket. He sees the linnet bird flying in the evening sky. The shimmering stars in the night sky and the purplish glow of the afternoon Sun. All these give him a feeling of being at peace.

(iii) Even when the poet is far away from Innisfree, he hears the sound of the lake water hitting the shore in the depth of his heart.

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.)

A. The poet describes lake Innisfree as a place full of the bounties of nature. He sees the cloudy sky, the shimmering stars in the night sky, the purplish glow of the afternoon Sun and the linnet bird flying in the evening sky. The sound of the cricket’s song is also pleasing to him. On the other hand, the place where he stands now is an urban place which is devoid of all these beauties of nature. He says that there are roadways and grey – coloured pavements around him.

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?

A. Innisfree is a place that the poet used to visit in his boyhood. As he lives in the city now, he expresses a desire to go to Innisfree which had peaceful surroundings. This shows his state of mind. Yes, he misses lake Innisfree when he says that the sound of the lake water hitting the shore echoes in the core of his heart.